I couldn’t help but to shrug my shoulders in utter disbelief when I read Kwadwo Poku’s spiteful piece of writing on Dr. Rawlings on www.ghanaweb.com.
Was I surprised by the author’s lack of grasp on Ghana’s political developments? Absolutely not. In democratic Ghanaian politics, it is not unusual to see and read off-centred accounts from faceless actors who exploit the generosity of cyber technology to express their quaint views on socio-political matters.
Kwadwo Poku stated in his article that, ‘Dr Rawlings doctored the 1979 general elections in favour of Dr. Hilla Limann. He also stated that Jerry Rawlings, was fearful of Victor Owusu hence the doctoring of the elections results.
I find the author’s account on the 1979 elections to be very interesting. Doctoring the 79 elections? Was Dr. Rawlings the electoral commissioner? Was Jerry Rawlings a candidate in that election? What was he to gain by doctoring the election in favour of Dr. Hilla Limann? What role did he play in doctoring of the election results in favour of Dr. Hilla Limann?
I hope in response to my query, the author would not come to tell me that Rawlings was contaminated by greed and self aggrandizement.
If Kwadwo’s contrived tales are true, which they aren’t why didn’t Victor Owusu and his party challenged the election result in a competent court of jurisdiction?
In recent times, we have seen a persistent onslaught by certain nomadic minds to discredit Dr. Rawlings. Can Kwadwo Poku tell us how Dr. Rawlings rigged the elections in favour of Dr. Hilla Limann? If not, then the author, unfortunately, falls into the orbit of storytellers who lack the meta-analysis of history, yet play historians for the sake of partisan politics.
Perhaps, the faceless author can spare us the suspense, get his facts straight and come back to us with his incontrovertible facts. Many attempts have been made, in the past to harm the reputation of Dr. Rawlings, all to no avail. They failed. Didn’t they?
Rather than blame Dr. Rawlings solely for the excesses of the revolution, the author should research on the mood of Ghanaian public during the short duration of June 4th Revolution.
While the revolutionary leadership do bear some of responsibility for some of the excesses that went on during the revolution, the Ghanaian public was/is partially responsible for the execution of the military officers.
In his never ending wisdom, Kwadwo Poku stated that Rawlings is guilty of idiosyncratic mannerisms of entitlement because he has rented out his mansions and lived in state owned property. First of all, I would like to know from Kojo Poku where the so-called mansions of Jerry Rawlings are located? To make a specious claim for political reasons is a child’s game. Secondly it is bizarre for any rational being to claim that Rawlings is a spent force.
This scum is obviously detached from reality and perhaps that explains why he is so oblivious of happenings around him even in the State. The modus operandi of this arm-critic is well known-contributing nothing positive but always at hand to throw jealous dart at successful people.
This sleazy writer with scant regard for substance also wanders why Rawlings’s followers will do anything just to protect his image.
You also see him exposing his arrogance in ignorance when he felt that Jerry Rawlings deserve no credit for the sustenance of democratic governance. What an interesting supposition from a deluded mind, for lack of a better word.
I don’t want to sound condescending; however, I am amazed at the shallowness of Kwadwo Poku in not getting his facts in order.
Let me tell you Kwadwo, those who defend Dr. Rawlings see in him a leader who possess the courage to speak out his mind and is ready to defend the interest of his nation at all cost.
The Kwadwo Pokus of this world cannot fight racism and suborn sexism. They cannot preach moral virtues and enjoin earth vices. They cannot hound Dr. Rawlings like a fugitive and absolve John Kufuor and his scandalous regime.
As a head of state, Jerry Rawlings became a conscience of this nation. He brought on board the responsibility to protect his people. He brought consciousness at the grassroots level and built a cohesive society that had the energy to curtail official criminality. Jerry Rawlings laid the foundation for multi-party democracy in this country. His contribution to the development of this country is unrivalled.
Need we tell this critic that no vigorous campaign of calumny can diminish Rawlings enviable records? Is he impervious to learning that, he simply cannot accept that Rawlings wrote his name in gold and that no amount of sulphuric acid squirted can deface it?
It is irrefutable, Rawlings is a paragon of greatness and whether that is what triggers his hallucinatory remarks, we careless.
A nation that spends it time and resources on publicizing and mistakenly take esoteric for a fact cannot compete with civilized nations.
Let us act as smart beings not superstitious followers who consistently mistake the stringing unformulated thoughts for a treatise.
Let this nation be the judge and form its opinion on the insanity that is slowly eating the minds of some of our nation’s second-rate brains who think that their contribution to national politics makes them renowned pundits in democratic politics.
I rest my case.
Emmanuel Dela Coffie
The Writer is Student Journalist. He welcome your comments via [email protected] / www.delacoffie.wordpress.com