The Evil Trinity: Rawlings, Konadu, and Mills

By Nana Akwasi Twumasi

This election year, more than any other in our history, seems to have aroused the political dispositions of the electorate and caused many to become involved in matters of cardinal importance to our country. As anyone could have predicted, the two major political parties of our country (NPP & NDC) have upped the ante and are tacitly trading insults and inflaming the passion of their followers. Nana Akuffo Addo, the NPP presidential candidate, is ineffably breaking through to the masses by revolving his campaign theme around the record of the current NPP administration and how he will improve upon that if elected president. Rawlings’ protégé, Professor Atta Mills, and his NDC party, on the contrary, are desperately running away from their 20-year record of nation wrecking, undermining our democracy, senseless killings-- to list a few. For the past two months or so these members of the Evil Trinity (Rawlings, Konadu, and Mills) have gained media attention on account of their incendiary and condescending remarks, which were diabolically and strategically contrived to derail Akuffo Addo’s presidential bid. So far, they have not succeeded, and I would hope that they never do. It’s quite ironic for these shady characters-- who, evidently, were callous to the needs of Ghanaians during their term in office-- to have the chutzpa to implore the citizenry for their votes to win back the castle. They are willing to win the presidency by any means necessary, even if that means they have to espouse views that infringe on their own politico-socio-economic proclivities.

The Evil Trinity has engaged in the nasty politics of character assassination purported to smear the image of NPP officials. From the distortion of the authenticity of Mr. Akuffo Addo’s law profession to president Kuffour’s alleged Five-Star hotel in the constellation Coma Berenices, the NDC has tried without success, at least at the present, to curtail the momentum that the NPP has garnered heading into the general elections. I may not be smart enough to foretell the impact that these half-truths and whole-lies may have on voters’ attitude towards the NPP in the general elections, but I can be certain of one thing: Rawlings’/ NDC’s 20-year reign of terror has indelibly etched into our psyche how it feels to be imprisoned for eternity. Why am I bringing Rawlings into this? Your guess is as good as mine if you believe that the names Rawlings, Konadu, and Mills are synonymous. Here on Ghanaweb, many have attempted to enhance the image of Mills by disassociating him from Rawlings, which prompts this author to ask: Is it possible to separate a child (Mills) from his parents (Rawlings and Konadu) against their wish? Who is Professor Atta Mills?

In an effort to address these questions, I will appeal to readers to grasp the concept of the Holy Trinity that’s embedded in the pages of the Holy Bible where God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit, form the Godhead; you can’t have one of them without the others. Parallel to this paradigm, Rawlings acts as the evil father, his wife Agyeman Konadu acts as the evil spirit, and Atta Mills acts as the evil son, of the Evil Trinity. This trio is inextricably interwoven into the fibers of the Evil Trinity. They are inseparable; you can’t have one of them without the others. In the Holy Trinity, Jesus was handpicked by God to save the world. Likewise, in the Evil Trinity, Mills was handpicked by Rawlings to “save” Ghana, not once but three times. Jesus said he did not come into the world to pursue his own will but the will of the Father. Similarly, when Mills the son said he would consult Rawlings 24/7 if elected president, he was, in other words, saying to voters that when elected president he would not pursue his own selfish needs but the needs of his father, Rawlings.

In an article published on Ghanaweb on July 26, 2008 entitled “Atta Mills explains why he would consult Rawlings,” Mr. Mills explained, against all expectations, that if elected president he would not only consult Rawlings but would consult Kuffour as well. While gullible disciples of the NDC may view this as a good strategic move, I would argue categorically that it’s a mistake of colossal proportion for the following reasons: One, Ghanaians are cognizant of the fact that this shift in thinking runs antithetical to Mills’ persona and what he really stands for. Could Ghanaians be persuaded into believing that Mills would succumb to the advice of Kuffour, the NDC’s arch political nemesis, if elected president? Well, I suppose we all know the answer to that. Two, if granted that Mills will submit to the advice of Rawlings and Kuffour, then, it stands to reason that he may have forgotten about the teachings of Jesus on this subject to the effect that one cannot serve two masters. As many may have guessed by now, Rawlings the father has been infuriated by Mills’ latest insubordination.

When Satan tempted Jesus, God the Father “defended” him by dispatching angels to his aid. Similarly, when Mills was inundated by the success of the NPP campaign, Rawlings the father came to his aid and, in that instant, disclosed his mental problems to the world. He (i.e., Rawlings) might have thought that who, after all, wouldn’t empathize with a clinically psychotic man babbling in public and uttering words that did not make sense even to his followers in an effort to defend his son. Folks, that’s sad indeed! Jesus emulated God the Father. Likewise, Mills emulates everything that Rawlings does. When Rawlings is under the weather he seeks for help outside of the country, and so does Mills. When Rawlings rejected Kuffour’s award this year, Mills followed suit. Inarguably, Mills and his father Rawlings are the true epitome of the cliché, “like father like son.”

Succinctly put, vote for Professor Mills and get Rawlings and Konadu for free. It’s a package deal; you can’t have one of them without the others. Admittedly, this is a good package deal for those who want to take the country back to the darkest age in our history when one couldn’t criticize a ruling president for fear of disappearing without a trace; an age when the ruling president ensured that wealthy Akans went from riches to rags because their wealth posed a “threat” to him; an age when judges with their infants at their breasts were snatched away and killed for reasons only Rawlings can explain; an age when state properties were sold to friends of the ruling president and his wife; an age when the ruling president destroyed our quality educational system and sent his children abroad to be educated; an age when awarding scholarships to students depended on one’s staple diet being apkle and “long soup” rather than on one’s scholastic achievements and economic hardships; an age when the ruling president sought the advice of his gun rather than appeal to the voice of reason....

Rawlings and his minions ruled Ghana for 20 years; that seemed like eternity in hell to most Ghanaians. They had ample time to make major changes in our lives. In fact they did; they left us starved, disheartened, and imprisoned in our own country. The paramount question that should be on the mind of those who disagree with this assessment is: If the NDC had good record to run on, why would they focus solely on tarnishing the image of Akuffo Addo and NPP officials instead of publicizing their record? Sadly, not only do they try to stay as far away from their record as is humanly possible, but they also try to relegate their ineptitude in managing the country during their term in office to Kuffour and the NPP. In his August 8, 2008 article, Humphrey Tettey Mensah, a gullible disciple of the NDC, asked stupidly, “What are you guys [NPP] doing about the situation in the northern part of the Country? These three regions are in bad shape, poverty, bad roads, bad drinking water, diseases etc” If this blind follower of the NDC really intended to impress upon Ghanaians to vote for the NDC, then he flunked terribly. Were these bad roads, poverty, bad drinking water, diseases in question not present in Ghana during Rawlings’ 20-year reign? Did the three regions referred to become a part of Ghana only after Kuffour won the elections in 2001? If the three regions referred to were as part of Ghana as cocoa was during Rawlings’ 20-year reign, what the heck did he do to offset these problems? If Rawlings could not solve these problems-- in addition to others not mentioned here-- in 20 years, why would anyone expect Kuffour to do so in just 8 years? Personally, I don’t know President Kuffour but I don’t think performing magical tricks is his forte. Rawlings and this pseudo-author must have the same educational and social background because they think alike. I have always argued that the followers of a madman must be as mentally “challenged” as the madman himself, if not more so. For instance, Rawlings, before his press conference about two months ago, blamed his “lateness” on shortage of water at his residence. He was out of his mind to tacitly blame this mishap on Kuffour and the NPP. In his 20 years of service (or should I say disservice?), what did he do about the “water problems” in the country? I hope readers would see the striking similarity between the thought-processes of Rawlings and his faithful disciple Humphrey Tettey Mensah.

At this juncture, I must make it abundantly clear that I am in no way surmising that I agree with everything that President Kuffour and the NPP have done thus far. However, comparing the record of the two major parties, the NPP appears to be the lesser of two evils, if I may use this expression. Rawlings founded and still remains the titular head of the NDC and as long as he handpicks and endorses a candidate, we have every reason to vote against that candidate. Rawlings has never changed, and having witnessed him behave like an out of control child into his 60s, makes me believe wholeheartedly that he will never change as a person; he was the same yesterday, today, and will be the same “forever.” Rawlings, if given the opportunity, will never fail to kill whether he is in his right mental state or not. During his revolution, he wiped out several army generals, including a distant relative of mine. After kicking Limann out of office, he killed several judges. Finally, when he had Ghana firmly in his iron-clutched fists, he continued to kill to send chills down the spine of Mother Ghana. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that Rawlings feels uncomfortable with Nana Akuffo Addo’s proposal to double the size of the police force if he is elected president. Only this halfman-halfdevil-triggerhappy-selfish-murdering-thief who rides in bulletproof cars with his slew of body guards would speak against such a proposition, not hardworking Ghanaians who feel defenseless and unprotected against armed robbers. It is not far-fetched to argue that Rawlings will never hesitate to kill anything and everything that stands in his way if he is voted into power for his third term under the guise of Atta Mills; this is what Mills’ candidacy is all about, if you didn’t know before. At this point in time, who doesn’t know that Mills is just a puppet of the Rawlingses? Come December, Ghanaians have a simple and clear choice to make: Vote for Akuffo Addo who has persistently and consistently articulated his vision for the country or vote for Mills and, in his place, get Rawlings and his wife ruling your life.

In recapitulation, the acclaimed law professor (Mills) is so entangled in the web of the Evil Trinity that the only conceivable prospect of his presidential bid is a complete smack-down in the upcoming elections. I would put my neck on the proverbial chopping block to prove to everyone that nothing Mills does short of breaking away from the NDC would send him to the castle. Until Mills realizes that his résumé for the presidency is stained with the blood of the victims of his father (Jato Julor Rawlings), he will never get anywhere near the castle. Against this backdrop, whoever said Rawlings isn’t a liability to Mills’ presidential campaign must be telling the truth to the gullible followers of the NDC and lies to the rest of the country. I am not asserting, however, that Mills doesn’t have the intellectual wherewithal to govern any prominent office in Ghana. In all honesty, I believe there are excellent positions in the country, occupied or not, that will be suitable for him. Does anyone know if Ghana Food Distribution has any vacancies? Perhaps, he can secure a job at this agency by convincing its officials that his name “Mills” is synonymous with Meals. Say what, Agya Atta Meals? That has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

The author, also known as TROUBLE-MAKER on this forum, can be reached via NanaAkwasiTwumasi@googlemail.com