Former President Jerry John Rawlings
The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) says former President Jerry John Rawlings is not playing active role in the party’s 2016 campaign because of old age.
NDC General Secretary, John Asiedu Nketia says the party’s founder has paid his dues to the development of both the NDC and the country hence he deserves some respite.
Speaking to Evans Mensah on The Pulse programme on the Joynews channel on MultiTV Tuesday, the outspoken NDC functionary says: “We have benefited from the toil of this man so at this age he needs to rest for those he trained to do the work.”
Since he was last spotted at the party’s campaign launch held at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium in August, the NDC founder has been absent in many of the major party’s activities. He was not present at the September launch of the party’s 2016 manifesto held at the Sunyani Coronation Park in the Brong Ahafo Region.
Many political pundits believe the absence of the NDC founder on government platforms especially when President John Mahama is asking Ghanaians to give him a second term is an indication of some tussle ongoing in the party.
Former President Rawlings was instrumental in the victory of late President John Evans Attah Mills in 2008. He single-handedly staged campaign rallies in support of Professor Mills, resulting in his victory.
With 63 days to the presidential and parliamentary election, the former Ghanaian leader is still missing on political campaigns of the NDC.
Mr Nketia says the former military leader who was instrumental in the nation’s return to democracy in 1992 is resting because of his age.
“If Jerry is your father would you pull him to campaign at this age?” he asked host Evans Mensah.
“We have benefited from the toil of this man we have dragged him all over the place campaigning so he deserves to rest,” he said.
But a communication expert Dr Akofa Segbefia says the old age argument of the NDC is “neither here nor there” and would be disastrous if the party does not find a way to court the support of Mr Rawlings in this campaign.
He says Mr Rawlings, 69, is not older than the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who attained 72 this year and is still campaigning.
He was emphatic on Joy FM’s Newsnite programme Tuesday that “Jerry [Rawlings] is one person who cannot be put at the background.”
-Myjoyonline