President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has warned that anybody aiming to disrupt the country’s democratic successes will face harsh punishment.
He claims that Ghana’s and the world’s democracy cannot be left to those who want to “gratify their personal ambition, ambitions that show little or no respect for the capacity of the Ghanaian people.”
Speaking during the 65th Independence Day celebration in Cape Coast, President Akufo-Addo pledged his administration’s commitment to bolstering peace and stability in order to achieve the goal for which the country transitioned to constitutional governance.
“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.”
Some analysts have cautioned that the country’s deteriorating economic status may leave it vulnerable to a forcible takeover of government.
Prof. Raymond Atuguba, Dean of the University of Ghana School of Law, has stated his concern that Ghana might face a coup if the state does not take immediate action.
“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.
There are two separate trials underway for those accused of treason-related offenses.
However, Nana Akufo-Addo argues that years of military coups and takeovers have resulted in little or no progress on the African continent and must be avoided.
“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.”
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SOURCE: CITINEWS
