Memory Lane: Rawlings Beats His Vice-President

A brawl broke out at a Ghanaian Cabinet meeting when President Jerry Rawlings beat up his deputy out of the room, an official govt statement has confirmed.

Vice-President Nkensen Arkaah, who chairs all Cabinet meetings, was presiding over the session on Thursday, 28 Dec. 1995 when President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings challenged him over derogatory statements the Vice is alleged to have made at his party congress the previous week.

President Rawlings challenged Mr Arkaah to go out and prove to the world the questionable or so-called corrupt things which take place during meetings of the cabinet.

"Until then", the president insisted, "Mr Arkaah had no moral right to continue to participate in the deliberations of a cabinet for which he had no respect."

A few minutes later the president then took Arkaah's arm, insisting that he should leave. Arkaah reacted by attempting to to shrug off the hand holding him. Arkaah said: "He gave me a terrible blow on the shoulder which sent me falling to the floor. He attempted to pull me up by the shoulder in order to hit me further. He tore the shoulder of the jacket in the process. In his frustration, he kicked me a couple of times in the groin before members present were able to restrain him."

Cabinet colleagues rushed to pull off the President from inflicting further physical damage on the 68-year old Vice President. Rawlings is 49. Colleagues prevailed on Arkaah to leave.

Rawlings, a former air force flight lieutenant who staged two successful coups and then turned politician, heads the ruling National Democratic Congress party. Arkaah is leader of the National Convention Party.

Justice Sarpong