The Costs Of The Rawlings' Revolutions

Yesterday marked the 41st anniversary of the June 4th revolution. And as he has done every year since that rainy morning in Accra, the Chairman of the AFRC, Ft. Lt. Rawlings reminded us of its significance.

Perhaps, for historical purposes, we should yoke the June 4th and 31st December revolutions. While some insist on separating the two, for practical purposes, they are the same-- like kenkey and corn. As my elders ask, "Aburo nko na dokono nko?"

Most revolutions have easily identifiable, transformative effects. Thus the American, Chinese, French, Haitian and Russian revolutions all had lasting impacts.

As to the Rawlings revolutions, most of the revolutionaries who have not been eaten up by it or died dispute its benefits. Amongst these are Osahene Boakye Gyan, Cpl. Adabuga, Chris Atim and Alorga Akata-Pore.

According to Boakye Gyan, 31st December was a betrayal of June 4th.

A few days ago, Akata Pore wondered whether the anniversary was to mourn the soldiers who died carrying out the revolution or its victims. That is an important distinction.

According to Chairman Rawlings, the revolutions had "core values of probity, accountability, integrity and social justice"

Too often, as a nation , we default to populist, feel good rhetoric and resort to "Fama Nyame" instead of looking the truth in the face. If we do not honestly evaluate the fruits of the Rawlings revolutions, some day in the distant future, another group of young, naive, well-meaning but misguided idealists will launch another futile revolution.

As Rawlings himself stated yesterday, "Instead of learning useful lessons from our not-too-distant past, here in Ghana ,some have made it their business to corrupt others to distort and wipe out our history ". Indeed, Chairman! Unfortunately, many place Chairman Rawlings amongst those distortionists.

We know of the dead soldiers and judges and the collapsed businesses and the curfews.

There are more costs but let us evaluate the revolutions using their own standards.

Did these revolutions increase probity and accountability in Ghana?

Not one bit. And here is why.

In the course of Rawlings' 18-year rule, we had GHACEM and MABEY and JOHNSON which were scandals in which Courts in Sweden and the United Kingdom found that foreign companies had paid bribes to government officials, including the Rawlings family. In the Mabey and Johnson case, The Guardian reported that a court found that while Rawlings was President, there was a "wide-ranging series of bribes" to Ghanaian government officials totalling 470 thousand pounds.

In addition, during the same period, under the guise of privatization, significant state corporations were auctioned off at "donkomi" prices to friends and families of the revolutionaries, including Mrs. Rawlings. In other words, the revolutionaries became compradore bourgeoisie capitalists. And there is the Abacha bribe!

As for accountability, it died early. The final nail in the coffin went in when under cover of darkness, the champions of accountability dodged accountability by inserting into the 1992 constitution, the infamous indemnity clauses. Any man with honour would have stopped preaching about accountability and any serious country would have stopped listening to him. But he keeps preaching and we keep listening, like an abusive man and his victim.

As for justice, no nation whose justice system has been touched by revolution would treat cassava and akonfem thieves harsher than the white-collar criminals who loot her coffers in broad daylight. The nation that couldn't get justice for the generals, and the judges and has not even mourned its dead in Kume Preko is having a funeral for George Floyd! We are truly outsiders who weep louder than the bereaved.

The toll on our national journey of the Rawlings misadventures is incalculable but there is more.

A year before Rawlings burst on the scene, Deng Xiaoping took the helm in China. By the time he left the scene 14 years later, his policies-- or modernizations, were on their way to lifting 600 million Chinese out of poverty! While we were singing revolutionary slogans and collapsing the businesses of entrepreneurs, they were doing real transformation.

Aside from learning the right lessons, we can do a few things to right the wrongs of these misguided revolutions.

First, let us apologize for the needless deaths of the generals and the judges and compensate their families.

Second, let us return to the affected families the homes and businesses and other properties that were seized illegally.

Third, let us teach our children the ugly truths about these revolutions.

And finally, let us call out and deal with those who are busy creating the conditions for the next revolution.

As George Bernard Shaw said, "No one can contemplate the condition of the masses without desiring revolution. And yet, revolutions have never lightened the burdens of tyranny-- they have only shifted it on to other shoulders".

Long live Ghana.

Arthur Kobina Kennedy ( 5th June, 2020)