It is true that where leadership is found, problems do not find comfort. However, these days, the front of immorality and lawlessness seem to have found its peak of comfort in our society – from the avalanche of galamsey, down to open rebellion in the courtroom, and up to the dastardly acts of lynch mob. The search for probity and accountability to knit the moral fiber of our society – to deal with these cankers – has not yet been found. In these situations, where leadership is lost, lawlessness reigns in the society.

When we look across the leadership of this country today, we will find no other than former President Rawlings whose zest for morality remains unmatched. Although there is a lot fear in the world right now, the relatively peace and stability that have occurred in Ghana since 1982, were executed by his bated breath, as a reward for the struggle for freedom and justice.

In our modern Ghanaian society, the order of society is by laws. But the question is: how well do the laws of our society support morality? A law must protect the values of society. For this reason, a law which does not relate to society is no law, and as such, a violation of law. Morality and law are mutually inextricable. As morality is a set of guided principles or behaviors of individuals, it is brought forth under coercion by social laws.  Right and wrong, in the context of morality, are derivative of the dynamics of time and space.

In addressing moral issues to the crowd, His Excellency the former president made a fervent allegation of corruption against the erstwhile government – which he believes led to the defeat in the general elections. The question that comes to mind is this: could it be that what caused the defeat of the Party under his government in the year 2000 general elections was also corruption? Perhaps, if avoiding corruption is the index proposition to win an election, then some Parties in opposition would not pass the test to contest in an election.

In as much as corruption could be part of the cause of election defeat, the entire problem of apathy which affects the results of elections are usually against the ruling Party after every 8 years. In the recent general elections, while NDC lost a maximum of 872,410 votes from the previous elections, NPP added a minimal of 433, 807 votes from the previous elections – amidst all the promises and the smear campaign of corruption by then opposition Parties.

Corruption is a product of a social raw-material. It is never a cause, but an effect of a weak governing system.

This weakness is attributed to the structures of a system or an institution. When a system is strong, the tendency to abuse it is intrinsically inept and avoidable. Abuse of incumbency, hitherto known as corruption, is endemic in weak systems or institutions. Therefore, when former President Mahama allegorically spoke of the “lame horse”, he was in reference to the institute of the Party. Ideally, the strength of a Party across all levels will ensure that the leadership that it produces is strong to ride the horse or the Party to its desired destinations.

Again, I do not sincerely believe it was appropriate for the Party Founding Father to call for the withdrawal of the Party National Executives – on the basis of corruption. Once more, the fundamental questions to ask are: will corruption in the Party stop outright if these executives resign?  What happens to members of the Party who do not seem to imbibe within them the ideal or traditional elements of the Party?

Leadership emerges out of the people, and the great ones emerge out of crisis. When Ghana’s economy was growing negatively from 5% to 7% with an inflation of 54% in 70’s, in addition to smuggling and ‘kalabule’ characterized by shortages, lack of foreign exchange and with almost everything breaking down, the situation provided the revolutionary atmosphere for the change of social order and life of Ghanaians. The dynamism of such situation makes it easier to excite human patriotism and to mobilize people to face prevailing problems which threaten their lives.  Unfortunately, that dynamism does not exist today. The dynamic of a time determines the leadership, and no man can put a full stop when God’s finger is moving.

It appears that the former president, because of his ardent desire for the goodness of society is still nostalgic of the June 4^th era, and believes that the dynamic of that era still operates. There is no doubt that former president has a prestige. He rescued Ghana from the precipices and racks of humiliations. He still bask in it, but there is a veiled warning from a quote by Andrew Young, an African – American Civil Rights Activist, and a former United States Ambassador to the United Nations during Carter’s administration: “influence is like a savings account. The less you use it, the more you have.”

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By: Michael Sumaila Nlasia ([email protected])

The post The 38th anniversary of June 4 uprising: Matters arising appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Please find below the full text of the former President’s address.

The Waa Naa, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo,

Distinguished Traditional Leaders,

Leading members of the NDC,

The proud people of Wa and sympathisers drawn from the length and breadth of the country;

Thank you for your warm welcome since I arrived in Wa yesterday. The reception has been exceptional and charged.

My special gratitude goes to Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo and the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs for the warm reception at the Palace and the honour done me with the enskinment as the Gbagala Pie Na, a title that signifies the very spiritual and unifying essence of Wa as a Kingdom.

The massive presence here during the season of the Ramadan fasting is indicative of the fact that the people of Wa still appreciate the true values of June 4 and uphold it with great pride.

Ladies and Gentlemen; I am greatly pained by the events of the past few days. The dastardly, wicked, irrational and needless murder of Captain Maxwell Mahama constrains me so much.

Nonetheless I will share a few thoughts about the very importance of June 4 and most especially remind us of the underlining values and principles which guided the popular uprising.

The principles of June 4 are not alien or has never been alien to mankind. They are no different from the most basic religious or human values. Probity, accountability and social justice would on any day liberate the overwhelming majority of our people from the bondage or difficulties they find themselves in.

The fight against corruption, greed and avarice has however been at great cost.

Noble soldiers have died; noble civilians have died for it and so many of the noble ones have suffered and continue to suffer all kinds of indignities for their principles and convictions. Together with my wife, we have faced the most unimaginable consequences trying to protect and defend these principles.

Very cruel insults and humiliations have been designed and are still being designed to shed off any influence that I may still command even in the political party that was founded and built on the principles that guided June 4.

To the comrades whose tenacity has provided the voice of conscience within this country and the NDC, I am profoundly grateful. There have been times in the past when I felt like booting this party and moving on; the only thing that has however prevented me from doing so is the plight the remaining good people would face.

Such a departure will allow the agents of greed, and avarice and dishonesty to further deepen their claws on you and the party. We squandered many opportunities to clean up and to restore the June 4th principles in the party.

I want to remind people that we could not have possibly forgotten that Generals were executed. The greed, corruption and injustice of today is a thousand times more than what these Generals were executed for and if we are unable to restore a firm measure of integrity into our dealings, then the blood of many would have been shed in vain.

If we cannot get our claws off and allow for fresh leadership to emerge then we shall sink further. Not too long ago I thought we heard the jockeys claiming the horses were responsible for this disgraceful failure while one of the horses was bold enough to lay the failure at the door step of the jockeys. For me, we lost our masses because we betrayed the values of June 4. However if this horse – jockey business cannot be resolved comprehensively, allowing integrity to prevail,  then let both of them step aside and allow for fresh leaders with solid integrity to provide the needed leadership.

Let us endeavour to stand by the truth and restore and instill the values of June 4 in our country’s culture.

Ladies and gentlemen; yesterday when I paid a courtesy call on the Wa Naa and members of the Regional House of Chiefs I called for unity and peace in your communities. This morning the President of the Queenmothers reiterated that call by pleading for peace to guarantee development. Most of you are not unaware of the simmering undercurrents within your communities. Do not allow differences that can be resolved with consultation and compromise to degenerate into bitterness and potential conflict.

This call is not unique to only Wa and its related communities. This is a call to the whole country. Quite a number of lives have been lost in the recent past due to our failure to resolve our differences and an increasing canker of intolerance. Ghana prides itself in the peaceful co-existence of persons of diverse, ethnic, religious and political persuasions and we cannot allow that reputation to be compromised.

Distinguished Traditional leaders, and all gathered here today; Ghana needs us to stand up for what is right, just and positive for our growth and development. The socio political development of Ghana is dependent on our consistency in defending the ideals of truth, integrity, probity and accountability. Let that be our guiding principle in everything we do.

I thank you so much for your presence and goodwill and wish you all the best in all your endeavours.

Thank you.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Rawlings’ June 4 anniversary address [Full text] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

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

Speaking at the 38th-anniversary of June 4^th at Wa in the Upper West Region, the former president said there was a need for new leaders with solid 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.”

“Not too long ago, I thought we heard the jockeys training the horses were responsible for this disgraceful failure, while one of the horses was bold enough to lay the failure at the step of the jockey. For me, we lost our masses because we betrayed the values of the June 4^th. However, if this horse jockey business cannot be resolved comprehensively allowing integrity to prevail, then let both of them step aside and allow for fresh leaders with solid integrity to provide the needed leadership,” he added.

“…How we can grab so much money and now use it as political weapon to perpetuate and be kingmakers. If I was doing it this way, if any of my colleagues and I were doing it this way, would any of them be where they are today? No. we believe in justice and fairness, true democracy,” he added.

Asiedu Nketia, others must be kicked out – Victor Smith

Rawlings’ outburst comes on the back of a call by a diplomat in the Mahama administration and a failed parliamentary candidate for Abuakwa North, Victor Smith, who believes that an overhaul of the NDC’s executive structure is non-negotiable following the party’s overwhelming defeat in the 2016 elections.

Speaking on the Point Blank segment of Eyewitness News on May 12, 2017, Mr. Smith emphatically stated that, “we should change the whole guard. We should start with some die-hard selfless people… I think he [Asiedu Nketia] has been there long enough. We should just clean the stables.”

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey & Latiff Mahama/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Rawlings calls for complete overhaul of NDC appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Addressing a large crowd of people at the palace of the Paramount Chief of the Waala Traditional Area, Naa Fuseini Pelpuo IV, the former president said “this should serve as a wake-up call to all of us; to government, the law enforcement agencies, the courts to wake up to our responsibilities in order to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”sPipmrczrieze2o0Qx5vMEPWgebaX7qv”]He expressed grave concern about the way criminals are allowed to go off the hook after flouting the law.

“This did not start today. It started quit a few years ago. There are quite a few others before this one but not much has been done.”

The former President man expressed confidence in Ghana’s legal system, but blamed government for failing to crack the whip on perpetrators of crime in the country.

“Had we reacted appropriately as a government, there is no doubt in my mind that this kind of brutal cruel behaviour could have gone on for this long.”

Capt. Mahama, who was deployed to the Denyira-Obuasi community in the Central Region region together with his colleague military officers to wage war on illegal mining, was lynched by residents of the area after they mistook him for an armed robber.

Mr. Rawlings condemned the act, describing it as “uncivilized” and charged the police to speed up investigations into the matter.

“The sooner some ways are found to contain this irresponsibility, the better for all of us,” he added.

He warned that the nation will soon be heading into an abyss if government continues to allow people with unlawful conducts.

The former military leader is in the Upper West region to climax the commemoration of the 38th anniversary of the June 4 revolution and to mark his 70th birthday.

He was met by a crowd that filled up the principal streets of Wa on Saturday to catch a glimpse of him after 8 years of his absence in the region.

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By: Mahama Latif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Capt. Mahama’s death a wake-up call to state institutions – Rawlings appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A statement issued by the June 4th Anniversary Planning committee said the leader of the June 4 uprising and Chairman of the AFRC, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings will be the keynote speaker at a grand durbar in Wa to climax activities marking the 38th anniversary of the uprising.

Mr Rawlings who arrived in the Upper West regional capital on Saturday paid a courtesy call on the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs at the Wa Naa’s palace.

On Sunday June 4, 2017 the celebratory event will commence at 8am at the Tendamba JHS Park with the laying of wreaths and the lighting of a perpetual flame in memory of the fallen heroes.

The celebration which is under the theme, “Restoring the values of Probity, Accountability, and Truth in Contemporary Governance,” will also see Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, Rashid Pelpuo MP for Wa Central, Political Activist, Madam Ebi Bright, Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor, Alhaji Hudu Yahaya and a host of others address the durbar.

Members of the public and all sympathisers of the June 4 uprising and the 31st December Revolution are invited to participate in the anniversary event.

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Source: Graphic.com.gh

The post Rawlings to address grand June 4 durbar in Wa today appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.