To mark the 46th anniversary of the June 4, 1979, a founding member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Goosie Tanoh has called for a “radical reset” of the NDC party to restore the core values of probity, justice, accountability, and participatory democracy.

He stressed the need for a radical transformation of the party and a structural overhaul of the country’s political and economic governance.

In a solidarity message to commemorate the 46th anniversary of the June 4th Uprising, Mr Tanoh expressed his solidarity and unwavering commitment to the cause he joined 46 years ago.

“We are at a critical juncture in our nation’s journey—a moment that calls for sober reflection, honest appraisal, and decisive action,” Mr Tanoh said.

“Our party, too, needs a radical reset if we are to provide Ghanaians with the leadership they deserve and desire, and not degenerate into what our friends the NPP have become,” he added.

This year’s commemoration of the 46th anniversary of the June 4th Uprising will be held in Agormenya.

It drew a crowd of cadres, party faithful, and sympathizers who had gathered to reflect on the significance of the historic uprising that reshaped the country’s political trajectory.

Mr Tanoh warned that the overwhelming rejection of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 2024 elections was not just a rebuke to the ruling party but a cautionary signal to the NDC and all who aspire to govern.

He said the landslide defeat of the NPP must be understood not merely as a political shift, but as a profound rejection of arrogance, elitism, and governance that prioritizes private gain over public good.

“The decisive rejection of the erstwhile regime of the NPP is pregnant with lessons about how not to govern,” Tanoh said . 

“We, as a party, must learn from this in the governance of our affairs. The state is not to be governed for private gain but for collective upliftment,” he added.

Mr Tanoh who is also the presidential advisor on the 24 hour economy and Accelerated Export Development also called for a rejection of state capture and patronage politics, saying,“The state is not there to finance political parties through spurious and inflated contract sums. It is there to finance development and opportunity for all.”

Rebuild

Mr Tanoh called for the NDC party to reclaim its revolutionary roots and avoid the mistakes of its political opponents. 

He called for a structural overhaul of the NDC, describing the party as having become “an electoral machine with power concentrated at the top.”

“Branches are the foundation. And ours are mostly dead or shells mobilised only for elections but not to serve communities,” he said.

Mr Tanoh proposed the launch of an 18-month national conversation within the party, leading to a “national ideological and constitutional reset convention.” 

This, he said, would restore the NDC’s credibility and effectiveness as a genuine mass political movement capable of building a better Ghana.

“We can train a cadre to help rebuild our branches as powerful activist bodies that represent the Party to the community and the community to the Party,” he said.

He praised President John Mahama for his reset agenda and challenged the NDC to match that vision at the party level with structural reforms that restore trust, dignity, and grassroots power.

Recall

Recalling the historical roots of the June 4th Uprising, Mr Tanoh paid homage to the courage of young soldiers and “other ranks” who risked their lives in 1979 to challenge the entrenched rot in the country’s governance.

“June 4 was more than a mutiny. It was the re-entry of ordinary citizens into national politics by other means. It was a revolutionary rejection of the Ghanaian elite and a demand for radical—and even sometimes deadly—accountability by the young and the marginalised,” he said.

He drew a direct line from the ideals of the uprising to Kwame Nkrumah’s vision of a united, industrial Ghana, rooted in dignity and self-reliance. 

But that vision, Mr Tanoh said, was hijacked after Nkrumah's overthrow in 1966, replaced with elite entitlement and foreign exploitation.

“Elite ‘special’ interests were promoted above the collective interests of working Ghanaians… merit, competence and capacity were thrown out of the window.”

Mr Tanoh warned against complacency, reminding leaders that power ultimately belongs to the people.

He said that citizens would not hesitate to withdraw that power if betrayed adding that,”“Power belongs to the people; we are merely stewards”.

Referencing recent instability in the Sahel, he said ,“Neither the might of imperial powers nor the arms of the most sophisticated military can withstand the force of a people united against oppression.”

Mr Tanoh reminded leaders within the NDC and beyond that the power they hold is on loan from the people.

“June 4 is not evidence of our righteousness or entitlement to rule as “children of the revolution.,” he said.

“It is rather a sacred charge to us to uphold revolutionary standards of accountability, democracy and social justice. But it is also a stark warning to ruling elites – including ours today – about the dangers of betrayal and the retribution of the masses,” he added.

Mr Tanoh stressed that neither constitutions, nor control of state instruments of power, nor sycophantic party followers can insulate leaders from the anger of a betrayed populace. 

Tribute

Mr Tanoh also paid glowing tribute to Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, whose leadership during the June 4th Uprising prevented the country from tipping into civil war.

He called on the NDC to honour the legacy of Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and other fallen revolutionaries, not through nostalgia or entitlement, but by embodying the values they stood for.

“There is a way forward back to our roots. Let us, in this moment, recall Jerry John Rawlings and all of our fallen heroes whose heroic example and efforts inspire us to greater acts of sacrifice and service,” he said.