His name undoubtedly draws a lot of attention from Ghanaians, his persona, just striking.
A former President he is, yes but one of the very few seen moving beyond his comfort, tackling social issues, fighting corruption and advocating for discipline among citizens.
Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has not only ‘boomed’ on big platforms during national or party programs, he has also, without necessarily speaking, taken bold actions as a patriotic problem-solving individual, actions that have won him the admiration of Ghanaians.
www.ghanaweb.com takes a look at some of these instances:
Rawlings directs traffic
J.J, as he is affectionately called, was in February 2019, spotted directing traffic on the Prampram stretch of the Accra-Aflao road.
Having noticed the indiscipline exhibited by drivers on that stretch, the statesman got off his vehicle, and directed traffic in the area to restore order.
“Move here! You, move there!”, he could be heard saying in excerpts of the video captured by an eyewitness.
Watch the video below
Tree planting
Former President, Jerry John Rawlings, in May this year, partnered Zoomlion Ghana Limited and the Forestry Commission for a one-week tree planting exercise in parts of Accra to commemorate the June 4 Anniversary.
Over three hundred trees were planted along the Shiashie – Legon stretch of the Madina road.
Planting the first tree, Mr. Rawlings urged the Ghanaian media to use their platforms to educate the Ghanaian populace on the need for them to protect the environment and plant more trees in order to live long.
Rawlings gifts ex-MP vehicle
Former President, Jerry John Rawlings on August 21 presented Former Member of Parliament for Hohoe North, Patience Esi Pomary with a re-conditioned KIA Sorento sports utility vehicle at a short ceremony in his office at Ridge in Accra.
Mr. Rawlings decided to assist the former MP following a request from her some months before.
Describing Madam Pomary as a true patriot who has dedicated most of her life to the good of her people ‘with little to show for it’, he decided to honor her to inspire others.
Mr. Rawlings also said Madam Pomary’s dedication and selfless commitment to people was very commendable and expressed the hope that persons who dedicate their lives to the good of their communities and their country will be recognized by their own.
Rawlings Inspects Volta Roads
The plan was to join a colleague mourn his late wife but as usual, the Former President couldn’t merely sit through the bumps to his destination.
While travelling to the Regional capital on Thursday, November 15, to commiserate with the family of Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Henry Ametefe, on the death of his wife, Mr. Rawlings, obviously appalled by the deteriorated state of the roads, stopped over at Sokode to inspect the roads.
He expressed disappointment over the state of the roads in that part of the region. He said he experienced a similar situation when he visited Hohoe a few weeks ago.
Watch the video below
Former President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings