National Democratic Congress (NDC) founder, Jerry John Rawlings continues to worry that his party has lost its identity.

He said at the 39th-anniversary durbar to mark the June 4 uprising, that it now resembled an older incarnation of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“Our party has almost become a clone of what the other side used to be. Elitism and gross display of affluence have almost engulfed us and as I stated in 2017, we are still at the crossroads.”
Mr. Rawlings said persons within the NDC were now distorting the essence of the party he founded.

“Unfortunately, we have consistently distorted the history of June 4 and 31st December mainly for parochial reasons… a great deal of the distortion of facts concerning the history that eventually gave birth to our party the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has come from our own, from within.”

He said persons with “deeply malicious motives within our party have over the past 12 years especially, consistently spewed falsehood about our own history and attempted to downplay the story of June 4.”

Mr. Rawlings also said the persons, whom he declined to name, “have shamelessly disassociated themselves from our history in a bid to create the impression that it is a blot on the image of the party.

“Ironically the party that was seen as elitist and detached from the grassroots rather associated itself with the grassroots to win the last elections while we chose the elitist route and lost miserably.”

He described this as “suicidal” and the cause of the NDC’s woes.

Identity crisis

The NDC suffered the worst election defeat from an incumbency position in 2016.

Mr. Rawlings has consistently blamed this loss on the party’s identity crisis.

Last month, he called on his party to embrace the politics of conscience, truth and the power of conviction as it seeks to return to power in 2020.

He said the party’s failure to apply its values resulted in the 2016 election defeat.

The strength of the NDC, the former President, said, lay in attaining political power through the power of the people, not the power of the affluent.

Party Overhaul

At the last June 4 commemoration, in 2017, Mr. Rawlings called for a complete overhaul of his party.

According to him, this is the only way the party could come back strong for the next election in 2020.

He said there was a need for new leaders with integrity to lead the party which he claimed lost “disgracefully” in the December 7, 2016 general election because of greed, corruption and “betrayal of the values of June 4.”

Kennedy Agyapong has been sponsored by the New Patriotic Party and government of the NPP to discredit Anas Aremeyaw Anas, Member of Parliament for Damongo, Adam Muntawakilu has said.

According to him, the failure of the political party and its government to stop Mr. Agyapong from his continuous attacks on the investigative Journalist clearly shows he has been paid by them to lower the esteem of Anas.

“It is a sponsored person by the party and government of NPP to discredit Anas. Why did I say that, he started attacking Anas not today. Since the tape came out, he has consistently attacked Anas. The party never made any comments. They government of Nana  Akufo Addo never made any comment”.

Speaking on Day Break Upper East on A1 Radio, Mr. Muntawakilu who is also minority ranking member of the mines and energy committee, said all the allegation of the Assin North MP against Anas have been found to be false. He added that the images and audio recordings put out by the Mr. Agyapong are all false. “You see that every move Kennedy Agyapong takes comes ouit to be false”. He concluded.

He also accused the NPP of wanting to rope in former president John Dramani Mahama who according to the legislator is clean and free from any ill dealings.

“He (kwesi nyantakyi) was soliciting for $5 million for the president and $3 million for the vice president, therefore the president is in his pocket. All those ones did not come out, it’s only president Mahama’s one, they think that that one should come out. Meanwhile, we know president Mahama is clean”.

Ken Agyapong has been on a crusade to “expose” the ace journalist since word about his investigative piece on the Ghana Football Association came out.

Last week for instance, Mr Agyapong revealed on Adom FM’s morning show, “Dwaso Nsem” that Anas was corrupt and had tried to “blackmail” the NPP Ashanti regional, Chairman Wontumi a number of times but failed.

A1 Radio New|A1radioonline.com|Ghana

The Director of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA), in the Talensi District of the Upper east region, Maxwel Chelimbalem, has encouraged candidates sitting for this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) to learn hard in order to take advantage of the free Senior High School policy rolled out by the New Patriotic Party government.

In a short donation exercise to present pens to candidates in some selected schools in the Talensi District, Mr. Chelimbalem urged the candidates not to stop at anything in their quest to come with good results.

According to him, it was important to prepare the minds of candidates psychologically to boasting their moral before entering the examination hall to write the exams. He said such a step will contribute immensely in helping the candidates come out with flying colors.

“I personally donated pens to some selected schools candidates in the Talensi district and I advise the candidates to study hard in order to make good use of the free SHS”.

He challenged the candidates to perform well by getting aggregate 6-12. He promised to gift them another package when they are able to achieve that.

Candidates from schools such as St. Theresa JHS, Salvation Army JHS, Tongo JHS and Gorogo JHS  benefitted from his Pen donation exercise.

Staff of the various schools thanked him for his kind gesture and urged him to keep up the spirit of supporting students.

Steven chidozie ngamegbulam|A1radioonline.com|Ghana

One of the architects of the June 4th uprising, Major(RTD) Osahene Boakye Gyan has described former President Jerry John Rawlings as a ‘foolish’, but a very honest and truthful man.

Major Boakye Gyan who spoke on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ programme on the commemoration of the June 4th uprising explained that Jerry John Rawlings was brought in to lead the June 4 after they (Osahene Boakye Gyan and other high ranking officers in the military) had led a successful uprising.

“He invited me for a meeting at the Continental Hotel where he told me about the need to go and takeover, and I said takeover what?” Major Boakye Gyan recalled on Okay FM.

According to Major Boakye Gyan, he asked him to stop the careless talk otherwise he will be a “cannon fodder”.

” . . one thing about him (Rawlings) is that he doesn’t lie . . . he’s a fool but he doesn’t lie,” he told Kwame Nkrumah.

Major Boakye Gyan who was asked to withdraw his detestable comment by the host (Kwame Nkrumah Tikese) noted that he has been charitable with him looking at the comments Rawlings made during the time.

Commenting on the June 4 uprising, Major Boakye Gyan noted that the uprising was for the whole African continent.

He added that though Nkrumah fought for the liberation of the whole African continent, they were still under the rule and control of the colonial masters.

“We used to have quiet meetings, so we needed to give it a political spin.

“Africa was not free though Nkrumah had led the independent struggle. We still were struggling to develop as a country and as a continent.

“Though we had been put in a commodity situation where annually we were free, we were not free to determine the prices of cash crops like cocoa and other commodities.

“We therefore decided to set up a secret movement know as the Free Africa Movement (FAM) which is what drove June 4 uprising,” he explained.

History

The June 4th Revolution[1] or June 4th Uprising was a violent uprising in Ghana in 1979 that arose out of a combination of corruption, bad governance, frustration among the general public, and lack of discipline and frustrations within the Ghanaian army.

It was sparked when the then military government of the Supreme Military Council (SMC II) of General F K. Akuffo put then flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings on public trial for attempting to overthrow the government on May 15th 1979.

This happened because Rawlings was a junior soldier in the Ghanaian Army who with other soldiers were refused to be given their salaries.

Rawlings turned the trial against the government by accusing it of massive corruption and requesting that his fellow accused be set free as he was solely responsible for the mutiny.

He was incarcerated for sentencing. His diatribe resonated with the entire nation as there was massive suffering.

In the night of June 3rd 1979, junior military officers including Major Boakye Djan broke into the jail where Rawlings was being held and freed him, and ostensibly marched him to the national radio station to make an announcement.

The first time the public heard from Rawlings was a now legendary statement that he Rawlings had been released by the junior officers and that he was under their command.

He requested all soldiers to meet with them at the Nicholson Stadium in Burma Camp in Accra.

The entire nation went up in uproar. The soldiers rounded up senior military officers including three former heads of states, General F. K Akuffo, Ignatious Kutu Acheampong and Afrifa for trial. They were subsequently executed by firing squad.

Aftermath

Rawlings was appointed the head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) by the revolting Junior military officers to run the country until the ongoing election was completed.

Rawlings handed over Power to Dr. Hilla Limann in September 1979. But Rawlings again overthrew Limann on 31 December 1981. Though the June 4th became a noted date in Ghana’s history. it has been said to be a date that brings a lot of pain to people who either lost loved ones, lost businesses or had to flee the country.

Source: peacefmonline.com