Jerry Rawlings                 Photo courtesy

Ever since President John Atta Mills came to power some eight months ago, the founder of his National Democratic Party (NDC), ex-President Jerry Rawlings, has been undermining him more than the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). This has come about because of the level of democratic civility of the two parties. The NDC, an off-shoot of military juntas and no-party regimes, is owned by the mercurial and emotionally unstable Rawlings, the NPP is a coalition of like-minded folks who believe democracy is the best vehicle for Ghana’s progress.  

Rawlings claims to be a democrat and is touted in some uninformed quarters as “father of democracy,” just because his NDC, from the pseudo-military PNDC, opened up, after years of internecine pressure from local and the international community, for democracy after years of one-party and -military dictatorships. But events on the ground reveal that either Rawlings isn’t a democrat or he is confused as to how democracy works. Rawlings has been troubling the infant Ghanaian democracy including his own NDC.  

In a build-up to Rawlings’ undemocratic behaviour, he attacked President Mills, on August 24 in Kumasi, in a speech to the fringe youth wind (United Cadres Front) of the NDC. He said that the Atta Mills government lacks the “revolutionary spirit to govern the country” and that President Atta Mills is “dull” and “slow.” He portrayed that “if things did not change immediately for the better, then some of them in the party (NDC) would advise themselves. 

What a threat! Mills is no Jerry Rawlings. All leaders govern differently, and so Mills cannot govern like Rawlings. Mills has PHD in law and is a former university professor; Rawlings has “O” Level and is a former military pilot. Mills is more emotionally balanced and reasonable. Mills, 65, is older than Rawlings, 61.  

In Rawlings’ democratic world, there is no rule of law, freedoms and human rights. In Rawlings’ almost 20 years in power, there were widespread executions, harassments, threats, exiling, deaths, abductions, fear, and all that characterized a dark Stalinist state.  

Kwesi Pratt, editor of the Accra-based Insight, told Ghanaians: "Rawlings said that Prez Mills is slow in arresting and prosecuting former government officials in the NPP Administration. But is that how citizens are arrested? That you are not charged with any offence, not tried by the courts and yet imprisoned?" 

More disturbing to Ghana’s fledging democracy is Rawlings’ threat that “he is allowing the sitting President some time but that he might run out of tolerance.” Who is Rawlings to say that in the backdrop of over 23 million Ghanaians and high-powered Kings and Queens like Asantehene Osei Tutu 11, Agbogbomefia Torgbui Afede Asor XIV, and Okyehene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin? Why all these statements from a man in the same party with President Mills? Again, Pratt asks,  “If he runs out of patience, what can he do, will he attempt a coup d’état or will he fight Ghanaians? He should give us a break. The time has come for us to let him know that Ghana belongs to all of us and we won’t allow this kind of narcissism anymore … If you don’t share the same opinion or agree with someone, why, that is okay, Does that call for issuing threats?” 

To know why Africa despite its vast wealth and riches is still entangled in extreme material and psychological despair, just look at Rawlings. He came to the Ghanaian political scene in a turbulent era of coups detat carnivals, one-party fete, and no-party jamboree. Africa’s progress was deteriorating as leaders in Southeast Asia and Latin America were thinking grandly and strategizing on how to prosper. Even Chile’s Augusto Pinochet, despite his human rights violations uplifted Chile into reasonable degree of prosperity and did not behave like Rawlings. Ghana ranks 135th out of 177 in the UN Human Development Index (UNHDI, 2008/2009 Report) that measures the wellbeing of countries world wide, most of these abysmal situations under Rawlings’ watch. Chile is today a First World country, ranked 40th out of 177 in the UNHDI Report of 2008/2009. 

Hard development facts aside, Rawlings’ egocentrism and irrational conduct emanate from certain ridiculous Ghanaian/African cultural believes that have been projected onto Africa’s development process. Rawlings thinks he is God-sent and plays on Ghanaians’ atmosphere of hero-worship and low intellectual current.

For almost 20 years Rawlings had thorough grip on Ghana, accountability, freedoms, the rule of law, and human rights were limited. Fear and threats ruled supreme and the culture of silence characterized Ghanaians psychology – anybody could just be killed just like that. Under immense pressure to democratize, Rawlings, in line with Africa’s Big Man syndrome, repeatedly asked, “To whom?” But that’s Africa, anybody can be President no matter what. 

Why should Rawlings, at 61 years, repeatedly be a threat to the state of Ghana’s democracy? Paradoxically, how does one fathom the sense that the man who said he is father of democracy is simultaneously working to undermine it? He said he brought security to Ghana but is scheming to bring insecurity. Can't anyone advise him about his worsening public conduct? Does he listen to his NDC party people? Why have Ghanaians tolerated him for far too long? If all Ghanaians were to behave like him, will there be any Ghana? 

It is strange to see a former African President talk and behave like Rawlings, especially in the volatile African environment. As part of Ghana’s democratic enlargement and as part of rehabilitating Ghana’s/Africa’s years of the 'Big Man' syndrome, disaster, authoritarianism, and chaos, the main opposition New Patriotic Party should use Rawlings’ threats as democratic fodder to defeat the ruling NDC in 2012.