Source: Chronicle - Ghanaian Chronicle
The raging debate as to whether former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings will contest the ticket for the NDC presidential candidate seems to have taken a new twist as a website endorsing the former first lady's bid has been outdoored.
Latest information gathered by The Chronicle indicates the website was designed by the controversial group, Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR) who in recent past have embarked on campaign tactics to project the former first lady as the viable option for the NDC presidential candidate in the 2012 general elections.
The website, www.fonkar.org has a large portrait of Nana Konadu with the slogan “Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings…The Presidential Candidate for 2012” boldly scripted next to the portrait.
The website also catalogues the various schools the NDC founder's wife attended, and her political achievements. Part of the CV reads: "As first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings accompanied her husband, President Jerry John Rawlings, on official and state visits. In 1995, she travelled with President Rawlings on his extensive tour of the United States to promote investment and trade.
As part of the visit, President Rawlings and Mrs. Rawlings were awarded honorary degrees from the Lincoln University, alma mater of Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Social Science by a University in Pennsylvania for her exemplary work in championing the cause of women empowerment."
All attempts by The Chronicle to contact the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, to ascertain whether the out-dooring of the website to promote Konadu's 2012 presidential agenda contravenes party rules and regulations proved futile, as his mobile phone had been switched off.
Mr. Kofi Adams, who speaks for the Rawlingses, could also not be reached on his phone.
Though President Mills has publicly declared his intention to seek re-election, the founder and his wife appear not to be amused, and have resorted to underground work to torpedo him.
Mr. Rawlings has on many occasions harshly criticised the President for failing to jail former New Patriotic Party (NPP) functionaries.
Mills has also come to state that as a Professor of law, he had no power to send the said functionaries to jail, without taking them through the due process of the law.
The Chronicle is keeping an eagle eye on the drama as it unfolds, and will keep readers informed.
Rawlings Ready For Police
General News of Thursday, 2 December 2010
Source: New Crusading Guide
Kofi Adams, aide to former President Jerry John Rawlings, has finally stated the position of his boss on President Atta Mills’ directive that investigations be re-opened into the serial murders of some 34 women prior to the 2000 elections, saying Mr. Rawlings thinks it is a step in the right direction.
In an interview with the New Crusading Guide newspaper yesterday, Kofi Adams said, “we all thought it (murders) was serial until we detected in the latter part of the administration that it was political,” and to that end, his boss thinks, “it is a good move to re-open investigations into an act he (Rawlings) said was political.”
Even in the light of the trial and sentence of Charles Quansah, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the murders, aide to the former president said, reinvestigations were important especially in the absence of any thorough work on the on the case.
On the question of whether the Police, who were instructed to conduct the investigations, have contacted the ex-President in respect to the fresh investigations, Kofi Adams said no such communication had been extended to the former President.
He went on to say that Mr. Rawlings was ready to cooperate with the Police whenever they needed his assistance and was prepared to provide them with any proof at his disposal in order that a concrete conclusion is reached on the killings of some 34 Ghanaian women in the run-up to the 2000 elections and thereafter. . When Mr. Rawlings in 2003 met with some senior Police officers on the same matter, he told the investigators he would not disclose the names of the alleged culprits without the government’s acceptance of the principle of subjecting those persons to a chemical interrogation and truth serum test, since he had learned his lessons from the way the government handled the murder of the Ya Na.
He stated that he did not want the truth about his knowledge of the 15 to be massaged by the then government’s ‘propaganda team’
It would be recalled that the President, John Evans Atta Mills, sometime this month ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to reopen investigations into the killing of 34 women in the latter parts of the Rawlings administration and early parts of the Kufuor administration.
The directive though is believed to be coming on the back of pressure from the ex-President who has on countless occasions accused some senior cabinet ministers of the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration of being behind the killings of women.
The Former President in 2003 alleged during an open lecture to mark the "June 4 Uprising," that 15 Ministers of State of the NPP Government were implicated in the killing of the women.
During a recent tour of the Northern Region, Mr. Rawlings again said that, "if while we are in office we do not take advantage of this situation and re-investigate properly and deal with those who masterminded it (murders), not just the subordinate personnel that were used, then we are leaving for them the power and the right to think they can do it again. And they know it. .. we all know it. It is incumbent on us for the sake of justice. In other words if NPP were to win an election again or if NDC were to continue none of us must have the power to think we can kill any human being and get away with it," Rawlings said.
Meanwhile, the former President is reported to be away in Suriname to join the people of that country in their Independence Day celebration, on an invitation by the Government. When he returns and is duly contacted by the Police, his aide is in no doubt that his boss would willingly comply and volunteer information to help unravel the mystery.
In an interview with the New Crusading Guide newspaper yesterday, Kofi Adams said, “we all thought it (murders) was serial until we detected in the latter part of the administration that it was political,” and to that end, his boss thinks, “it is a good move to re-open investigations into an act he (Rawlings) said was political.”
Even in the light of the trial and sentence of Charles Quansah, who is believed to be the mastermind behind the murders, aide to the former president said, reinvestigations were important especially in the absence of any thorough work on the on the case.
On the question of whether the Police, who were instructed to conduct the investigations, have contacted the ex-President in respect to the fresh investigations, Kofi Adams said no such communication had been extended to the former President.
He went on to say that Mr. Rawlings was ready to cooperate with the Police whenever they needed his assistance and was prepared to provide them with any proof at his disposal in order that a concrete conclusion is reached on the killings of some 34 Ghanaian women in the run-up to the 2000 elections and thereafter. . When Mr. Rawlings in 2003 met with some senior Police officers on the same matter, he told the investigators he would not disclose the names of the alleged culprits without the government’s acceptance of the principle of subjecting those persons to a chemical interrogation and truth serum test, since he had learned his lessons from the way the government handled the murder of the Ya Na.
He stated that he did not want the truth about his knowledge of the 15 to be massaged by the then government’s ‘propaganda team’
It would be recalled that the President, John Evans Atta Mills, sometime this month ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to reopen investigations into the killing of 34 women in the latter parts of the Rawlings administration and early parts of the Kufuor administration.
The directive though is believed to be coming on the back of pressure from the ex-President who has on countless occasions accused some senior cabinet ministers of the erstwhile New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration of being behind the killings of women.
The Former President in 2003 alleged during an open lecture to mark the "June 4 Uprising," that 15 Ministers of State of the NPP Government were implicated in the killing of the women.
During a recent tour of the Northern Region, Mr. Rawlings again said that, "if while we are in office we do not take advantage of this situation and re-investigate properly and deal with those who masterminded it (murders), not just the subordinate personnel that were used, then we are leaving for them the power and the right to think they can do it again. And they know it. .. we all know it. It is incumbent on us for the sake of justice. In other words if NPP were to win an election again or if NDC were to continue none of us must have the power to think we can kill any human being and get away with it," Rawlings said.
Meanwhile, the former President is reported to be away in Suriname to join the people of that country in their Independence Day celebration, on an invitation by the Government. When he returns and is duly contacted by the Police, his aide is in no doubt that his boss would willingly comply and volunteer information to help unravel the mystery.
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