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Can the relationship between Ex-President Rawlings and President Mills affect national security and development?

I really feel for President Mills for all the pressure he is dealing with. Anyway, I think he knows what he was going in for when he went from house to house and asked the good people of Ghana to vote for him.

In less than three months in power Ex-President Rawlings has reiterated his attacks on the slow pace at which president Mills was doing things. This is quiet amusing because even the opposition flag bearer in the 2008 elections have said it is still too early to assess the performance of President Mills. However, President Rawlings has found it very imperative to evaluate the performance of the man he handed over the flagbearship of the NDC to within this short spate of time.

This has left me trying to analysis the reason(s) for which he would be heaping such intense pressure of the President in these early days. The first reason I could come up with is his perceived lack of pace and urgency through which the President Mills is dealing with his Political opponents and those he feels would have embezzled state funds. Hence the ex-President has called for justice to be expedited and now. I support the call for corrupt past leaders to be tried and dealt with but the truth of the matter is issues of this nature takes a bit of time especially in this democratic dispensation.

Secondly, why does ex-President Rawlings has to come out publicly and make these statements instead of having behind the closed doors meetings or in this day of hi-tech using one of these gadgets to express his dissatisfaction if at all he has appoint. I think ex-President is relying strongly on the grass root support he has in the NDC and playing on the emotions of the people. As a statesman, I believe ex-president Rawlings can make his point clear with hitting out at the President every other time. According to Alhaji Bature of the NDC, the former president was frustrated because he had no access to the presidency. The public comments of Mr. Rawlings for him were meant to attract public sympathy. He said having lost access to the president, the vice president and other high profile persons in the presidency, the only avenue for Mr. Rawlings is to court public sympathy through populist statements.

The President finds himself in a very difficult situation at present, with his relationship with the two former presidents not been the best. I know party outsiders would be very happy at these developments but for any objective thinker you would realise it will not help national development because if President Mills doesn't get the backing of his own party his efforts of moving Ghana forward can be frustrated. Consider South Africa under Thabo Mbeki for instance. Sorry to say this if things are not addressed I can see a public fall-out between the two personalities. This is will not be strange because it is quiet clear that the philosophy and the leadership classs of ex-President Rawlings and President Mills massively conflicting hence it will take massive wisdom and tolerance to marry these two classs especially when the President wants to demonstrate he is the one in Charge as he stated a few weeks ago.

Lastly, there is a serious national security undertone to this. In cases where some of the President's appointees especially within the security apparatus have strong links with the former President Rawlings, divided loyalty can spell doom for our nation. Hence all concerned Ghanaian citizens must see the need for a relatively positive relationship between ex-President Rawlings and President Mills.. Some may argue that ex-President Rawlings is exercising his democratic rights. I understand that but this should be done in a way that will foster national unity and developments. Remember it is written: 'a house divided against it self will not stand'. For the good of Ghana we should all support President Mills at this point of his Presidency irrespective of our political, tribal or religious affiliation. This is about Ghana and not any individual groups of people. Thank You.

(This writer is always asking intuitive questions that will aid national development. My objective is to see a 'corruption free' Ghana where people are given equal opportunities to excel irrespective of their tribe, colour, creed, religion, gender or age. Join Kweku Objective on this crusade) God Bless you!

Contacts: Email: dr.objective@yahoo.co.uk Facebook: Kweku Objective

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