Korle Klottey MP, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has opened up about her late father, former President Jerry John Rawlings, saying he often accepted responsibility for things he had not done.
Speaking on the latest edition of JoyNews’ Talk No Dey Cook Rice podcast, she said: “I’m not under any illusion that my father was loved by everyone.
There has been a lot of misinformation. And as a leader, he decided that he would let the buck stop with him.
So a lot of things that many people had accused him of actually had nothing to do with him, but he took ownership of everything, because that’s what you do as a leader.”
She recalled that Rawlings repeatedly apologised for excesses during the revolution, even on behalf of people who acted without his knowledge.
“On multiple occasions, I believe my father, on various platforms, had apologised for the excesses of the revolution, which, on behalf of even people who did things he was not aware of.”
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings admitted that her family has endured blame and abuse because of her father’s legacy. “In a society, when you have people who feel that they must have a swipe at the child of someone because of their disdain for the parent, I’m not quite sure if it shows a certain level of maturity, to be very honest with you.”
She recalled advice her father once gave her as a child. “I remember my father actually saying to me, don’t make enemies of your parents’ enemies, which I thought was very profound. It stayed with me, and it’s something that I’ve lived by. I’m very, very careful not to treat people badly because of who they may be associated with.”
Zanetor said her personal experiences of being targeted shaped how she approaches politics and leadership. “I’m very, very aware of the level of abuse that people throw around, and it’s something that has guided how I have gone about my service. I do not take kindly to people on my platform abusing or assaulting other people. It’s not something I like to endorse because I understand what it’s like to be on the receiving end of something that you may have had nothing to do with.”
She admitted that growing up was not easy. “Sometimes when I was in primary school, I would hear some of the kids in my class saying things, and it was for my benefit, of course.”
The MP said she has learned to rise above criticism and attacks. “You can’t change how people will react to you because they’re upset, because they are angry or resentful or maybe just ignorant of something. But you can choose how you will be. You can choose to rise above it and be who you will be, rather than be as a result of a reaction to how people are behaving.”
She added that faith keeps her grounded. “I do pray a lot. You just surrender certain things, and you just pray for the grace to move on and just to keep focused on what it is that your purpose is. Because when it comes to how God determines things for you, if God says that this is the role that you’re supposed to play, that is what it is. Only you can change that.”
For Zanetor, the challenge is to stay on her path despite distractions. “Sometimes some people realize that they can see the level of conviction you have, and they know that if they try and attack you and make you feel bad, maybe they can get you to move away from that thing you believe in. So you have to also try not to be reactionary so much that you lose your pathway. And then it means those people who aren’t even doing what they should do, but have decided to have a go at you, then they’ve won.”
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