The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has quashed claims that the founder of the party, the late Jerry John Rawlings, was a killer.
According to him, members of the New Patriotic Party who label Rawlings as a murderer because of the June 4th Revolution, where people lost their lives, are detached from history.
He stated that the NPP, led by Kotoka and Afrifa, were the first to carry out a coup d’état after Ghana gained independence.
Asiedu Nketiah stated on Radio Gold, monitored by GhanaWeb, that he was taken aback when the Member of Parliament of Klottey Korle, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, was called the daughter of a murderer in Parliament.
In his view, the NPP should rather be labeled murderers if embarking on a coup qualifies one to be a murderer.
“I was shocked when I heard this daughter of a murderer comment… these new NPP members do not know their history. They are completely detached from their history and that is why such a comment will come out from the mouth of an NPP MP that someone is the daughter of a murderer. A murderer means to kill someone, but have you heard that Rawlings has killed someone before?” he quizzed.
He added, “What they say is he carried out a coup or a revolution and people died, so because he was the leader, he murdered people. But my brother… who did the first coup d’état in Ghana after independence? It is the grandfathers of these NPP members… so, if you do a coup and you are labeled a murderer, then you are the murderers.”
On February 4, 2025, the daughter of the late former president, Jerry John Rawlings, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, who is also the MP of Klottey Korle, attempted to catch the eye of the Speaker of Parliament in order to make a contribution.
However, she was not given that chance since the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamina Afenyo-Markin, was also speaking on the floor of the House.
As the Minority Leader spoke, other MPs interrupted, with the chamber descending further into disorder.
In a disturbing moment that exposed what some have described as the toxic political culture in Parliament, a voice from the Minority side was heard hurling a deeply derogatory remark at Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings.
The voice referred to her as the “daughter of a murderer,” while ordering her to sit down.
Another unknown MP, also believed to be on the Minority side, followed up, claiming, “But there is evidence that her father killed people.”
The Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, then calmed the MPs down before continuing his contribution on the floor.
SA/AE
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