What will Rawlings do? | Special Report | Africa Confidential What will Rawlings do? Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings staged his first military coup as a young revolutionary in May 1979. When it failed, he was imprisoned and sentenced to death. Following another coup mounted by junior army officers in June 1979, Rawlings was set free, and became Head of State under the banner of the the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council. In September 1979, the AFRC handed over power to Hilla Limann of the People's National Party, after he won the presidential elections. In 1981, Rawlings toppled Limann in yet another coup. He remained a military dictator for 12 years until he was elected President in 1993, a position he held until 2001, when John Kufuor's New Patriotic Party (NPP) government came to power. Although praised by many in the West as a democratic figure, especially in comparison to his counterparts in Sierra Leone and Liberia, Rawlings has not been able to shake off the stigma of military dictator.

From the Africa Confidential archives AC Vol 20 No 13 | 20 June 1979 As we go to press, it appears that either the Popular Front Party (PFP), led by Victor Owusu, or the People's National party (PNP), led by Dr. Hilla Limann, is likely to emerge as the eventual winner of the elections begun on June 18. But in the minds of Ghanaians the real question is not "Who is the new civilian leader?" so much as "When—if ever—will Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) (which came to power in a coup on June 4) hand over to the civilians?" Rawlings' assumption of power seems to have initially been welcomed by most ordinary Ghanaians, although it met with considerable scepticism and anxiety among many intellectuals, politicians and older folk. (To be exact, those politicians who stood to fare poorly in the election were relatively enthusiastic, while those who looked well-placed felt otherwise).

At first, in the minds of many Ghanaians in the street and in the villages, Rawlings undoubtedly won the mantle of a folk hero and was viewed as a man unfairly gaoled by the then head of state, Gen. Fred Akuffo, and as an idealist burning with a desire for social justice. But the summary shooting of Akuffo's predecessor, Gen. Kutu Acheampong, without a proper trial, has certainly dampened the enthusiasm of many, even though Acheampong's rule was widely regarded as exceedingly venal. Rawlings and his friends had already bungled one coup attempt when they tried to seize power on May 15. After a struggle, in which one officer was killed and some hostages, including the British military attaché, were held for a time, they surrendered. But it was Rawlings’ testimony at his subsequent court martial that inspired his rise in popularity. There were rounds of applause in the court when he explained his disillusion and disgust at the fact that not one of the notoriously corrupt senior military men in the Acheampong government had been prosecuted. Gen.

Fred Akuffo had talked much about “accountability” when with his fellow officers he pushed Acheampong from power in July 1978. He forced many into retirement and set up commissions of inquiry to investigate some of the worst dens of corruption—the cocoa industry, timber and shipping. But none appeared in court. Many Ghanaians began to suspect that any evidence that might be given would implicate other members of Akuffo’s Supreme Military Council—perhaps even Akuffo himself. The final straw for the young officers was the decision to release Acheampong: he was cashiered from the army and confined to his Ashanti village, but, with millions reputedly salted away, he remained untouched and unprosecuted. Early in the morning of June 4 Rawlings was sprung from detention in Burma Camp, outside Accra. We understand it was carried out by an airforce corporal who led Rawlings to Broadcasting House where he broadcast his call to the junior ranks of the armed forces to mutiny. He then apparently took off in an airforce plane. Later in the day Gen.

Neville Odartey-Wellington, head of the army, arrived at Broadcasting House in an armoured car, blasted his way in with machine guns, causing several casualties, and broadcast that the coup attempt has been defeated. He later amended this to an appeal to Rawlings to come for talks. Rawlings later returned to Accra and engaged in a shoot-out with armoured cars firing machine-guns at Odartey-Wellington’s position. The general rejected calls to surrender and was shot dead as a police station was stormed. Col. Joseph Enninful, who had been trying Rawlings by court martial, was also shot dead, together with his wife. Rawlings then assumed complete control and no further resistance has been reported. Rawlings’ first big meeting was with all eleven presidential candidates, with the much noticed exception of Victor Owusu of the Popular Front Party, and with representatives of all six political parties. By all accounts it was a friendly meeting. Rawlings humbly asked the help of the politicians and gave assurances that the election would be held on schedule. He later decided to bring the new constitution into force on October 1.

The idea of an elected president waiting in the wings until October, while the AFRC ‘cleans up’ seems bizarre to many Ghanaians, but Rawlings points to the American example, where a new president must wait over two months before assuming office. Son of a Scottish father and an Ewe mother, Rawlings is remembered by people who have known him since his days at Ghana’s smart Achimota School as a fairly able but extremely volatile personality. In addition, his apparent eminence grise and spokesman on the AFRC, Capt. Boakye-Djan, is like-wise considered clever but embittered. The other eight members of the council include two majors, but the rest hold lesser rank. Under half are officers, and have never exercised any substantial form of authority before. They are unlikely to inspire much immediate confidence in the foreign bankers and IMF economists whose assistance the Ghanaian economy direly needs. Parallels with the single-minded Ethiopian junior officers and NCOs who have countenanced the violence that has marked the post-Haile Selassie era in Addis Ababa have been drawn—allegedly by Rawlings himself. But he has strongly denied any Communist inclination.

There is in any case “no difference” between the American and Russian systems, he is said to have declared. Many Ghanaians, it must be added, although stunned by the executions and fearful of further possible bloodletting, agree with Rawlings that a drastic ‘clean up’ is long overdue. But other anxieties are also besetting the populace. For a start, there is much talk that Rawlings’ AFRC is dominated by the Ewe, at the expense mainly of the Ga and Ashanti. Odartey-Wellington, it has been noted, was much respected by his fellow Ga. Owusu, it has been pointed out, is one of the late Acheampong’s fellow Ashanti. Alongside the AFRC stands a shadowy civilian ‘advisory’ group, which is said to include three Roman Catholic priests. The key adviser, we hear, is Kenneth Acquah, a former employee of the Central Bank and brother of Budu Acquah, one of Nkrumah’s leading ideologues. Kenneth Acquah has been an agent for military intelligence under previous administrations and is valued for his knowledge and contacts from the past.

Another important figure may be the trade unionist and former disciple of Nkrumah, Tetegah, another Ewe. Although the People’s National Party (PNP) led by Limann is often considered the natural heir to Nkrumah’s old party, it is unknown whom—if anyone—Rawlings himself would favour, though his step-father, Prof. K. Adu-Boahene, has campaigned vigorously for the United National Convention (UNC) led by William Ofori-Atta, often thought a notably ‘clean’ contender but too old to attract a mass following. More than a mutiny? It is not yet known, however, how secure a grip Rawlings has imposed on the security forces, upon whom he ultimately must depend. The ‘revolution’ was certainly no national uprising. It was essentially a mutiny led by a few junior airforce officers and some junior members of the 5th army battalion. The elite 1st infantry battalion stationed at Tema initially remained loyal to its officers and was reluctant to submit to the command of Capt. Smith, an associate of Rawlings.

The possibility of a counter-coup, rumoured to be imminent two days after the June 4 putsch, cannot yet be entirely discounted. The key army defector from Akuffo to Rawlings was Lt.-Gen. Joshua Hamidu, who seems to have been pressed more or less willingly into becoming the liaison officer between the AFRC and the governmental and army machinery. Whatever his hold over the security forces, Rawlings’ most urgent task is the same as that which defeated Acheampong and Akuffo before him: to prevent the already bankrupt country from descending into the utter chaos that seems imminent. There were numerous examples of indiscipline among soldiers immediately following the coup. Lebanese and Syrians were harassed on arbitrary charges of corruption. Young solders who support the AFRC forcibly shaved the heads of senior officers supposedly associated with the former government. There were three days of looting by army and police after June 4 in such places as the Makola market. With inflation still running at around 100%, many Ghanaians are finding it hard merely to survive.

Low-paid workers receive around 5 cedis per day, while the cost of basic good us as follows: a plantain: 1 cedi; a tin of milk: 3.75 cedis; two small maize cobs: 2 cedis; 1 cassava: 3 cedis; 1 yam: 10 cedis. It is understandable, therefore, that nurses, who receive around 6 cedis a day, have been on strike. And there is much urban discontent at low wages. The AFRC has peremptorily ordered shops to sell at fixes prices which in effect may put businesses entirely out of operation, because they can only make profits by selling at far above the official prices. There could be a large increase in shortages and food riots may even ensue. Hospitals, too, are almost defunct, through lack of medicine and drugs. The transport system is breaking down through lack of spares and petrol. It was perhaps unfortunate that an IMF team was in Accra on June 4. Its members were, we hear, ‘unamused’ by the soldiers who burst into the Ambassador Hotel, where the IMF group was staying, and looted the bar.

Yet Rawlings appears to believe that if army discipline is restored and corruption —“rape and plunder”, he has called it — is ended, then all will be well. Given the increasing turbulence that such economic distress may well provoke, Rawlings may find it harder to surrender power after October 1 than to retain it. If either Owusu or Limann takes over, the task will be no less daunting. SUBSCRIBE BBC News | AFRICA | Rawlings: The legacy Friday, 1 December, 2000, 16:53 GMT Rawlings: The legacy The man in overalls hailed as the people's saviour Besides its first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, no political leader has had as much of an impact on Ghana as Jerry John Rawlings. Rawlings has been good to Ghana. This country would have been in ruins without him Long-term aid And perhaps he was destined to lead. Secondary school friends remember him as outspoken and rebellious.

Kojo Boakye-Djan, a retired army major and co-conspirator in the 1979 coup, recalls how the Catholic Rawlings was the only person who dared to associate with him school back in 1963 after he had told the authorities he believed in traditional ancestral worship. He is like a comet which we all looked up to for extra light only to be engulfed in darkness Former associate "When I informed the authorities about my religion and everyone was looking at me strangely, Jerry was the only student who walked up to me and whispered, 'Hey, I support you'." Stoned idealists Mr Boakye-Djan led troops to free the then Flight Lieutenant Rawlings from behind bars after a failed mutiny in May 1979. Handing over to President Limann in 1979 That jail-break and subsequently successful coup saw Rawlings and his associates seize power. The following month saw the establishment of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), mostly a pack of stoned and brutal idealists with Rawlings as its Chairman. The desperate masses hailed him as Hero, Lord, Saviour, Junior Jesus.

Thus empowered, he had eight generals executed and oversaw a chaotic though popular three-month rule before handing over to President Limann who won the hastily arranged general elections in June. People's revolution Two-and-a-half years later Rawlings was back, this time for the long haul. I don't know any law and I don't understand economics, but I know it when my stomach is empty JJ Rawlings He rode in on the back of his earlier appeal and the people's impatience with the Limann administration's inability to provide a quick fix for their economic and social woes, and he called his return a people's revolution. He established a People's National Defence Council (PNDC) at the Castle, the seat of government in Accra, and people's defence committees at grassroots level, designed theoretically to 'give power to the people'. The thrust of the PNDC's agenda was socialist, his advisers were uncompromisingly leftist. But Rawlings himself was never particularly keen on ideology. "Don't ask me what my ideology or economic programme is," he once told a group of journalists.

"I don't know any law and I don't understand economics, but I know it when my stomach is empty." Common touch He would smoke half a cigarette and store the remainder behind his ear to light up later, in the manner of a poor workman for whom a full stick was a luxury. Rousing orator His skill was to work the masses into giddiness; to provide leadership trimmed of pompous political embroidery; to talk the people's talk and walk their walk. He left the structural adjustments and economic re-wiring to intellectuals. World Bank romance Within three years, however, the din was dying down and the euphoria waning. The PNDC days were a period of sheer terror and repression Kweku Baako After the fall of the Soviet Union in 1984, Rawlings turned right to western donors and the IMF and World Bank. Hardened left-wing comrades accused him of 'betraying the revolution'. There were coup attempts and a parting of the ways. Coup-plotters were executed and opponents of the new westerly direction were jailed or fled into exile.

Anti-radical backlash Kweku Baako is the publisher of the Crusading Guide newspaper and was a supporter of Rawlings first coup but he does not hold fond memories of the PNDC days. "The PNDC days were a period of sheer terror and repression". Family man Mr Baako was jailed for nearly two years without trial for opposing the PNDC. He says he knows scores of people who were led out of cells at night at the time and have not been heard of since. In 1982, three judges and a retired army officer were abducted. They were killed gruesomely at a military range in circumstances that have led to accusations of complicity being levelled at Rawlings and his wife. An official enquiry at the time exonerated them, but there are growing calls from families of the victims for fresh investigations. Darling of the West Despite his questionable human rights record, Rawlings nevertheless became a darling of the Western donors who poured at least $5b into the Ghanaian economy after the regime signed on to economic reforms. Close associates say he was gifted not only with a sixth sense, but also an extra pair of nostrils, for survival Subsequently a lot of basic social facilities were restored and commerce increased.

There were modest new foreign investments as scores of state enterprises were privatised. Civilian And then, in 1992, Rawlings finally swapped his airforce fatigues for smart suits and ran for president, winning multi-party elections on the ticket of his National Democratic Congress, NDC. Royal respectability Four years later, he repeated the feat although the opposition, led by the New Patriotic Party (NPP), said both elections were stolen. Over the last eight years, he has managed an uncanny diplomatic balance act between coddling Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha and speaking on behalf of Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafi, and receiving US President Bill Clinton and the Queen of England. Close associates say he was gifted not only with a sixth sense, but also an extra pair of nostrils, for survival. What is the legacy? Jerry Rawlings - 必应 Sign in Jerry Rawlings Jerry John Rawlings (born 22 June 1947) is a former head of state and president of Ghana.

Rawlings initially came to power in Ghana as a flight lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force following a coup d'état in 1979 and, after initially handing power over to a civilian government, took back control of the country on 31 December 1981 as the Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council. In 1992 Rawlings resigned from the Armed Forces, founded the National Democratic Congress and became the first president of the Fourth Republic. He was re-elect ... (展开) ed in 1996 for a further four years. He currently serves as the African Union envoy to Somalia. Rawlings attempted a coup d'état on 15 May 1979, leading a group of military personnel in a coup attempt on General Fred Akuffo which resulted in him being arrested, imprisoned and facing a death sentence. However, a speech he gave during his trial resonated with a large section of the public that rose up in his defence. Consequently, on 4 June, soldiers sympathetic to his motivations broke him out of jail, and he led a revolt of both the military and civilians which overthrew General Akuffo and the Supreme Military Council, effectively leaving him in charge.

Rawlings and the soldiers around him formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and conducted what it termed "a housecleaning exercise", whose aim was to purge Ghanaian society of all the corruption and social injustices that they perceived to be at the root of their coup d'état. The AFRC organized an election and it was won by Hilla Limann of the People's National Party (PNP). On 31 December 1981 Rawlings and together with some soldiers and civilians took advantage of new year festivities organized by Limann and overthrew the Limann government, citing economic mismanagement. Rawlings then installed the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) with himself as the Chairman. In 1992, Rawlings retired from the military and set up the National Democratic Congress (NDC),. He legalized political parties and organized Presidential and Parliamentary elections, in response to demands for a more democratic process concerning the governing of the country. Rawlings and his party won with 58.3 percent of the vote, with outside observers declaring the voting to be "free and fair". In 1996, Rawlings went on to win a second term as President.

After two terms in office, barred by his constitution from standing in any election, Rawlings endorsed his vice-president John Atta Mills as presidential candidate in 2000. Jerry John Rawlings (born 22 June 1947) is a former head of state and president of Ghana. Rawlings initially came to power in Ghana as a flight lieutenant ... Jerry Rawlings的用法讲解 法语助手是权威的法语在线词典,为您提供Jerry Rawlings的中文意思,Jerry Rawlings的读音,Jerry Rawlings的同义词,Jerry Rawlings的反义词,Jerry ... Jerry J. Rawlings, in full Jerry John Rawlings (born June 22, 1947, Accra, Ghana), military and political leader in Ghana who twice (1979, 1981) overthrew the ... RAWLINGS CONDEMNS NDC, NPP VIOLENCE AT SUHUM. Former President Jerry John Rawlings has condemned reports of violent clashes between supporters of the … View the profiles of people named Jerry Rawlings. Join Facebook to connect with Jerry Rawlings and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power...

Ghana: The Enigma Called Jerry Rawlings Feature Article | 7 January 2015 15:16 CET Ghana: The Enigma Called Jerry Rawlings Previous | Next Ghana former president, Flight Jerry John Rawlings, is an enigma wrapped in paradoxes. With the exception of the towering Kwame Nkrumah, no other Ghanaian ever bestride the Ghanaian political landscape like the former Air force officer who shot his way into power in an [yes] abortive coup on 15 May 1979. Rawlings debut attempt at coup failed, but on July 4 a group of sympathetic officers sprung from him from his execution jail and installed him Ghana's head of state. And apart from the brief interregnum of President Hilla Limann (24 September 1979 to 31 December 1981), JJ (as he better known) was to rule Ghana for nineteen years. It is a record. JJ began life as a fire breathing revolutionary, a strict ultra-disciplinarian who instilled martial discipline into Ghanaian life. He ended his political career as a convert to the neo-liberal policies propounded by Western institutions like the World Bank and the IMF.

From a dark-goggled military dictator, Rawlings successfully transmuted into a democratically-elected civilian president complete with the Saville Row suits. In order to understand the Rawlings phenomena, it is necessary to dive into a bit of history. The first time I heard the word Ghana was when one evening I was introduced to uncles, aunties, nieces and cousins whom I have never met. I was told they have been thrown out of their country of abode and birth called Ghana. We called them 'Abode Ghana,' meaning 'Ghana Returnees.' The intricacies of what led to their deportation were too complex for my young mind to grasp. It was later on in life that I learned that in order to spite Kwame Nkrumah's Pan-Africa's dreams, the rulers of Ghana who overthrew him decided to expel Africans using the infamous Aliens Compliance Order of 1969. I didn't hear anything about Ghana again until years later when in Lagos I saw many Ghanaians doing all sorts of menial jobs.

There were many of them teaching at the schools the then Action Governor of Lagos, Lateef Jakande, established in pursuant of his free education policy, but most of the Ghanaians were doing the oddest and the hardest jobs. What baffled most then was that we saw them buying stuffs like soap, plastic slippers, canned fish and other basics to send to families back home in Ghana. We didn't understand that a country could be lacking in provisions that were available in the remotest parts of Nigeria. We later learned that the economy of Ghana had collapsed, leading to empty shops and millions of Ghanaians voting with their feet. Many of them sought refuge in Nigeria. Ghana's woes was to be compounded in 1983 when the government of Shehu Shagari expelled over a million of them in his infamous Expulsion Order dubbed 'Ghana must go!” There were whispers that the action was partly informed by a desire to punish the imprudent junior officers who had organized a bloody coup in Ghana, that saw the execution of former heads of state and other high-ranking officers I later read about the heroic actions of the government of Fl. Lt Jerry Rawlings took to cope with the sudden influx amidst crunching economic crises.

Ghana coped so well that by 1992 when this writer traveled around West Africa with a team of Dutch friends, we came back rating Ghana the best in the whole region. From a lofty perch as the first Black African country to regain her independence from colonial rule, to becoming the pre-eminent Pan-African nation and a Mecca to all Africa's liberation movements, Ghana's lot went downhill after the 1967 coup that overthrew the government of Kwame Nkrumah. From being a shining black star, Ghana's fortune dimmed so much so that it became the butt of cruel jokes and a good example of a failed state. Succession of inept rulers – civilian and military ran the country aground to the extent that Ghanaians break rib and bones to obtain balls of their staple, Kenkey – cassava and maize meal. Corruption was rife and merchants became hoarders (Kalabules in local parlance) out to squeeze the last penny from their unfortunate compatriots. There was much agony in the land and lots of teeth-gashing. The country was restless and it tethered on edge. Something was bound to happen.

It happened spectacularly on 15 May 1979 when junior military officers led by a dashing Air force Flight Lieutenant, Jerry John Rawlings, attempted to seize power. The coup failed and Rawlings was captured, tortured and sentenced to death. For reasons best known to them, the military authorities afforded Rawlings a public hearing which he turned to his advantage. Using the platform like a practiced politician, Rawlings turned the table on his captors. He harangued the senior officers, catalogued the many woes in the land and bravely asked that his neck be chopped off, but that his men be spared. It was a masterful act of bravado which won him hearts and minds. Ghanaians were solidly on his side. On June 4, 1979, sympathetic junior officer sprung Rawlings from jail and made head of state in the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). Ghanaians bayed: “Let the blood flow,” and Rawlings obliged them. A house-cleaning exercise saw the execution of many corrupt people and the public humiliation of several powerful Kalabules. A few months later, Rawlings organized elections and handed power over to a civilian government.

On 31 December 1981, less than two years later Rawlings was back in power after he successfully organized another coup to topple the government he had helped installed. Rawlings then installed the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) with himself as the Chairman. He was to rule uninterrupted for the next nineteen years Despite enormous challenges exacerbated by external pressures, Rawlings and his men managed to turn the country around. Corruption was curbed and a new sense of civic responsibility and patriotism was instilled in Ghanaians. The PNDC launched several programmes to make Ghanaians take charge of their own affairs, and the Chairman was to be seen leading workers brigade to ferry cocoa, clean gutters and lay railway gauges. However, despite the brave efforts of the revolutionaries, the economy collapsed and Rawlings and his revolutionaries were left with little choice but to practice realpolitik. Rawlings and his PNDC embraced the IMF and the World Bank, and accepted punishing austerity measures that led, among other things, to the divestiture of hundreds of State Owned Enterprises (SOES).

This profoundly dislocated the economy, but it won Ghana's Western plaudits, and the country became the star pupil of the Bretton Wood Institutions. With economic reforms came pressures from the West which led to the establishment of multi-party democracy, with Rawlings shedding his uniform to contest elections. His PNDC was transformed into the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and he won the next two elections and served as civilian president from January 7, 1993 – January 7, 2001 Pervasive is the only word to describe Rawlings influence on contemporary Ghana's history. Almost every facets of modern Ghana and almost all the institutions were his creations and they still bear his imprints. The party he founded, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has won four of Ghana's six elections in the fourth republic. The current president was a Minister in his government, as are some of the current ministers. So profound is Rawlings influence that thirteen years after he left office, he still exercises great influence in the life of the country and its people. Every one of his pronouncements, dubbed 'Boom,' by the local press is headline news and is discussed endlessly by Ghanaians. No other Ghanaian commands the same attention.

Jerry John Rawlings was born in Accra, on 22 June 1947, to a Ghanaian mother, Victoria Agbotui and a Scottish father, James Ramsey John. He attended the prestigious Achimota School and went on to study for a pilot officer course at the Air force training center in Sekondi-Takoradi. He graduated in January 1969, and was commissioned a pilot officer in the Ghana Air Force. He was adjudged the best cadet in flying and airmanship and won the coveted "Speed Bird Trophy". He earned the rank of Flight Lieutenant in April 1978. It was a rank he kept throughout his long career in the military and as head of state. Even as head of state, Rawlings continue to dazzle Ghanaians with his flying stunts. He also dazzled celebrities like Steve Wonder. Rawlings is among the few leaders in Africa that did not allow the pomp and the trappings of office to dent their populist enthusiasm. He is also among the few ex rulers in Africa who can walk the streets and receive spontaneous, enthusiastic accolades. He is genuinely a man of the masses, who adore him all over the continent.

He is one leader that is not afraid to mix it up with the common man. He eats their food, speaks their street slang and often jettison protocol to interact with the common man on the streets. He is not a man to be found wanting and he freely expresses his opinion on local and international affairs. Rawlings is one of the two African leaders (the other is President Mugabe) who is not afraid to criticise the West as he did during the NATO assault on Libya. The enigma of Rawlings continue with his wife. Seen by many as a strong Machoman, Rawlings remain surprisingly close to his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman - a formidable woman in her own rights. They have three daughters and one son. In 1993 then President Rawlings used the US$50,000 cash prize he won from the Hunger Project as seed money to sponsor the establishment of the University of Developmental Studies at Tamale in Northern Ghana. It was the first the first university in Northern Ghana. The grateful university awarded him an Honorary Ph.D. in 2011. Like Nkrumah before him, Rawlings is better appreciated outside the land of his birth.

Many Nigerians swear that the only thing their nation need right now is a JJ Rawlings. Plug for Femi Akomolafe Femi Akomolafe is a Freelance writer, Film & Video Documentary Producer, IT Consultant and Web-Designer. His highly-acclaimed books (Africa: Destroyed by the gods,” and “Africa: It shall be well,” are now available for sales at the following bookshops/offices: 1. Freedom Bookshop, near Apollo Theatre, Accra. 2. The Daily Dispatch Office, Labone - Accra 3. WEB Dubois Pan-African Centre, Accra 4. Ghana Writers Association office, PAWA House, Roman Ridge, Accra. They are also available on the internet. Here are useful links: 1. Africa: it shall be well: Africa: it shall be well is available for sale on Kindle books at this link: A FREE Chapter of 'Africa: It shall be well' could be downloaded here: 2.

Africa: Destroyed by the gods (How religiosity destroyed Africa) Africa: Destroyed by the gods is available for sale on Kindle books at this link: A FREE Chapter of 'Africa: Destroyed by the gods' could be downloaded here: Read a review here Femi maintains a blog @: Twitter: Gmail+: +Femi Akomolafe; LinkedIn: Femi Akomolafe Facebook: alayeclearsound dotbiz Biography of the Former President of the Republic of Ghana, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings About His Excellency His Excellency the Former President of Ghana, Flt Lt (rtd) Jerry John Rawlings was born on the June 22nd, 1947 in Accra and was twice the head of state of Ghana. His first political appearance on the Ghanaian scene was on May 15, 1979 when an unsuccessful coup d'ï¿½tat he led resulted in his arrest, imprisonment, and a death sentence. But before he could be executed, his friends in the Ghana military led by Junior Officers and the ranks overthrew the then military government of General Fred Akuffo in a coup on June 4, 1979.

The Junior Officers and the ranks set Rawlings free from prison, and installed him as head of the new government - the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).The AFRC handed over power to Dr. Hilla Limann who won the popular vote in the election to establish the Third Republic. Less than two years later, Dr. Limann's civilian and constitutional government was overthrown again by Jerry Rawlings on December 31, 1981. He then installed the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime. After two terms in office, barred by the constitution from standing in any election, he anointed his vice-president John Atta-Mills as his choice to replace him as President. Ghanaians rejected his choice in the 2000 election by voting for the opposition NPP's candidate, John Kufuor. He is a product of Achimota School, and married to Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and has four children: three girls and a boy. He is the joint recipient of the 1993 World Hunger Award. Military Career In March, 1968, he was posted to Takoradi in the Western Region to continue his studies.

He graduated in January 1969, and was commissioned a Pilot Officer, winning the coveted "Speed Bird Trophy" as the best cadet in flying and airmanship. He earned the rank of Flight Lieutenant (Flt. Lt.) in April 1978.During his service with the Ghanaian Air Force, Rawlings perceived a deterioration of discipline and morale, reflecting the corruption of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) at that time. As promotion brought him into contact with the privileged classes and their social values, his view of the injustices in society hardened. He was thus regarded with some unease by the SMC. He read widely and discussed social and political ideas with a growing circle of like-minded friends and colleagues. On May 28, 1979, Rawlings, together with six others who were arrested earlier, appeared before a General Court Martial in Accra, charged with leading a mutiny of junior officers and enlisted men of the Ghanaian Armed Forces on May 15, 1979. There was strong public reaction, especially after his statement had been read in court, explaining the social injustices that had prompted him to act.

The ranks of the Armed Forces, in particular, expressed deep sympathy with his stated aims. Military Coup When he was scheduled for another court appearance on 4 June 1979, Rawlings was sprung from custody. With the support of both the military and civilians, he led a coup that ousted the Supreme Military Council from office and brought the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to power.The AFRC, under the chairmanship of Rawlings, carried out a much wider "house-cleaning exercise" aimed at purging the armed forces and society at large of corruption and graft as well as restoring a sense of moral responsibility and accountability in public life. On 24th September 1979, the AFRC handed over power to a civilian government led by the People's National Party (PNP), under President Hilla Limann.On 31st December 1981, a Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), composed of both civilian and military members, was established with Rawlings as Chairman. In his second tenure in power, Rawlings' policies became more centrist, and he began to advocate free-market reforms.

However, despite the country's economic success, the Ghanaian government was criticized both at home and abroad for committing numerous abuses of human rights.In the early 1990s, the economy of Ghana was still not performing as well as it had in the early 1970s, on the other hand, the basic needs of the citizens were being met, many of them by domestic products, and the economy showed steady improvement with guidance from the International Monetary Fund. Rawlings's reputation on foreign policy received a boost when he acted as a key figure in a mediated peace settlement between factions in nearby Liberia, a nation burdened by five years of civil war. Democratic President Citizens began demanding a more democratic form of government as the 1990s progressed. Rawlings answered this demand by forming a National Commission for Democracy (NCD), empowered to hold regional debates and formulate some suggestions for a transition to multi-party democracy. Although opposition groups complained that the NCD was too closely associated with the PNDC, the commission continued its work through 1991. In March of that year the NCD released a report recommending the election of an executive president, the establishment of a national assembly, and the creation of a prime minister post.

The PNDC accepted the report, and the following year Rawlings legalized political parties--with the provision that none could use names that had been used before--and set a timetable for presidential elections.When these presidential elections were held in 1992, Rawlings stood as the candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the successor party to the PNDC. Although his opponents were given access to television and newspaper coverage and to the freedom of the press had been lifted--no single candidate could match the popularity of the sitting head of state. Election returns on November 3, 1992, revealed that Rawlings had won 58.3 percent of the vote, for a landslide victory. Foreign observers declared the voting to be "free and fair." Almost immediately, the leaders of the country's opposition parties claimed that the presidential election was not fair, and that widespread abuses had occurred. The leaders encouraged their followers to boycott subsequent parliamentary elections, with the result being that NDC candidates won 189 of 200 seats in the new parliament. Rawlings was therefore accorded a four-year term backed by an elected assembly of supporters for his platform.

Answering questions of polling place irregularities, he promised to initiate a new voter registration program to be completed in time for elections in 1996. AllRefer.com - Ghana - The 1979 Coup and the First Rawlings Government | Ghanaian Information Resource Ghana The 1979 Coup and the First Rawlings Government Ghana's third military coup was planned by a small group of disgruntled officers. On May 15, 1979, less than five weeks before the national elections, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and several members of the air force (junior officers and corporals) unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the government. During the court martial of the coup's seven plotters, Rawlings justified his action by claiming that official corruption had eroded public confidence in the government and had tarnished the image of the armed forces. Rawlings also charged that Syrian and Lebanese businessmen living in Ghana had gained control of the country's economy at the expense of the African majority. On the night of June 3, 1979, a group of junior officers and enlisted personnel of the Fifth Battalion and the Reconnaissance Regiment in Burma Camp staged a coup and freed Rawlings.

These individuals then formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to rule the country. The AFRC included a cross section of ranks from private and lance corporal to staff sergeant, airman, lieutenant, and naval commander. Although the scheduled elections occurred as planned on June 18, 1979, the AFRC retained power until September 24, 1979, when President Hilla Limann and the People's National Party (PNP) assumed control of the government. Meanwhile, the AFRC purged the senior ranks of the armed forces and executed eight officers, three of whom had been former heads of state (Acheampong, Akuffo, and Afrifa). From July to September 1979, special courts held hearings and sentenced 155 military officers, former officials, and wealthy businessmen to prison terms ranging from six months to ninety-five years. Additionally, the AFRC collected back taxes from numerous government officials and threatened to seize the assets of many others unless they refunded money to the state that they had allegedly embezzled or stolen. The AFRC also charged hundreds of military officers with corruption and sentenced them to long prison terms.

Many civil servants fell victim to the purge and lost their jobs as well. Data as of November 1994 Ghana Profile | African Countries | African Country Profiles | Royal African Society Home › All Africa › Ghana Ghana Kwame Nkrumah was released from prison on the 12th February 1957, where he was serving a three year sentence for civil-disobedience and was asked to form a government by British Governor Charles-Arden-Clarke. Ghana was thus the first African country to gain independence. On 6th March of that year Nkrumah – the noted pan-Africanist - took the helm as Africa’s first independence leader. He stands alongsideNelson Mandela as a symbol of African self-determination. Ghana entered a period of political and economic turmoil during and after Nkrumah’s presidency, leading to two military coups in 1979 and 1981, both spearheaded by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings. Rawlings sacrificed power promptly after the 1979 coup but being a man driven more by an intense moral code more than a sense of political subtlety, felt compelled to come again in 1981.

Rawlings finally held democratic elections in 1992 and was chosen to form a legitimate executive. In 2000 he reached the end of his second term in office but his Vice President, John Atta Mills, lost the election to opposition leader John Kufuor. This was the first transition of democratic power since Ghanaian independence. It has been said that Nkrumah was ‘Democrat turned Dictator’ whilst Rawlings was ‘Dictator turned Democrat.’ The Ghanaian economy is still largely agricultural, the rural sector being responsible for over a third of the national GDP and employing over half of the workforce. Cocoa has long been farmed in Ghana and is one of the country’s most lucrative exports. The country is however rich in natural resources; oil was discovered in Ghana in 2007 and drilling continues. Ghana was ranked the second most stable African state, after Mauritius in 2009 and has a strong political tradition of regional co-operation. It received the honour of being the first African country visited by newly installed American President Barack Obama in 2009 – a privilege thought to be connected to its recent election, deemed both free and fair by international observers.

Ghana’s most iconic contemporary figure is Koffi Anan, former Secretary General of the United Nations. Reading List Jerry Rawlings Seizes Power | Ghana, A living History Ghana, A living History A History of Ghana seen through the eyes of Ghanaians June 1979 Jerry Rawlings Seizes Power June 4, 1979 On June 4, 1979, Akuffo’s government was deposed in a violent coup by a group of junior and noncommissioned officers – Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) – with Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings as its chairman. The AFRC executed eight senior military officers, including former chiefs of state Acheampong and Akuffo; established secret Special Tribunals that tried dozens of military officers, government officials, and private individuals for corruption, sentenced them to long prison terms and confiscating property. Like this: Like Loading... Related This entry was posted on June 4, 1979 at 3:25 am and is filed under Jerry Rawlings Seizes Power .

3 Responses to “Jerry Rawlings Seizes Power” September 11, 2008 at 6:45 am THE 1979 COUP AND THE FIRST RAWLINGS GOVERNMENT Ghana’s third military coup was planned by a small group of disgruntled officers. On May 15, 1979, less than five weeks before the national elections, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and several members of the air force (junior officers and corporals) unsuccessfully tried to overthrow the government. During the court martial of the coup’s seven plotters, Rawlings justified his action by claiming that official corruption had eroded public confidence in the government and had tarnished the image of the armed forces. Rawlings also charged that Syrian and Lebanese businessmen living in Ghana had gained control of the country’s economy at the expense of the African majority. On the night of June 3, 1979, a group of junior officers and enlisted personnel of the Fifth Battalion and the Reconnaissance Regiment in Burma Camp staged a coup and freed Rawlings. These individuals then formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to rule the country.

The AFRC included a cross section of ranks from private and lance corporal to staff sergeant, airman, lieutenant, and naval commander. Although the scheduled elections occurred as planned on June 18, 1979, the AFRC retained power until September 24, 1979, when President Hilla Limann and the People’s National Party (PNP) assumed control of the government. Meanwhile, the AFRC purged the senior ranks of the armed forces and executed eight officers, three of whom had been former heads of state (Acheampong, Akuffo, and Afrifa). From July to September 1979, special courts held hearings and sentenced 155 military officers, former officials, and wealthy businessmen to prison terms ranging from six months to ninety-five years. Additionally, the AFRC collected back taxes from numerous government officials and threatened to seize the assets of many others unless they refunded money to the state that they had allegedly embezzled or stolen. The AFRC also charged hundreds of military officers with corruption and sentenced them to long prison terms. Many civil servants fell victim to the purge and lost their jobs as well.

September 11, 2008 at 6:48 am THE 1981 COUP AND THE SECOND RAWLINGS GOVERNMENT The combination of official corruption, Rawlings’s continued political activities, and deteriorating economic conditions doomed the Limann government. On December 31, 1981, Rawlings, supported by lower-ranking soldiers, most of whom served in the Reconnaissance Regiment, seized power. Rawlings then established the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) to rule the country, dissolved parliament, and banned all political parties. On January 21, 1982, Rawlings appointed a sixteen-member civilian government with a cabinet of secretaries and told them to “serve the people sacrificially.” The PNDC also assumed control of the Ministry of Defence. The Rawlings regime further consolidated its power by promulgating PNDC Law 42, which suspended the constitution and gave the government wide powers over Ghanaian citizens. Shortly after seizing power, Rawlings took action against individuals who had allegedly committed crimes against the Ghanaian people.

In January 1982, for example, the PNDC ordered former members of the banned PNP and other undesirable elements to report to the nearest police station or army barracks. The authorities detained some of these individuals and released others after registering their names. The police and army continued this roundup by arresting allegedly corrupt individuals who had served in the Limann government, former members of parliament, businessmen suspected of trading on the black market, and alleged coup plotters. On June 30, 1982, one or more members of the PNDC and their accomplices abducted and then murdered three High Court of Justice judges and the personnel director of the Ghana Industrial Holdings Corporation. Despite the popularity of the Rawlings regime, there were two coup attempts in late 1982 and in early 1983. On November 23, 1982, a group of soldiers tried to overthrow the regime, initiating hostilities at Gondar Barracks. Government forces, however, defeated the rebels and the police arrested more than twenty people. The other coup attempt occurred on February 27, 1983, when security forces arrested nine soldiers and two civilians in Achimota, near Accra.

The authorities claimed that they also discovered heavy machine guns, rockets, ammunition, and a list of people to be assassinated. Kojo Tsikata, special adviser to the PNDC, also accused the United States embassy of involvement in the coup attempt, but the Ghanaian government never proved this allegation. Challenges to the Rawlings regime continued throughout the 1980s. Between 1985 and 1986, for example, there were at least seven coup attempts. On September 24, 1989, two days after Rawlings had assumed direct command of the armed forces, the government announced that it had foiled yet another attempted coup. The attempt was led by Major Courage Quarshigah, a popular officer in the Ghanaian armed forces, former commandant of the Ghana Military Academy, and a former close ally of Rawlings. Quarshigah and four other army officers were arrested. They were accused of planning to assassinate Rawlings as part of the coup, but several of the accused allegedly favored a return to constitutional rule under a civilian government.

Despite the so-called Quarshigah Affair and other attempted coups, Rawlings remained in control of the PNDC and the armed forces, which he commanded from September 1989 until June 1990. An Economic Recovery Program (ERP), supported by the International Monetary Fund ( IMF–see Glossary) and the World Bank (see Glossary), was adopted to improve the lives of Ghanaians. The Rawlings regime also acceded to popular demands for a democratic, multiparty election. Despite these accomplishments, however, corruption, authoritarianism, and incompetence have continued to be significant problems. FLT LT JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS Former President of The Republic of Ghana (1979, 1981-2001) His Excellency the Former President of Ghana, Flt Lt (rtd) Jerry John Rawlings was born on the June 22nd, 1947 in Accra and was twice the head of state of Ghana. His first political appearance on the Ghanaian scene was on May 15, 1979 when an unsuccessful coup d’état he led resulted in his arrest, imprisonment, and a death sentence.

But before he could be executed, his friends in the Ghana military led by Junior Officers and the ranks overthrew the then military government of General Fred Akuffo in a coup on June 4, 1979. The Junior Officers and the ranks set Rawlings free from prison, and installed him as head of the new government – the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC).The AFRC handed over power to Dr. Hilla Limann who won the popular vote in the election to establish the Third Republic. Less than two years later, Dr. Limann’s civilian and constitutional government was overthrown again by Jerry Rawlings on December 31, 1981. He then installed the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime. After two terms in office, barred by the constitution from standing in any election, he anointed his vice-president John Atta-Mills as his choice to replace him as President. Ghanaians rejected his choice in the 2000 election by voting for the opposition NPP’s candidate, John Kufuor.

He is a product of Achimota School, and married to Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and has four children: three girls and a boy. He is the joint recipient of the 1993 World Hunger Award. Military Career In March, 1968, he was posted to Takoradi in the Western Region to continue his studies. He graduated in January 1969, and was commissioned a Pilot Officer, winning the coveted “Speed Bird Trophy” as the best cadet in flying and airmanship. He earned the rank of Flight Lieutenant (Flt. Lt.) in April 1978.During his service with the Ghanaian Air Force, Rawlings perceived a deterioration of discipline and morale, reflecting the corruption of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) at that time. As promotion brought him into contact with the privileged classes and their social values, his view of the injustices in society hardened. He was thus regarded with some unease by the SMC. He read widely and discussed social and political ideas with a growing circle of like-minded friends and colleagues.

On May 28, 1979, Rawlings, together with six others who were arrested earlier, appeared before a General Court Martial in Accra, charged with leading a mutiny of junior officers and enlisted men of the Ghanaian Armed Forces on May 15, 1979. There was strong public reaction, especially after his statement had been read in court, explaining the social injustices that had prompted him to act. The ranks of the Armed Forces, in particular, expressed deep sympathy with his stated aims. Military Coup When he was scheduled for another court appearance on 4 June 1979, Rawlings was sprung from custody. With the support of both the military and civilians, he led a coup that ousted the Supreme Military Council from office and brought the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to power. The AFRC, under the chairmanship of Rawlings, carried out a much wider “house-cleaning exercise” aimed at purging the armed forces and society at large of corruption and graft as well as restoring a sense of moral responsibility and accountability in public life.

On 24th September 1979, the AFRC handed over power to a civilian government led by the People’s National Party (PNP), under President Hilla Limann. On 31st December 1981, a Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), composed of both civilian and military members, was established with Rawlings as Chairman. In his second tenure in power, Rawlings’ policies became more centrist, and he began to advocate free-market reforms. However, despite the country’s economic success, the Ghanaian government was criticized both at home and abroad for committing numerous abuses of human rights. In the early 1990s, the economy of Ghana was still not performing as well as it had in the early 1970s, on the other hand, the basic needs of the citizens were being met, many of them by domestic products, and the economy showed steady improvement with guidance from the International Monetary Fund. Rawlings’s reputation on foreign policy received a boost when he acted as a key figure in a mediated peace settlement between factions in nearby Liberia, a nation burdened by five years of civil war.

Democratic President Citizens began demanding a more democratic form of government as the 1990s progressed. Rawlings answered this demand by forming a National Commission for Democracy (NCD), empowered to hold regional debates and formulate some suggestions for a transition to multi-party democracy. Although opposition groups complained that the NCD was too closely associated with the PNDC, the commission continued its work through 1991. In March of that year the NCD released a report recommending the election of an executive president, the establishment of a national assembly, and the creation of a prime minister post. The PNDC accepted the report, and the following year Rawlings legalized political parties–with the provision that none could use names that had been used before–and set a timetable for presidential elections.When these presidential elections were held in 1992, Rawlings stood as the candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the successor party to the PNDC. Although his opponents were given access to television and newspaper coverage and to the freedom of the press had been lifted–no single candidate could match the popularity of the sitting head of state.

Election returns on November 3, 1992, revealed that Rawlings had won 58.3 percent of the vote, for a landslide victory. Foreign observers declared the voting to be “free and fair.” Almost immediately, the leaders of the country’s opposition parties claimed that the presidential election was not fair, and that widespread abuses had occurred. The leaders encouraged their followers to boycott subsequent parliamentary elections, with the result being that NDC candidates won 189 of 200 seats in the new parliament. Rawlings was therefore accorded a four-year term backed by an elected assembly of supporters for his platform. Answering questions of polling place irregularities, he promised to initiate a new voter registration program to be completed in time for elections in 1996. Ghana profile - Timeline - BBC News Ghana profile - Timeline A chronology of key events: 1482 - Portuguese set up trading settlement. Kwame Nkrumah Independence leader was an advocate of Pan-Africanism 1874 - British proclaim coastal area a crown colony.

Late 1400s - mid-1800s - Millions of West Africans are captured and sent as slaves to the Americas and the Caribbean. 1925 - First legislative council elections take place. 1948 - Rioting after British colonial police kill three Ghanaian Second World War veterans during a protest march demanding compensation for their war service. It becomes a milestone in Ghana's struggle for independence. 1957 - Independence for the state now called Ghana, the first country in black sub-Saharan Africa to shake off colonial rule, inspiring liberation struggles around the continent. Kwame Nkrumah is prime minister. 1960 - Ghana proclaimed a republic; Nkrumah elected president. 1964 - Ghana becomes a one-party state. 1966 - Nkrumah overthrown in military coup; Russian and Chinese technicians expelled. 1969 - New constitution facilitates transfer of power to civilian government led by Kofi Busia. 1972 - Busia ousted in military coup led by Colonel Ignatius Acheampong. Fallen hero 1978 - Acheampong forced to resign; General Frederick Akuffo takes over.

Rawlings era 1979 - Akuffo deposed in coup led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings. Acheampong and Akuffo executed. 1979 September - Rawlings hands over power to an elected president, Hilla Limann. 1981 - Limann ousted in military coup led by Rawlings after two years of weak government and economic stagnation. 1983 - Rawlings adopts conservative economic policies, abolishing subsidies and price controls, privatising many state enterprises and devaluing the currency. 1992 - Referendum approves new constitution introducing a multiparty system. Rawlings elected president. 1994 - One thousand people are killed and a further 150,000 are displaced in the Northern Region following ethnic clashes between the Konkomba and the Nanumba over land ownership. Image caption Jerry Rawlings, r, seen with US President Bill Clinton, came to power in a coup but won subsequent elections 1994 June - Seven ethnic groups involved in violence in Northern Region sign peace agreement. 1995 - Government imposes curfew in Northern Region as renewed ethnic violence results in a further 100 deaths.

1996 - Jerry Rawlings re-elected president. Kufuor elected 2000 - December - John Kufuor beats Vice-President John Atta Mills in the presidential election. 2001 February - Petrol prices rise by 60% following the government's decision to remove fuel subsidies. 2001 April - Ghana accepts debt relief under a scheme designed by the World Bank and the IMF. 2001 May - National day of mourning after football stadium stampede leaves 126 dead. Inquiry blames police for overreacting to crowd trouble. 2001 June - Government scraps public holiday celebrating Rawling's military coup in an effort to wipe out the legacy of his rule. 2001 June - Floods hit Accra, causing 10 deaths and forcing 100,000 to flee their homes. 2002 April - State of emergency is declared in the north after a tribal chief and more than 30 others are killed in clan violence. State of emergency is lifted in August 2004. 2002 May - President Kufuor inaugurates reconciliation commission to look into human rights violations during military rule.

2003 October - Government approves merger of two gold-mining firms, creating new gold-mining giant. 2004 February - Former President Jerry Rawlings testifies at commission investigating human rights offences during the early years of his rule. 2004 October - Group of current and former military personnel detained on suspicion of planning to destabilise government ahead of elections. 2004 December - Presidential poll: Incumbent John Kufuor wins a second term. 2005 April-May - Thousands of Togolese refugees arrive, fleeing political violence in their home country. 2006 April - A boat capsizes on Lake Volta reservoir; more than 100 passengers are feared drowned. 2006 June - Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao promises to lend Ghana about $66m to fund development projects. He is on an African tour aimed at opening new export markets for China's booming economy and at securing energy and mineral supplies. 2007 March - Ghana celebrates 50 years of independence from Britain. Oil discovered 2007 June - Major off-shore oil discovery announced. President Kufuor says oil will turn Ghana into an "African tiger".

2007 September - The worst floods for more than 30 years cause widespread devastation, destroying much of the annual harvest. 2007 December - President Kufuor says off-shore oil reserves total 3 billion barrels. 2008 December - John Atta Mills elected president. 2009 July - US President Barack Obama visits. Ghana secures a $600m three-year loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Image copyright Getty Images Image caption President Mills ceremonially launches Ghana's oil production 2009 October - Controversy over sale of national communications network Ghana Telecom, allegedly for less that it was worth. 2010 December - Offshore oil production begins. 2011 July - President John Atta Mills chosen as ruling National Democratic Congress party's candidate for the 2012 presidential election, defeating Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, wife of former President Jerry Rawlings. 2011 August - UK-based oil exploration company Tullow Oil, says it will spend at least $4bn to develop oil fields off the coast of Ghana.

2012 June - Thousands are displaced by communal violence in the east, sparked by the exhumation of the body of a Muslim cleric. 2012 July - President Mills dies. John Mahama becomes interim head of state. Image copyright Getty Images 'Illegal gold miners' rounded up 2012 September-October - Ivory Coast closes its borders with Ghana for two weeks after a deadly attack on an army checkpoint blamed on exiled supporters of ousted President Laurent Gbagbo. 2012 October - Ghana becomes embroiled in a row with Argentina after impounding an Argentine naval training vessel on behalf of creditors. A Chinese boy is killed and some 100 Chinese are detained in an operation against illegal gold mining. 2012 December - President John Mahama wins re-election. 2013 Authorities arrest hundreds of Chinese and other migrants working in unlicensed gold mines. The government says around 4,700 illegal miners, most of them Chinese, were deported in 2013. 2013 August - The supreme court rejects an appeal by the main opposition NPP against President Mahama's 2012 election victory.

2013 December - Ghana says Ivory Coast sent hit squads into the country to try to kidnap or kill exiled supporters of former Ivorian President Laurent Gbagbo. Ivory Coast denies the accusation. 2014 July - Thousands take to the streets to protest against the government's alleged mishandling of the economy. 2015 April - Two Ghanaian men appear in court in Accra on charges of planning to import nearly six tonnes of cocaine from Bolivia. 2015 June - Three days of national mourning are declared after 175 people were killed by flooding and a petrol station explosion. 2015 December - Twenty judges are sacked after being implicated in a high-profile bribe-taking scandal. Jerry Rawlings (Fighter Pilot) - Pics, Videos, Dating, & News Jerry Rawlings Fighter Pilot and Former Politician Male Born Jun 22, 1947 Jerry John Rawlings is a former leader of the Republic of Ghana and the current African Union envoy to Somalia.

Rawlings ruled Ghana as a military Leader in 1979 and from 1981 to 1992, and then as the first elected president of the Fourth Republic from 1993 to 2001.… Read More related links Growing Democracy: Lessons From Ghana Huffington Post - Oct 30, 2013 'Co-authored by Katie Smith Milway, writer on sustainable development. Ghana\'s road to democracy has been paved by investments in pro-business policies and access to microcredit, which has helped to build a generation of business owners and broaden the middle class. \nAt a time when several African nations (Egypt, Libya and Tunisia, to name three) are struggling in the transition from dictatorship to democracy, they have much to learn by looking south to another African neighbor, Ghana. ... Leaders Mourn Death Of Ghana's Bastion Of Democracy Huffington Post - Aug 10, 2012 '\n ACCRA, Ghana â World leaders joined thousands of Ghanaians on Friday for the funeral of President John Atta Mills, who came to symbolize Ghana\'s maturing democracy in a region long plagued by coups and disputed votes.

\n\n Atta Mills, 68, came to power in 2009 after winning the closest election in the country\'s history. The peaceful transition of leadership after that vote was lauded as was the swift and orderly inauguration of the country\'s vice president last month following ... Dotsonville Community News August 29th, 2011 Clarksville Leaf Chronicle Google News - Aug 29, 2011 'Ed (Rawhide) Rawlings is served the first banana split by his wife Aline at the annual Dotsonville Community ice cream social, while <mark>Jerry Rawlings</mark> look on. / Jenni Comley Combining the annual back-to-school ice cream party with a yard sale Saturday' African Leaders Hold Delayed Fundraiser For Famine Voice Of America (Blog) Google News - Aug 25, 2011 'Former Ghanaian president <mark>Jerry Rawlings</mark>, who is the AU envoy to Somalia, is also present. As many as a dozen African leaders were expected for a meeting that was initially scheduled for early August.

It was postponed due to what officials said were ...&nbsp;-&nbsp;-' Learn about the memorable moments in the evolution of Jerry Rawlings. CHILDHOOD 1947 Birth Jerry John Rawlings was born in Accra, Gold Coast, on 22 June 1947, to Victoria Agbotui (born 9 September 1919 in Dzelukope near Keta in what is now the Volta Region of Ghana), and James Ramsey John, a chemist from the United Kingdom, born in Castle Douglas, Scotland, in 1907. … Read More Rawlings attended Achimota School.<br /><br /> Rawlings is married to Nana Konadu Agyeman. He has three daughters: Ezanetor Rawlings, Yaa Asantewaa Rawlings, Amina Rawlings; and one son, Kimathi Rawlings. Read Less TWENTIES 1968 21 Years Old In March, 1968, he was posted to Takoradi in the Western Region to continue his studies.

1969 22 Years Old He graduated in January 1969, and was commissioned a Pilot Officer, winning the coveted "Speed Bird Trophy" as the best cadet in flying the Su-7 ground attack supersonic jet aircraft. … Read More He earned the rank of Flight Lieutenant (Flt. Lt.) in April 1978. During his service with the Ghanaian Air Force, Rawlings perceived a deterioration of discipline and morale, reflecting the corruption of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) at that time. As promotion brought him into contact with the privileged classes and their social values, his view of the injustices in society hardened. He was thus regarded with some unease by the SMC. He read widely and discussed social and political ideas with a growing circle of like-minded friends and colleagues.

Read Less THIRTIES Show Less In May 1979, Rawlings, together with six other soldiers were arrested, by the Ghanaian Military for a mutiny labelled as a coup attempt (because the military were in power at the time) on the government of General Fred Akuffo, and Rawlings appeared before a General Court Martial, charged with leading a squad of soldiers on 15 May 1979. While awaiting his execution, Rawlings was sprung from custody on 4 June 1979 by a group of soldiers. … Read More He led the insurgent that ousted the Supreme Military Council from office with Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC). On the night of 4 June, lives were lost in both the forces fighting against the military government and those fighting on the side of the insurgency. As one of his first acts in power, Rawlings signed the orders for the execution of a former military president of Ghana who was later executed: Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, and Air Vice-Marshal Yaw Boakye. Four other generalsâKotei, Joy Amedume, Roger Felli, and Utukaâwere also put to death.

Rawlings has never denied responsibility for this.<br /><br /> The Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), under the Military Marshal of Rawlings, carried out, what Rawlings described as a much wider "house-cleaning exercise". Meanwhile, following a programme already set in motion before the 4 June insurgency. On 24 September 1979, the AFRC military allowed the governing of the People's National Party (PNP) under Hilla Limann. Read Less 1981 34 Years Old Limann's administration was cut short on 31 December 1981, when Rawlings deposed him in another coup. … Read More The Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), composed of both civilian and soldiers, was established with Rawlings as the Chairman. The PNDC, led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings began the process of what Rawlings said to be a decentralisation.<br /><br /> Immediately following the overthrow of the Gen. Akufo government, Rawlings and his men embarked on what was termed "house-cleaning". They immediately tried and executed General Akufo, Gen. I. K.Acheampong, and Gen.

Afrifa, all former heads of state, who had participated in earlier treasonable coups against former Presidents like Nkrumah. Air Vice Marshal Yaw Boakye, General Utuka, Amedume, Feli and Kotei were also executed for their roles in undermining the image of the military through corrupt acts.<br /><br /> The killings of the Supreme Court justices (Cecilia Koranteng Addo, Frederick Sarkodie, and Kwadjo Agyei Agyepong), military officers Major Sam Acquah and Major Dasana Nantogmah and the killings and disappearance of over 300 other Ghanaians occurred at this time in Ghana's history. Read Less FORTIES Show Less He was re-elected in 1996 for a further four years. … Read More He currently serves as the African Union envoy to Somalia.<br /><br /> Rawlings attempted a coup d'Ã©tat on 15 May 1979, leading a group of military personnel in a coup attempt on General Fred Akuffo which resulted in him being arrested, imprisoned and facing a death sentence.

However, a speech he gave during his trial resonated with a large section of the public that rose up in his defence. Consequently, on 4 June, soldiers sympathetic to his motivations broke him out of jail, and he led a revolt of both the military and civilians which overthrew General Akuffo and the Supreme Military Council, effectively leaving him in charge. Rawlings and the soldiers around him formed the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and conducted what it termed "a housecleaning exercise", whose aim was to purge Ghanaian society of all the corruption and social injustices that they perceived to be at the root of their coup d'Ã©tat. Read Less … The AFRC organized an election and it was won by Hilla Limann of the People's National Party (PNP). On 31 December 1981 Rawlings and together with some soldiers and civilians took advantage of new year festivities organized by Limann and overthrew the Limann government, citing economic mismanagement. Rawlings then installed the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) with himself as the Chairman. <br /><br />In 1992, Rawlings retired from the military and set up the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He legalized political parties and organized Presidential and Parliamentary elections, in response to demands for a more democratic process concerning the governing of the country. Rawlings and his party won with 58.3 percent of the vote, with outside observers declaring the voting to be "free and fair". Read Less In 1996, Rawlings went on to win a second term as President. FIFTIES

Question: Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings led military coups in which African country in 1979 and 1981?
Answer: GHANA