Like Brutus, Mills’ attitude to life is quite at variance with that of Nana - he idealistic way of Mills as against the realistic way of Nana. Elegized by the greatest bully that ever bestrides this narrow world of ours, Mills is living under the false assumption that he will attain power through violence. But when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and members of his campaign team speak, the readers and audience are emotionally involved. Their speeches appeal to the zenith or deepest part of their soul and this is capable of working on their emotion and reason. The speeches of the Nefarious Triumvirate, comprising Rawlings, Mills and Asiedu Nketia on the other hand appeal to only their nadir- the lowest part of their soul which, even if it impresses them, it is only for a short time. All their accusations/allegations against members of the Nipa Pa Party/ Nobles Peoples Party and their actions are not based on facts, but on mere suspicions. In fact, one can correctly assert that the hierarchy of the NDC is playing the role of the devil incarnate. I mean those who do not at anytime in the course of their evil practices develop the slightest compunction. Their utterances portray them as characters with little or no human feelings. They speak like people who are completely dehumanized, for their words and actions are too harsh to the ear. Concerned people therefore feel that by their words and actions, they may throw the whole country into chaos given the chance. Expressions like “Ghana will be worst off than Kenya and Zimbabwe combined” and “NPP plans to rig the elections and if that happens, we shall match them boot for boot”. When asked to provide evidence, they say they have none. Wasn’t it mere suspicion that made Brutus to join the conspiracy to murder Julius Caesar – an act which set in motion a chain-reaction that eventually plunged ancient Rome into a civil war? Were hardworking Ghanaians not made to forgo their hard-earned money and property during the [P] NDC regime on mere suspicion that the victims might have cheated on their way to the top? Cassius instigated Brutus and others to murder Caesar on mere suspicion that Caesar was likely to become a dictator without giving any reasons. Rawlings, Ata Mills and others in the contraption go about pontificating that they are angels and that Dan Abodakpi and Tsatsu Tsikata were given a raw deal by the NPP Administration. But when I asked them a question on why Tsatsu Tsikata was sacked by the very man who is now singing Tsatus’s praises as the best thing to have ever happened in the history of the GNPC, the answer is not forthcoming. Somebody even have the guts to send me an e-mail to the effect that Tsatsu Tsikata was not sacked. Be as it may, I am still waiting for an answer to my question. Why did Rawlings sack Tsatsu Tsikata? Was it on account of incompetence? To me, John Jerry Rawlings has emerged as a totalitarian dictator who is not ready to listen to the suggestions and opinions of others just as Marcus Brutus is depicted in “Julius Caesar”. He and his hand-picked successor, Atta Mills are so self- righteous that they feel all Ghanaians should keep quiet when it comes to policy making. As we are all aware of, the NDC needs a well-laid down code of ethics to ensure loyalty and discipline. Probably, if there had been strong ties binding them to a just cause, Rawlings would not have sacked his Special Aide, Victor Smith and the Rawlingses would not have made that reckless statement to the effect that both President John Agyekum Kufuor and the NPP flag-bearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo were not qualified lawyers- only to have that statement rebuffed by Atta Mills, moments after it had been made. The difference between Mills and Rawlings is a product of lack of dedication to a just cause. Both John Jerry Rawlings and John Evans Atta Mills keep committing blunders after blunders which they did not realize or choose not to realize. If they can realize their mistakes, they will be seeing things in their right perspective. Both Mills and Rawlings are having a strong impulse to do something drastic and this makes them approach every situation with excessive naivety like fanning the embers of ethnicity – Rawlings telling Ewes that they are being marginalized in the scheme of things and Mills accusing Kufuor of insensitivity to the plight of fishermen because the sea could not be found in Ashanti Region where Kufuor hails from. The Volta Regional Chairman of the NDC, Modestos Ahiable has made damming comments about a war of attrition against the Ewes by the Ashantis but nobody said anything about it. When Dan Abodakpi was jailed and the leadership of the party went to Keta to heap insults on the sitting President and accused him of trying to exterminate or annihilate the Ewes, nobody raised any eyebrow. Yet when I brought out statistics to show that tribalism was more prevalent under Rawlings regimes than under Kufuor, the hawks in the NDC descended heavily on me with insults to the extent of some calling me “a stupid goat” and “an ignorant fool”. What does this tell you about those who are aspiring to lead this great nation of civilized citizens? They cannot tolerate the views of others! All that I tried to do in my previous write up was to advise Ghanaians to stop accusing the present administration of ethnicity, because if we want to talk about it, it reared its ugly head very much during the Rawlings era. Yet we all lived under it, so there was no reason to bring about such an issue. Was there anything I did wrong here? However, I would still insist that those who call themselves Ghanaians and are concerned about what goes on in the country should read the Hansard which captured the Debate on the ethnic composition of the Ghana Armed Forces and they would be shocked to the marrow by the contributions of members of the NDC to the debate. It is such lack of tolerance and insensitivity to the plight and feelings of others, apart from themselves which has created an unending atmosphere of hopelessness and disaster in the National Democratic Congress. Rawlings and Mills see in Akufo-Addo, a Mark Anthony who is described by Cassius as a “shrewd contriver” whose action can throw their party into confusion. Thus, every means, whether orthodox or otherwise must be employed to halt his [Nana’s] rise to fame and prominence and that is exactly the script they are enacting. But Nana, together with his campaign team is an equal match for them. His intellectual ability and political sagacity and eloquence are things Rawlings and Atta Mills find difficult to counteract. So, when Atta Mills confesses that he, unlike Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo was not born with a silver spoon, he [Mills] like Cassius. Is indirectly alluding to his own inferiority complex and magnifying the greatness of his opponent. “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a colossus and we petty men Walk under his legs” As stated earlier on, both Rawlings and Mills are playing the role of a devil advocate. They sometimes represent the evil that man has got to tussle with in life. They cannot be satisfied with the position in which they find themselves. They feel and believe that it is an insult to live under Kufuor and Nana Addo’s Governments when both are human beings like themselves. It is like “if you miss the ball, don’t miss the man” If they cannot have it no other person should have it. The pull Him Down Syndrome is at work.. But this is not how God wants things to be in this country Whether they like it or not, come December 7, 2008, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo will be elected President of this Great Nation of ours. Come January, 7, the baton of leadership will be handed over to the President-elect to continue the good works of President John Agyekum Kufuor. So ride on, Nana, for you have fought a good fight and won the race. You moment of glory is at hand. On this note I urge all those who believe in all the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution to brace up for that great day and use the power of the thumb to ensure that God’s wish comes true. Nana and Bawumia all the way! Credit: Daniel Danquah Damptey: Kwame_dennis@yahoo.com