The Rise & Fall Of The 3rd Rep. II

This is the second in the series of stories recaptured by The New Crusading GUIDE in a special exercise seeking to narrate the story; ‘the tragic story’ of the 3rd Republic born on September 24, 1979 and brutally murdered on December 31, 1981. Please read onbelow two ‘Daily Graphic’ accounts of relevance and significance capturing the overthrow of Limann and his account of the difficulties they inherited. Read on…

SOURCE: NEW CRUSADING GUIDE

SERIES ON THE RISE & FALL OF THE 3RD REPUBLIC:

“TRUST BETRAYED”

3rd REP. CONSTITUTION IS SUSPENDED

Daily Graphic, Monday, January 4, 1982

The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) has announced the suspension of the Third Republican Constitution promulgated in 1979.

In a nation-wide broadcast over radio on Saturday, Flight-Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, Chairman of the dissolved Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (A.F.R.C.) also announced the dismissal of President Hilla Limann, his Vice, all Ministers and their Deputies from office.

HE ALSO ANNOUNCED THE DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT, THE ABOLITION OF THE COUNCIL OF STATE AND THE PROSCRIPTION OF ALL POLITICAL PARTIES AND ADDED: “IT IS ILLEGAL FOR ANY PERSON OR PERSONS TO BELONG TO OR OPERATE UNDER ANY PARTY”.

Flt. Lt. Rawlings said the PNDC would be the overall administrative organ of the State and would adopt measures to develop a self-sustaining and disciplined economy.

He asked the business community not to entertain any fears as long as they remain honest, law abiding and contribute their quota to national development.

He said: “In this task of ridding this country of corruption, many people and foreign radio stations will start to give us labels. It is not for us to be diverted by this divide and rule tactics”.

Flt. Lt. Rawlings appealed to Ghanaians not to allow internal and external enemies to confuse them by allowing themselves to fight over which labels they should wear and added: “these labels are not more important than the task ahead”.

He called on workers, farmers, fishermen, artisans, students, soldiers and policemen to make it their collective responsibility to take their destinies into their own hands.

Earlier, Flt. Lt. Rawlings had described the overthrown People’s National Party (PNP) administration as “THE MOST DISGRACEFUL GOVERNMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY”.

Flt. Lt. Rawlings said after promising the country that they were going to continue the house cleaning exercise, the PNP administration went back on their word and mutilated all the positive and concrete achievements of the people in order to pave the way for their own corruption and greed.

“THEY HAVE TURNED OUR HOSPITALS INTO GRAVEYARDS AND OUR CLINICS INTO DEATH TRANSIT-CAMPS WHERE MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN DIE DAILY BECAUSE OF LACK OF DRUGS AND BASIC EQUIPMENT”.

He said to many Ghanaians, democracy did not mean just paper guarantees of abstract liberties. According to him, it involves above all else, food, clothing and shelter in the absence of which life is not worth living.

Flt. Lt. Rawlings said the time had now come for Ghanaians to restructure the society in a real meaningful democratic manner so as to ensure the involvement and active participation of the people in the decision making process – GNA.

LIMANN SPEAKS … ‘THE CHALLENGES WERE ENORMOUS’

…May 29, 1980, Prempeh Assembly Hall, Kumasi

“The challenges were enormous, the tasks ahead were daunting and frightful. To my mind, the only country which had suffered such a fate before in Black Africa has been our sister Republic of Guinea, that is, in 1958. Our valiant fellow citizens of Guinea survived it. So have we and we shall move ahead. In any case, we asked for and received the mandate to save our country and can therefore not run away from our sacred duty.

“EVEN BEFORE WE TOOK OVER THE REINS OF GOVERNMENT WE HAD TO SET TO WORK. WE RESOLVED THE FUEL CRISIS WITHIN WEEKS BECAUSE THE FOUNDER AND A FEW OTHERS IN THE PARTY HIERARCHY HAD TO RUSH AROUND AND ENSURE THAT OUR CRUDE OIL SOURCES WERE QUICKLY REOPENED. WE STOPPED CRUDE OIL SUPPLIES FROM THE SPOT MARKET, THEN BEING DELIVERED AT DOUBLE THE PRICE. WE ENSURED THAT ALL LONG OUTSTANDING OIL BILLS WERE PAID UP. THE COMBINED EFFECTS WERE THAT ONLY A WEEK AFTER WE ASSUMED OFFICE, QUEUES AT PETROL-FILLING STATIONS HAD DISAPPEARED. BUT THIS WAS ALSO DONE AT A VERY HEAVY FINANCIAL TOLL ON THE ALREADY EMPTY NATIONAL CHEST.

“Comrades, this was no mean achievement. Sometimes, I marvel at the adaptability and flexibility of the Ghanaian mind. WE ALL SEEM SO QUICKLY TO HAVE FORGOTTEN THE BITTER EXPERIENCES OF THE TIME WHEN MOST OF US HAD TO SLEEP IN OUR CARS FOR SEVERAL NIGHTS ON END IN ORDER TO OBTAIN ONLY TWO GALLONS OF PETROL AS A WHOLE WEEK’S RATION”.

(*CREDIT: Excerpts From Address By President Hilla Limann At The Annual Congress Of The People’s National Party (PNP) (May 29 – June 1, 1980) At The Prempeh Assembly Hall, Kum