It’s my turn again to speak: Prof. Mills is too Naive.

Professor Atta Mills who is a very good Taxation and Commercial Law lecturer was brought from outside the PNDC/NDC to become the Vice President to the failed O'Level graduate Dr. Jerry Boom in 1996. Most of the top PNDC/NDC brass didn't like his appointment but the strength and intimidation of Dr. Jerry Boom made them cowed to his wishes and reluctantly accepted him as such. In the 2000 elections, there was a conspiracy against Professor Mills from the camp of those who disagreed with Dr. Jerry for nominating the Prof. as his vice in 1996 and unilaterally endorsing his candidature for the presidency at what became known as the Swedru declaration. Those who were against tried all means to get the Prof. out of their way. With the presence of his master (a failed O'Level student now teaching a Professor) and the blessings of the skinny lady (Maame Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, the “Slim Macho Woman”) he was made to contest against the “Gentle Giant” President Kuffour. It therefore was the prayer of those NDC gurus who were against Prof. Mills that he and the NDC lost the elections. Thank God, their prayers were answered. They hoped that the Prof. would see wisdom and end his political career with the NDC. Being too naive, Professor Mills continues to follow the advise of his master (it is said that once a teacher, always a teacher) and through submitting the NDC delegates into cowardice forced his way to be elected the NDC's Presidential candidate for 2004. His enemies in the NDC party have sworn that they will leave him alone to campaign and would not spend money on a party that is doomed to lose the elections come December 2004.

Again, one of the tricks of his “enemies” is to push him to have many press conferences to the neglect of campaigning. It is no wonder and not surprising that he has taken greater delight in holding press conferences. That is why I say the Professor is too naive as he cannot read the minds of his own people and allows himself to be dragging here and there and being treated by the Ghanaian public as a poor school boy who should beg before he gets money to pay his fees. A Professor should know better and maintain his credibility and dignity. It's not easy to be a Professor. To be a professor in the days of Atta Mills, one had to pass the O'Level exams which Dr. Jerry Boom failed miserably when he was at Achimota, one of the best schools in Ghana. He is a disgrace to Achimotans. To console Rawlings and wipe away his shame, he has bought two doctorate degrees one in law. Prof. Mills should therefore see himself as somebody higher that the one who couldn't pass his O' Levels.

Professor Mills doesn't seem to me to be the Professor I knew in those days when he was teaching. He sounded too childish in his recent press conference held on Thursday, 01July 2004 which appeared on Ghana web news on the 02 July. In the said press conference, he made a number of childish statements some of which need to be commented on.

“...In 1992, 1996 and 2000, the NDC demonstrated beyond doubt that it is possible to conduct transparent and free and fair elections….”. Who told Prof. Mills that the 1992 and 1996 elections were free and fair? The only free and fair election was what the NDC lost in 2000. If elections are free and fair NDC will always lose. Have we forgotten Vincent Assisseh when he said that NDC is not a political party and they had never won any elections before? Where is he coming from and what is the meaning of what he said? “Asem sebe”. Was there a level political playing field in 1992 when Dr. Rawlings camouflagely shed off his soldierly skin and put on what looked like a civilian skin? Has Prof. Mills forgotten or where was he when Dr. Rawlings said at that time that when a snake sheds its skin, it is still the same snake? Has he also so soon forgotten what led the NPP to write the stolen verdict and boycotted the 1992 elections? As a Prof. you must be highly knowledgeable. What about 1996? It was a bit better in 2000. There are many known examples about election malpractices, but only two will suffice.

At Duayaw Nkwanta in 1992, before counting of the votes could be completed, Sunyani had announced the results. As to how they got the figures is anyone's guess. Counting then had to be stopped as what they were doing was an exercise in futility. That was transparent, free and fair elections indeed!

In the 1996 elections one Kwao Atta (now deceased and may his soul rest in peace) who was one of the campaign boys for Mr. Odoi Sykes, the NPP parliamentary candidate for James Town (Odododiodio Constituency) passed the night of the election day at the James Town police station. As to why he did so, Prof. Mills must go to James Town police station and find out. On that night, counting of the votes for the constituency couldn't be completed so all the ballot boxes were sealed and kept at the City Engineers Department which was the office of the District Electoral Commission for counting to continue the next day. The next morning before anybody could get up from bed, the results had been declared. You must know who will win and who will lose in such situations. This was what the Professor calls transparent, free and fair elections. God forbid.

Has the Professor forgotten or he doesn't want to be told what happened to the NPP supporters from Legon who volunteered to be party agents to supervise the elections in the Volta Region in 2000? I am sure if the macho man who was killed at Oforikrom in Kumasi in the 2000 elections when he tried to seize the ballot box was from the NPP party, I don't think that he would have described the elections as free and fair. That was Kumasi where nonsense is not tolerated.

“….The management of the electoral process under the NPP Government has been fraught with suspicion, confusion and manipulation. The patience of the rank and file of the NDC has been tasked to the breaking point and we in the leadership cannot guarantee to hold the anger and frustration of our people in check forever..”, he yelled.

I am truly surprised that these words are coming from the “Asomdwehene”. Atta Mills now spits venom due to his association with the NDC as they are known to be men of violence. He has been contaminated and polluted by his association with Dr. Jerry and the likes of Kojo Tsikata, the crafty murderer. Their days have been numbered.

Professor Mills and the likes of Dr. Josiah Aryee (another learned lawyer who has a big for nothing head) must be told in simple, plain and clear terms that the security organizations would not relent in their civic obligations to maintain law and order. To this end, the rank and file of the NDC can ran out of patience and fool about to test the prowess of the security organizations. The brute force of the Police which was leashed on the IPS students some time ago which led to the sorrowful death of a female student would be visited on the NDC if they fool around and try to cause trouble. The full force of the Police which was used to quell Accra Polytechnic students' demonstration by preventing them from crossing the Christianborg Road to present their petition to Dr. Jerry and which earned ACP Kofi Boakye his promotion from Supt. to C/Supt. is still there and would be used against anyone who will try to fool around. Since the police dealt harshly with those perceived by the NDC as enemies without any admonition from them, I am sure they will not at this time criticise the same action of the police when it comes to their turn to be at their mercy.

Professor Mills should note that almost all the young policemen one sees around were recruited during the PNDC/NDC era and they were trained to be brute as that was the sweetest word our Jerry wanted to hear always. The record of IGP Nanfuri is also there for all who cares to know. We know what he did in his torture chambers in the BNI cells. So when such a person much liked by Jerry became the IGP, one could imagine the type of people he would recruit into the police service and the kind of training they would have. This is to let Professor Mills and the NDC know the kind of policemen their system bequeathed to the Ghanaian society. It's too early for this trait to be shed off the policeman. They should therefore bear in mind the kind of police they risk facing should they fool around. Their kind of training and mentality they gave the police would be experimented on them.

Professor Mills was worried as he alleged that the Electoral Commission made special arrangements outside the Kumasi Metropolis to enable all available photo-taking and registration materials to be mobilized for a near 100% coverage. Even if this is true, what is the worry of Prof. Mills since the Ashanti Regional NDC chairman repeatedly says that NDC will shock NPP in Ashanti Region. The meaning of his statement is that Ashanti Region will fall for the NDC. It therefore means that the more registered voters there are in Ashanti Region, the better for the NDC since they will command the highest vote. Prof. Mills needs not worry except that the Regional chairman was lying. Ohene Agyekum is also of the same view. So no cause for alarm, Prof.

The NPP's gov't laudable ideas of introducing a National Identification Card system and a Procurement Committee for the Electoral Commission were abandoned when there were public outcry against them. The abandonment of those policies scored more marks for the gov't as it was seen to be a gov't that listens to the people unlike the NDC. If it were the NDC, they would have gone ahead as they were totally adamant to the plight of Ghanaians. I don't understand why the NDC wants to be the spokesman for Dr. Afari Djan. Dr. Afari Djan has never complained that the gov't wants to find ways to remove him from office. He can better articulate his grievances if any, than Prof. Mills. The Professor should therefore mind his own business and leave the Electoral Commissioner alone.

We the good people of Ghana should be thankful to God that the NPP gov't managed to have funds for the Electoral Commission for the exercises it did. Have we so soon forgotten Mr. Spio Gabrah when he said that the NPP gov't cannot run the country since there was no money in the state's coffers? He knew and meant what he said. The NDC gov't in which he was a high-ranking member had emptied the state's coffers before handing over to the NPP gov't. Where was Professor Mills when Spio Gabrah made that statement and what was his reaction? Where does the Prof. expect the NPP gov't to have money for the Electoral Commission adequate enough for all their activities? The shortages of cameras and other needed materials for the smooth functioning of the Electoral Commission for the registration and the photo-taking exercise was the direct result of their misrule.

The least said about the so called retired “experienced members” at the Electoral Commission the better. Were they not aware that after attaining age 60, they have to retire except been appointed by the gov't on contract? Did they train someone to take over from them? If they didn't, then they should bury their heads in shame as been the most selfish people one can find in present time. By the way, if they were found to be NPP sympathizers, would the Prof. cry for them? So we can see where they are coming from.

My Professor keeps me laughing when he mentions even/level playing field and attempts by the NPP to rig the December 2004 elections. Why in 1992, 1996 and 2000 the Professor didn't talk of level playing field? Did he in those years forgot that what was good for the gander is also good for the geese? Was the playing field in those years more even that now? The playing field in those times was partly rugged, stony and thorny. NDC in their wisdom positioned themselves on the better side and gave the rugged, stony and thorny part of the field for the other opposition parties and asked them to play against them. Nevertheless, with the good players in the NPP camp, they were able to beat the NDC team and their own appointed Electoral Commissioner who was the referee at the end of the match declared NPP victorious. Come December, we are again going to play on the same field but NDC should thank God that the NPP gov't have leveled and grassed the field. If I were President Kuffour, I would let the NDC take the position the other parties took in the previous elections for them to see how it is to play from a rugged, stony and thorny side against your opponents. NDC need not fear anything but to train well. They shouldn't forget that any time they sit in the comfort of press houses holding press conferences, the Dan Botwe's are out in the villages campaigning.

May I end by telling Professor Mills that the Electoral Commission is the same Electoral Commission that has conducted what he called “three highly and successful” elections. Whenever a football team lost a match, the referee is blamed for been bias. To the winning team, he was good. That is how the world is. Ghanaians are very interesting. Now you see your own Electoral Commission that has conducted “three highly and successful” elections different. They are still the same, competent and credible and needs to be recommended.

Prof. I have already told you that your own members don't like, so the earlier you leave them the better. A word to the wise is enough.