Mahama: June 4 Uprising Occurred For Far Less Than What Is Happening In Ghana Today

The Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has indicated that the current state of Ghana’s economy is worse compared to what led to the June 4 revolution in 1979 by late President Jerry John Rawlings.

He explained that the country is experiencing economic hardship, high inflation, and corruption due to the bad governance of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“The June 4th uprising occurred for far less than what is happening in our country today, the national decay can only fester under this NPP mandate,” he said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Mahama, therefore, charged Ghanaians to identify the 2024 general elections as a new form of revolution to elect the NDC to take over the affairs of the country to ensure good governance.

“In government we must be different from what the NPP has been, we must set a new standard in governance so that Ghanaians will appreciate that we’re not condemned as a people to live with this level of greed and impunity.”

“A new revolution this time of a democratic and peaceful kind must take place at the election of 2024 to end the suffering of our people and enable us to begin resetting our nation,” he said.

 

 

 

 

He was speaking at the 44th June 4 anniversary celebrations in Hohoe in the Volta Region.

The June 4 Revolution or June 4th Uprising was a popular and violent uprising in Ghana in 1979 that arose out of a combination of corruption, bad governance, lack of discipline in the army and frustrations in the army and among the general public.

It was sparked when the then military government of the Supreme Military Council (SMC II) of General F K. Akuffo put the then flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings on public trial for attempting to overthrow the government on May 15th 1979.

Rawlings turned the trial against the government by accusing it of massive corruption and requesting that his fellow accused be set free as he was solely responsible for the mutiny. He was incarcerated for sentencing. His statement resonated with the entire nation as there was massive suffering.

In the night of June 3rd 1979, junior military officers including Major Boakye Djan broke into the jail where Rawlings was being held and freed him, and ostensibly matched him to the national radio station to make an announcement.

The first the public heard from Rawlings was a now legendary statement that he, Rawlings, had been released by the junior officers and that he was under their command.

He requested all soldiers to meet with them at the Nicholson stadium in Burma Camp in Accra. The entire nation went up in uproar.