Rawlings is the ideal of excellent African leadership – Rocky Dawuni

Renowned Ghanaian reggae singer-songwriter, Rocky Dawuni, has asserted that the late president Jerry John Rawlings is the ideal of excellent African leadership and Ghanaians need to stop dragging him for his failings and celebrate him for the great achievements that he was able to confer on the nation.

In an interview with Kojo Manuel on the Y Disco Diaries, he noted that as Ghanaians celebrate the legacy of the late President and talk about memories of him, we need to note that he was just a man, thus, had failings, and those failings do not change the character of the achievements that he was able to confer on the nation.

Rocky emphasised the fact that Ghanaians need to put all the failings and turmoil that the late President took the country through during his military rule, under the rug and celebrate him for the good thoughts that he had for the country and the heights to which he raised Ghana.

He said, “When you read history, dictators stay dictators forever until they are compelled to leave but here is a man who came through the barrel of a gun and became our leader. He led us through a certain period of turmoil, we stabilized and then at some point, he introduced the democratic system into Ghana.

"Rawlings is actually the father and catalyst of the current Ghanaian political and democratic system and I think that we have to give unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar because, despite all his failings, a man becomes greater when he is very human. That shows his humanity.”

According to Rocky Dawuni, there are only a few leaders left in Africa whom like the late Jerry John Rawlings, we can say did not stash billions of dollars into their foreign accounts and have their kids living lavish lives in other countries, therefore, we need to celebrate him and give him his due in the pantheon on great leaders.