A group calling itself the “Eastern Forum Network of NDC” has defended former Ghana’s High Commissioner to UK; Ambassador Victor Smith after the latter was attacked by some elements within the party for criticizing the Founder of the biggest opposition NDC, Jerry John Rawlings.
Some NDC members who referred to Mr. Smith as an “attention seeker” say the former Ambassador is dividing the party by his comments made about the ex-military leader.
The former Diplomat, Smith had chided ex-President Rawlings for hobnobbing with then opposition leader Nana Akufo Addo ahead of that crucial election in 2016, adding that he wept when he saw his former boss[Rawlings] cracking jokes with President Akufo Addo during his inauguration.
The comments incurred the displeasure of pro-National Democratic Congress (NDC) group, Action Movement who warned Mr. Victor Smith to shut his mouth concerning former President Rawlings.
But the group, “Eastern Forum Network of NDC” has risen to the defense of the former Ghana’s High Commissioner to UK saying “he spoke the minds of majority of NDC members about JJ Rawlings.”
In a statement released by the group, and signed by its Convener, Godsway Agbodo said: “The Ambassador’s show of courage and passion for the NDC is unmatched, and that we must have characters of his type at the fore to boldly say things as they are to enable us win the next elections. It has been observed that Amb. Smith is one person who abhors corruption and embraces discipline. He also comes across as a serious politician with a conviction to bring sanity to the political system as well as to bring prosperity and progress for all Ghanaians.”
It further pointed out that is sad that some ill-informed persons would be mobilized to ‘bad-mouth’ Mr. Smith in order to stoke unnecessary disagreement between him and the Founder of the party.
The statement noted that, Ambassador Victor Smith never maligned the former President, neither is he against him by any stretch of imagination, but “he spoke with the hope that the Founder may exercise some restraint in voicing out his feelings about Leadership’s shortcomings or failings, especially when we are in battle to secure progress for Party and Country.”
