Ghana: Information on a group called "June Fourth Movement (JFM)"
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1991 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | GHA8974 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ghana: Information on a group called "June Fourth Movement (JFM)", 1 June 1991, GHA8974, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad1e0.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The June Fourth Movement (JFM) was born following the 4 June uprising in 1979, under the chairmanship of Jerry Rawlings, now Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) and current head of state. JFM leaders were mainly youths, students (or former students) and workers (Ray 1986, 40-41). The JFM was one of the two Marxist movements (The other being the National Democratic Movement, or NDM) involved in the 31 December 1981 revolution initiated by Jerry Rawlings, (Ray 1986, 27).
Although both movements shared the same ideology, they soon
disagreed on the strategies that would lead Ghana on the road
towards socialism. The JFM wanted an immediate transition of
socialism and a rupture with the International Monetary Fund
(IMF), the World Bank and multinational corporations. The NDM
wanted to achieve socialism over a long period of time and
therefore, backed the idea of seeking loans from international
organizations in order to boost economic activity. The PNDC
adopted the former approach and the JFM, unable to impose its own views, made two unsuccessful attempts to overthrow Rawlings in 1982. The power of the JFM was curtailed after the last coup and the NDM became more influential in Ghanaian politics, at least until 1985. That year, a group of NDM dissidents decided to distance themselves from PNDC's economic policies and to engage in subversive activities (Ibid., 27-29; IRBDC Jan 1989, 24).
At least three of JFM prominent figures held major PDNC
positions in 1982: Jerry Rawlings (Chairman of the PDNC), Sergeant Daniel Aloga Akata-Pore (Secretary, Armed Force Defense
Committees), and Chris Bukari Atim (JFM General Secretary and
member of the National Defense Committee), a former First
national vice president of the National Union of Ghana Students
(NUGS) and editor of the radical A luta magazine. Other FJM members held key positions in government: Kwasi Adu (JFM President and Chairman of the Youth League of Ghana), Zaaya
Yeebo (Secretary for Youths and Sports), Nicholas Atampugre,
Nyeya Yen and Rudolf Amenga (members at the upper levels of the
National Defense Committee). S. Gariba is another leading figure of the JFM (Ibid., 40-41, 47).
For further information, please consult the attached
documents listed below.
Bibliography
Ray, Donald I. 1986. Ghana: Politics, Economics and Society. London: Frances Pinter (Publishers).
IRBDC. January 1989. Ghana: Overview. Ottawa: Immigration and Refugee Board Documentation Centre.
Attachments
Donald I. Ray. 1986. Ghana: Politics, Economics and Society. London: Frances Pinter (Publishers). (Exerpts)
IRBDC answer to information request number GHA8237 (Ghana:
Relations between the NDM and the PDNC, 20 March 1991)
Current History. May 1989. "Populism in Ghana and Burkina Faso."