On the occasion of the June fourth massacre, the Germany Branch of the New Party(NPP) wishes to express its profound condolence to the People of Ghana and especially to the families who lost their loved ones following this tragic event.
On this fateful day a small group of misguided and self-seeking Junior Officers of the Ghana Armed Forces embarked on the most bloody coup d’etat ever known in the history of our beloved country and subjected our people to a veritable reign of terror over three months.
The first act of these recalcitrants was the arrest, detention and subsequent execution of three former heads of state namely General I.K Acheampong,General A.A Afrifa, General F.W.K Akuffo and a number of Senior Army Officers.It must be stressed that no charges were preferred against any of them and as such were not given the right t defend themselves. They were simply rounded-up by the military junta and executed like common criminals at the Teshie military range.
We wish to state that the victims were of the June Fourth massacre were full-blooded Ghanaians and distinguished soldiers who served our country to the best of their ability.As such on the occasion of their cold-blooded murder, Ghanaians must resolve and demand that the perpetrators of this heinous crime are brought to justice. Our failure to hold the architechs of the June Fourth massacre accountable for their misdeeds make us guilty condoning this criminal act because evil can only triumph when the good people refuse to act.
Ghanaians need to be reminded that the three-month misrule of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council(AFRC) under Jerry Rawlings was characterised by the worst forms of human rights abuses in the history of our country. Scores of Ghanaians from all walks of life including Journalists, Pastors, Civil Servants, Businessmen, Market Women, Students were arrested, detained and tortured from which most of them never recovered. Against this backdrop it is important to spare some moments in remembrance of all the victims as we commemorate this ugly chapter in our nation’s history.
Under the AFRC dictatorship, the very essence of womanhood was denigrated and debased as our women were subjected to the most humiliating experience beyond description. Women were stripped naked and forced to expose their private parts in full view of the public under the guise of fighting corruption. Never in the history of our country has the Ghanaian woman been so much humiliated, ridiculed and abused as happened under Rawlings’ AFRC.
Despite the desperate attempt to justify this despicable military misadventure, the fact remains that the June Fourth coup d’etat was unnecessary and unwarranted for several reasons. First and foremost the ruling Supreme Military Council(SMC) headed by General Akuffo had put in place a programme to return the country to constitutional rule. Political Parties had already been formed, the electoral commission reconstituted and a date was set for general elections Secondly the reasons adduced to justify the killing spree are as hollow as they are false because subsequent events have proved that the self-styled revolutionaries turned out to be more corrupt than their victims.
It is indeed sad to note that after three decades this unfortunate event continues to be CELEBRATED using state resources with the tacit support and approval of all NDC administrations both past and present. This should not surprise anyone in anyway because leading members of the NDC in their pronouncements and per Article 50 of the Party’s constitution make it clear that the NDC is founded on the ideas and ideals of June Fourth.No wonder the politics of intimidation, acts of lawlessness, unlawful arrest and detention of media personnel that were hall marks of the AFRC era are now common occurrences under the Mills-Mahama administration.
As concerned citizens, it is our duty and responsibility to remind Ghanaians that the continuous CELEBRATION of June Fourth is an anathema and an insult the victims of this shameful event in our political history. In all civilised societies the perpetrators of similar crimes are held accountable for their criminal acts rather than allowing them to CELEBRATE the torture and killings of other human beings. In effect we have allowed criminals to benefit from their criminal acts. What the good people of this country had had to endure under the AFRC is nothing less than crime against and that is why we demand that at the very least the leadership of the military junta should be made to face trial. We are not oblivious to the existence of the indemnity clause that was hurriedly inserted into the 1992 constitution through the back door. Fortunately Ghanaians now have the opportunity to review our constitution hence we would want to ask for the repeal of this obnoxious article/provision.
Finally, we call on Parliament to declare the 4 of June a day of national mourning as a sign of respect for the gallant soldiers who were callously murdered by Mr Jerry Rawlings and his henchmen. Civil Society organisations and human rights groups should get involved by organising memorial lectures and symposia to highlight the atrocities committed and the blatant human rights abuses that took place under the despotic rule of Mr Jerry Rawlings and the AFRC:
Long Live Freedom and Justice

Long Live Ghana

Signed

Kwaku Anane-Gyinde

Director of Communications

NPP-Germany
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