Remember 31st December 1981 Events

Open Letter to President Mills - Remember 31st December 1981 Events

Dear President,

Ignore my prophetic advice and you and your government are in peril. I will briefly highlight a few points to jog your memory about how dangerous it is to ignore useful advice. The once National Security Advisor to J.J. Rawlings, Captain Kojo Tsikata, was perceived to be a threat to the nation by the Limman Administration. The Military police personnel were detailed to discreetly shadow him. The late Former President Limman is on record to have been warned about the looming treachery of Former President Rawlings in 1981 against his PNP government. Limman had constantly refused to act but had continued to live in the fantasy world of his own. He had completely buried his head in the sand like an ostrich, although danger was imminent. His answer had always been, "Leave him, gyato ntumi nye feeee" Even on 31st December 1981 evening, at a Christmas party organized by Limman for PNP Cabinet Ministers, PNP gurus with their families, the National security personnel reiterated how suspicious they had become of Rawlings' treacherous movements. They requested his permission to arrest Rawlings yet Limman oblivious of uncertainties of modern life, continued to trust his wits. Limman, behaving like an ignorant, daft, politically immature person, without any tested instructions in the art of politics, continued to live in the fools paradise, still repeating his "Gyato ntumi nye feeee" slogan until the knell sounded a few hours later. "Gyato" - Rawlings, has staged a second successful coup d'état to unleash his venomous hatred on Ghanaians. "Gyato" in the Ghanaian parlance is a fair-skinned person.

The inaction of Limman led to the near total extermination of the Military Police personnel. That security outfit was disbanded under the instigation of that murderous Tsikata whose distasteful feelings for the military police personnel were in unison with Rawlings'.

Your Excellency the President please be reminded of the soothsayer's warning to Julius Caesar.

Brutus: A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.

Caesar: Set him before me; let me see his face.

Cassius: Follow, come from the throng; look upon Caesar.

Soothsayer: Beware the ides of March.

Caesar: He is a dreamer; let us leave him. Pass. Spurrina is the old soothsayer who first warns Caesar to "Beware the Ides of March." As Caesar enters the Senate building on that fateful morning he cheerfully calls out that the Ides had arrived and he was still alive, to which Spurrina replied" "Yes, the Ides have come, but not yet passed." We are in democracy, Rawlings is no longer in the army but he is still dangerous.

I will suggest you consider the following course of action. Firstly, relieve your National Security Advisor, Brigadier Nunoo-Mensah of his post. This pathetic opportunist has twice in less than eighteen months been cited as engaging in underhand treasonable meetings with Rawlings. His allegiance for unknown reasons is tilted more towards the self-assumed strongman of Ghana, thus Rawlings, than you. Sack Gbelo-Lartey and Emmanuel Amedeka, your National Security Coordinator and Head of the Jubilee House security respectively, for having an unauthorised high level security meeting with Rawlings to discuss issues of national interest. They are in effect sabotaging your authority by indirectly helping Rawlings to run a parallel presidency. Secondly, manoeuvre your NDC supporters in parliament to table a motion for the repeal of that erroneously inserted clause in the Constitution that indemnifies Rawlings from prosecution. That clause - "Indemnity and No Accountability" for Rawlings has made him that strongman he thinks he is. Surely you will be able to get two thirds majority in Parliament to either amend or abrogate that clause.

Furthermore, infiltrate the army with personnel to snoop on those snitching for Rawlings and his band of traitors. This very tactics made it impossible for anyone to stage a counter coup against General I.K. Acheampong. He was only to be removed through a palace coup d'état - by the members of his own Military Cabinet Ministers in a meeting. Carry out a major constant transfer of the military personnel. Move the soldiers around. Transfer officers, from Accra to Tamale, from Kumasi to Volta, from Volta to Sunyani, from Tamale to Accra etc. This will make it difficult for Rawlings to get any close military confidants around him in any given time. Finally, you were voted a president by Ghanaians in your individuality as one Atta Mills with or without the NDC party. That is the cardinal tenet of Presidential system of government Ghanaians have chosen to pursue. This is totally parallel to the Parliamentary system of government where the leader of the party winning more seats becomes the Head of government and hence, the leader of the nation. The leader in this case is not personally voted for by the electorates. Let Rawlings take his NDC party. We shall keep you as our president until the end of your mandate.

"A stitch in time saves nine" "Once bitten, twice shy" and finally, "A word to the wise is enough"

Long live President Atta Mills. Long live Ghana.

Yours truly,

Rockson Adofo