Wednesday, 23 May 2012

Ghana: Rift between Jerry Rawlings and President Mills deepens


The on-going rift between former president Jerry Rawlings and President John Atta Mills intensified when Rawlings told the 30th anniversary ceremony of the 31st December Women's movement that several key government members are 'traitors.' He also criticised what he described as the unprecedented “monetisation” of politics, which had “eroded the principle of integrity on which the party has always won its elections”.

The Presidency's director of operations, Nii Lante Vanderpuije, responded by telling a local radio station that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was tired of Rawlings' constant criticisms of the ruling party. Many NDC members, he said, have used their time, resources and reputations to support the party and are not “greedy bastards” or “traitors” as Rawlings alleges.

He also challenged the former president and his wife, Nana Konadu Rawlings, to leave the NDC before the 2012 elections and see if it made a difference to the election result.

As reported in previous editions of Ghana Politics & Security, the tensions between the Rawlings, his wife, and the current NDC leadership have been escalating for some time. The Rawlings' criticisms of the NDP are regularly printed in the pro-NPP local press and it has recently been suggested that Rawlings and his wife would prefer electoral defeat for the NDC.

For more news and expert analysis about Ghana, please see Ghana Politics & Security.

© 2012 Menas Associates

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