Opinions of Sunday, 12 June 2011

Columnist: Adofo, Rockson

Rawlings is at the end of the Tether

The machismo of former President Rawlings is grinding to a screeching halt. It is so true there is an end to everything on earth. The fool is he who does not recognise when his end is near.

There is nothing wrong with Mrs Nana Agyemang Konadu Rawlings exercising her right to contest President Mills to become not only the flag-bearer of NDC, but also the eventual President of Ghana. However, the problem that raises eyebrow lies with her husband, Mr Rawlings, who threatens to rain brimstone on Ghana in the event of his wife losing the contest to President Mills under perceptible dubious machinations. Until when will Mr Rawlings realise he is just a mere mortal being like anyone else to cease spewing threat on each breath? Ghana has so much moved forward that his antics of yesteryears that paved the way for his two successful coup d'états upon which he rode to fame and glory may not stand the test of time today. In his mindset, he is living in his own little world where the ability to intimidate all members of community is a yardstick for measuring how strong, popular and famous one is.

I pity Rawlings for allowing machismo ignorance to cloud his thinking. He sees himself as the bravest and wisest person in Ghana hence his persistent castigations of sitting Presidents with impunity. A little history will point to him that being excessively audacious is not any wisdom but a trait of stupidity. "He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day" but "he who persists in a fight in the hope of delivering the knockout blow when the odds are against him, will collapse and die" Majority of Ghanaians are fed up with the constant camouflage altruistic utterances by Rawlings. He does not seem to make any bit of sense in issuing verbal arrest warrants on Former President Kufuor and his Cabinet Ministers. He is neck-deep in all the evils he accuses others of committing. In fact, he is worse than his accused by any measure are. He has sought refuge in some stupid Constitutional clause of "No accountability and Indemnity" and yet, has the indecency to call for the prosecution and persecutions of others whose offences are less compared his.

General Akwasi Amankwaah Afrifa of blessed memory rose and at a point felt he was too brave to flee in the face of the then lanky Rawlings with his ragtag AFRC hungry mutineers. He disobeyed all pleas to him to quit Ghana in the heat of that bogus June 4th revolution headed by Chairman J.J. Rawlings. It was all down to how he had come to see himself as a brave man who will not be frightened off like a dog with the tail tucked between his legs. Was it not because he thought and knew he had done nothing wrong that was able to cause his flight from Ghana? In the end, Rawlings, who is now making a hell awful vituperative noise captured and slew him. As it was the fate of General A. A. Afrifa, so will it be Rawlings' should he continue to behave as the only brave, but most irresponsible intimidator in Ghana before whom all should bow and sing his hero's praise.

When a long rope falls into an unwitting hand, it does not take long for a noose to form to hang up himself. Rawlings has reached that stage and July 8th & 9th may decide his fate should he go on rampage in the event of "Slow but Sure" Atta Mills winning the NDC flag-bearer's election.

Much the same way as the Soothsayer warned Julius Caesar to "beware the ides of March", so will I warn President Mills to "beware the 8th and 9th of July 2011" when NDC will attend their Congress to elect their flag-bearer to contest the 2012 Presidential election.

Is there any need for fighting over spilled milk? Why do I say this? We the NPP, "Osono Kukrudu" are going to trample over the NDC with all our might come 2012. We will sweep the elections in our favour same as a rampageous elephant torments the jungle. They should cease making needless accusations and counter accusations against themselves. The Elephant will drive them back to the barracks and the caves from whence they emerged to cause such ongoing havoc in Ghana.

Rockson Adofo