In the period running up to the 2008 election, a prominent American professor advised the NPP to avoid attacking Jerry Rawlings and instead focus on promoting their candidate. Alas ! this was never to happen. The outcome was the crushing defeat they suffered in that elections.

I am watching in amazement as the NDC dogs of war, led by the discredited Kwasi Pratt and ably supported by the butcher turned cook/journalist fall over each other as to who gets the biggest pay from the paymaster by consistently attacking Jerry Rawlings. I am asking my self who the hell is advising these guys or strategising behind the scenes. ? Meanwhile, the NPP have learnt the their lessons. They are not going to fall into his trap any longer. Their spokespersons are threading cautiously when it comes to Rawlings.

Lets pause and ask ourselves again, what is Jerry Rawlings fighting for at 60 plus ? The NDC can keep deceiving themselves by throwing dust into our eyes that Rawlings is a control freak who is seeking to satisfy his thirst for power by coming onto the scene again after nineteen years of rule. They can also continue living in self denial whiles tagging Rawlings a bundle of contradictions. Granted all the above accusations are true, one can not disagree with the former president on the level of corruption in the current government. There is no denying the fact that a silent majority of Ghanaians agree with him on that. Fact is , by being consistent on instances of corruption both in his own party and the NPP, Rawlings has carved out a remarkable image for himself not withstanding all his numerous flaws.

Clearly Rawlings has nothing to lose. A coup is a Gamble with life and death. Twice he staged coups and survived. This is a man who was hours from death but was rescued from the jaws of death by divine intervention working through some Junior colleagues of the Armed Forces. This is a man who survived the harsh terrain of military rule in Africa where Coup attempts were rife. This is a man who signed off the death warrant of his own best friend and cousin for flouting the law. He has seen story buildings crumble and is unfazed by the sight of market stalls shaking at the threat of a rainstorm . Expulsion from the NDC ? That is a joke. He will relish this opportunity and fight the regime to the last drop of his blood.

Rawlings is fighting for what nearly cost him his life in 1979. But the NDC simply does not get it. He can be compared to the proverbial dead goat who is unafraid of the butchers Knife. The best strategy for the NDC to adopt is to ignore him and focus on their message and the marketable qualities of their candidate. Attacking Rawlings at this time is a wrong move !

For the lying intellectuals and dogs of war who continue to deceive themselves that the Rawlings legacy is on the wane, they can keep on living under that delusion. A legacy is not a glacier that melts away under scorching sun. Like it or loath it there will never be another influential figure on our history. Rawlings is just a character; an enigma the NDC failed to contain and manage because of greed and the politics of thievery shrouded in “ the party has outgrown him ‘’ . His legacy, be positive or negative will thrive for generations. It is rather the under listed legacies that will vanish after December 2012.

The Alhajj Newspaper- Edited by a butcher turned Cook, it is simply a print out of lies funded by corrupt politicians

The Insight- Noted for devoting its centre page to the utopian fight to free the Cuban 5, its editor is now the most discredited human being on earth

Dr Bokor- He reminds me of the NPP days when the number of Rawlings bashers double before any reshuffle. He is putting himself in line for the next batch of appointments. Aooo, Jerry wordor na avuwo wo du !

The enquirer- Noted for unearthing corruption scandals during the kuffour regime, the paper is yet to bring up a single corruption scandal under the NDC. Its editor now walks around with a fake American accent. A true and real story of a legacy that has fizzled into thin air.

Kormi Afevi

Efokormi@gmail.com