There is no gainsaying that sentiments on the June 4 Uprising and its perennial commemoration are akin to the swings of a pendulum. That is understandable, given that for every systemic somersault, there are proponents and opponents. Combing through history, one can confidently assert that no nation worth its great standing today has been spared a share of upheavals; not America, not Russia and not China. In my mind, what should be of essence to us now are the useful and moral lessons Ghana as a nation can learn from the military interludes we encountered. What conditions gave men of military extraction the impetus to capture power with their gun-power? What role did civilian regimes play in facilitating the putschist agenda? How do we as a people ensure that never again should gun-power make nonsense of thumb-power? I am an unrepentant faithful of democratic ideals, for within this system of governance lies great promise for humanity. But as a student of the science of politics I do not assume for a second that a certain immutable universal conceptualization of democracy fits every nation. I will rather embrace it against the backdrop of the peculiar social, economic, political and cultural dynamics of the nation. My father who served in some revolutionary committees and public tribunals as secretary to then committee chairman and now Supreme Court judge-Justice William Atuguba witnessed at first hand events surrounding the June 4 Uprising. His narration of things that happened before, during and after June 4 is very humbling. Many people lavishly praise Ghanaians as peace-loving people. I agree with this assertion but I think the said dovish posture of Ghanaians is not innate. We owe it to the bitter pills of millitary interventions. In fact our experience enables us to cherish the immeasurable value of peace and tranquillity. As President of the University of Ghana SRC, I had the glorious opportunity to host His Excellency former President Jerry John Rawlings. My preliminary discussions with him regarding the public lecture was very revealing. This was consummated by a powerful lecture he delivered for about two hours at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana. On this occasion, former President Rawlings shared in quite graphic detail episodes of the June 4 Uprising to sundry of audience and a multitude of television and radio stations. In my personal analysis of civil-millatary relations in Ghana and in other jurisdictions, it stands a valid statement that, a tsunami of economic woes with its resultant problems of social and moral depravity, sets the tone for political disturbances. But never again! Never again!! Never again!!! Ghana must channel all energies into achieving economic prosperity, collective equality and personal freedoms for therein lies the good life which every Ghanaian deserves. Every regime from independence up until now has thought Ghana some lessons of essence. It was Plato, who in accepting Socratic dicta stated in his Apology that an unexamined life is not worth living. Freedom & Justice Forever! God Bless Ghana!!
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 19:47:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015