Former President and leader of the June 4 Movement, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings will mark the 41st anniversary of the uprising without the usual large public gathering and pomp and pageantry.
A statement signed by Kobina Andoh Amoakwa at the Communications Directorate of the Office of the Former President announced all is set for the virtual celebration of the 41st anniversary of the June 4 uprising on Thursday.
The celebration this year takes a different shape as a result of the social distancing and ban on gatherings protocols instituted by government as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic hence the exclusion of the public.
This year’s June 4 celebration will be under the theme, “Strengthening the Spirit of Patriotism, Resilience and Integrity in Difficult Times.”
The Former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings and leader of the uprising will deliver the keynote address at the event.
Other speakers at the E-durbar will include General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia as well as other leading members of the party including Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor, Ambassador Dan Abodakpi, Maame Efua Sekyi-Addo and Sussie Efua Adoboe.
As part of the celebrations, donations will be made to the Muslim community in commemoration of the Eid ul Fitr and select medical facilities will receive Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to support the fight against the corona virus.
Ahead of the durbar which will be broadcast from Flt Lt Rawlings office, there will be a wreath-laying and lighting of perpetual flame at Nungua last stop where the famous June 4 tree is located.
The organizing committee urged sympathisers and members of the public to observe the event on the designated social media platforms.
It would be recalled that on June 4, 1979, members of the military, drawn mostly from the junior ranks and inspired by mass social and public discontent, took over the governance of the country after it had sunk into a state of social, economic and political decay.
The following three months led to a ‘housecleaning’ exercise after which elections were held and the mantle of political leadership handed over to the government of the People’s National Party, ushering in the Third Republic.