Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings called for accountability in Ghana as the new NDC government works to reset and recalibrate the direction of the country.
Consequence management, she said, is key to holding people accountable for doing right or wrong to do away with the psyche of impunity that people have.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings who won her third parliamentary elections on December 7 made the call in a passionate address at the 43rd anniversary of the 31st December Revolution on Tuesday.
She called for humility, integrity and adherence to the principles of the Revolution which gave birth to the Fourth Republic. If the foundation on which this Fourth Republic was built was not strong enough Ghana would have descended into chaos by now, she stated.
“It is time we celebrated our heroes for doing the right thing and shame those who use their positions to destroy and use their incumbency to amass wealth at the expense of the people of this country. The resources of this country are not meant for one family, one ethnic group and not for one party,” Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings stated.
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings expressed sadness that her father, the late Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings was not around to witness the dawn of a new era in Ghana.
Scared mandate
The Member of Parliament for the Klottey Korle constituency in the Greater Accra Region said the mandate the people of Ghana had given the NDC was a sacred and solemn one. She noted that at a time in history when we are surrounded by democratic reversals and unrest, we need to show that we are on the path of righteousness and the path towards a sustainable future where the integrity and dignity of Ghanaians is assured.
“That is what the NDC represents and that is what the people of Ghana are expecting of us,” the Member of Parliament said.
The Klottey Korle legislator said citizens must not think it is us and them. She enjoined Ghanaians to join hands in steering the country back on track, stating that “we must not allow arrogance, pride and hubris to fill our hearts because of the electoral victory.”
Wounded nation
The NDC, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings said, is inheriting a broken family and a wounded nation that has become so polarized and divided not on right or wrong but on partisanship, cronyism and corruption.
Not a single aspect of society, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings lamented, was spared from the tsunami of the NPP government of the past eight years.
“We are duty bound to do what is right by the people of Ghana for the sake of those who died in the pursuit of our liberty and for the sake of those yet unborn, she stated.
Touching on the inner strength and resolve of Ghanaians, Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings said when in the 1980s millions of Ghanaians were forcibly expelled from Nigeria the whole world expected Ghana to collapse but it did not happen because we had good leadership and a good followership. Good followership is as essential as good leadership for good governance, she said.
She said: “It is not enough to have good leaders. We as the citizens must also make sure we are keeping our leaders and ourselves accountable and on the path of the straight and narrow. That is the only way we can bring Ghana to her former glory and make Ghana truly the pride of this continent yet again. We have unfortunately been presided over by a government who have weaponized our democracy against us. That is not what democracy is about and we have a solemn duty to restore the power of the people.”
Dr. Agyeman-Rawlings urged Ghanaians to do a thorough introspection by thinking about Ghana and how as a collective we can share a vision of making Ghana a better place for ourselves and our future generations.
Other speakers at the occasion which took place at the Nungua Town Park were NDC Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, NDC General Secretary Fiifi Kwetey and the Member of Parliament for Krowor, Agnes Naa Momo Lartey.
