President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has warned that anyone attempting to overthrow the government and undermine the country’s democratic successes will be dealt with harshly.
The President informed the 65th Independence Day parade in Cape Coast that his administration is devoted to enhancing peace and stability in order to achieve the goals for which the country transitioned to constitutional governance.
Some observers have warned that the country’s deteriorating economic state could make it vulnerable to a military takeover.
Prof. Raymond Atuguba, the Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law, recently expressed his concern that Ghana could face a coup if the government does not respond quickly.
“We do not want a coup in this country. Yet I fear that if we do not act quickly, we may have one in our hands very soon,” he said while delivering a lecture in Accra.
Two separate trials against people accused of treason-related offenses are currently underway.
Nana Akufo-Addo, on the other hand, believes that years of military coups and takeovers have brought little or no progress to the African continent and that they should not be tolerated.
“The great majority of us who are committed to democratic values and institutions will continue to resist the claims of these adventurers and deploy all legitimate means in our democracy to maintain our free open system of governance which has respect for human rights, the rule of law and the principles of democratic accountability.”
“Let us guard jealously the peace and stability we are enjoying. There are some restless spirits amongst us who, seeking to exploit the current difficulties confronting the nation, claim to have lost confidence in our democratic system.”
“Either the absence of faith in the prospect of a democratic alternative to the current government or their impatience to wield executive authority are the factors driving their appetite for the shortcut of military intervention.
“Whatever be the case, they seem ready to jeopardize the hard-won reputation of our country as a beacon of democracy and stability in Africa and indeed, in the world, in order to gratify their personal ambition, ambitions which show little or no respect for the capacity of the Ghanaian people to change when necessary their government peacefully through the ballot box, something we have done on three separate occasions in the 29-year life of the fourth republic.”
BY; Elizabeth Tamakloe
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