Former President Jerry John Rawlings has described 2008 as the "last stop" and a redemptive period for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). Speaking at the Asafotufiam festival of the chiefs and people of Ada, the former President the year must see the return to power of the party he founded. Opening his speech with a claim that he was more time-conscious than President John Agyekum Kufuor, Rawlings said the NPP government had performed so poorly that it should not be retained in power. According to him, the coming election is the last bus stop for the NDC and that the time has come for the party to redeem itself or remain in perpetual political hibernation. “This is our last stop. It is the year of our redemption, and we must rise up and fight for our rights,” he said. The former President, at his equivocal best, asked the people to teach the political leadership a lesson. He said Ghanaians should not wait for an order before they rise up. He, however, emphasized that the change should not be through the barrel of the gun. “Anyone who plays the fool, please teach him a lesson. Try to get power by yourself, and don’t wait for an order from anywhere. I am not talking of the gun, but please don’t wait for a gun.” He said Ghanaians have been fooled by the NPP government through the ‘hwe wo asetenamu’ slogan, saying it was an expired slogan for the ruling party. Speaking in a mixture of Ga and English, he said after eight years of NPP rule, people still took banku and water as their supper. Even though he was not specific on the John and John dream team of his party, Rawlings said there was the need for a change in government. “On behalf of my colleagues, min da nye shi waa,” he concluded. Observers were puzzled as to why the founder did not join John Mahama when he visited the area the previous day. Meanwhile, there was near drama at the durbar when at an offering service, all citizens of Ada were asked to contribute their widow’s mite towards the development of the area. Because the Sunday programme was heavily politicized, many NDC supporters complained when the Ada Constituency NPP chairman, Wilfred Teye Agbloe, joined the large crowd of dancing youth with his ‘kangaroo dance’. Among those who confronted him for doing the kangaroo dance before the former president was Hon. Alfred Gbordzor Abayateye, MP for Sege Constituency. The NDC has stated that the party has to find a role for the founder and his appearance at Ada yesterday may just be the beginning of Rawlings’ engagement in the campaign. Credit: Daily Guide