International women’s day for mothers of the world

By Dr. Boakye Yiadom

We have to be thankful to the United Nations for setting aside this day for all women of the world for their tireless good deeds for mankind. The late Dr. Kwegyir Aggrey said more than a century years ago that “if you train a woman, you train a nation. But if you train a man, you train an individual”.

This is exactly the truth. The REFUGEE CAMPS are flooded with women and their CHILDREN. These women struggle hard daily to feed their children, cloth them and do everything humanly possible to make them happy, irrespective of ill health.

These women deserve the men’s congratulations as well as the Almighty God’s Blessings on them. In cases of flood, one can see these women shepherding their wards to safety. In times of war, these women spearhead the fleeing refugees. In Afghanistan, Iraq and other countries in the Middle East, where women are considered second class citizens, the women make sure their children are well catered for.

Ghana, under two Military Regimes -- the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), both headed by Flight-Lieutenant JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS women were disregarded as human beings. Women, who struggled daily for the upkeep of their families, were brutalized by the personnel of the two regimes.

At that time, there was a FIRST LADY called Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, who was in a good position to speak for the women but did not. The women, textile and foodstuff traders, mostly at the MAKOLA MARKET in Accra and KEJETIA MARKET IN Kumasi, were randomly picked up by the military personnel to their respective BARRACKS to RAPE and BRUTALIZE them. These women were also subjected to military exercise, which was part of the brutalities.

These military personnel had neither sympathy nor compassion for these women, forgetting that these women could have been their mothers or grandmothers. It was pathetic to see visually or read from the newspapers. J.J. RAWLINGS was happy himself to watch how the military personnel behaved and acted.

On this day of the celebration of the International Women’s Day, the former First Lady Konadu Agyemang Rawlings said at an International Women’s Celebration that “she is convinced that women in Ghana hold the key to unleashing national potentials”. This is too little and too late. When she was in the corridors of power, what did she do to save the Ghanaian Women? Was she not happy with what her husband was doing to the women?

Konadu Agyemang Rawlings must rather be quiet to enjoy the fruits of others labour. She is well aware she and her husband harvested where they never sowed.

This statement of hers has infuriated, if not annoyed the women, who physically suffered from the military brutalities.

Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and her husband JJ RAWLINGS must be happy to be in Ghana and should not make a mistake of travelling to an unfriendly country; else her husband will be arrested and put before the International Court of Justice at The Hague for his brutality to mankind.

I believe this is hunting J.J. RAWLINGS.