The Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Malik Kweku Baako says former president Rawlings’ pontification of probity and accountability smacks of double standards. “If we raise issues of probity and accountability, Jerry Rawlings has failed.” He was discussing former president Rawlings’ address at a symposium organised by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as part of activities marking his 10th anniversary on Peace FM ‘Kokrokoo’ programme. In that address former president Rawlings said the PNDC, the military government he presided over was meant to instil “a culture of accountability, discipline, and economic resuscitation,” in the country. But Mr. Baako believes the former president rather presided over an unaccountable regime. He said for ten years, the Provisional National Defence Council regime never had public accounts audited by the audit service. “The theory and sloganeering of probity and accountability were there but in practice, it was zero.” He said even under constitutional rule, the National Democratic Congress government of Mr. Rawlings had audit reports being in arrears. According to him, in 2000, auditing of public accounts by the audit service was in arrears of about five years. He wondered what kind of accountability the former president was talking about having presided over un-audited public accounts as president. Mr. Baako said Mr. Rawlings also wrongly attempted to take credit for the work of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Government. “Crucially important for the successful management of any democracy is the need for leadership to allow institutions of governance to work effectively without interference. The Commission on Human Rights (CHRAJ), The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and all the institutions of government played their roles effectively. “Indeed some members of the NDC government were affected by adverse findings by some of these institutions. Embarrassing, as these may have been it sent a strong message to all that democracy was really at work and elected leaders were not above the law,” Mr Rawlings had said in his address at the symposium. Kweku Baako however notes the former president by his actions sought to paralyse the very institutions he claimed were allowed to flourish under his regime. “CHRAJ on its own investigated some ministers under Mr. Rawlings and made adverse findings against some of them, what did he do? He issued a government white paper and cleared them,” he maintained. For him, the former president’s justification of the coup against Dr. Hilla Limann was unacceptable. “The PNP government’s inaction and poverty of ideas almost took us back to the pre-June 4 era and created an atmosphere of despair and disenchantment particularly amongst the civilian population who had wrongly assumed sanity was finally going to prevail with the advent of the Third Republic. In punishing corruption, June 4 had in effect sparked so much hope that accountability, transparency and integrity had come to stay,” said Mr Rawlings. “No matter how incompetent he perceived Limman’s government, he (Rawlings) had no business staging a coup against the civilian government,” Kweku Baako stated. “Look, it is not too good to waste too much time on Rawlings. It is Otumfuo who will give him an award. But because he (Otumfuo) is a wise king, I’m not about to question his judgement, we will leave at that,” he mocked. Listen to excerpts of the discussion in the attached audio. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com