The Passing Of Former President J.J. Rawlings

 There is the adage which says it is only when the frog dies that people can see how long or tall it is. Flight Lt. Rawlings emergence on Ghana’s political scene was for a purpose perhaps ordained by God. As the youngest President or leader ever produced the young flight officer defied all odds and accepted responsibility when he was court marshaled by the Military High Command in a fairlead mutiny.

This endeared him to the other rails who out of sympathy and trust supported him to embark on the House cleaning exercise in the Armed Forces. His concern and passion was to stop corruption, nepotism, cronyism and social injustice. That exercise was at a great pain and loss. As though that was not enough the next civilian administration degenerated into the same socio-economic mess culminating in the second coming of chairman Rawlings.

That tenure saw Ghana rising again in the global political and Diplomatic arena. Although he inherited a bankrupt economy where almost every sector of life was broken down. One can readily recall nationwide bad roads with pot holes, locked up cocoa on the farms, collapsed health sector as well as the energy sector. All these challenges were compounded by drought and bush fires leading to hunger popularly called the Rawlings chain.

By his visionary and determined fondly leadership chairman Rawlings as he was called mobilized students and the youth to the hinterland to cart locked up cocoa to the port for export. He also addressed the railway subsector by taking part physically in the reconstruction effort. One of the most remarkable achievements of this great leader was the extension of electricity to the Affram plains a feat other leaders said was impossible. As a proud African he popularized and promoted the Northern smock and donated his international coveted award of 50 million dollars into the establishment of the University Of Development Studies (UDS). What a philanthropist? This is not easy for other leaders to do but he did it willingly without taking any credit for it.

These are but a few characteristic features of the great leader that chairman Rawlings was. Today as we mourn his passing let out generation emulate his positive courteous of probity, accountability, integrity economic and social justice as well as passion for the truth. In fact, the story of our chairman, President, Pilot, father, brother and grandfather cannot be told in five minutes. Our pain and confusion now is the sudden passing and the time of the passing. God our creator has spoken once again and the world is quiet. One is at a loss to question God why this should happen to us at this time. Why is it that those who do good die young although God himself ask us to do good?

The passing of former President Rawlings should serve as a lesson to all leaders and humanity. Above all, this should unite the nation for peaceful election. Chairman Rawlings, your death has devastated us and we are finding it difficult to come to terms with it? Ghana, Africa and indeed the world at large has lost a great leader.

J. J. Rawlings rest in peace.

BY GEORGE ANKRAH, A JOURNALIST.

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