From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, former Asanti Regional Deputy Minister
FORMER PRESIDENT and founder of the NDC, Mr. Jerry John Rawlings’ description of some Ministers and appointees of the Atta Mills administration as “greedy bastards” has been proven to be the gospel truth.
“Mr. Rawlings’ refrain of ‘greedy bastards’ depicts the true picture of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC)”, Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, a former Ashanti regional Deputy Minister has noted.
Mr. Rawlings, sometime last year, described some of the Ministers serving in the Atta Mills’ government as ‘Greedy Bastards’ after some of the foot-soldiers of the party had called on him at his Ridge Residence in Accra to complain about problems in the party and the government. Mr. Rawlings had also inferred that President Mills was slow.
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi’s conviction of Mr. Rawlings’ description as apt is premised on the commissions and omissions on the part of some Ministers in the infamous Alfred Agbesi Woyome scandal.
Mr. Rawlings’ position for his “greedy bastards” remark was premised on his disappointed that the Ministers had shortly on assumption of office forgotten about the tenets of probity and accountability, and resorted to amassing wealth in all directions.
The former NPP Deputy Minister said he had problems with President John Evans Atta Mills who rushed to rubbish Mr. Rawlings’ criticisms, and yet had not done any thing to prove his position.
According to Osei Assibey, revelations of the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) report on the doling out of GH¢58 million to Mr. Woyome is an indictment on the government.
He said the lame defence of the payment of the so-called Judgment debt by some Ministers of state had exposed the incompetence of the Ministers and the government as a whole, saying the “incompetence” of the Atta Mills administration has been brought to the fore by the fact that Woyome could outwit a whole government machinery and hold the nation to ransom on the international scene.
The alleged lack of defense by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Mr. Alex Segbefia makes President Mills suspicious of complexity. He questioned, “What impact did the two interventions by the President make if payment was still effected?”
Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi said the open admission of Dr. Kwabena Adjei, the National chairman of the National Democratic Congress that the party is on the verge of collapse was a confirmation of Mr. Rawlings observations. “Mr. Rawlings should be hailed for having told the truth” he suggested.
The former Minister lamented on the inability of the Mills Administration to do due diligence by merely consulting the previous administration, which act could have saved the image of the government and Ghana.
Mr. Osei Assibey noted that with the immaturity of some of the Ministers as rightly pointed out by Mr. Rawlings and the failure of the government to effectively implement certain policies initiated by the previous government, it was obvious that things were falling apart for the NDC, as its treads on a dangerous path of governance in the face of misplaced priorities at the expense of the people.
Mr. Osei Assibey cautioned the Ghanaian electorate to be awakened to the situation and assess it more critically and consider giving the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the mandate at the next elections to run the country to right the ills of the NDC government.
The former Minister also suggested that the only way to reverse this dangerous trend and insensitivity on the part of the NDC is to vote massively for the NPP and its Flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo, in the impending elections, to take up the mantle of government.
Pix: Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi
