Fire And Fury Inside The Chest Of The Founder

In the Holy Book, there are two types of prophets who fascinate me a lot. One is called Prophet Nathan. His modus operandi is shrouded in secrecy and yet effective. Instead of shouting warnings to the Israelis anytime they went astray and wayward, he clandestinely whipped them into line.

Uriah, a soldier in King David's army had a beautiful wife who had not yet had a child. Israel had a war and Uriah went along with the army to fight for Israel. In those days, soldiers could be at the war front for months. One day, King David was standing on top of his beautiful palace when he saw the wife of Uriah, lady Bathsheba, naked in the bathroom. The lust in the mind of King David who had so many wives forced him to send for the wife of Uriah. He had sex with her and the lady became pregnant.

The Lord God of Israel revealed the incident to Prophet Nathan and instead of calling a meeting of the twelve tribes of Israel to tell them what the king had done, he went quietly alone to King David and spoke to him in parables. He said there lived a certain rich man who had a lot of sheep but when he had some visitors he went for the only sheep of one of his servants and killed it to feast his visitors. Before Prophet Nathan could end King David said if it were to be under his jurisdiction he would kill that rich man. Then Nathan told King David that he was that rich man because even though he had so many wives he went in for the only wife of Uriah, impregnated her and later caused the death of the poor soldier. That matter stayed between King David and Prophet Nathan until the child was born but Prophet Nathan again went to King David to tell him that because of what he had done the Lord had decided to kill the child. David prayed to the Lord to spare the child but the child died.

There was this prophet also called Jeremiah. As for Jeremiah, when he was even a child God had told him that He had put His words into his mouth so he must speak out. During his days, the Israelis, led by their king did throw caution to the dogs, went wayward and started worshipping idols instead of worshipping the Lord of Host who brought them from the land of Egypt where they were slaves. Unlike Prophet Nathan, Prophet Jeremiah went to town and started warning the Israelis that the wrath of God would descend on them if they did not desist from Idol worship. He even predicted that Israelis would go into slavery again and the king and his two sons would perish. He proclaimed his prophesy at market places and everywhere he went. The king would cause his arrest and the prophet would be beaten into pulp but he never stopped until an invading army conquered Israel and sent them into slavery. The king and his two sons were killed.

At this juncture, one may ask: “What is in a name?” There is this man called Jeremiah John Rawlings who once ruled Ghana. From his utterances he could be likened to Prophet Jeremiah. He doesn't mince words and he says it as it is. He is fearless in his criticisms – damn the consequences. Unlike Prophet Nathan, Jeremiah John doesn't advise the NDC, a party he founded. The other day when he told NDC supporters that he had more in his chest against the NDC and that at the appropriate time he will come out, I sensed a big trouble for the NDC. Just look at the way he treated Anita Desooso and you will agree with me that the man has more to tell Ghanaians. To tell Ghanaians that Anita Desooso is a 'crook' means a lot.

It was Rawlings who told Ghanaians very recently that he knows a deputy minister under the John Mahama administration who bought two huge mansions with raw cash of Three Million US Dollars and the seller became angry and bewildered because the money could have been paid in check or deposited in his (seller) account. And to add insults to injury, this unnamed deputy minister, whom we all seem to know, never worked after his National Service until he landed a job as a deputy minister. Rawlings knows more than many Ghanaians know as far as the NDC is concerned, having ruled the country for close to two decades. Nobody can doubt the 'intelligence quotient' (IQ) of the guy. There is no secret in the party that he doesn't know because he has his informants who act as moles in the party. That is why he said he has so many things inside his chest.

On countless occasions, Mr. Rawlings had cause to complain about how his wife is always being attacked by NDC hoodlums but the attack continues unabated even when the woman has not said anything bad against the NDC since she walked away to form her own political party. Three days ago, Anita Desooso went gaga and unduly took on Madam Konadu when the lady did not say anything bad against her. She was rude enough to call Madam Konadu a Delilah in the life of Mr. Rawlings. We all know what Delilah did to Sampson and for Anita to refer to the former First Lady as Delilah is very insulting. Where was this woman who has bleached her whole body including her finger nails when Nana Konadu and her husband put their noses on the grindstone in the revolutionary days? Today the food is ready and so any long-mouthed can eat some. Was it Nana Konadu who told Ghanaians that Anita is a 'crook' character?

Look at Asiedu Nketia for example. Where did he get all these monies to build his mansions in Accra and Seikwa, his hometown, as well as other property? In the run-up to the NDC Delegates Congress which was held in Sunyani where Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings contested the late Professor Mills, Ghanaians were made to understand that Asiedu Nketia used to go to the house of Rawlings to collect discarded coats, which were worn by Kimathi Rawlings, and some bags of rice. And this is the man who told all those who left the NDC in the run-up to the 2012 general elections to return because he had chained the dog which used to harass them in the house. And this was in reference to Mr. Rawlings. Now Gulliver has been unchained! Today, this man had the guts to call people thieves.

Another person who should not dare talk about corruption and the thievery of state funds is Kofi Adams. This guy was almost like a house boy in the house of Rawlings until he was voted to become the General Secretary of the NDC. Within eight years, he has been able to acquire huge mansions of architectural wonder; he rides in more than six V8 luxurious Land Cruisers. He also shuttles from Ghana to Dubai on business trips and yet he too refers to people as corrupt. I can go on and on but I believe people who read this column know what I am writing about because this is not the first time I have challenged some NDC opportunists to show us where they got the monies to be rich within eight years in office. And there are some civil servants in this country who have worked for more than thirty years but cannot boast of even 'Boys' Quarters' not to talk of a simple Saloon car. It is very sad indeed!!!

POOR CADRES OF THE REVOLUTION, WHERE ARE YOU?

Anytime I see some of the cadres of the 31^st December Revolution in my holy village going to their farms to earn their living through subsistent farming, I bow my head in shame for them. These were guys who did put their noses on the grindstone for the revolution to survive. Remember during the hearing of the National Reconciliation Commission it came out that Rawlings and his PNDC junta were able to survive thirty coup d'états all because of the vigilance of these cadres. When the PNDC graduated to NDC, these cadres were left to rot away with some of them 'marrying' 'akpatashie' and marijuana. They have become a burden to their family since they followed the revolution and missed chances to better their standard of education. Meanwhile, the new faces who did not take part in the revolution are making it big time in business and other endeavours.

By Eric Bawah