[ 2011-04-19 ]

J J Rawlings

NDC gags Rawlings
There appears to be a deliberate attempt by the
national executive of the ruling National
Democratic Congress (NDC) to stifle the party’s
founder and former President, Jerry John Rawlings,
from campaigning for his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman
Rawlings.

Days after Nana Konadu, who is also President of
the 31st December Women’s Movement (DWM), a
women’s wing of the party, openly declared her
intention to contest for the flagbearership
position of the NDC in the upcoming congress, the
party has outdoored a set of guidelines to govern
the upcoming congress.

A clause in the guidelines debars party executives
from issuing public and press statements or
pronouncements in support of a candidate. This
directive comes days after some regional
executives of the party made open declarations in
support of President Mills.

The clause states that “any party executive who
issues public statements, press statements and
make public pronouncements or violates/ breaches
any part of the code of conduct shall be subject
to sanctions by NEC upon the recommendation of a
Disciplinary Committee.”

By virtue of his position as founder who attends
National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings,
Konadu’s supporters consider this as a
deliberate ploy to prevent Mr Rawlings, who has
already given Konadu his blessings to contest
incumbent President Mills, from campaigning for
her.

But Kofi Adams, spokesperson to the former First
family, said Rawlings could not be gagged. He told
Citi Fm the party’s guidelines did not bar
individual executive members from declaring
support for any aspirant, and that he would not be
deterred from supporting Mrs. Rawlings’s bid to
contest for the NDC flagbearership against
President Mills.

Mr. Adams insisted he could fulfill both his
duties as spokesperson to the Rawlings family and
deputy NDC General Secretary.

“President Rawlings will not cease to exist
because the former First Lady is running. She is
running for an office and that office is there,
whereas I am spokesperson for the family so when
matters that affect the family come, I will speak
about them. On matters of campaigning, there will
be a spokesperson.

But I don’t think the regulation did say that
party executives cannot support a candidate. It
only said that you cannot say that a group that
you belong to supports a person but individually
you can support if you so wish.

“I support the former First Lady and I have not
minced words about that,” he noted. But NDC
General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah aka
General Mosquito, who made the contents of the
guidelines public at a press conference in Accra
yesterday, saw nothing wrong with the earlier
endorsements and declaration of support by some
party executives for Mills since, according to
him, no rules had been set at the time they made
those declarations.

Now that guidelines have been set for the
congress, he said, people would be held
accountable for their actions. Each contestant is
required to pay a non-refundable fee of GH¢20,000
as filing fee.

The party has however made special concession for
female contestants, offering to give a 50 percent
rebate, with the hope of encouraging more women to
participate in the democratic process and assume a
more responsible role in the governance of the NDC
and the country at large.

Nominations therefore open on May 3, 2011 and
close on May10, 2011 whilst submission of
nomination is supposed to be submitted by June 1,
2011. Vetting of candidates by a five-member team
is also scheduled to take place between June 7 and
June 8, 2011, after which a list of delegates
would be released to those who qualify to contest
the flagbearership position on June 10, 2011.

Exactly a month later, July 8 and 10, 2011, the
NDC would hold what is expected to be a
keenly-contested congress in the Brong Ahafo
regional capital, Sunyani, to elect a Presidential
candidate for the 2012 elections.

Over 3,000 delegates, including the founder of the
party, Mr. Rawlings, leader of the party and
President of the Republic, Prof. Atta Mills, the
Vice President, National Executive Committee (NEC)
members, Ministers of State, selected Regional
Executives, Committee members, Parliamentarians
and MMDCEs who are members of the party and
foreign branch representatives are expected to
cast their ballots during the three-day special
congress.

For the first time in the party’s internal
electoral process, the Council of Elders and
representatives of the Tertiary Education
Institution Network (TEIN) who form a vital
component of the NDC’s constitution have also
been included in the number of delegates expected
at the congress.

Their inclusion was approved by the National
Congress in Tamale early last year.

In order to uphold discipline and mutual respect
as key principles for decent politicking, the NEC
of the NDC has instituted a code to monitor and
regulate the conduct of aspirants and their
followers.

The code is therefore expected to restrain
contestants and their supporters from engaging in
acts that have the tendency to generate not only
controversy and acrimony which could impact
negatively on the party, but also eventually
affect the overall campaign of the party against
other political parties in the 2012 election.

Contestants, their supporters and/or agents have
been barred from the use of insinuations, abusive
or intemperate language against their opponents in
their campaign.

They are also warned to desist from displaying
rancorous or abrasive conduct, vilification and
mudslinging during campaigns.

The party’s Disciplinary Committee has therefore
been activated to invoke appropriate provisions of
the NDC’s constitution in cases of breach of the
code.

Mr. Asiedu Nketiah assured the contestants that
complaints brought before the party’s
disciplinary committee would be dealt with
“expeditiously.”

He noted that the party considered the processes
leading to the congress as more important than the
outcome, and would therefore “try as much as
possible” and within “internationally
recognized best democratic practices” to ensure
transparency and provide a level playing field for
all aspirants.

Source - Daily Guide

... go Back