Why the National Democratic Congress founders’ bloody coups remain a dark chapter in Ghana’s history

On that momentous day in June 1979, a group of rabble rousing soldiers went into a conniption-fit, deposed the government of the day, and unjustifiably released convicts and suspects from a lawful custody, including the founder of the NDC, the late J J Rawlings.

I would, however, like to state unequivocally that the founders of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) were dishonest and pharisaic, hence my endless fury in condemnation over their double standards.

If you look deeper, history is broad yet deep that binds the core existence of the world. Hence, history keeps records of events that happened in the past.

History is a lesson in the past but can also be the greatest regret of the future. Yet the reason there is history is because of the events that were created by man (Hughes 2010).

Understandably though, the NDC loyalists would never agree with some of us for persistently criticising their beloved party through the lenses of the past.

But, I am afraid, we cannot make sense of the present happenings if we refuse to take stock of the past events.

Some of us, in fact, cannot help but continuously shriek, grouch, censure, and highlight the risible tendencies of the devotees of the June 4 1979 and 31st December 1981 sanguineous coup d’états.

The seasoned journalist, Malik Kweku Baako, could not have put it any better when he aptly described the founders of the NDC as nothing but ‘remorseless’ opportunists’ (emphasis mine).

Kweku Baako was absolutely right when he asserted that the socio-economic meltdown during the Supreme Military Council (SMC 1&2) regimes called for drastic measures to ‘clean’ the system, but the excesses of the 1979 coup d’état, regrettably, debased the otherwise necessary intervention.

Baako, however, did not waffle at all, when he ventured and stressed forthrightly that he can never forgive the founder of NDC, Rawlings and his rabble rousers for stretching the whole concept of ‘house cleaning exercise’ and needlessly deposing the democratically elected government of the People’s National Party(PNP) led by Dr Hilla Limann of blessed memory on 31st December 1981.

If we stroll down memory lane, General I K Acheampong led a group of mutinous army officers and usurped Prime Minister Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia’s government in 1972 and formed a government which they called The Supreme Military Council (SMC).

However, in 1978, General Acheampong was accused of economic mismanagement and forced to resign by a group of army officers led by General Akufo.

General Akufo and the other disgruntled officers rechristened the government as the Supreme Military Council 2 (SMC2).

A sequential account is given, albeit anecdotally, that the harsh living conditions at the time prompted a group of patriotic citizens to stand up against the injustices and demanded a democratic rule.

But before the country could reach a consensus on the question of civilian rule, a group of discontented junior army officers led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings of blessed memory failed in their insurrection against General Fred Akuffo’s regime on 15th May 1979, which led to the arrest and trial of Rawlings and his cohorts.

Nevertheless, the judicial process was halted prematurely by a group of soldiers sympathetic to Rawlings, who revolted on 4th June 1979.

The June 4 1979 jailbreakers gleefully released suspects and convicts from a lawful penitentiary, deposed the government of the day and gave uncountable innocent Ghanaians a hell in the process.

After unblushingly deposing General Akuffo and his Supreme Military Council (SMC 2) government, the stubbornly impenitent jailbreakers went ahead and formed their own government, which they called the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and appointed Flt Rawlings as their chairman.

Rawlings and his clueless minions vowed to lustrate the country of the alleged rampant sleazes, corruption and social injustices which instigated their coup d’état.

In their ghoulish attempt to purge the country of the so-called injustices, they carried out what they termed “house cleaning exercise,” and dealt with perceived offenders arbitrarily.

The rebellious jailbreakers proceeded with their fiendish intentions and callously exterminated prominent people including General Fred Akuffo, General Kutu Acheampong, General Akwasi Afrifa and many others.

After getting rid of individuals they viewed as a threat to their hidden agenda with an unabashed disgust, the jailbreaking cabals decided to conduct general elections for political parties in the same year-1979.

Following the successful election, Dr Hilla Limann of blessed memory and his People’s National Party (PNP) emerged victorious in 1979.

An account is given, though vividly, that the Limann government assumed office at a time when the economy was in deep crisis. The credit lines to the country had almost dried up and were blocked due to brutalities and confiscations at the harbours and other points of entry into Ghana by the coup making founders of the NDC.

However, the story is told, somewhat poignantly, that through careful negotiations, preparations and the implementation of pragmatic policies and programmes, the Limann government managed to arrest the economic challenges.

More significantly, commendable efforts were made to repay Ghana’s short-term debts, and, the Limann government demonstrated the ability to meet Ghana’s debt obligations.

Consequently, Dr Limann’s government managed within 18 months and restored virtually all traditional credit lines (Source: PNC).

But despite the dint of effort, Rawlings and his irresponsible cohorts did not give Dr Liman and his PNP government the breathing space to govern the country, as they relentlessly breathed down the neck of President Limann.

As a matter of fact, Rawlings and his NDC coup making minions unfairly kept criticising Dr Limann’s administration for what the conspiratorial plotters perceived as economic mismanagement, until Rawlings and his jailbreaking geezers decided to depose Dr Limann.

Subsequently, Rawlings and the other mutinous jailbreakers took arms and succeeded in usurping the democratically elected government of Dr Hilla Limann on 31st December 1981.