A Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Kofi Adams says he is disappointed at the refusal of president Mills to boycott the June 4 celebration.
He said, as an event on the NDC’s calendar, every member of the party was expected to actively participate in the event.
He said it was regrettable that since becoming president, Prof. Mills had consistently refused to attend the celebrations.
Mr Adams, who is also spokesperson for the Rawlingses was outlining how the 32nd commemoration of the June 4 will be marked in Accra and Kumasi today.
He indicated there will be a wreath laying ceremony at the Liberation Square opposite the flag staff house in the morning after which the former President will address a rally at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi.
Spokesperson of the erstwhile, Armed Forces Revolutionary Council [AFRC] Major retired Boakye Gyan says he was the chief executive officer of the AFRC and hence the de-facto President during the three-and-half month stay of that administration.
Osahene Boakye Gyan as he is now referred to, says he was the architect and brain behind the June 4 uprising that saw the killings of four heads of state during that era of the nation’s history.
Speaking on Adom TV’s morning show “Bedwam” on Multi TV on his thoughts on the commemoration of the June 4 uprising, he chastised ex-President Rawlings for his penchant for the celebration and asked that it be discontinued with.
Osahene Boakye Gyan said in the military, events of war are not celebrated but only marked by both sides with laying of wreaths on cenotaphs.
He said the event is not something to be celebrated and that in a situation that resulted in the death of people; you don’t mark it this way.
He said his deputy, Agyeman Bio who fired his gun first and was with the group during that period died in action after he was sent to release Rawlings from guardroom from where himself and people like General Hamidu proceeded to the Broadcasting House.
According to Boakye Gyan, celebrating the events bring back bad memories which bothers everyone, explaining that Queen Elizabeth marks the deaths of her countrymen who died during the 1st and 2nd world wars by laying wreaths on the cenotaph at the Whitehall, accompanied by her officials such as the Prime Minister.
Major retired Boakye Gyan said he was the head of government and official spokesperson through a bicephalous arrangement.
“The structure we set up after the coup is in my book, “Call to Duty”; we did what in constitutional term is referred to as bicephalous arrangement. I was head of government and official spokesman, Rawlings was only a ceremonial head of state. In Ghana, when people see a white man, they hail him and think that he is the one doing the work but I wasn’t bothered. I was the one in-charge; it was what I said that was law.
If we wanted to take a decision; it was I who made them and for the commissioners of state to endorse at the Castle where I had my office just like Queen Elizabeth does by assenting to bills by parliament in the UK as the Crown. I was the executive head of government and he [Rawlings] was the ceremonial head of state. The most important thing was that I promised to restore constitutional rule and did so in four months time. If I wasn’t the executive head could I have handed over to the Limann administration on my birthday which falls on September 24 which ushered in the 3rd republic and nobody questioned me? He fumed.
Kufuor not attending June 4 Celebration
Still on the June 4 celebration, spokesperson to former President John Kufour has rejected news report in the Daily Guide Newspaper on Friday that suggested that the former President was to attend the rally for the 32nd June 4 celebrations to be held at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi.
Also speaking on Adom TV’s morning show Bedwam on Multi TV, Mr. Frank Agyekum said the former President had not been invited and that even if he were, he would not have attended.
Mr. Agyekum said the former President who was away in Germany on an official duty to deliver the keynote address at the 33rd Congress of the German Protestant would also engage in a high level panel dialogue with German Chancellor, Angela Merkel on the topic: “Towards a New World Order”.
He disclosed, Mr. Kufour does not share in the ideals of the June 4 event and would not be associated with it anytime whatsoever.
Former President Rawlings is expected to use Saturday’s event to address many of the problems that have bedeviled the ruling NDC in the run-up to its National Congress in Sunyani on July 8-10th, 2011.
The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) was the government of Ghana from June 4, 1979 to September 24, 1979. It came to power in a bloody coup that removed the Supreme Military Council, another military regime, from power. The June 4 coup was preceded by an abortive attempt on May 15, 1979 when Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings and other ranks were arrested. Their trial only served to make them popular till they were eventually released on the morning of June 4 by young officers and non-commissioned officers inspired by Rawlings.
The regime started a ‘House cleaning’ exercise against corruption. Three former military leaders of Ghana, Lt. Gen. Afrifa, Gen. Acheampong and Lt. Gen. Akuffo were all executed together with five other senior officers deemed to have been corrupt by the special courts set up by the government.
The AFRC allowed already scheduled elections to go ahead and handed over to the duly elected Dr. Hilla Limann of the People’s National Party who became the only president of the Third Republic of Ghana.
Source:Asempa FM/Ghana
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
Here is the original post: