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�Clearly, Rawlings and his wife have lost the battle for control of the NDC and may rave and rant all they can; but theirs is a self-inflicted harm. Through a series of miscalculated moves, they have lost grounds and have no one but themselves to blame. Their popularity is at its nadir and they have become their own enemies both within the NDC and the wider national spectrum�-Michael J.K Bokor, a pro-NDC writer, in his online work titled, �Rawlings: NDC Founder and Father now an OUTCAST? (November 5, 2011). Power, they say, can do anything, indeed. Sometimes I hear comments like the type of Michael Bokor and I ask myself, so what at all has happened between Rawlings and Mills just after the 2008 victory and which could not have been settled till date? But one thing is obvious. The man, Rawlings made us understand that he would continue to mock his party and government if they should go wrong without fear or favor. I remember very well how ex-President Rawlings himself admitted openly that his party started losing power a few weeks or so after winning power. And consistently, the former military strongman, as The Chronicle (November 8, 2011 edition) would want to describe him, does not spare Mills administration at all in exposing its inefficiency and ineffectiveness. On countless platforms, ex-President Rawlings has lashed his own government for failing Ghanaians and rather chooses to deepen corruption, poverty, insecurity and injustice in the country. Though appears unusual in our body politic, Founder Rawlings continues to assure us that unless the right things are done, he does not see why he must stop criticizing the Mills administration. Though not an NDC or Rawlings fun, I do not think the way and manner the Mills-led NDC administration is treating the military-turn-civilian is anything to write home about. We are not saying the government should wake up on a daily basis and move to salute their founder at his private residence, as some misconstrue it, but to at least offer him a bit of recognition as an honorable statesman. Considering the enormous assistance that Flt Lt Rawlings rendered to Mills prior to becoming president, it would have been appropriate for President Mills to treat his master as an �idol�. Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings also told us that at the time when almost everybody, including those now in power abandoned Mills, he was the only one who could console and counsel him (Mills). Factually speaking, that was classically demonstrated by Jerry at the heat of the 2008 general elections when one could see clearly that then Candidate Mills himself was almost �down�. The rift between the two love birds started when Jerry Rawlings launched his first attack of incompetence on Mills administration a few months after the party assumed power. Since then, the two have not been the best of pals, though; initially, some government officials and party communicators were trying to make us believe that all was well with them. But maverick Rawlings along the line pulled the cat out of the bag when he openly admitted that he has a serious problem with Mills and that, their relationship could be likened to that of cat and mouse. Many young ministers of state and party communicators, who might not witness much of the one-time cordial relationship between the two great men, have also given several warped interpretations and analysis of Rawlings� weird and wonderful behavior. How can your own party be in power but for the mere fact that you speak off your mind on certain unacceptable governmental practices, a befitting place of residence would be denied you as a statesman? At the recently held Sunyani congress, it was glaring some party gurus and government functionaries really declared against the Rawlingses which manifested itself in the results of the party�s flag bearship slot. Top guns of the party were heard using several mockery words against the Rawlingses, especially the defeated Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. In fact, the actual seed of rejection of the Rawlingses was sown at that very congress, as some party apparatchiks, known to be Rawlings� allies, jubilated over what they claimed was a great success in erasing Rawlings� popularity from a party he himself has founded and that they could even face the 2012 elections without him. From then on, all open criticisms from Rawlings against Mills administration are being responded to strongly by both party executives and government officials. As party executives are being impressed upon to intervene in the ongoing stalemate between the founder and President Mills as 2012 approaches, general secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah said no way. He is on record to have appealed to all those who left the NDC party because of the barking dog (indirectly referring to Rawlings) to return home because such a wild dog has been caged. Mr. Nketiah reaffirmed that his outfit will not beg Mr. Rawlings to campaign for the party, if he is bitter about the defeat that his wife suffered at the Sunyani congress. Some gurus, including political multi-colored Obed Asamoah even said that Rawlings is not the founder of the NDC. In fact, it should not take an insider to tell us that Rawlings is now an outcast in his own political party family. Rawlings should take it cool as he works his way out to seek refuge in the NPP. E-mail: [email protected]