I wanted to become a soldier to topple Rawlings regime – Hamid

Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid has revealed he was indignant at former President Rawlings during his revolutionary regime because his father was forced into exile at the period.

Mustapha said at a tender age he was broken and consumed by bitterness when he was told his father had to abscond from home because he was being hounded by the ex-military leader.

“Because my father went into exile, quiet frankly, even at that young age I was bitter against Jerry Rawlings, because when I came home one vacation and the room was locked and I sat out from around 11:00 am all the way to late night. I thought my father had gone out and he will come home later in the night. And the Landlord said to me, ‘he said my brother your Father is wanted and he has run away’… And I said what who wants him? And they said Jerry Rawlings sent Soldiers to arrest him and he escaped. So I mean naturally as I a young boy, the name that they mention, they said Jerry Rawlings wants your Father, they didn’t even say PNDC. And so frankly I felt Jerry Rawlings you treated me badly, almost ruined my future and so when I grow, I will fight Jerry Rawlings so my father can come home. And so my initial instincts was to go into the army and organize a coup…Like if i go into the army then I will also mobilize troop and overthrow PNDC so my father can come home because I didn’t even envisage we will be in a democratic era one day,” Mustapha Hamid told Bola Ray Wednesday on Starr Chat, a personality profile show.

According to him, the vile abuse of the PNDC government on civilians grew his hatred towards Jerry John Rawlings who led the crusade.

He said this was why as a youth he embraced the governing NPP in his quest for quality leadership out of mounting frustration.

The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) took over government after the People’s National Party’s elected government was overthrown by Jerry Rawlings, the former head of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council, on 31 December 1981.

It remained in power until 7 January 1993. In a statement explaining the coup d’état, Rawlings explained that a “holy war” was necessary due to the PNP’s failure to provide effective leadership and the collapse of the national economy and state services.

The PNDC was a military dictatorship that induced civilians to participate in governance. Most of its members were civilians. Its policies reflected a revolutionary government that was pragmatic in its approach.

The economic objectives of the PNDC were to halt the economic decay, stabilise the economy and stimulate economic growth. Politically, its goal was to establish structures that would effectively allow the people to express their political will.

Most significantly, the PNDC, carrying with it the spirit of the June 4, 1979 Uprising, brought a change in the people’s attitude from a ‘government will provide’ position to being proactive in nation-building.

The PNDC eventually gave up power, provided a new constitution in 1992 and held elections that year.