UEW Confers Honorary Doctorate On Rawlings, Two Others (PHOTOS)

Ghana�s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings has charged Ghanaians to embrace truth, integrity and transparency even as they confront their leaders over the manner they are managing the country. President Rawlings also called on President Mahama to set his eyes on some appointees who practice �unprecedented levels of corruption, and offensive show of power and opulence� at a time when Ghana needs �prudence and frugality�. He said: �The time has come for less speak and more action; for us to look into our little areas and identify the corrupt tendencies that have metamorphosed into a national crisis and combat them. We have a moral right and duty to confront our political leaders and insist on transparency, accountability, equity and fairplay. That right will have more value if we as individuals are incorruptible and conscionable. Our society and by inference our politics will be devoid of greed and corruption if we develop a conscience as a people.� The former President who spoke in response to a Honorary Doctorate Degree conferred on him and two others by the University of Education Winneba (UEW) on Thursday, also criticised the manner Western governments and media were manipulating the flow of information and criminalising genuine freedom fighting. he was particularly unhappy with the United States support for Israel in the ongoing Gaza conflict which has claimed over 2000 lives. President Rawlings who received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree for the role he has played in pursuing conflict resolution and peace-keeping as well as laying the foundation for the establishment of the UEW, said he was hopeful that the unhappiness of many Americans on the way Israel was treating Palestine will manifest in eventual freedom for Palestinians as happened in the case of Aparthied in South Africa. Touching on teacher training, President Rawlings charged the UEW to produce men and women of unquestionable moral conscience and remain to its core values of training quality teachers to bridge the yawning gap in Ghana�s educational structure. Former Nigerian President, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, the first Vice-Chancellor of UEW were also honoured with doctorate degrees.