Ghanaians must stand for the truth - Rawlings

Accra, June 5, GNA - Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Sunday appealed to Ghanaians to stand for the truth at all times, be ready to sacrifice a little more for Ghana and save the country from corruption and lies.

Speaking at a rally at Madina Zongo Junction, near Accra, to mark the 27th anniversary of the June 4 1979 Military Uprising, the Former President recounted the socio-economic and political malaise preceding the June 4 1979 military action, and said the action raised the virtues of accountability and probity to heights that people, who could not meet the discipline required had often demonized and criminalised. Former President Rawlings was the Chairman of the erstwhile government of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) that took over political power after the Uprising.

The AFRC handed over power to the People's National Party (PNP) under President Hila Liman but on 31 December 1981 Former President Rawlings staged a successful comeback in another military coup and formed the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), which he chaired.

PNDC ruled Ghana for 11 years before it conducted elections, which Former President Rawlings won on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and thus transformed into a Constitutional President in 1993. He won elections for a second term and handed over power to President John Agyekum Kufuor in 2001, when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) won Election 2000.

The Former President Rawlings, who was a Flight Lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force, said June 4 was akin to Jesus' use of violence to cleanse the temple of illegal and exploitative activities. He said revolts were ordained by God and explained that Jesus took a physical disciplinary action of whipping out the gamblers and exploiters from the temple, rather than going on his knees to pray for them, arguing that the action of June 4 demanded similar action because it destroyed the moral fibre of the nation.

Former President Rawlings urged Ghanaians not to believe that the NDC, which came out of the AFRC and the PNDC, was a violent Party.

The Former President, in reference to the cold blooded murder of the three High Court Judges and the Army Officers in 1982, said the then Government executed within one month its own members, who were found out to be involved in the murder.

He then threw a challenge to the ruling NPP Government to punish without any further delay after three years, those who killed Ya Na Yakubu Andani, Paramount Chief of Dagbon and 30 others as well as those who murdered Alhaji Mobilla, Convention People=92s Party Chairman for the Northern Region.

On the acquisition of the Gulf Stream III (G-III) aircraft, Former President Rawlings rained invectives on the response Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Minister of Defence, to a reporter's question that sought to know if the acquisition of the aircraft was part of his retirement benefits, at a press conference.

Dr Addo-Kufuor had replied that the press conference was not about Former President Rawlings.

He said the Service Commanders at the conference, who remained silent on the G-III issue at the press conference, would be judged by posterity.

Former President Rawlings accused Dr Kwesi Botchwey, Finance and Economic Planning Minister under NDC Administration, of wanting his papers to be fine for International Monetary Fund and the World Bank appointment.

He dared Mr George Amissah Arthur (Paa Kwesi), Former Deputy Finance and Economic Planning Minister; Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Former Defence Minister, to come out in the open and tell the wider Ghanaian public of what they knew of Dr Botchwey on his reluctance to release funds for the purchase of arms for Ghanaian troops in Liberia and his attitude in efforts to bring peace during the Kokomba-Nanumba clash.

Former President Rawlings took a swipe at the members of the National Reconciliation Commission and accused them of demonizing everything that the PNDC stood for.

He said the Clergy's support to President Kufuor and the NPP Government had turned them into untouchables, who were rather suffering from delusions of omnipotence; and accused the international media of turning a blind eye over the inefficiencies of the Government. Former President Rawlings dared Osahene Boakye Djan, a Member of the AFRC, to come out publicly to announce the role he played in the June 4 Uprising. He introduced one Warrant Officer Raji, who he said broke the padlock to release him from the cells of the Bureau of National Investigations. The padlock was also shown at the rally. The Former President accused the NPP Administration of using the media to peddle lies about him and the NDC and urged the Party's supporters to be courageous to resist the corruption and the lies.

"I don't want them to be overthrown," he said, and urged Ghanaians to reject the NPP Government through the ballot box in 2008.

Dr Kwabena Agyei, National Chairman of the NDC, said the NDC stood for social justice and had a history and promised that the Party would make it difficult for the NPP to peddle lies about it.

He said the principle of property owning democracy of the NPP was only being enjoyed by the NPP and its functionaries and urged the NDC to renew itself to the letter and spirit of social justice.

Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, NDC Member of parliament (MP) for Lawra-Nandom, said the lessons of June 4 were for all Ghanaians, and asked NDC functionaries not to negotiate any power with the NPP, but rather struggle to fight injustice to bring the NDC back to power. Dr Tony Aidoo, a Leading Member of the NDC, said the NDC lost Election 2004 because of the fifth columnists, which it successfully exorcised at its last national congress.

He criticised the construction of the Presidential Complex, saying the Ghanaian Presidency was not a monarchy, adding that the greatest legacy that could be bequeathed to a nation was the welfare of the people rather than creature comfort.

Other speakers at the rally included My Danny Ofori, Leader of the Eagle Party; Mr Mahama Ayariga MP for Bawku Central and Madam Ama Benyiwa Doe. They all stressed that Ghanaians must strive for social justice and to stand up for the truth.