June 4 Empowered Ghanaians To Take Destiny In Own Hands

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has noted that empowering Ghanaians to appreciate that they each had a stake in the destiny of Mother Ghana was the major ideal of the June 4, 1979 Uprising.

This was contained in a statement the party issued to commemorate the 28th anniversary of the June 4 uprising led by junior officers of the military in 1979. It was motivated by by the horrible spectacle of corruption by the ruling class and the abject poverty of the ordinary folk.

The statement said the uprising made Ghanaians wake up to the realisation that the country did not belong to a minority who monopolised power and the country's economic resources.

“As the country marks the anniversary of the uprising, the NDC, led by our flag bearer, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, joins Ghanaians in praying for a society devoid of all the ills that June 4 stood against – poverty, disunity, oppression and corruption.

The statement said Ghana had come a long way since the action led by Flt Lt Rawlings 28 years ago.

“The metamorphosis that took place in 1992 with the re-introduction of multi-party democracy and the stability that this country has enjoyed since 1981 are all due to the efforts by the proponents of the June 4 era to lead this country on a stable road to political and economic prosperity,”

“Today, corruption and poverty have not been totally eradicated but thanks to the legacy left by those who stood up for Ghana 28 years ago, there are structures in place that allow us to tackle these problems.

It said the Government was responsible for ensuring that the average Ghanaian could make ends meet and corruption monitored by a host of state institutions like the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the law enforcement agencies.

The NDC called on the government to take bold steps to maintain the peace and freedoms Ghanaians were enjoying now.

“These can only be enjoyed when the populace is convinced that every effort is made to investigate allegations of corruption and abuse of political office, reports of which are now a daily occurrence,” it said.

The statement urged the government to resource those bodies the constitution had instituted to perform those roles well, to enable them to perform their duties effectively.

It said the drug menace was an issue of particular concern to all Ghanaians now, because it seemed to have permeated the society.

“Drug trafficking and use has been in the news lately and this canker needs to be nipped in the bud in our quest for national development. Failure to tackle this will derail every gain we have chalked up so far, “ the statement cautioned.

The statement enjoined all Ghanaians to be vigilant and play the watchdog role required to put the country's leaders in check and by so doing uphold the June 4 ideals of probity and accountability.

The NDC advised bodies designated to supervise elections in the country to perform their roles without fear or favour and with the utmost integrity and cautioned that if they did not, the NDC would surely use every legal means available to seek redress.

It urged Ghanaians to first and foremost protect their freedoms through national unity, exercising moderation in times of debate and ensuring that peace was their watchword.

It cautioned that the chaos that the period before June 4 1979, characterised, should not be allowed to rear its ugly head again and that multi-party democracy gave Ghanaians the opportunity to use the ballot box to express their disgust at what was wrong with governance.

The statement prayed that Ghanaians would take pride in that power and take action at the right time.