Accra, Ghana, June 7, 2019//-The June 4 uprising is 40 years but the debate on the merits and demerits of the event which some Ghanaians love to hate continues unabated.
The uprising brought in its wake the public execution by firing squad of three heads of state – General F. K. Akuffo, General A.A. Afrifa and General I.K. Acheampong.
Major General Yaw Boakye, Major General Utuka, Col Roger Felli, Major General Amedume, and Col Kotei were also executed publicly by firing squad. Several senior army officers and civilians perceived as anti-June 4 also lost their lives.
Marking the day with a durbar at Nungua, a suburb of Accra, Flt Lt J. J. Rawlings, the architect of the June 4th Revolution, said “It has been 40 long years since June 4th, 1979.
Four decades ago, had the charge in the atmosphere been ignited anywhere between 12 midnight and 2am, the explosion of June 4th would have happened on the early night of 15th May.
In like manner, ladies and gentlemen, had those who climbed into the seat of power three months later, learnt the lessons of the June 4th uprising, 31st December 1981 could have been avoided.”
He explained: “Instead of the then government taking up the challenge to lead a nation that was pumped up and ready to continue to rectify the rot, of the past, to defy any obstacle and to solidify the unity and purposefulness of our nation, the reverse is what occurred. This heightened the fever for June 4th”.
On the contentious indemnity clauses in the 1992 Constitution, the June 4 Leader and former President bemoaned: “There are many constitutional clauses that do not serve our interest. Over the years the indemnity clauses have emboldened certain characters to abuse their offices and profit themselves.
It is quite evident that a lot of our people are losing confidence in our constitutional mandate. The constitution of the Fourth Republic was created by us, for us and to serve us, and in light of the 25 years, there is an unqualified need to reform or rewrite our current constitution. An urgent constituent assembly ought to be established with the necessary powers to rewrite the constitution”.
Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle, speaking on the occasion appealed to the people when casting their votes during elections be it members of assembly, members of Parliament and of the Executive, “never to think that it is just for four years and it will pass.
A lot can happen in four years so every time we go to vote let us remember these are the people we are giving the authority to do what they are meant to do on our behalf.”.
She urged the people not to forget: “Our history is not always something pleasant and it is not always something that makes us rejoice but it is our history and we must not run away from the reality of where we came from, in order to make sure that we build a strong path to where we want to be. That way we build together and we move forward as one nation and one country.”
Those against the uprising are of the view that if anything at all it was only a period of widespread human rights abuses of the highest order.
They point out that issues of widespread corruption among civilian officials, economic hardship and general frustration on the part of populace as well as high levels of indiscipline could not be stamped out of the country.
By Oppong Baah, African Eye Report
