Accra, Ghana (PANA) – Ghana’s former President Jerry John Rawlings has lashed out at the “hypocrisy and inconsistency” of some of the superpowers in the Ukrainian crisis, describing it as a serious insult to the intelligence of the world.
In a statement to mark the 57th anniversary of Ghana’s independence on Thursday, he called on the African Union (AU) to be assertive on global issues, saying the silence and voicelessness of Africa and the Non-Aligned Movement was a serious indictment of the aspirations of the developing world to see a truly free and just world.
Western nations have reacted angrily to Russia’s troop deployment in Ukraine’s Crimea region after weeks of pro-European Union demonstrations and sit-ins in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, forced President Viktor Yanukovych to flee and ask for Russia’s help.
Russia has called what happened in Kiev a “coup” and while some EU members want stiff sanctions against Russia others, led by Germany, want a diplomatic solution.
Rawlings said a diplomatic solution being canvassed by some EU members was the very least that should have been heard from the AU.
He said the arbitrary manner in which unipolar authority had been exercised by some of the superpowers could not be allowed to continue because it was injurious to global stability.
“What other evidence do we need to demonstrate that the world would be a better, just and stable place with the restoration of a more enlightened bipolar leadership?
“I hope we can all see the consequences of allowing the near demise of the Non-Alignment Movement. Ukraine has become the pivot and test case of the transition the world is experiencing. We’ll end up in a continuation of unipolar arbitrariness or with a more responsible bipolar leadership,” Rawlings said.
Rawlings said Russia could not afford to fail in the world’s quest to attain the balanced leadership needed in an enlightened and responsible bipolar world.
