UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon Tickles John Mills’ Hypocrisy and Vanity.

The United Nations Chief Executive Officer, Ban Ki-moon does not physically live in Ghana yet he and his office always have their ears pricked up in Ghana not only by reason of the Ivory Coast post-election political crisis but also as a routine responsibility for good and proper management of the office he holds. Officials of this John Mills-led NDC administration appear to have always been exposing how flat they are, their incompetence to discern things simple and glaring to the ordinary make them Abderian ignoramuses whose Ignorance is not just a blank space on their mental map but a congenital organisational corruption that affects all who belong to the club called NDC. They even forget that the UN has officials in Ghana who send information to their boss.

It was not for nothing that the world’s topmost Diplomat made a stop-over in Ghana of all places, en route to la Cote d’Ivoire to attend the swearing-in of President Allassane Ouattara, the first of its kind in the history of the UN; neither was it for a supposed aesthetics of Accra’s slums a city known to the outside world as having been inundated with rubbish heaps and filth everywhere, nor was it to confer with John Mills as any eirenic democracy championing President-extraordinaire with adroit and apodictic ideas and initiatives, but just to congratulate John Mills for his ironic exemplary role played in resolving the Ivorian post-election crisis. If the John Mills’ aides and appointees whose entire mentality survives on propaganda could pause a minute just to ponder on what could be the most probable reason why the most respected Statesman took those steps with that paradoxical annunciation on his lips, they may probably have thought twice before making any aftermath all hail noise about it most especially in respect to John Mills’ controversial much talked-about dzi wo fie asem stance preceding this high profile visit and apparent praises on their boss contrary to his own conscience of guilt. Apodictic praises from the most respected gentleman would have been accorded to His Excellency Good-luck Jonathan and his colleague ECOWAS leaders and the French government.

After-all, was it John Mills’ combination of dzi wo fie asem and non-military intervention that persuaded Dictator Laurent Gbabo to comply with his country’s constitutional provisions on post-election transition? If yes, then John Mills had proved the world wrong and would more than deserve his praise just as Prof. Kofi Abrefa Busia proved his militant-inclined sharp-tongued detractors wrong when he advocated for dialogue in the South Africa’s apartheid regime which could not have been resolved but for dialogue through which Mandela was unconditionally set free from prison and South Africa became self-governing with the infuscate-hued South Africans in control of their country. This contrasted the persistent call for radical communist-inclined military option that would have seen millions dead in the circumstances to no avail. It is therefore up-to leaders to determine what option would best suite a contingency situation of such magnitude. A leader in dearth of this mental and organisational quality is a useless twig.

From the prolonged daily debates on radio, television and print and electronic media, the United Nations headquarters was very much aware of what was going on in Ghana involving the government and its role in fanning the flames of conflict and bloodshed in the Ivory Coast in support of an obstinate wrong and strong dictator; including providing mischievous Ahitophelian gleichschaltung advice by Mills’ intelligence advisors to Gbabo, rumoured supply of arms, rumoured training and supply of militia and offer of moral support all in favour of vanquished yet obstinate Gbabo. Ban Ki-moon’s salutation to Mills was rather a paradox that would only be elusive to literalist Abderians who have no sense of conscience and of guilt. To the clear in conscience, it was a statement well thought of and aptly delivered. It was “asem sebe”, a satirical expression to Mills and his shameless sadist regime.

John Mills, of necessity had to be present at the inauguration of Allassane Ouattara Presidency in Yamoussoukro but he harboured some guilt and lack of confidence to do so in fear of causing reprisal against him whiles in the Ivorian city. To muster the required courage and confidence to present himself there as required, Ban Ki-moon and his able advisors wisely and effectively thought of giving him a psychological palliative dose that would make him unfazed with a placebo which equally worked to play down on whatever negative attitude the Ivorian people would have shown in protest of John Mills’ presence at the swearing-in ceremony and there-after. The Ivorian people have shown a sense of maturity and respect for authority at their highest level by suffering Mills’ attendance to the ceremony gladly.

In psychology, as well as in ordinary language, guilt is an affective state in which a person experiences conflict at having done something that is believed not to have been done or conversely, not having done something thought of to have been done. It gives rise to a feeling which does not go away easily when driven by 'conscience'. John Mills is a person who has neither a sense of guilt nor shame just like a psychopath else if I were Mills, I wouldn’t have attended Ouattara’s inauguration no matter what weight of persuasion may be pressed on me yet like all psychopaths and congenital hypocrites who lack any true sense of guilt or remorse for harm they may have caused to others, they instead, rationalize their behaviour, blame someone else, or deny it outright. This is seen by psychologists as part of a lack of moral reasoning in some people, their inability to evaluate situations in a moral framework, and an inability to develop emotional bonds with other people.

Some evolutionary psychologists theorize that guilt and shame have helped maintain beneficial relationships, such as reciprocal altruism. As a general rule of thumb, if a person feels guilty when harm is done to another, either intended or not, or even if a person fails to reciprocate kindness, there comes a greater likelihood not to harm others or become too selfish again. In this way, there comes a reduction in all chances of retaliation by members of his group, and thereby increases the offender’s survival prospects and protection. As with any other emotion, guilt can be manipulated to control or influence others. Mankind as a highly social animal living in large groups that are relatively stable, we need ways to deal with conflicts and events in which we inadvertently or purposefully find ourselves. If someone causes harm to another, and then feels guilt and demonstrates regret and sorrow, the person harmed is likely to forgive. Thus, guilt makes it possible to forgive, and helps hold the social group together, but gloating over an offensive conduct causes anger and vengeance on un-proportional dimensions, yet this is a culture prevalent in the NDC and their vindictive tartuffe leaders.

Since guilt is founded on our empathy system and mirror neurons, when we see another person suffering, we can feel their suffering as if it is our own. This constitutes our powerful system of empathy, which leads to our thinking that we should do something to relieve the suffering of others. If we cannot help another, or fail in our efforts, we experience feelings of guilt. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and his able advisors do realise that since people who are more prone to high levels of empathy-based guilt may be likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, may also be more likely to cooperate and behave altruistically. Mills may have sought for a way out of this mess he had created by appealing for a very high profile intervention. The UN institution’s love for Ghana especially its role played in international conflicts resolution under President Kufuor, thought it best not to reproach John Mills over his devilish negative and unconventional actions and inactions but to bridge his conscience not only with the ruling Ivorian regime but also safeguard the fraternity between the two nations by tickling his conscience by way of reproaching him in antiphrasis to import his own remorse through his metanoia plea leading to amende honourable. This could be achieved only by praising him against all odds. NDC fawning fanatics exonerate “impotent” John Mills by stating with one accord that he acted secretly in assistance to ECOWAS and UN resolutions towards fostering peace and tranquillity in post-election conflict-torn Ivory Coast. If there was any secret deal, it is as conjectured supra otherwise, any post- dzi wo fie asem secret U-turn would be inconsistent and untenable because John Mills cannot dishonour his deed of saying, most especially on such international dimension by telling Ghanaians one thing and clandestinely doing another to the contrary as if Ghana belongs to him so he can do whatever pleases him at will. It must be made clear to John Mills and his NDC fanfarons that as President, he and his appointees only preside over Ghana in their capacity as gerents so Ghanaians have the right to know how, where, why, when and what they decide and do, not only on the home front but also internationally. It is so strange and sad that Ghana’s supposed President can expose himself as such a nonpareil congenital and shameless hypocrite.

William Shakespeare has aptly put it: ‘to be thus is nothing but to be safely thus’. This may squarely apply to John Mills and his officials in his government. To be President of Ghana may be taken for child play to them but pressure from all-over, questions their competence to the contrary which is where they find themselves in a quandary. With only 582 days left as at today Monday 30-05-2011 in his historic one term administration in the making, will he be numbered amongst the ‘greats’ or will he be lost in oblivion in the eyes of the international community? Many are those who are kept in the “quiet register” as if they don’t exist at-all, including his political tutor and mentor John Rawlings who does not seem to exist in the eyes of the international diplomatic community of Statesmen, hence with nothing a-do as functus officio President, he only takes delight on latrations and castigations, meddling in criticisms with glowing words and expressions, whereas his immediate successor John Kufuor is inundated with international engagements reflecting his recognition for his exceedingly good works whiles in office both in Ghana and internationally. With his respect sunk to such abysmal level on the international front, John Mills must seriously think of being numbered amongst the greats when he becomes functus officio by working harder to achieve who and what he wants to be and by putting his deeds in order.

Adreba Kwaku Abrefa Damoa, LLB; MPhil (London) London UK