Many factors will come to play to determine who wins 2012. Some of the reasons are very sophisticated and could higly count when we want to consider the chances of the ruling party for a 2012 victory. The rising Ghana's debt, the increase in the percentage of Ghanaians living below the poverty line, the increased taxes, the unfriendly environment created against private sector businesses, the unguarded borrowing and the fast growing corruption within the government will all conteibute to the fall of the NDC come 2012 but they are as I said a bit complex for the Folks in some remote areas to understand. Most of our voters do not really look into some of these things so critically when they stand before the ballot paper. The first thing that majority of Ghanaians use to vote is the personality who is on the ticket of a party. President Mills' personality was a great contributing factor to the 2008 victory, a trim down of his admiration among Ghanaians will make it very diificult for the NDC to win again with candidate Mills. Unfortunately the law professor's actions and inaction in his two and half years in power has made him very unpopular among many Ghanaians who until now viewed him as a saint.

Apart from the difficulties people are going through and the high cost of living. Apart form the poor health care they receive now under the same NHIS which hitherto was a big relief to Ghanaians. Apart from unbearable fuel prices and its resultant high transportation cost which has led to astronomical rise in prices of goods and service. The collapse of the capitation grant aside, people are carefully going to consider the Mills they knew as Candidate and the one they are seing now as president.

Many people as a matter of fact voted for the NDC because of what they thought the then candidate Mills was. Even people in opposition on different platforms use to preach Mills to Ghanaians as a good man in a wrong party. They never thought president Mills could support foot sodier violence in our peaceful country. They could never immagine prof Mills will stand unconcerned when people were killed in broad day light at Agbogbloshie, Tamale, Chereponi and other places. Their ignorance of all this side of the then holy holy candidate Mills earned the NDC a lot of floating votes which eventually gave them the slimmest victory in our history as a nation. In 2012 however, the story has already changed. This is because president Mills has not been able to live up to the expectation of many of his admirers including me. My investigations shows that people are actually shocked at the Mills they are seing today and the one they knew before.

I won't repeat the drastic fuel price reduction promise and the drastic increase. Neither will I waste time on the better Ghana agenda lies. I won't go into the promise of putting money into peoples pocket where the people have eventually been only people who are with the rulling party. Even poor men sitting at HIPC KVIP toilets were replaced by NDC sympathisers under his watch. Why will I waste time on the workers at the school feeding program, NHIS, NYEP and even the Millitary recruits who were sent back home because all of them were perceived to be NPP sympathisers. I won't waste time on the extravagant or better still "profiligate spending" in the purchase of five jets at inflated prices. All these are going to weigh the party down dearly come 2012, but the single punch that will land the NDC in opposition is peoples' perception of whom Mills is now.

After just two and half years in office Pres Mills has lost most of the qualities that made him appealing to the floating voter. People have come to know the president as a man who condone and conive with evil doers. Yesterday I read an article in which former Youth and Sports Minister, Hon. Muntaka made a shocking revelation. He said, after the president told him to proceed on leave because of the corruption allegations which were made against him, the president called on him behind the scenes and told him to stay calm and that he will give him another appointment. I was very surprised by such a claim. He was quoted by one James Quansah as saying the president has promised to give him another appointment before 2012. Why I was shocked is that, when the president before our eyes showed that he detested such behaviors, behind the scene he was patting him on the back and telling him to relax. He was secretely promising him of another portfolio. I for one can hardly sing the praises I sang about him(Mills) back in 2008. I have known him to be absolutely different from who I thought he is.

His consistent mentainance and promotion of insulting appointees has made many to conclude that the president is a hypocrite who hide his face and allow these young boys to do the dirty job on his behalf. And of course I agree. If your children go out to commit attrocities and come home to a rousing welcome and even a promotion foe "good work done". You the parent and your children can in no means be separated for blames. If he(Mills) was against those insults he would have shown it by at least giving some stern warnings to his appointees of not to do the right thing by firing them. People no more see him as the fine gentleman they thought he is but one who has promoted rudeness in our body politics.

Many people until Mills took over the riegns of leadership of Ghana, knew him to be a peace loving and a very tolerant person, but since 2009 when he was sworn in thousands of Ghanaians were attacked very violently by his supporters and others were even killed as I mentioned earlier. In all, the peace loving father closed his eyes or pretended not to have seen. His tolerance was tested by his own party founder's wife and all Ghanaians were witnesses to how the they treated the former first family and their sympathisers. The president never condemned any of these things which sends the message that he is in agreement.

When this issue about gays began disturbing our ears. I expected the president to come out boldly and condemn such acts. But strangely very little has been heard from the man I thought was a very religeous christian.

People were gravely astonished to learn that all that while we ignorantly preached Of the president as a pious christian in 2008 he was having a black juju ring on his finger. All these and many other things which have transpired under his watch has very deeply dented his immage and hence drowned his chances of getting a second term.

Of course some very traditional NDC supporters will still vote for them but I can't say the same of those who were lured to vote for NDC because of the perception they had about Mills which has now been eroded. With the already lean margin by which president Mills won and a very strong reduction expected, NDC can by no means win 2012 elections.

The reason for a lost of hold on power in 2012 is because the personality of President Mills no more appeal to most electorates, even former President Rawlings.

God bless our homeland Ghana.

Noah Dugubrame Asare. Frankfurt, Germany.