It’s quite interesting watching the NDC engage in a literal “SELF IMPLOSION”, in its divisive struggle to elect a Presidential candidate. For many, this precedence of contesting a sitting President not only indicts and impugn his integrity and ultimately casts a slur on his governments. It essentially supplies the opposition party with enough armories to stock its Arsenal which would be their major campaign strategy that would culminate into a probable NDC defeat in the 2012 elections.
Ever since the President assumed office, there had been relentless and incessant reports about the so called “foot soldiers” who do nothing but spew venomous rage against the president, giving ultimatums to be provided Jobs or else would “advise themselves”. These miscreants and social misfits vandalize properties and practically enslave the peace of other people with impunity.
This attitude is nothing short of “Political Insurgency”, a proliferation of an inimical standard that could spell dire consequences for the country if not immediately annulled.
Indeed it is evidently clear that the incumbent president has been the most castigated and criticized president, at least since Ghana decided the way of Democracy. What’s more stunning is that the criticisms are not necessarily from the opposition but from his own party and precisely the purported founder of their party, Jerry John Rawlings which I think is preposterous.
Even during the first week of his administration, the president had his first taste of the Pudding, when he was described as being “slow”.
Occasionally, the President was blustered with all sought of unsavory remarks; Rawlings described his administration as being full of “greedy bastards”, twits, idiots, giving key actors like Spio Garbrah the impetus and effrontery to insolently call the ministers of the President as Team B.
Other Mavericks and eccentrics like Teye Nyaunu and Alfred Agbeshie had a field day, hurling a barrage of vituperative and venomous attacks on the President and his administration.
The party Executives indeed had no idea, settling the feud between the supposed Rawlings Camp and the Attah Mills Camp. These apparent divisions reached its climax when it was clear that the Former President Appeared not ready to reach a compromise and allow the President to administer his constitutional mandated position and govern this country in relative peace.
Rawlings had always tried to use euphemisms, innuendos and ridiculous stories, to “throw cold water” on the Attah Mill’s Government but obviously, one could empirically deduce that his actions were just a desperate attempt “To picks holes in anything” the President does, probably to unleash his parochial interests he’s been harnessing for so long in a subtle way.
Rawlings, best known for his renowned “boom” speeches relentlessly castigates the sitting president but consistently maintains that he and his wife had no ambitions whatsoever of ascending to the corridors of power again.
Then comes a group known as FONKAR (Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings). This group had initially been denied by the Rawlingses who constantly maintained their stance that they had no interest in the presidency, even though they never relented in their incessant and unfounded criticisms of the President.
The President however “kept a stiff upper lip” and maintained his calm nature and coolness, which was actually what I presume Rawlings never expected. Indeed an initially impression about Attah Mills was that he would “easily be led by the nose”, under the auspices of Rawlings and thus wouldn’t be his own man.
Rawlings had always accused the President of not prosecuting the former government appointees. Indeed listening to this man makes me harbor doubts about his mental chemistry. I doubt if he knows about the fact that we’re in a democratic dispensation and regime and thus the various arms of government should operate independently of each other.
There had been several cases presided over by the courts but there was no substantial evidence to incarcerate the alleged criminals, since the courts found them innocent. It’s however erroneous that Rawlings thinks we’re still in the dark ages of a Dictatorial Military regime where he could satisfy his own whims and caprices by arresting and jailing anybody at his own convenience and will without due process, which is in itself a compromise on the “rule of law”.
The “Game of FONKAR” thus became clear to me when it was confirmed that Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings decided rather interestingly to run as a presidential candidate of the NDC.
I then put my ideas into thoughts and in an instant flash it dawned on me that the spurious criticisms, castigations, name calling and the open accusations of corruption were not a genuine course per se, but a grand ploy to instigate and incite the youth against the President and eventually usurp his powers through the ballot. That had been the game of the Rawlingses, and their comrades FONKAR had performed quite impressively in achieving this detrimental feat.
The internal rift within the NDC is however an interesting one considering the opportunities it would bring to bear on the NPP.
For me, JJ as I knew him whilst he was President has done a lot for Ghana, but for all these unnecessarily flowering stupidity that he had immersed himself in by trying to “Pull down the edifice he had by his own convictions built even amidst criticisms”, he has lost all respect and gradually been drawn into the gutters with his kind of deficient analysis he has about the real issues on the ground. People who used to respect him for his charisma have gradually abandoned him to his fate.
For Rawlings, every other person apart from him and his “double sweet heart” Konadu is wrong and corrupt. He never criticizes himself but all other persons. He insists that the present NDC is made up of traitors and people who contributed nothing to the formation of the Party. Another illogical comment is his nebulous reference to truth, accountability, transparency etc, which he always shouts about but which he stunningly couldn’t uphold during his almost two decade of presidency.
The former President instead of reassuring the NDC party delegates to hold their peace rather decided to “fun” the fire of enmity by cunningly endorsing the candidature of his wife
I’m sure writing a “Litany of Rawlings” or Gospel according to Rawlings wouldn’t be enough to contain all these issues that had “cropped up” during the Mills presidency and the vicious desire of Rawlings to cling back to power.
What is clear is that Attah Mills has so far exhibited a great sense of humility and utmost maturity in handling this issue, unlike an obnoxious and Repugnant Flt Lft Jerry John Rawlings, who in spite of drowning in the river cling on to the straws of vulgarity and the casting of aspersions.
It’s also an empirical deduction that the umbrella of the Rawlingses has been so much perforated that parching it would be like “chasing the wind” and a wild goose chase.
Even though I’m quite sure of an Attah mills victory in spite of the fact that I don’t support any of them, the most important thing is by how much margin he would win.
Rawlings should wake up and smell the coffee and perhaps should be minded of the fact that he no longer is the President. Indeed Saturday will determine how porous and useless Rawlings is in the party or how useful he is.
However this congress turns, it would contribute immensely and significantly or perhaps be a turning point of the NDC.
A lost for the President would have a dire consequence for governance and a lost for Konadu would probably lead to a breakaway.
The opium or antidote for these eventualities, which I perceive is that anyone who "bites the dust" should humbly accept his or her fate and forge ahead, without any post congress conflict, which is allegedly typical of the NDC.
Finally, the NDC shouldn’t over stress their incumbency because they are not “down and out” today; which gives them the audacity to dabble in political expediency and unnecessary power struggle that they’ve so much become obsessed with, but should be mindful of the fact that if they do not eschew this unnecessary heckling of each other and indignant name calling, a whooping defeat wouldn’t be a hyperbolic suggestion in 2012.
Saturday, July 09, 2011
DESMOND CYRIL
