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Is There any Chance For Rawlings Ever Ruling Ghana Again?

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 Source: Adofo, Rockson

I regret and do apologise for being a doubting-Thomas when I stubbornly challenged the validity of a soothsayer's prediction. This is about six years ago. When I expressed my apprehension about Rawlings' unpredictability, and the possibility of he staging a coup d'état to depose the NPP government, a Masters Degree student e-mailed to chide me for my thoughtless concerns. This soothsayer allayed my fears by saying he had sat down with his lecturers to discuss Rawlings' chances of ever staging a coup. They had weighed all possibilities and had finally arrived at a unanimous decision of there being none. He neither disclosed nor told me about their modality for arriving at such a truthful conclusion. Time has proved this graduate I now fervently refer to as a soothsayer right, while I have miserably been proved wrong.

I am not trying to whip up resentment against "Rawlingsism". The fact still remains that the self-proclaimed altruist, Former President Rawlings, will never again under the Sun, the Moon and the Stars, rule Ghana. He can cry foul, weep crimson tears, swear as much as he can, scream until his voice gives out, slaps and insults whoever he wants, he will never again rule Ghana. Why am I being so assertive? The answer is very simple.

Rawlings, as cunning as he has always been, has stepped on many toes. Many are those that feel aggrieved by Rawlings' executed evil machinations. Those friends of his whom he sidelined in the course of duty, and later persecuted or tried to kill, have such a deep-rooted distrust for him. Those ignoramus members of the AFRC regime with Major Boakye Djan as typical, Warrant Officer Adjei Boadi and Sergeant Akatapore of PNDC were all shortchanged by Rawlings. Boakye Djan staged that successful AFRC coup and stupidly but fortunately, installed Rawlings as its head. Rawlings in the end became his bitterest enemy. He sought to murder Boakye Djan only for him to flee into exile in the UK. Somewhere along the line, he murdered his junior brother, Kyereme Djan, who was studying at the University of Ghana, Legon. He levelled a silly charge against Kyereme and others. He accused them of conspiring to overthrow his tyrannical PNDC regime, giving him the reason to kill them on treason. Rawlings again fooled all those who helped him stage the PNDC coup d'état. He chased them out of his government and replaced them with outsiders. It is all because he has always been a born dictator who loves power and what power can do. He has always eschewed competition by malevolently getting rid of or, physically eliminating those competing or is likely to compete with him.

No soldier will ever trust, or associate with, or confide in him if there was ever to be usurpation. They are not fools any longer. His acts of dishonesty, power consciousness and uncompromising tyrannical attitude of "I am born to rule", are well documented and vivid enough for even a blockhead to make an informed decision. He can incite as many people as he can with his inflammatory speeches to revolt, it will be to no avail. He is known to bite the very finger that feeds him, and he has bitten many.

He is noted for his egocentrism. He purports to seek the interest of Ghanaians but in reality, he is protecting his selfish interest. He is simply a coward who is hiding behind the smoke screen of a "Constitutional indemnity and no accountability" clause to run his mouth. Underlying his public bravado is a total panicky personality. He is scared that one day, God willing, he may be called to account for his stewardship to Ghana, having chucked that Constitutional protective cloak into the deepest depths of that oceanic Bermuda Triangle.

Those Ghanaians being lured into supporting his pretence of friendship and "I care for you" must be very careful. For "Once bitten, twice shy". Learn a lesson from all that he did to Former President Kufour and what he is doing to President Mills. He is not only a dictator but also, a distractor. He wants all his successors to fail in their dedicated duty to the nation. By their failure, people will see him as the once presumed "Junior Jesus" who but in reality, is a devil incarnate.

Mr. Rawlings for his behaviour as shown and explained above will never rule Ghana again until the collapse of the foundations of the earth. His supportive wife, lady "Nchanga", can become the Chairlady or the presidential aspirant for NDC come 2012, Rawlings will himself not rule Ghana. He is a goner. He is history.

I personally salute His Excellency Atta Mills, the President of Ghana, for keeping Rawlings at arm's length from his administration. How sensible is his avowed decision to throw the NPP Ministers perceived of malfeasances into prison without recourse to the rule of law? Most of these ministers may go scot free because of how Rawlings with his other clueless guys like Ato Smith proceeded about things in utter machismo stupidity. I personally wanted all the corrupt officials with Mr. Rawlings inclusive, prosecuted and those found guilty cast into the Nsawam dungeon. When campaigning during the 2008 national elections, he was saying, "We are expanding the Nsawam prisons in anticipation of incarcerating thief Kufuor and his Ministers". As it stands now, Nsawam prisons may never hold any of these likely or perceived corrupt politicians. This is all because of the thoughtless conducts of certain politically naive entities. Should President Mills fail to successfully prosecute and imprison any of these endemically corrupt politicians, I will blame it on Mr. Rawlings for his constant out of way reactions.

I once liked Rawlings but his unyielding excesses and temperaments have incurred my displeasure hence, getting scolded by me. I want to correct him. He should note that we are no longer living in yesteryears. Try as he does, he has reached the twilight of his political career. His game is over.

President Mills, please focus on your job. Never allow yourself to be distracted by Former President Rawlings and his ilk. For that is what they are best at. My dear reader, knowing the character of Rawlings as it has been revealed, would you ever hand over power to him were you to stage a successful coup d'état or genuinely win the presidency of Ghana on NDC's slot?

This article is dedicated to that young man who once told me Rawlings can never stage any more successful coup d'états in Ghana. I doubted him. But here he is today, being proved right.

Rockson Adofo

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson