Features
“Special” Tribute to JJ Rawlings: By Babies With “Razor” Teeth
Readers may wonder where we are coming from but the fact of the matter is that we shall remain anonymous even though we are part and parcel of the great National Democratic Congress (NDC), founded by our illustrious and revolutionary leader, His Excellency Flight Lieutenant JJ Rawlings.
Babies With “Razor” Teeth? Yes, we can’t be left out. Listen and read the numerous tributes pouring out from people and institutions on radio and television stations, pages of newspapers and social media space since the demise of our great leader on November 12, 2020.
Readers may not be accustomed to our brand name; Babies With “Razor” Teeth (BWRT), because we were not “discovered” by our founder before he died. We have still not been “discovered” by the leadership of our party but the interesting thing is that we exist.
Our cousins, Babies With Sharp Teeth (BWST), were rather “discovered” early by the founder of our party because sometimes their Sharp teeth strangely turned into “sharp cutlasses” and “cancerous wire-nets” to intercept and “butcher” critical utterances of our charismatic founder. Indeed, BWST tend to destroy with their teeth but we (BWRT) build with our teeth.
Yes, we say our tribute is “special” because it does not follow the normal convention of tribute-writing. You can describe our tribute as out-of-the-window tribute. Our elders say, if you are not on good terms with someone in life, you don’t take active part in his or her funeral if that person dies.
That is why we perfectly share the view of comrade Dela Coffie, a very active member of our party, even though he is not a member of BWRT. Comrade Dela Coffie says: “The hypocrisy must stop. Those who think we will allow them to engage in political profiteering enterprise with the demise of President Rawlings must think again.”
Dela Coffie lashes: “Isn’t it even offensive to learn that those who consistently berated President Rawlings over the last twelve years, and called him “barking dog” are today claiming ownership of him as the founder of the NDC?”
Dela punches more, asking: “Has it suddenly dawned on you to fight for the same Rawlings that you lots, recruited puppets to publicly humiliate and talk back at?”
Dela Coffie’s beef follows General Secretary Asiedu Nketiah’s claim that President Akufo Addo and the NPP are hijacking the funeral of the founder of our party.
For many years the NDC has not been at peace with its founder and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, over a lot of unresolved issues, leading to the formation of the National Democratic Party by the spouse of the founder. Such squabbles have terribly divided the party. The latest addition of the squabbles can be traced to the book authored by one of the gurus, Kwamena Ahwoi, chronicling his “Working With Rawlings”.
Our party failed or refused to make peace with our founder when he was alive and kicking but now, some party gurus are pretending that they were on the best of terms with him, thus, shedding wonderful tears over his lifeless body.
For instance, at an event to commomerate the June 4 anniversary in 2018, we remember that our founder said former President Mahama led the NDC astray, culminating in the party suffering a heavy defeat at the hands of the NPP in the 2016 elections. President Rawlings, therefore, called for a change in the leadership of the NDC, stressing that anything short of that would spell doom and gloom for the party in the 2020 elections.
In an apparent caustic and acidic response to our founder’s call, former President Mahama said: ” We have worshipped the Volta god for so long. No sacrifice would please him.” Mr Mahama stated this at the party’s Unity Walk in the Volta regional capital, Ho.
President Mahama’s “attack” on the persona of our founder made nonsense of Anita Desosoo’s earlier plea for clemency and forgiveness sought from our founder at the commomration of the June 4 event. On behalf of the NDC, Anita mounted the podium, went down on her knees and emotionally apologized to the founder of our party, on behalf of party members and leadership, for all the “sins” and “crimes” committed against our founder.
Anita’s apology to our founder was said have received overwhelming endorsement by the leadership of our party. But the battle line was drawn ” when the tail of the barking dog was bitten” once again by former President Mahama.
It seems the true “disciples” of our founder are now emerging among the NDC youth and they may converge under the connopy of June 4 “revolutionary grand-papas” like comrade Dan Abodakpi.
President Akufo-Addo recently said he had a “temperstrious” relationship with our founder for a very long time but in the end, they saw value in each other and became friends. Indeed, their healthy and ” brotherly ” relationship was publicly demonstrated. So, the question is: What prevented our party gurus from smoking the peace pipe with our founder before the inevitable happened?
In a message to console the family of President Rawlings, sitting President Akufo Addo said, the role of our founder in the establishment and development of Ghana’s 4th republic was truly exceptional, adding that Ghanaians appreciated his leadership of our nation and will remember him accordingly. This is an indisputable fact and we thank the President for such statements.
In a tribute to our founder, former President Mahama also said: “Boss, it is difficult to come to terms with your shocking exit. But you’ve always been unconventional and acted on your own terms. The rest of us, your comrades, are left to mourn you. But beyond mourning your departure, we have a duty and responsibility to ensure that your person and principles receive your deserved place in the history of Ghana.” Well, we hope it’s a genuine intent.
We also share the sentiments of Yaw Boateng Gyan, a former National Organizer of the NDC. He has appealed to the rank and file of our party to use the death of our founder to unite the party, stressing that failure to use our founder’s death to unite the party, will spell doom and gloom for the future of the NDC. “We must take a cue from what happened to the CPP when its founder, Kwame Nkrumah, died.” Boateng Gyan said this at an Accra radio station just recently.
Your Excellency, our cousins, the “sharp teethers”, have confided in us that they regret their actions against you. They insist that they were misguided by those already “belley-ful” to attack and provoke you to make more and more “boom speeches”.
Henceforth, we feel obliged to protect your monumental legacy you bequeathed to our party and our nation-Ghana. We also want to be part of the solution to the cancerous squabbles afflicting our party, instead of being part of the problems.
We, therefore, pledge on your honour, that before your interment we would be taking certain “revolutionary steps” to right some of the wrongs in our party to your “spiritual” admiration. Fare-thee well, our Great Master and Never-to-be-forgotten revolutionary icon.
End.
Features
Another opportunity is available
Another celebration of Easter, which is associated with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Saviour of the world, has just gone by.
This is not the first time such a celebration has taken but it has been celebrated each year, ever since I was old enough to appreciate things happening around me.
During the festivities, many people become holy and begin to rededicate their lives to God, through his beloved son Jesus. Many people make resolutions about how they are going to become committed to God, how they are going to change the way they have been living their lives and change for the better, how they are going to demonstrate love to their neighbours etc.
Give them say three months and you will find them forgetting about the resolutions they made. Those of us who belong to this group, a new opportunity has now been offered for us, so we can stick to our resolutions.
Easter has always been a time of reflection, especially for Christians. It is a time for stock taking to see where we stand with our faith in our creator and our status as to where we are on our walk with God and therefore his son, Jesus Christ.
It is a period in which the death of Christ takes on a deeper meaning and the significance of it becomes very much appreciated. It affords believers an opportunity to critically reassess our lives and to read just our way of life, so we could still be on the narrow path to heaven.
During the Easter period, an atmosphere of divine visitation can be felt by those who are spiritually inclined. Testimonies abound of miraculous encounters during Easter seasons.
Watching the Passion of Christ movie after church last Sunday, I really experienced a deeper connection to the suffering that Christ endured from when he was taken to Pontius Pilate up to when he said “It is finished’’ on the cross.
On the social front, it is a great time for reconnecting with members of our families, a time of reconnecting with friends, contributing to the development of our local communities etc.
This is the time when those who are outside the country, come home to interact with family members especially their parents, who they have not interacted with face-to-face for a long time.
It is true that due to technological advancement it is now possible to interact with friends and family but it is not the same as face to face interaction. There is the disturbing side to this celebration which requires that efforts be made to cause attitudinal change.
Some people see this occasion as an avenue for promiscuity and all they look forward to is an opportunity to get someone to sleep with, despite the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases like HIV.
If we want to see improvement in our lives both spiritually and physically, then we must prayerfully consider the resolutions we make now, so that God will grant us the grace and determination to achieve them. Let us focus a bit more on the spiritual than the physical.
Let us plan on how to improve say our prayer life, how to manifest the gifts of the spirit and not how to get the latest vehicle, and things of that nature.
The Bible exhorts that we should seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things that we need, shall be given to us, according to Matthew 6:33. Instead of going by this directive, we usually turn it upside down and seek what we perceive us our needs first before seeking that of God, no wonder things usually do not turn out the way we expect. God bless.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
By Laud Kissi-Mensah
Features
Who knows tomorrow?
Recently a friend posted a sad news on his Facebook page, announcing the death of a school mate who had passed away, suddenly. The report had it that he was on his way to the airport to take a flight to Ghana.
I am sure this man had already informed the wife or a friend or a work colleague at work that he was returning home but he was not to return as a human being but as a dead body.
Such is life and so we need to be circumspect in how we go about things in life. The Bible reminds us that we are like grass which at one point in time looks elegant and the next moment becomes withered according to Psalm 90:5 and 6. It is for this reason that we need to guard our hearts with the word of God so that we shall be motivated to do the right thing, at all times.
This will enable us live on this planet, free from all sorts of troubles in our personal lives, even if we ignore the question of Heaven and Hell. Living a disciplined life delivers us from any kind of trouble as the Bible declares in Galatians 5:23 that against such there is no law.
The uncertainty surrounding our lives on earth is the more reason why people should commit their lives into the hands of the one who created it, in the first place unless you believe that the world created itself and that it appeared from nowhere.
Otherwise, the logical thing to do is to recognize the authority of the creator and surrender to his Lordship. Heaven is real and Hell is real, so for us who know the truth and have received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the onus lies on us to encourage our relations who have not believed and received Jesus into their lives, to do so.
We are a couple of days from another Easter Resurrection celebration and an opportunity to reflect on our lives in relation to the significance of Easter. In the Bible, the only occasion Jesus, Saviour of the world commands us to celebrate is his death and resurrection.
He never commanded his followers to celebrate his birth but like everything else, we chose to ignore Jesus’s instructions and decided to do what pleases us, just like our forefather and mother in the Garden of Eden.
Let us deliberately choose to do things differently as Christians this Easter, so we can really benefit from all the blessings that the celebration of the death and birth of Jesus, has on offer. Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is definitely insanity.
I choose to be different this Easter and I am believing God for a newness of life so God’s glory would be revealed in me to draw the unsaved to him. It is only when people especially the unsaved, see the character of Christ in us, that they can be convinced about the authenticity of Jesus, as Saviour of the world, who can bring transformation in their lives too.
This is what would motivate them to surrender their lives to Jesus Christ. Let us make this Easter a memorable one that will be cherished for a long time. It is also a period for reconciliation and it would be great if in the spirit of Easter, we would try to reach out to those who have wronged us or have a grudge against us.
This would demonstrate that we have indeed accepted Jesus and that our religious posture is not a sham. May the good Lord grant us the grace to love our neighbours as ourselves, demonstrating the love of God in the process.
Those who have lost their loved ones and Easter brings sad memories, may the good Lord comfort and strengthen you. God bless.
.NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
