“There is one thing stronger than all the armies of the world, and that is an idea whose time has come” – Victor Hugo
Times can easily change. If you are an ardent reader of this column, you will realise that on many occasions, I travel down memory lane in order to draw the attention of the younger generation to what happened before they were born or born too late to experience what we went through.
In 1992, the thirty-year-old man or woman was not born. Such persons did not see what happened during the 1992 electioneering campaign. Today, they sit on radio and TV stations talking as if the world is on their shoulders. Even the forty-year-old politician who is disturbing our ears with ugly noises was barely eight years old and cannot remember what happened in 1992. That is why I always want to carry them along memory lane so that they will know that we have come a long way. Those of us who witnessed those days of blood and iron can only thank God for keeping us alive to be able to tell our sordid past.
Rawlings had usurped power through a bloody coup in 1981 and ruled with iron fist for eleven years, unchallenged. In 1990 the economic situation of the country went from bad to worse and Rawlings and his scatterbrain revolutionaries wanted a bailout from the World Bank in order to survive. The World Bank threw down a bait. You either return the country to a democratic dispensation or we refuse to help. In 1991, Rawlings and his hotheaded bloody revolutionaries reluctantly organised a referendum. It was a simple referendum. Ghanaians were asked to choose between a democratic dispensation or a revolutionary military regime. More than 90% of Ghanaians chose the path of democratic dispensation to the absolute disappointment of Rawlings and his gullible cadres. The World Bank and other civilised nations cornered the man whose hands were soaked with the blood of innocent Ghanaians.
Rawlings had no choice but to usher the country into a democratic dispensation by lifting the ban on party politics. He and his power drunk cohorts formed the National Democratic Congress, made up of cadres of the revolution, some UP and CPP betrayers and of course some opportunists. Mr. Rawlings put off his military fatigue and started wearing Northern smock and Kente cloths to lead the party he founded with money from the state coffers. In fact, he had the full support of the military, particularly the 64 Battalion or Commandos as they were popularly called. This particular Battalion stationed at the Blue Gate was answerable to only Rawlings because it was his private army which terrorised opposing voices when Rawlings was a military ruler.
On the other hand, the UP tradition also formed the New Patriotic Party to challenge the PNDC which metamorphosed to the NDC. The NPP chose Professor Adu Boahen, an eminent Professor of History, as their flagbearer to mash it up with Rawlings. The battle line was then drawn. Both candidates started to crisscross the country to campaign for votes. Because Rawlings had held the country at ransom for eleven years and brainwashed many Ghanaians, he took a commanding lead as pollsters predicted a win for him. The NPP did not worry and kept the fire burning.
When Professor Adu Boahen went to the Volta Region to campaign, he regretted the day he was chosen as the flagbearer of the NPP. He was met with boos and insults anywhere his convoy went. The situation was so bad that some communities threw stones at their vehicles as they passed by. The heat became unbearable that the good old professor and his entourage had to abandon the campaign and run away back to Accra to return to the region no more.
Eventually, the NPP boycotted the parliamentary election when it became crystal clear that Rawlings and his team were not ready to relinquish power, come what may. That was why the 1992 Parliament became a one-sided Parliament of only NDC Parliamentarians. The NPP never demonstrated against the NDC for their actions during the electioneering campaign. The only thing they did was to write a book titled ‘The Stolen Verdict’ which catalogued the series of bullying, intimidation and naked stealing of votes.
When Mr. Kufuor took over as the flagbearer of the NPP, he worked so hard to earn the respect of some Voltarians. In fact, he was able to win only one parliamentary seat for the NPP. The votes from the Volta Region during the Kufuor second attempt appreciated, giving the NPP hope that one day the people will see the light. Nana Akufo-Addo too came as the flagbearer and increased the number of votes from the Volta Region. He too was able to win only one parliamentary seat.
The truth is that even Rawlings who hails from that region could not develop the area. Mr. Kufuor learnt from that mistake made by Rawlings and brought meaningful developments to the area. The late President Mills too did his part in his own small way. At least he established a university in the Volta Region. Not so with Mr. Mahama who took the people of the Volta Region for granted since he knew whether he developed the area or not, the people there will vote for him, and truly they voted for him on the two occasions that he run as a candidate of the NDC.
Rawlings genuinely apologised to the people of the Volta Region for his inability to develop the area after he left power. To me, that was the mark of an honest gentleman. As for President Akufo-Addo, what he did and continues to do for the people of the Volta Region is unprecedented. He made sure the people had their fair share of the national cake. After all, the children of the Volta Region are also enjoying the free SHS programme and parents have been relieved of a great burden. Roads were built and school blocks were constructed across the region. The people of the Volta Region were not left out in the distribution of the DRIP equipment meant for the maintenance of feeder roads. They also had their share of the ambulances distributed nationwide.
Enter Dr. Bawumia. There is an aura of mysticism in the persona of the guy. His thoughts become words and his thoughts and words become actions. In most instances, his thoughts, words and actions are the same. Maybe that is why he is always direct and blunt. He can be blunt because his words, actions and thoughts are integrated, congruent, operating as one. During his recent campaign tour of the region, the crowd that he pulled really surprised me. Watching the scenario on my TV, I couldn’t believe my eyes. And listening to comments made by some chiefs and some people from the Volta Region, I was marveled.
Dr. Bawumia seems to have the magic wand to command admiration of even his political opponents. I came to understand why the sages say “Time Changes.” You see, when a dam is about to break, you first see cracks on the wall. Who will ever believe that people of the Volta Region could wait from morning to evening to catch a glimpse of an NPP presidential candidate?
If you interact with people from the Volta Region, you will realise that they become angry when you refer to the region as the “World Bank” of the NDC. They will tell you because the region has been voting massively for the NDC, anytime the NDC comes to power, the region is totally neglected as far as development is concerned. Some of them do not see the reason why the NDC consistently picks the running mate of the party from the Central Region when they too have equally qualified ladies and gentlemen from the region who could become running mates.
They say they had been silent on the issue when their kinsman, Rawlings who founded the NDC was in power but sadly, since Rawlings left power until his death, the NDC has not treated them fairly. According to them, if they do not bare their teeth by voting against the NDC this time around, the party will continue to treat them with contempt. That is why the Akans say “Se okwasia anite a na agro agu” (When the fool wises up, the game is over). I hereby, repeat what Rawlings told the NDC in 2012. “You have won the 2012 election but Free SHS won the campaign. If you don’t implement Free SHS and NPP comes back to power and implements the programme, it will haunt the NDC for many elections to come”.
Like his name sake Prophet Jeremiah, what Rawlings said many years ago has come to pass. That is why Mr. Mahama and Prof. Naana Opoku-Agyemang are struggling out of desperation to own the introduction of the programme to no avail. Full stop!!!
Eric Bawah