The Chairman of the Eastern Region branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Fred Ohene-Kena, has expressed disgust about the pulling down of the statue of former President Jerry John Rawlings, erected at the “Club” near the offices of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC).
“Such an incident could only take place in a confused society,” he said.
Mr Ohene-Kena said this when he led some members of the Regional Executive of the NDC to inspect the statue.
The “Club” is a public building being used as a camp for military personnel from the First Battalion of Infantry on duty in the Eastern Region.
The destruction of the statue reportedly took place a week ago after a publication in an Accra private newspaper that some of its readers had allegedly complained that the statue was irritating them.
Mr Ohene-Kena said democracy would only thrive in the country if the judiciary would stand up for justice and the media gives fair comments on issues affecting the nation.
He said the Executive and Parliament could always come out with policies and laws that would not benefit a section of the public, but “it is only when the citizenry have the confidence that there would be fair trials by the judiciary and fair comments by the press that the country can progress.”
He reminded those who pulled the statue down not to think that because ex-President Rawlings was out of government his support was weaning, adding that “their action infuriated a greater part of the supporters of the ex-President in Koforidua and the leadership of the NDC’.
Mr Ohene-Kena recalled a similar incident to the bronze statue of Dr Kwame Nkrumah after his overthrow in 1966.
He said: “it is a shame that an incident which happened 37 years ago should be repeated.”
He assured that the leadership of the NDC in the region would do everything possible to put back the statue.
Source: GhanaWeb
