First daughter of architect of the June 4, 1979 revolution, Zanetor Rawlings has cautioned political leaders against mistakes that could create a fertile ground for recurrence of an uprising in the country.
According to her, leaders of the county have managed to undermine the principles of probity and accountability, a situation which led his father, Flt. Lt. J.J. Rawlings, to stage the June 4 revolution.
Speaking to JoyNews’ Kwesi Parker-Wilson in commemoration of this year’s anniversary of the June 4 uprising, the daughter of the late Statesman said: “I wonder if Ghanaians are being careful enough to avoid making mistakes that could result in a reoccurrence of the June Fourth Revolution. This is the most enduring republic we’ve had since independence and we must endeavour to protect it.”
She emphasised that Ghana’s 1992 Constitution is the envy of many countries, thus, needs to be protected, “we should not take our democratic dispensation for granted. Something as important as drawing up the 1992 Constitution under the consultative assembly which was inclusive. You had people from all walks of life. It basically was the people’s constitution. That is part of the reason why our constitution has been so attractive across the continent. Many countries have looked to us because of that.”
On June 4, 1979, members of the military, drawn mostly from the junior ranks and inspired by mass social and public discontent, took over the governance of the country after it had sunk into a state of social, economic and political decay.
The following three months led to a ‘housecleaning’ exercise after which elections were held and the mantle of political leadership handed over to the government of the People’s National Party, ushering in the Third Republic.
“But I’m asking myself, do we appreciate the fact that what led to the June Fourth Uprising was not just one man [Jerry John Rawlings] who got up and decided he was going to take over the reins of power. But there were circumstances that made those conditions favourable?”