The relevance or otherwise of 31st December Revolution

NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE 38TH ANNIVERSARY DURBAR OF THE 31ST DECEMBER REVOLUTION.

There is no doubt the success of the 4th Republican constitution is hinged on the 31st December revolution spearheaded by then Fit. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. Upon announcing the overthrow of then-President Dr. Hilla Limann, Mr. Rawlings expressed optimism it would be the end of coup d’états in the country. True to his words, the fourth Republic has not been interrupted by any power-hungry soldier or politician. In fact, Ghana’s political history will not be complete without a proper analysis and diagnosis of events and lessons from the political struggle. It has been suggested that the 31st December revolution which had its antecedents from the June 4 uprising came to correct some negative tendencies that had undermined the country’s effective development. Some analysts justify the 31st December revolution citing the level of deprivation and hardship across the country in the early 1980s, a period corruption seems to have taken deep roots in the moral fibre of the country.

In his address at Winneba last Tuesday, December 31, 2019, at a durbar to mark the 38th anniversary of the revolution, Mr. Rawlings drew attention to the essence of the insurgency. He said the banking sector crippled by enormous corruption in 1981 was one of the reasons which made the 31st December revolution necessary. He said this happened as a result of exploitation by some people who were only interested in their selfish gains. Mr. Rawlings who is on record to have orchestrated the June 4 uprising which overthrew the military junta in 1979 ostensibly justified the banking reforms embarked upon by the current administration. He said people took loans and never paid back until the banks almost became bankrupt and would have to be refinanced or recapitalised. We ask ourselves how effective had the 31st December revolution helped in ridding the country of the corruption canker and whether Ghanaians did learn lessons from 31st December and its June 4 antecedent. Going by what the former Revolution leader is reported to have said at Winneba, it follows that those who soiled their hands in the banking crisis that hit the country would be severely punished, as occurred after the 1981 coup. If those who were found culpable in the latest banking debacle have not tasted the fury of the law then lessons of the 31st December revolution have still not been learnt.

Today, Ghana is ranked the 78th least corrupt country out of 175 nations according to the 2018 corruption perception index reported by transparency international. In general, corruption is a form of dishonesty or criminal activity undertaken by a person or an organisation entrusted with a position of authority often to acquire illicit benefits. It comes in the form of bribery, cronyism, nepotism, slush fund and what have you. A number of people believe celebrating days or event when military coup d’états were staged, violates the constitution of the Republic as it could open up old wounds. Even though there can be some level of truism in this, it is debatable. It is important we learn lessons from our past to chart the future.

History is always a guide to the future. It is unfortunate corruption is festering in the country despite the establishment of the office of the Special Prosecutor to check abuse of public funds. We are yet to see a single case successfully prosecuted by the Special Prosecutor despite the huge resources pumped into it. It is a fact Ghana seems to be retrogressing in the area of corruption. People lost their lives as blood was shed to redeem this nation from the canker of corruption. Graft and opulence seem to be the order of the day. Whether we like it or not it is important to rescue this country from deep-seated corruption which has engulfed all segments of society. The state of corruption today has rendered baseless the June 4 uprising and 31st December revolution. These two events sought to close the gap between the rich and poor but these have widened more.

Let us all put our hands-on-deck else we become a laughing stock.

BY JUSTICE MINGLE, A JOURNALIST.