Former president Jerry John Rawlings has turned down an invitation by the Ghana government to attend the 6th March celebration to mark the Golden Jubilee anniversary. In a statement issued in Accra the former president accused the Kufour administration of corruption and persecution of former ministers and functionaries of the NDC. He said he could not share the same platform with the same people who have taken every opportunity to denigrate him and members of his regime for the last seven years and seen no good in what the NDC did for the country. See full text below: Message From Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, Former President Of The Republic Of Ghana, To The People Of Ghana And All Well Wishers Of Ghana On The Occasion Of The 50th Anniversary Of Ghana’s Independence: FELLOW GHANAIANS both at home and abroad, Dignitaries and most especially Heads of State and all those friends of Ghana who have come to Ghana in a spirit of goodwill to share in the nation’s 50th Anniversary . As a citizen of Ghana and a Head of State for almost two decades of our 50 years of Independence, I deem it my responsibility to share my thoughts with you with frankness and sincerity, on the occasion of our Anniversary. First of all, I join all of you in thanking our Creator for bringing our dear country to the mature age of 50. I honour and respect the memory of the late Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the patriot and freedom fighter, who not only led this country to independence from colonial rule but also laid the foundation for Pan- African freedom on our continent and in the diaspora. I wish also to honour all those valiant men and women who made sacrifices in various ways, as well as those who lost their lives during the struggle for our independence from colonial rule. And I honour every decent, hardworking Ghanaian citizen - our farmers, teachers, nurses, doctors, security personnel, market women, all workers, the numerous unemployed, who have struggled to hold fast to their principles through the hardships, frustrations and intolerably stressful circumstances under which they have had to exist and manage their lives today. I welcome the very many foreign dignitaries who have taken time off their onerous responsibilities at home to be here for this anniversary, especially those who have played significant roles in the struggle for justice in Africa.