Former General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Kwabena Adjei Agyapong, has cautioned Ghanaian youths to delete the word coup from their books.
According to the man who was not only a witness to the coups, but also lost his father, a High Court judge, people will not wish for coups if they knew the dire consequences it has.
“Nobody should make mention of coup. If you have lived through it, you will know that it is not something to joke with.
“I will appeal to the youth not to talk about coup. If you have lived through it, if you have ever lived through a coup,” Mr Agyapong cautioned, while recounting the murder of the three Justices of the High Court, including his father and a retired Army officer in an interview with Peace FM.
On Wednesday June 30, 1982 the father of Mr Agyapong, Mr Kwadwo Agyei Agyapong, Justices Frederick Opoku Sarkodie, Cecelia Koranteng-Addo and Major Sam Acquah (rtd) were abducted from their respective homes in Accra and murdered at the Bundase Military Range in the Accra Plains.
The Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the Judicial Service has since declared that day as ‘Martyrs Day’ and organises a series of events every year in memory of the judges.
This year, a solemn church service was organised at the Christ the King Catholic Church in Accra to mark the day.
In attendance were President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, a member of the GBA; Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia; the Chief Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah; the Attorney-General Godfred Yeboah Dame and the President of the GBA, Yaw Acheampong Boafo.
Also in attendance were judges of the Superior Courts and the lower courts, lawyers, staff of the Judicial Service, family members and loved ones of the three judges, including the late Justice Agyepong’s widow and Mr Kwabena Agyepong himself.
Consequences of Coup
Granting an interview on Peace FM’s Kokroko Morning show on July 1, in Twi, the once former Press Secretary to former President John Agyekum Kufuor recollected the emotional trauma, as well as the economic hardships that he and other Ghanaians went through as a result of coups.
He recalled how families of his colleague students in Mfantsipim Senior High School were murdered by soldiers who were taking instructions from a military leader.
He also spoke about how people who had parked their cars outside the Baba Yara Sports Stadium came out to find their cars burnt into ashes by soldiers who were searching for a clergyman who, according to them, had committed an offense.
He again recalled how people were made to drink cement mixed with water, while others were tied to cement blocks and hanged to a helicopter and dropped in the sea.
“People fled abroad and died in penury and misery. Those of us who lived through that coup should be able to advise the youth.”
He also spoke about how Ghana had a thriving night economy but got collapsed because of the impositions of curfews.
“You are made to sleep at 6pm, 7pm and 9pm. Ghana’s night economy collapsed. Companies that used to work at night collapsed and have not been able to resurrect since then,” he noted sadly.
Cherishing democracy and restoring confidence in the Ghanaian
Against the backdrop of the dire consequences of coups, Mr Agyapong advocated Ghanaians must hold democratic rule in high esteem despite its shortcomings. He said democracy with all its difficulties is ten times better than any system of governance and one must cherish it.
“We can never return. Never again! This system is ten times better despite all the shortcomings that we have. “Democracy with all its faults is ten times better than dictatorship where nobody has the right to do anything”.
He said he believed the reason people, especially the youth, do not appreciate the current system of governance is because they did not witness the coups and counter coups that rocked the nation. He fortified this claim by a statistics he claimed pointed to the fact that 61 percent of Ghanaians now are below the age of 30.
“People do not cherish this democratic dispensation because many of them were not born when such atrocities happened… So when I hear the youth of today talking about coups, I try to advise them that we have to protect the democracy that we have,” he said.
Call on the aged, politicians and media to educate the youth
Based on the statistics that many of the youth who are talking about coup today did not witness the coups that rocked the nation, it is the duty of those who lived through it, politicians and the media, to bring back some of those memories and educate people on it. He believed doing so will change the mindset of people and enable them embrace democracy.
“You the media, as the Fourth Estate of the realm, should be able educate the youth on some of the happenings in the past so that they can learn a lesson from it, in order to guide us in future.”
Need for constructive criticism and healthy politics
On Friday, Mr Agyapong also noted that the call on Ghanaians to cherish democracy does not mean they cannot criticise the government. He said they can do so, but in a civilised and a lawful manner.
“Democracy is a majoritarian rule. So if there is something you don’t like and do you want to form a political party, do so and make sure you get a message that will make the people vote for you that’s all”, he noted.
He expressed views he has on some practices and demonstrated how such views can be expressed without violence.
“I have a very radical view on certain changes that I want to see with regards to governance after 30 years. For instance when the constitution put a cap on the number of cabinet Ministers, I believe it is telling us to beware of the number of people we appoint as Ministers.
“I believe Ghana can be ruled with only twenty Ministers. There are a lot of Ministries that should be brought under other ministries. I also believe every Minister should have one deputy and not multiple, since it makes the cost of running a government too expensive”, he said.
He bemoaned how some politicians, media personnel, citizens and even some clergymen sit on radio and television stations to rain insults on others.
“When I see the way some political party executives sit on radio or TV and insult their opponents, I shrink. We should serve as an example for the youth.
“What is happening in the country is not good. Now people think sitting on radio and insulting people is what makes you a politician and they do so because others did same and rose to fame. This is not our culture. This practice must be checked. You can disagree with someone but it should not end up in violence.
“When there is breakdown of law and order, it does not matter whether you were part of government or not, someone who doesn’t like you will just get some soldiers to do whatever they want to do to you and go.”
He appealed to the National Media Commission to regulate the media space especially the television space to maintain some sanity, peace and order.
Notwithstanding, Mr Agyapong said the government should also not take the people of Ghana for granted, but should work to ensure that the difficulties and hardships they complain about is solved.
