Kwesi Pratt: 'prof Mills is every inch like Mr Rawlings'

 "This Professor is not our friend and he stands for no good. He is every inch like Mr. Rawlings and must be fought with all the venom we can find,' the immortal words of the Managing Editor of the Insight, Kwesi Pratt Jnr.

"The emergence of Professor John Atta Mills as the Presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress will not change anything in the party… Four years of Professor Mills as Vice President of Ghana have left us in no doubt that he has nothing new to offer,' this has been the editorial view of the Insight, edited by Mr Pratt.

Pratt went on to say, 'Those who claim that Professor Mills will offer us anything different from what we have had from Rawlings… can only be lying.'

Touching on Prof Mills' leadership character and integrity, Mr Pratt pointed out, 'Professor Mills was around in the days of fire and brimstone when innocent Ghanaians were extra-judicially murdered and thousands of people were thrown into detention without charge or trial.'

He continued: 'The Professor looked on gleefully as many more thousands Ghanaians were driven out of their homes into exile.

He did not lift a finger and no sounds broke out of his mouth when at least 300,000 workers were retrenched in the days of the PNDC.'

The editorial warned Ghanaians that, 'Essentially, the NDC will remain a neo-colonial apparatus designed solely for the perpetuation of foreign domination of the national economy and misrule through a cult of bootlickers.'

In the words of Mr Pratt, 'Four years of Professor Mills as Vice President of Ghana has left us in no doubt that he has nothing new to offer.'

Adding his voice to the untiring perception that Prof Mills can never be his own man, the Editorial noted about the NDC presidential candidate, 'He has faithfully done the bidding of Mr. Jerry John Rawlings and sheepishly followed the instructions of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.'

The Insight  went on, 'The sale of State enterprises for 

 Those who claim that Professor Mills will offer us anything different from what we have had from Rawlings for the last 18 years, can only be lying.'

Contrasting Prof Mills" contribution to freeing Ghana from the shackles of oppression to that of brave men like Messrs Pratt, Baako, Akufo-Addo and co, Mr Pratt wrote, 'There can be no doubt that Professor Mills knew that Ghana was being crushed under the jackboots of dictatorship, but he did not hesitate for a moment when he was offered the chance to join those who were busily destroying all that we have cherished.'

He added, 'Professor Mills will not be allowed to deceive the people of Ghana. We shall fight him all the way and make sure that he does not get anywhere near the seat of government.'

In concluding, the Insight sent a clarion call to the majority of Ghanaian voters, 'Stop Professor Mills from becoming the President of Ghana. Mills or no Mills, we must fight.'

The Editorial was carried in the Weekly Insight of Wednesday, April 19 - April 25, 2000. Has anything changed in the last 8 years to warrant a revolutionary change of heart, if not mind?