Former Trade and Industry Minister, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah has admitted that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) veered from the track of probity and accountability and must go back to uphold the principles before it is too late.
“I wish to appeal particularly to the leadership, members, supporters, sympathisers and grassroots activists of our beloved party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which was founded by Jerry John Rawlings on the ideals of probity and accountability to do more in making these ideas a reality.”
Mr Spio-Garbrah stated categorically that if former President John Mahama contests to become the flagbearer for the December 2020, he (Spio-Garbrah) will not join the race.
Delivering a speech at the 38th anniversary celebration of the June 4, 1979 ‘revolution’ in Wa, the Upper West Regional capital on Sunday, the former minister, said “if that is done, this will ensure that we reconstruct our party on these noble ideals which in the past have propelled us from victory onto victory in competing with our opponents of the property owning class.”
He said “as we commemorate 38 years of the June 4th uprising, may we as a nation, solemnly reflect and remind ourselves of the social and economic conditions that prevailed in our country during that era and which culminated in the June 4 incident that sparked a popular revolt against all manner of injustices in our Ghanaian society, including high levels of corruption, thievery, general indiscipline and impunity.”
He admitted “it is sad to note that thirty-eight years on, the vices of corruption, nepotism, cronyism, etc., which led to the eruption of June 4th in 1979 have slowly crept back into our everyday life and arguably surpassed the obnoxious period preceding the June 4 event,” adding “our nation is once again grappling with the canker of widespread, extreme corruption that has permeated the whole of our society, including officialdom.”
He said “as a nation, we seem not to have learnt the lessons June 4 sought to teach us,” adding “Government after government, since we adopted multi-party democracy in 1992, has been accused of corruption by succeeding ones.”
“Now it is common to find governments using the so-called, Corruption Perception Index to compare their own levels of corruption with others, thus implicitly admitting that they are corrupt but perhaps doing better than others,” Mr Spio-Garbrah said.
He said that “no matter the level of perception, corruption is a canker in our society, which if not nipped in the bud, would eat away the very fabric of society, resulting in enrichment of a few in positions of trust and abjectly impoverishing the masses of our people,” adding that to check the impunity, it is imperative for us, as a nation, to revisit the lessons of probity and accountability which June 4th sought to teach us.”
He suggested that the NDC leadership should prioritise the establishment and operationalisation of a training school and programme for elected party officers at all levels to ensure that the next generation of party executives and leaders are people of integrity and are able and willing to defend these ideals of social democracy so as to make the NDC more competitive in future elections.
“We are a grassroots political party of the Social Democratic ideology. We owe it as a duty to cater for the needs of the common man and woman on the streets, on farms, fisher folk, market women, teachers, nurses, other workers, as well as countless millions of our unemployed young men and women.”
Mahama Message
Former President John Mahama, who does not appear to have had any association with the celebration of June 4th since he became both Vice President and subsequently President, suddenly issued a statement to commemorate the occasion.
He said in a statement issued and signed by his Special Aide, Joyce Bawah Mogtari in Accra that “June 4, as one of the recognized anniversary days of the NDC, is a day of accountability.”
He charged the NDC members to ensure the values of the June 4 Revolution were not eroded.
Interestingly, it was during his time that corruption was elevated, with wanton stealing of money by his appointees.
President Mahama said that this year’s June 4 celebration coincided with the 25th Anniversary of the NDC, which falls on June 10, saying “these twin events present another opportunity for members of the NDC to rededicate themselves to the values of the June 4 Revolution, which brought into being the 31st December Revolution and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).”
Source: Daily Guide
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It is like ndc do not know themselves so think nobody knows them. Ndc we the people of Ghana know you proper well,well. We know you were paupers before the revolution, we know most of your so called leaders were in tattered T-shirts and khaki trousers and Charlie wote, we remember some even had lice in their hair, we remember some didn't even had men's briefs (under wear) under their trousers,we remember some had shirts with stained ampits and we remember how they got to love designers shirts and shoes,we haven't forgotten nothing and we are passing those days to our kids and generations after us not to forget who the people who called themselves revolutionaries looked like before and now. How they are grabbing cars and mansions those who said they came because of the poor are now filthy rich and the poor are the poorest. My question is where is the justice the revolution preached?today's ndc injustices to the good people of Ghana are more than before the revolution. Ndc can never convince anyone apart from their die hard who are filled with hate and e*vy but the most poorest in society. Property owning means hard work, work and happiness,work and acquire your own property you don't have to rely on government or anyone to develope yourself,is this a made idea? I love that ideology than for me to work and somebody to chop and tell me when to eat and where to sleep. That communist slavery of socialism doesn't belong to Ghana so ndc take your nonse*nse socialism you don't even understand to implement away.
NDC veered from the track of probity and accountability to that of create, l00t and share.... NDC is a cr!m!nal gang which will soon be an endangered one. The corruption starts right from the founder to the last member.
Wonders shall never end.. Is this the NDC which just left power? Wow... preaching accountability and corruption? Eii asem oo! Ghanaians are gradually becoming wise even though almost 40% still does not know why they vote. Just six months after power u guys start to preach corruption when did u know this? I cant believe what am hearing from these so called NDC leaders.
what we Ghanaian term it as revolution was not a revolution at all. what did come to change? Rawlings was envied his senior officers hence his coup, he started the same year with Iran now look at where Iran has reached in terms of development, in Iran corruption is minimal because when because when you are caught you will pay dearly for I. when Rawlings appointees were sent to CHIRA and find guilty of corruption Rawlings issued white paper to clear them.
Yes, now the party and its members fear their own shadows. Spio's fears are very true and would come to pass. Nsha Allah!! Corruption, corruption and corruption!!! All points to the fact that NDC and its appointees from their inception 25 years ago has been to impoverish more masses as they scramble for the countries resources to their undue advantage. From their founder who struggled to explain the Gen Abacha/Ismael Gwazo handshake of US$5,000,000.00 to the issue of Victor Smith parrying away donations for the parties campaign all points to the fact that they come to power only to chop the poeple's money. Soon, many of them will find themselves in govt rented gated communities. Nsha Allah!!!