Scores of people from all walks of life, including supporters of the opposition parties packed the Jubilee Park to witness the commemoration of the occasion, which was spearheaded 32 years ago by the former President Mr. Jerry John Rawlings.
Perhaps out of curiosity, many supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), including constituency executives were present at the occasion, which was also attended by leading members of the Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings Campaign Team.
Anxious supporters of the party and advocates of the June 4 Uprising, which according to the former President marked the end of oppressive rule, injustices and human rights violations, gathered early in the morning at the rally grounds, wearing T-shirts of their hero and the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.
The supporters, with some coming from the three Northern regions of Ghana, commenced jubilation early in the morning, dancing to NDC and revolution songs composed by the ace Highlife musician Jewel Ackah, in anticipation of the arrival of the former President and his entourage.
When the final moment dawned and reports reached the supporters that the former President was about to make an entry onto the rally ground, the crowd erupted once again, chanting the name of the founder of the party and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang.
Mrs. Rawlings was first to arrive at the scene, and was met with wild jubilations from the crowd, but the euphoria was to reach its peak some minutes afterwards, when the ex-President made an entry into the premise in his V8 Land Cruiser, accompanied by his right hand man, Herbert Mensah.
After touching down, the ex-President went straight to the rostrum to acknowledge cheers from the crowd before joining the high table. Various dignitaries, including former Members of parliament, past and present, also joined the trail.
Expectedly, the MP for Lower Manya Krobo, Teye Nyaunor, who is a leading member of Nana Konadu’s Campaign Team, was also present. The MP, the former first lady and the Spokesperson to the former President, Kofi Adams, took their turns to address the crowd of supporters.
In their separate addresses, they all touched on the wrong and the opulent lifestyle of government officials in the current administration, and stressed the need for a change in leadership and direction of the NDC.
Kofi Adams, for instance, predicted that July 8 would witness yet another revolution, this time in the NDC, stressing that the NDC would be restored back to its true foundation based on probity, accountability, integrity and freedom and justice.
Mrs. Rawlings also spoke of the relevance of the June 4 and the 15th May revolutions, which she said liberated the country and gave hope to citizens of Ghana. She said but for the June 4 Uprising, many Ghanaians would have suffered.
‘The June four revolution erupted in a very big way; it brought change to all spheres of our political lives, through unity and togetherness, we all came together to transform this nation, it took one exceptional, selfless and committed leader like my own sweetheart, Mr. Rawlings, to achieve all these,’ Mrs. Rawlings noted to the admiration of the crowd.
Shortly after Mrs. Rawlings had finished delivering her speech, the place was taken over by ex-president Rawlings, and the moment of ecstasy ensued. From a lower pitch field with jokes and humour, the former President slowly built the momentum, firing salvos at President Mills and former President Kufuor.
In his usual insinuative remarks, the ex-President thrilled the crowd with an anecdote, similar to one that gave birth to the infamous ‘Atta Mortuary Man’ but this time using a carpenter and a landlord.
The former president spoke of a carpenter friend who mistakenly kills his landlord’s foul for dinner and had to pay dearly for his offense.
He noted ‘after realizing his mistake, my carpenter decided to buy 3 bottles of schnapps plus a foul to replace the one he mistakenly killed but few weeks after doing so, the landlord(whom he described as Agya Appiah) continued to pester him consistently with fresh alcohol demands,’
The former president continued ‘Now one day I went to visit my carpenter and met him singing a sorrowful song, crying that because of one foul that he ate, everyday he has to pay alcohol for it,’
Though the celebrants assumed the former President was referring to the sitting president, whom he had often subjected to public ridicule, Mr. Rawlings was quick to add that he was not referring to ‘Atta Mortuary Man’.
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