Veteran media personality Kwaku Sintim-Misa (KSM) has shared his recollections of the period when Jerry John Rawlings transitioned from military to civilian leadership.
In a segment on his YouTube political program, KSM highlighted Rawlings’ initial hesitation to step down after years of military governance.
KSM recalled a moment when Rawlings was questioned about his willingness to relinquish power. “I remember they asked Rawlings if he was going to hand over power, and he replied, ‘Hand over power to who?’” He recounted.
The celebrated Comedian and media personality explained that Rawlings, having led the nation under the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) as a military head of state, harboured a belief that he was uniquely qualified to steer Ghana’s course.
To facilitate a shift towards democratic governance, Rawlings and his associates established the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
This move allowed Rawlings to contest the 1992 elections as a civilian candidate. KSM pointed out that the NDC’s early perception was that it was simply a continuation of the PNDC, which fostered widespread doubt among the Ghanaian populace. “People felt he had merely dropped the ‘P’ to enable his civilian candidacy,” KSM stated.
Notwithstanding these reservations, Jerry John Rawlings emerged victorious in the 1992 elections, inaugurating his tenure as Ghana’s first president under the Fourth Republic.
