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Opinions of Wednesday, 6 July 2011

Columnist: Kumi-Addo, Kofi

RE: Has Boakye-Gyan Exonerated Rawlings?

A Response to "Dr Michael J.K. Bokor" on Has Boakye-Gyan Exonerated Rawlings?

1. Boakye-Gyan has explained in detail the process that they use to execute the former head of States in his book "Call to Duty."

They had a list of 152 that were given them. They found that that list was too big. They consulted a senior judge about the setting up of a tribunal to do the trial. They were advice that since they were the setting government they cannot constituent a tribunal and it ruling will be binding. So they set a military tribunal to try the 152 military and the civilians that was on that list. But still they had not found a way to reduce the number if all these 152 were to be found guilty. Which there were since they had all participated in the overthrowing of a democratically elected government of Ghana? And all the constitutions made it clear that anyone who does that commits treason and will have to be tried and sentence to death. They then went to the military rule book. This exonerates the actions of junior offices and men if they were carrying out orders from superior officers. That is why it was only the senior most officers that were killed. That is the generals. So in short that is way in which the Generals were killed. After reading that I taught that was fair. My uncle was one of them. I took the book my mother and pointed it out that, these people were killed because the overthrew the constitution of Ghana and their punishment had clearly being set so the AFRC was following the constitution when the carried out that punishment

2. This brings us to Rawlings. He came with the ARFC and shot 9 people because they overthrew the constitution of Ghana. So why did he overthrew the constitution again? He committed the same offence that he and his colleagues have shot others about. So in the eyes of the law Rawlings is walking illegality. The law will catch up with him one day. Afrifa taught he was OK and that had insert Indemnity clauses and was leaving peaceful if his village. But when the time came no amount of clauses could save him. So I think the best thing for Rawlings to do it that he should apologise unreservedly to the Ghanaian people for what he did. He should show real remorse for overthrowing the constitution of the 3rd republic. This will bring closure to the bad period in the history of Ghana. Then we can start fresh. I know the people of Ghana will forgive him and all those who took part in the PNDC coup.

3. Boakye-Gyan did not take $100,000 and run away to the UK. He went to the UK voluntary to continue his military training at Sandhurst Military Academy in the UK. It was Rawlings who cut the source of his funding when he was criticised by Boakye-Gayn. If he has taken a bribe of $100,000 surely he would have manage to pay the fees when his source of founding was cut by Rawlings.

4. Last but not the least Boakye-Gyan was not a taxi driver here in the UK. He was that Operational manager for Armour security. I have a friend who worked with him and can proof that 100%.

Thanks I hope this clarify the issues.

Thanks

Kofi