Condition that led to coups in our countries can be found in Ghana, Author

Ghana’s democracy is not entrenched, Col Aboagye

There are people in Ghana without representation in parliament, Col Aboagye

Author and consultant Col Fustus Aboagye has said Ghana is not safe from the military overthrows currently happening in some West African countries.

According to him a critical look at Ghana reveals that the condition that was the reason for coups can be found in Ghana.

The author said people generally say that Ghana was a prosperous country and the economy was doing well but “it is not as simple as that”.

Col Aboagye, a retired military officer who made these remarks on Joy News Newsfile programme which was monitored by GhanaWeb.

He said: “when you go into the details you would realise that this so-called prosperity is only for a few – the majority of Ghanaians are poor and we need to be worried because, in a second, emotions could go through the roof.”

“What is happening in some of these countries could begin to happen here and I want us to pay attention to every Ghanaian,” he reiterated.

He said currently a lot of Ghanaians were suffering and the behaviour of the political class is not helping.

“If people in this country cannot be paid, if there is unemployment why on earth do we have a political class that shuttles around the world in charted plans. For instance, why do we even have to talk about buying a new presidential plane? Why do we have to talk about paying first ladies when many people do not have the means to buy the daily bread to put in their mouths,” he said.

Also, he stated that claims that Ghana’s democracy is entrenched were false, saying: “Ghana’s democracy is not entrenched in fact I would argue that it is a veneer”.

This, he said is evident by the countries inability to resolve some of the issues that came up during the last general election.

“So, when for instance the president talks about the principle of free, fair and transparent elections. Can Ghanaians really pound their chest and say the last election was free, fair and transparent including even the election of the speaker in parliament, including the processes of voter registrations, can we really say that the election were free, fair and transparent,” he said.

“Have we consummated the outcome of the last election? Why do we have a pocket of Citizens in this country who are disenfranchised – who do not have any representation in parliament?” he queried.