• Some Ghanaian personalities have reacted to the recent coup carried out by the military in Guinea
• Some members of Ghana’s political class have bemoaned the recent rise in coups within the West African subregion
Recent events in Guinea has sent waves across the West Africa subregion as the country has become the latest to have witnessed the staging of a successful coup d’etat by its military.
Guinea’s elite Special Forces on Sunday, September 5, 2021, announced that it had captured President Alpha Conde and declared the nation’s government and constitution dissolved.
Reactions have since been pouring in and some Ghanaians including some prominent personalities and politicians have taken to social media to share their thoughts on the Guinea situation.
Prof. Kwaku Azar
Fellow in Public Law and Justice at the Center for Democratic Development Ghana, Professor Kwaku Asare, has since the outbreak of the news, been churning out epistles in confirmation of his longstanding defense for constitutional governance and what it stands for.
“GOGO affirms its commitment to the principle that Constitutions are neither immutable nor disposable. Consequently, we welcome amendments to the instrument but only in strict conformance with the path specified therein. At the same time, we are fiercely opposed to any and all attempts to overthrow, abrogate, abort, change or otherwise dispose of the instrument whether such action is facilitated by the gun or the pen, the pinzgauer or aboboyaa, and by prayer or witchcraft.
"Accordingly, we cannot find words strong enough to condemn the putsch in Conakry and reiterate our resolve to preserve, defend and uphold the 5th Ghanafuo Constitution. GOGO does not take seriously those who, on one hand, claim they want a new Constitution while simultaneously, even if only implicitly, declaring that they do not take seriously the concept of the supremacy of a duly promulgated existing Constitution,” he stated in a Facebook post.
H. Kwasi Prempeh
The Executive Director for the Center for Democratic Governance, H. Kwasi Prempeh, in his reaction to the events in Guinea took an indirect dig at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who is the Chairman of the ECOWAS.
According to Professor Prempeh, leaders in the Region have been reluctant in addressing situations where civilian leaders of countries try to subvert the tenets of democracy in order to hang on to power.
“There is too much perverse solidarity these days among civilian leaders in the ECOWAS region. Who are the leaders championing democracy in the Region? Democracy appears to be in retreat everywhere in the Region, but we tend to wait till there's been a complete democratic breakdown in a country, as just happened in Guinea, before we sound the alarm bells or raise the red flag. All the past, bloody civil conflicts in the Region were fought over power; they were about leaders who wanted to hold on to power by any means necessary. That did not end well. Constitutional democracy, including term limits, came in, in large measure, to restore peace and stability to the Region. It accomplished that goal for some time, until some new, elected civilian leaders, perhaps succumbing to hubris, started taking democracy for granted and fiddling with their constitutions again in order to hold on to power.
Instead of calling out and shaming these leaders, even ostracizing them, we have often looked the other way, implicitly legitimizing or endorsing their power grab. Sometimes the endorsement is more explicit: We congratulate them and show up for their inauguration. In doing so, we appear to apply one standard for civilian leaders, and another for the soldiers. That, obviously, is not working well. If we allow civilian leaders to abuse the constitutions in their hands to pervert democracy and extend their stay in power, some soldiers might feel themselves justified in similarly abusing the guns and tanks in their hands to get into power and truncate democracy.”
When civilian leaders start acting wayward by manipulating the constitution, referendum or elections to stay in power, thereby threatening the peace and stability of their countries and the Region for that matter, we, especially their colleague-leaders in the Region, must be honest, courageous, and principled enough to warn them off that path to avoid later regret.
Let us not forget that democracy remains a fragile, if popular, experiment in our Region. It is premature to take it for granted or celebrate it as "the last man". We have not arrived at the "end of history" in West Africa--or anywhere else, for that matter. But one thing is certain. A return to coups in this once coup-prone Region would spell disaster for all of us. The time to stop a coup, then, is long before it happens,” he wrote.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor
A convener of Fix The Country Movement which is demanding the abrogation of Ghana’s Fourth Republican Constitution, Lawyer Mawusi Oliver Barker-Vormawor, in his immediate reaction to the news in Guinea wrote;
“I welcome the news of a military coup in Guinea. Still waiting on confirmation of its success. Hopefully a new transition process is put in place quickly. Guinea shall work again.”
His comments sparked rebuttals from some personalities including members of the ruling party in Ghana as the Managing Director of the Accra Digital Center, Kofi Ofosu Nkansah called on Ghana’s National Security to “monitor” him and his “allies closely” for applauding coup makers.
An unfazed Barker-Vormawor however hit back saying his campaign against Alpha Conde is deeply rooted in the ills that characterized his regime.
“Do you think I started talking about Guinea today? You won’t pick a book to read once a while, yet when folks are discussing issues out of your depth, you won’t shut up. I have friends in Guinea who have been tortured by the Alpha Conde regime. I have classmates who are political prisoners in Guinea.
"I condemned the anti-constitutionalism that allowed Alpha Conde to become an illegitimate dictator; when your leaders congratulated him and even invited him to come and speak during the Swearing in of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”
Everyday bia, you guys want to display ignorance. All you know is your domestic partisanship that doesn't allow for nuance and a complex thought,” he wrote in another Facebook post.
Manasseh Azuri Awuni
Journalist Manasseh Azuri Awuni on his part has had quite less to say but has made posts to the effect that the Guinea Coup despite being wrong is indifferent from Alpha Conde’s will to circumvent the constitution.
“Military takeovers are unacceptable. Those who circumvent the constitution to stay in power aren't different from the soldiers,” he wrote in one of his reactions.
Franklin Cudjoe
The Founding President of Policy Think Tank IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, on his part pointed to the fact that the West African Subregion has now experienced two successful coups in less than a year, and thus called on other countries within the region to start drawing lessons.
“Two successful coups within a year in West Africa! ECOWAS What is going on? Any lessons for the rest of the region?” he questioned.
Sam George
The Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, on his part wrote “Sad consequence of abuse of Executive power. I hope a quick transition to democracy is negotiated.”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
A Ranking Member on Ghana’s Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, warned that the recent number of successful coups experienced in the sub region makes it a matter of concern as the African continent may be plunging back into an era of coups.
He blamed the development on a myriad of reasons which bothered on development and living conditions of African citizens, and called on the continent's leadership to curb the situation by ensuring the welfare of citizens are prioritized.
“The disturbing developments in Guinea which comes after recent similar undesirable military interventions in Mali, Chad and Sudan must remind African leaders that the coup era of the 1960s to 80s may sadly return if the unwarranted thirst for third-termism, corruption, joblessness, poverty, manipulation of constitutions, profligacy of the ruling elite and naked impunity are not curbed.
"Instead of waiting late in the day to threaten sanctions on failed democracies, regional and sub-regional blocs such as AU, ECOWAS, SADC and EAC should be boldly proactive in calling out their peers on the wrong track and demanding good governance that meets the expectations of the masses, particularly African youth.
"African leaders can start by condemning their colleagues amending their constitutions to enable them stand for third terms, isolating offending politicians and refusing to attend their coronation ceremonies instead of the unprincipled support for Côte d’Ivoire, Burundi, Uganda, Guinea, Comoros, Djibouti, Togo, Chad, Congo and Cameroon in flagrant violation of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. If the AU and ECOWAS had not conveniently hidden behind non-interference in internal politics and exhibited courage by stopping President Conde’s third term agenda a couple of years back, this weekend’s explosion would have been averted.
"African regional intergovernmental organizations would do well to learn from the EU which has been loud and clear with their criticism of two member countries: Hungary and Poland over rule of law concerns. Another tragic but unsurprising episode in the contemporary African narrative. As we pray for Guinea to return to stability and hope for the safe release of Alpha Condé may we all be reminded and be rededicated to the unfinished African reconstruction project,” Mr Ablawkwa wrote.
Alpha Conde was first elected as President in 2010 and was re-elected in 2015 for what was supposed to be his last term in an election in which his opponents claimed was characterized by fraud and rigging.
The President in the latter parts of his term in 2020 set aside Guinea’s presidential term limit and was re-elected for a third term leading to street demonstrations in the country. Read Full Story
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