Legal luminary and statesman, Tsatsu Tsikata, has called on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to uphold higher standards of governance and public service in honour of the legacy of its Founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings.
He said the party risked betraying the ideals on which it was founded if it became complacent and measured its performance only against its predecessors, rather than adhering to the principles of accountability, integrity and national transformation associated with Rawlings’s leadership.
“So, in honour of J.J Rawlings and as an expression of the ideals of the NDC, we must raise the bar of service to the nation and mobilise the nation to reconstruct the future,” he said.
Mr Tsikata was delivering the keynote address at a lecture and exhibition organised by the NDC in collaboration with the J.J. Rawlings Foundation in Accra last Monday.
The lecture marked what would have been the 79th birthday of the late statesman.
It was the second commemorative event of the day after a ceremony to officially rename the party’s headquarters after the former President and the unveiling of a bust in his honour.
The theme for the celebrations was: “From Revolution to Fourth Republic: The Rawlings Legacy”.
Higher bar
Mr Tsikata stressed that the decisive rejection of the then government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2024 elections should not lead the NDC to merely seek to perform slightly better than its predecessor.
“There is a danger, especially after what the country went through in the disastrous 2017 to 2024 period, that we lower the bar of what the nation expects of us in the NDC, and that we aim to be just a little better than the previous government.
May I say without hesitation that this would be both an affront to the people of Ghana, as well as an affront to the illustrious traditions of the NDC,” he stated.
Mr Tsikata described accountability, probity and opposition to corruption as enduring values that continued to resonate with Ghanaians, stressing that the ideals upon which the NDC was founded remain relevant to national development.
Rawlings’s leadership
Reflecting on the leadership of Rawlings, the renowned lawyer and academic said the former President viewed democracy not only as periodic elections but also as economic empowerment, particularly for rural producers whose contributions had long been undervalued.
He credited Rawlings with spearheading reforms that revitalised key sectors of the economy, expanded electrification, liberalised telecommunications and broadcasting, promoted decentralisation and strengthened grassroots participation in governance.
Mr Tsikata also enumerated Rawlings’s role in restoring the country’s international standing, supporting anti-apartheid struggles, promoting peace in Liberia, and strengthening ties with the African diaspora.
He urged the NDC to maintain public confidence through integrity, discipline and service, stressing that wealth creation must benefit ordinary citizens rather than politicians and their associates.
As part of efforts to preserve the former President’s contributions, Mr Tsikata proposed the establishment of a Rawlings Legacy Centre to document his leadership, the experiences of those who worked with him and the history of the revolutionary era for future generations.
Responsibility, protecting principles
The Board Chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), Dr Akwasi Opong-Fosu, described the naming of the NDC headquarters after Rawlings as a covenant rather than an act of nostalgia.
He said the event should remind party members of the continuing relevance of probity, accountability and social justice, adding that the former President’s greatest achievement was his transition from revolutionary leadership to constitutional democracy under the Fourth Republic.
The Board Chairman of Ghana National Gas Company Limited, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, who served under Rawlings as Minister of Information, urged the NDC to remain faithful to the principles upon which it was founded.
He warned against opportunism and complacency, stressing that the party must continue to distinguish itself through discipline, service and accountability.
Mr Quakyi also called for greater efforts to preserve and teach Rawlings’ leadership philosophy to future generations.
Preserving values
The Executive Director of the J.J. Rawlings Foundation, Yaa Asantewaa Agyeman-Rawlings, said preserving her father’s legacy required practical action rather than annual remembrance.
She referenced the foundation’s environmental initiatives, including the Tree Guardianship Project, and urged young people to embrace values of courage, discipline, patriotism and service that defined the life of the former President.
The National Chairman of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, cited national unity as one of Rawlings’ most enduring achievements.
Referring to research conducted during and after Rawlings’ presidency, he said many Ghanaians identified first as citizens of the country rather than along ethnic lines, arguing that the former President played a significant role in fostering a stronger sense of national identity.
