By Victoria Ojeme
Former Ghana’s President, Jerry John Rawlings has express disapprobation over the high level of corruption that multi-party democracies foisted by the West has had on Africa states.
He spoke in what seems like a tacit support to the military government in Mali when he received a delegation of four military leaders from the new Malian government.
Rawlings himself is a former Ghanaian military leader and subsequent politician who ruled the country from 1981 to 2001 and also for a brief period in 1979. He led a military junta until 1992, and then served two terms as the democratically elected President of Ghana.
His second period of rule (1981–2001), experts say, afforded Ghana political stability and competent economic management.
The four-man delegation of the National Committee for the Salvation of the People (CNSP) led by its Chairman, Colonel Assimi Goïta called on him in over talks on a new transition government.
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The meeting was orchestrated by the Economic Communities of West Africa States (ECOWAS) in bids to restoring stability in Mali after their Political riot that led to the overthrow of the government there.
He said he was dutifully passing on ECOWAS leadership’s concerns while sharing his own political experiences and observations.
Rawlings urged the Malian leadership to mobilise their people into taking up productive activity through a positive vision to boost the country’s development. He also advised them to empower and encourage the people to own their political climate and to improve on the quality of multiparty democracy that Western powers “have hung around our necks”.
“The level of corruption that has become an integral part of multiparty democracy has created a general climate of stress and tension that may destabilize some areas in our region. It is unfortunate that the world is being forced into multiparty democracy with corruption and violence rather than other forms of democratic practices with none or minimal corruption. Unfortunately, the West appears to favour corruptible political tendencies in order to continue to dominate our security and economy,” the former President stated.
Former President Rawlings also encouraged the transitional unit to govern with humility and diligence and inspire the people to fight and defy corruption and injustice.
He said he was dutifully passing on ECOWAS leadership’s concerns while sharing his own political experiences and observations.
The meeting took place after ECOWAS leaders held an Extraordinary meeting with the Malian leadership at Peduase in Ghana, to discuss political developments in Mali.
Colonel Assimi Goïta was accompanied by Colonel Ismaël Wagué, Major Talibe Konte and Captain Demba N’daw. Also present was the Malian Ambassador to Ghana, Abdoul Kader Toure.
