And,
depending on the news event of the day, the public is never
surprised to hear Rawlings so raucous, hostile, and antagonistic
towards Kufuor.
The months leading to the
Ghana@50 celebrations have been
tense. Rawlings has asserted that he had not been invited
to any of the state functions for the celebrations.
And truth
be told, there had not been any public announcement of Rawlings’
role before this assertion, and no official statement has been
issued to debunk his allegation.
But the
allegation ought to have been quickly dispelled when Kufuor's
administration sent a team of eminent citizens to invite him to
participate in the celebrations.
Rawlings turned the
invitation down, despite the civic weight the delegation
brought. And with this refusal, he missed the opportunity to
rise above the fray to become a statesman.
A simple
explanation from Rawlings could have done the trick: he
will not forgo the opportunity to celebrate the country, nor
allow any situation to prevent him from sharing fellowship with
his fellow Ghanaians on the special occasion of
Ghana@50.
Unfortunately, his dislike of Kufuor held the upper hand and he
couldn’t resist once again the temptation to get at Kufuor.
The tension between Kufuor and Rawlings, as said, has been
alive and growing since the last elections of 2000.
Some see
the frostiness on Rawlings’ part as an extension of the
political rivalry from 2000. Others also see his anger as
a ploy to help keep him always in the news, in a drive for
relevance.
In the
end, the drive for relevance has led Rawlings to a huge
political misstep.
By choosing not to attend this
national celebration, he has made himself a petulant politician
left standing by the wayside of history.
What a missed
opportunity – a chance to show magnanimity and to move the
country closer to political unity and maturity - even if Kufuor
had so grievously offended him.
He could
have taken his place on the dais, or even among his party
faithful who graciously and sensibly chose to attend.
Rawlings
could also have boosted tremendously the NDC’ chances for the
2008 elections with his presence. Instead, he used the
opportunity to go to a conference in South Africa.
As
Ghana Ghana was celebrating 50, Rawlings chose to attend a
conference in South Africa instead.
The excuse of prior engagement will not hold here.
After
all, the celebration of Ghana@50 was a signpost that must have
been visible as far back as the beginning of the civilian part
of Rawlings' administration in 1992!
For all the talk
about Rawlings’ ability as a political strategist, he came out
short on this one.
The decision to send a team of eminent
Ghanaians to invite Rawlings was as marvelous a political move
as Rawlings was not.
The
invitation to Rawlings was done publicly. The Kufuor's
administration must have sensed that Rawlings, true to
character, would be defiant. And true to form, Rawlings took the
bait.
Missing on the stage as celebrations rolled on was
Rawlings. He was among the leaders who brought this
nation to its current state.
Of the 50
years, Rawlings ruled for almost 20, more than a third of the
life of this nation.
He had
more opportunities than most.
With the dictatorial raw powers of a commanding army
ruler of an occupying force, he could have produced some
fantastic transformational changes.
He didn’t.
The policy changes and achievements
that have brought Ghana to the front page of growth in
democracy, show very little to do with Rawlings’ past
administration. They have mostly to do with the leaderships of
Kufuor and Nkrumah - and justifiably so.
The prominent
features of Rawlings rule have been negative; mostly marked with
coups, extralegal executions that some say caused Ghana to lose
its preeminent place among the democratic nations of Africa.
As some see it, Rawling’s attitude can only be explained by
his penchant for relevance. The cries of corruption at the
Kufuor administration at every turn are attempts to lower his
successor's repute to recast his role as the preferred for
history.
Instead,
Rawlings has only been able to call attention to his character
flaws; the latest was his deviancy and petulant attitude towards
the Ghana@50 celebration.
The celebrations are over.
But the building of the country must continue.
Whether
Rawlings’ will continue to show intransigence in his
relationship with Kufuor, or rise to the level of a statesman,
declare peace for the good of all and help build the country is
the question to ask.
E. Ablorh –Odjidja, Accra, Ghana,
March 13, 2007
