Once Bitten, Twice Shy

I once promised, and will continue to promise, not to spare any punches in castigating ex-President Rawlings anytime he makes a wrong move or acts inappropriately in our political terrain.  I will continue to dish it hard and not be impressed by any contrary sentiment. 

Since 1979 when this junior military officer came storming into our political arena, I have taken time to study him and have come to realize that, the man will never change.  He still has that funny feeling that without him, no other person can rule Ghana well, even though he misruled the nation for close to two decades.  This attitude of his has underscored my defiance whenever I am compelled by his actions and utterances to put across my convictions.

The Akans have a saying that “Obi a owo aka no suro sonsono” (He who has been bitten by a snake before fears a worm).  For the umpteenth time, I have had cause to write that those of us who know Rawlings well from the days when he was a cadet at the Takoradi Air Force base and a usurper of power in 1979 and 1981, should never hesitate to tell the younger generation his exploits and trickery.  It will amount to irresponsibility on our part if we keep quiet for the youth to be taken for a ride as he did to us.  As for the youth, they will have an easy escape rout to defend themselves when history comes calling by saying that they were born too late to be blamed.

What we experienced when Rawlings handed over power to the late Dr. Hilla Limann is gradually repeating itself.  When the man handed over the reigns of power to Limann, he told Ghanaians that he was going to be a watchdog and that he would not leave the shores of Ghana because according to him, Ghana was where the action was and as such he would stay behind to help in his own small way to move the country forward.  We did not understand him and thought he was patriotic enough.  That was the biggest mistake we did.

On July 1981, Rawlings visited Takoradi and addressed a mini rally at the forecourt of the Princess Cinema Hall (Carousel Agogo to be precise).  There, he told us that Limann was mismanaging the affairs of the country and that his ministers were corrupt.  He saw no reason why Dr. Limann did not continue with his House Cleaning exercise by making more heads to roll.

According to the master trickster, times were hard and at the end of the day, the worker could not even buy a bottle of beer to quench his thirst.  He chose Takoradi to make those statements because he knew Takoradi was dominated by the working class.  Those were the days when Ghana Railways, Cocoa Product Factory, Takoradi Flour Mills, Takoradi Cement Factory, Chinese Factor, Takoradi Lumber and Veneer Company (TVLC) etc were very vibrant and employed thousands of workers.  We were agitated and clapped unceasingly when he finished his speech and entered his Peugeot 404 caravan given to him by Limann's government.

A week later, the late “junketing Editor” of the Palava newspaper, fame Chris Asher, also zoomed to town and organized a similar mini rally at the same place.  He debunked Rawlings' effusions and warned that if Rawlings tried anything funny, he would bite his fingers.  Chris Asher pulled two pistols from his pockets and discharged two shots into the air and called on all Ghanaians to stand up for our rights and resist any attempt by Rawlings to visit another mayhem on the good people of Ghana.

In September 1981, Rawlings started visiting the Burma Camp in Accra with Captain Kojo Tsikata (rtd) (Gbagblaja).  The then Special Branch of the Ghana Police Service warned the government of Dr. Limann of Rawlings' intention to launch a coup.  When the government put surveillance on the two men, they went to court to seek redress.  The government of Limann did not take matters seriously and before they could say Jack Robin, Rawlings succeeded in overthrowing the People's National Party.  In the ensuing massacre, many officers of the Special Branch were murdered in cold blood. The bloodletting which followed is not worth mentioning here because it will spoil your day.

Today, before President Atta Mills could put his foot on the accelerator, Rawlings has visited the security zone at the Kotoka International Airport, the Air Force base, and with his protruding stomach, he inspected a quarter guard of honour mounted at the Liberation barracks in Sunyani.  The sad aspect of all these happenings is that Mills who is supposed to be the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Army said he was not aware of the visits.  Eih, are we safe?

I do not want any Jupiter to tell me that because Rawlings is the founder of the NDC he will not usurp power.  We are talking of a man who is so power-drunk that he will not mind even if half of the populace dies for him to grab power.  After all, did he not tell us not long ago that to make an omelet, one must break eggs?  And have you so soon forgotten that he once told men of God in their faces at a Pentecostal Council meeting that he did not fear God but rather loved God?  After tasting the good things of life, Rawlings is not going back.  We saw him in the early days of his agitation propaganda but it did not take long before he and his hitherto malnourished family became fabulously rich.

As he used to do, he may not be the one to seize power but someone else will do so and later invite him to lead.  After taking the leadership, he will then make sure those who brought him to power are hunted down and driven into exile or framed up and shot, leaving him and his family alone to enjoy.  He did it to Alolga Akatar Pore, Baa Achemfour, Boakye Gyan and the rest. We must be on guard because once bitten, twice shy.  Good morning, Professor Mills, and may the Lord protect and guard you.   (Say AMEN Prof, because if it were Prophet Joshua of Nigeria, you would have shouted louder!)