Former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings
Former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, aged 73, yesterday passed away suddenly at the Cardiothoracic Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra at about 10:10 am.
Reports have it that he was rushed to the referral facility after exhibiting symptoms consistent with Covid-19 and died on the fourth day after admission although the Covid-19 allegation has not been verified.
News about his death resonated across the country shortly before midday with social media getting busy with Twitter hashtag, #RIPJerryRawlings, becoming the most searched information.
For many it was news they preferred to deny especially because his hospitalization had not been announced.
By noon however, it was confirmed by a lot of media entities that indeed the man associated with the June 4, 1979 putsch and the December 1981 revolution had “Gone to the village,” as Akans would rather put it.
Mother’s Death
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) founder’s death coming not too long after his centenarian mother’s sounded esoteric for many.
Madam Victoria Agbotui, his mother, died recently after celebrating her 101st birthday on September 9, 2020.
At the time he buried his mother little did he know that he would soon join her in the hereafter.
Early Life
Jerry John Rawlings grew up between Adabraka and Tudu in Accra, having been born on June 22, 1947.
Those who frequented the Accra Turf Club’s Racecourse recalled the half-caste’s love for horses.
He completed Achimota College in 1967 and joined the Ghana Air Force after his O’ Level examinations.
After his flying training at the Ghana Air Force’s Flying Training School in Takoradi, he earned his wings and commissioned Pilot Officer.
He was known for his acrobatic displays with the jet fighter. He won the coveted “Speed Bird Trophy” for cadets during his training programme in Takoradi.
Military Insurrection
He came to the limelight following a military insurrection he led when he was a Flight Lieutenant in 1979.
He was court-martialed after an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling junta on May 15, 1979.
He was harbouring a growing dislike for the privileged elites of the Armed Forces, something the Supreme Military Council (SMC) was not oblivious to.
His association with some students of the University of Ghana exposed him to leftist ideas and the eventual coups he was associated with.
The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) junta, which he formed, ruled the country until handing over to the elected government of Hilla Limann.
The AFRC junta was bloodstained, having ordered the execution through a firing squad of some top military generals including Heads of State then in retirement at the Teshie Military Range. They were accused and tried by a military court set up by the junta, which many have berated ever since.
Second Coup
After initially handing power over to the Limann government, he organized another coup on December 31, 1981, forming the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
With the formation of his own party, the NDC, in 1992, he removed the military fatigue and became a civilian so he could contest elections which he won – becoming the first President of the Fourth Republic. He was re-elected in 1996 for four more years.
He was barred by the Constitution for going for a third term.
Boom Man
He was noted for his critiquing of his successor, John Agyekum Kufuor, and ‘disturbed’ the NPP administration until his party, the NDC, came to power through the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills in the 2008 election.
It was thought that Flt. Lt. Rawlings would ‘rest’ once his own NDC party was in power but that was never to be as he ‘tormented’ them for not acceding to his demands to prosecute the ‘corrupt’ NPP appointees under Mr. Kufuor.
He and the late President John Evans Atta Mills were not on the best of relations – his constant criticism of his leadership style making the headlines in the media.
When former President John Mahama took over the leadership of the NDC after the demise of Prof. Mills, the late JJ Rawlings turned the spotlight on him with barrages of charges of corruption he unceasingly leveled against him.
His annual June 4 activities to commemorate the first uprising of some soldiers which he led, over time became scenes of verbal attacks of his own party vitriolic now known in Ghanaian parlance as ‘boom’.
His recent ‘flirtation’ with the Akufo-Addo-led NPP government has been a source of worry to the opposition NDC.
Before his death, some of his party members had not treated him with the deserved deference. There was a time when one of the leading members of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said that they had tamed the “barking dog.”
The late Rawlings’ description of the young men holding top positions in the party who had a passion for casting aspersions at him, as “babies with sharp teeth”, is a popular phrase loved by many writers and commentators; and his term, “moral high ground”, has become a popular political refrain.
Two-pronged Remembrance
The former President would have a two-pronged remembrance. While some will see him as a person deserving of respect, others especially offspring of those he ordered to be executed in the heat of the so-called revolution, will certainly not have kind charitable epitaphs for him.
There was a no-love-lost relationship between him and the NDC flag bearer whom he said had no chance of winning next month’s polls in the country and also said he (Mahama) was rather ‘eying’ 2024 by using 2020 to get his grip on the party.
Before the NDC’s last congress, the former President lashed out at some of his party leadership for rushing to take up executive positions to avoid prosecution for infractions.
Akufo-Addo’s tribute
President Akufo-Addo has described the death of the former President as tragic.
“I convey the deep sympathies of government and the people of Ghana to his wife, the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the children and the family of the late President, in these difficult times,” he said.
7 Days Mourning
The President has directed that all national flags fly at half-mast for the next seven days in all parts of the country and also declared a seven-day of national mourning from Friday, November 13, 2020 to Friday, November 20, in honour of the ex-Ghana strongman alongside the suspension of political campaigns.
Government, he said, would work closely with the family of the deceased on arrangements for a befitting state funeral for him.
“A great tree has fallen, and Ghana is poorer for this loss,” the President’s statement, which he personally signed, said; adding “may his soul rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty until the Last Day of the Resurrection when we shall meet again.”
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia who is in the Upper East Region, said he had suspended his campaign as a sign of respect for the late Rawlings and described the death as “a great loss to Ghana, Africa and the world.”
John Mahama
Former President Mahama and his running mate Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang have also announced the suspension of their campaigns.
Mr. Mahama, who was campaigning in the Ashanti Region, said he had directed that all NDC campaigns across the country be suspended “following news of the passing of our founder and former President of Ghana, Jerry John Rawlings.”
Zenator Speaks
Dr. Zenator Rawlings, NDC MP for Klottey Korley and elder daughter of the former President, has asked privacy from the public over the sad passing of their beloved father.
She said in a terse statement that “it is with deep sadness that the family of His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings (Rtd), informs the general public that the former President of the Republic passed away on Thursday morning after a short illness. The family requests privacy at this difficult moment. Details of funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.”
By A.R. Gomda & Charles Takyi-Boadu