Former President Jerry John Rawlings has made the strongest indication yet that he does not regret the decision he took to demolish a hotel near the Tetteh Quarshie interchange in 1999.
Executive Chairman of the Dara Salaam Group, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim who owned the hotel valued at 5 million dollars, recently said after launching his autobiography that he had forgiven Mr. Rawlings for that controversial decision.
But speaking at the 40th anniversary of the June 4 Uprising at Nungua, Accra on Tuesday, the former president said Alhaji Yusif was in no position to forgive anyone, “not even the bush rat in his home town”.
He stressed that given another chance, he will pull down that hotel again, arguing that the hotel was wrongly sited. “Governments appear to exercise no restraint when it comes to breaking down poor people’s structures in waterways or unauthorised areas. Big people, however, seem to be above the law and are untouchable.
“If time were reversible, I would do it again and again and I will take along their new gargantuan structures in the waterways.” God, Mr. Rawlings said, had nothing to do with unlawful structures.
He described the allegation that he ordered the demolition because Alhaji Yusif was Sam Jonah’s friend and they owned the property as laughable. He said Jonah had a bigger appetite than “your little hotel”.
“I’m not sure the misuse of my name will win you any sympathy. Your financial claims and that granted by the court was overblown, but that’s how your kind mix business with politics.”
Mr. Rawlings was categorical that “we have let the rot in our countries and our continent go on unchecked for so long. We have held our noses and watched some extremely terrible leaders subject our people to the worst of suffering, left them to slaughter each other based on ethnicity and religion, year in year out.”
FLASHBACK: Businessman Recounts How Rawlings Demolished His Multimilion Dollar Hotel (VIDEO)
Businessman Recounts How Rawlings Demolished His Multimillion-Dollar Hotel
Ghanaian businessman Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim has recounted how former president Jerry John Rawlings demolished his multimillion-dollar hotel in the late 1990s.
In his autobiography, he narrated how his plush hotel was demolished in 1999 under Rawlings administration.
The said hotel was at the Airport Residential Area, near the Kotoka International Airport in Accra.
The 4-star hotel had 65 rooms, conference-hosting facilities, a Chinese restaurant and a cocktail bar.
It also had a swimming pool, tennis court and 16 catering apartments, in what he said, cost a total of $5 million to build.
But Rawlings, who was president at the time, reportedly directed armed officers to besiege the place and take the hotel down after having suspicions about the ownership of the hotel.
Speaking on Good Evening Ghana, Alhaji Yusif Ibrahim opened up on what led to the said demolition.
According to him, Rawlings took the decision because he thought Sam Jonah, who he had fallen out with, was a co-owner of the hotel.
FLASHBACK (VIDEO)
Source: 3news.com
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this is arrogance. Mr.Rawlings, are you saying you demolished all the buildings in water ways or that were poorly sited? Are you saying, if there is any structure or building in Ghana today then such buildings were put up after your administration? you claim to be justice and incorruptible but the records or your history doesn't support that....it's all about hatred for certain individuals.
As for this Jerry was very wrong in the demolition. I vividly remember when this happened with the frivolous excuse that the hotel was sited in a water way. Just next to the hotel stood (and still is stands) Victor Gheho's house with a common wall dividing the two properties. If really the reason for the demolition was wrong site for the hotel, then Victor's house should have also gone down.
If only we had leaders like Rawlings, people wouldnt die when it rains. Demolish them all
What about buying land for one cedi, is it morally justified or just an inward looking
You just open your mouth a=without any serious thought in your "empty can" you carrying on your head, and spew out "borla".......As to what actually led to the bringing down of the building means nothing to you but go out shouting with you "washed brain". Hope you can explain why we as a nation loose a souls whenever it rains? If leaders were bold enough to insist on ensuring water ways are kept as it is, we won't have the rains finding its own path anytime it rains. If it had been the wooden structures.....that will be done in seconds but when it is the so called corrupt educated "fulls".....we all look the other way........ The next time you think of opening your below standard mouth leading you to showing off your less or no knowledge on issues, please think twice!!!
ST*P*D, JEALOUS, INWARD-LOOKING AYIGBE F**L
Rawlings will f00l*ishly insist that he will "demolish again and again" because it was the poor taxpayers's monies were used to compensate Alhaji, after his reckless and vindictive action. In spite of causing the nation to lose so much money, one would have thought that this wicked character would show some remorse but NO. He is still proud of his actions and beating his chest. You can't blame Rawlings because we are still feeding and clothing him big time. Rawlings killed some Ghanaian judges without remorse, so this is not surprising. He took a bribe (USD 5million) from Sani Abacha, denied it for many years and eventually admitted taking part (USD 3 million) recently. Such a character is heartless so we don't expect him to reget this demolition.
As for this one, Rawlings is right.