By Abdul Razak Bawa
Jerry John Rawlings’ second posthumous birthday reminds me that:
We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.
Wednesday June 22, marked the 75th birthday of the founder of the Fourth Republic, Jerry John Rawlings, were he to be alive. It was his second posthumous birthday, since he went the way of all mortals on that fateful day of November 12, 2020.
Jerry John Rawlings, was larger than life, he was that kind of man, you think will live forever. But as scriptures teach us, every soul will taste death.
He made a pact with life and replicated it with death. His burst onto the limelight, was like a Phoenix, little was known of him, until after the botched coup d’état on May 15, 1979. He is famously remembered in the trial that ensued after failed coup of “let my people go”.
As fate will have it, he launched another coup in 1979, which was successful, after handing power over to a civilian government, he took back control of the country on December 31, 1981 overthrowing the government of Dr Hilla Liman, as the chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).
The second attempt was successful because J.J, as he was affectionately called, believed in leading from the front and not from the rear, as he was never dumb, but was driven by the increasing impulse to achieve success.
He never shied away from getting his hands dirty; in face he led by example. He will get down into the gutter if need be, to clear rubbish, so the people will see the value in doing that.
He lived a simple life, he was never ostentatious, he was modest and so his appointees feared to live above their means and display opulence. He was a hero not only to his children, but millions of young people both in Ghana and outside.
His charisma, patriotism and sense of duty is what endeared some of us to him. Today I belong to the political party he founded; National Democratic Congress, because of Jerry John Rawlings, and I will not be wrong when I say millions of other Ghanaians.
Jerry Rawlings over the period of his life, became a metaphor for an unwieldy paradox that may be too difficult to interpret, as he combined the creativity of human intellect and a burning disposition in achieving dreams thought impossible.
In the history of this country, two leaders will forever stand tall, their achievements is what has spurred the country thus far. They not only sacrifice themselves but their families, as well, it is the reason why they are celebrated outside the shores of this country.
Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the founder of Ghana and Jerry John Rawlings, the Founder of the Fourth Republic, are deserving of commendation, for laying the foundations that we so cherish today.
I am happy to celebrate the second posthumous birthday of Jerry Rawlings, because he reminds me of an unappeasable personality that was never comfortable with failures.
He extended electricity to the northern part of the country, even when he was questioned about the rational of doing that. He established institutions of state that are today being basterdized by those who are fortunate enough to be in power today.
While he lived, Jerry Rawlings was so engrossed in prosecuting several projects that still holds abundant prospects in several human endeavours.
As a man whose accomplishments were founded on his unquenchable willpower hinged on relentless vision, reaching the next level was always his major preoccupation.
Through the years, the Military Officer turned- Politician continued to broaden his horizon. He brought many people on board, in his desire to see this country become a great nation; a feat we can say he achieved, albeit with obstacles thrown at him by his opponents, who believe they are more Ghanaian than all of us.
He was referred to as a foreigner, called a bastard but he stayed the course, and left behind a lasting legacy.
He was never afraid to speak his mind, even when it goes against his own party, the National Democratic Congress.
When he passed away on November 12, 2020, the founder of the Fourth Republic, had refused to become a slumbering soul comfortable in living in unconquered spaces and mooning over life. The late military leader, aligned himself with Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s ‘Psalm of life’ that depicts the essence of living:
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day
As we marked the second birthday without Jerry John Rawlings, whose tough spirit founded the Fourth Republic and most especially the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He formed the NDC to provide a platform where everyone from all walks of life can find expression in and every idea can find a space in national discourse.
Even when his opponents called him names in an attempt to ridicule and cripple his ideas, Jerry Rawlings, walked and worked with like-minded Ghanaians across, religion, educational background and ethnicity to silence his traducers.
Fortunately, Jerry Rawlings’ greatest legacy, the National Democratic Congress, is in good hands.
Those fortunate enough to run the affairs of the party today, must resolved at all times that they will do anything within their capacity to assist in keeping his dream alive.
As I celebrate the unconquerable spirit of positivity that Jerry John Rawlings epitomised, it is my earnest expectation that our nation’s distraught citizens and government at all levels will be inspired by his fiery zeal for development and successes in tackling challenges.
Jerry Rawlings, continue to rest in the bosom of your Maker.
You will be missed forever.
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