Don’t Put Any Restrictions On Rawlings – Kwesi Pratt

Mr. Kwesi Pratt, Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, has asked members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to put any restrictions in the way of the founder of the party, Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, if he so desire to address delegates at the Congress grounds in Sunyani.

To him, there is nothing new under the sun that Mr. Rawlings will say that Ghanaians had not heard before.

Earlier this week, Special Aide to the ex-president, Kofi Adams told newsmen that Mr. Rawlings will resist any attempt by party officials to gag him during the NDC’s Delegates Congress in Sunyani next month. His warning comes days after the deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr. Omane Boamah had stated on Metro TV during the station’s “Good Morning Ghana” programme that personally he would prefer the former president was not allowed to address the gathering in Sunyani.

But contributing to a panel discussion on Radio Gold’s “Alhaji and Alhaji” programme, Kwesi Pratt posited that: “I don’t think a speech from former President Rawlings will do anything to the party. It is not going to change the party in anyway. If he decides to make a speech let him talk; after all what is he going to say that we have not heard before?…He should be allowed to speak.”

He, however, advised the planners and organizers of the Congress to put in place strict security measures since anyone can take advantage of the situation and cause chaos at the function. According to him, the responsibility lies with the organizers to ensure an incident-free event because “the NDC cannot afford to have its congress disrupted”.