EDITORIAL: Who Are Those Fanning the Coup Plots Again?

THE NATIONAL Security Minister, Mr. Francis Poku last week Thursday, stunned Ghanaians when he disclosed the incursions and failed attempts to topple the government of President John Agyekum Kufuor.

He was reported to have dropped this hint during the commissioning of a new complex for the Research Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and according to him, vigilance and the focus of the security agencies succeeded in repelling those incursions and coup plots.

The Chronicle doffs its hat to the security agencies for thwarting the diabolical ambitions and mischief of those coup plotters for if the story is actually not a hoax but the truth, then the vigilance of the security agencies should not only be applauded but also intensified.

After passing through many military regimes, Ghanaians have now resolved never to tolerate a military regime again and it is strange that this simple message has still not got into the ears of some people, who still want to glorify coups by staging them to throw us back in our economic forward match.

Who at all in his warped imagination would consider staging a coup in Ghana while we are currently enjoying a blissful atmosphere? Are such people not aware of the edict of the African Union never to recognise any government emanating from a coup or insurrection? It is very unfortunate that we still have some of these people in our midst.

As stated by the National Security Minister, "inspite of the attempts to destabilise the nation, the security agencies are focused and performing their duties and roles as expected". This is really an assurance of hope to nip in the bud these subversive plots.

With our infant democracy, Ghana is on the road to progress and no attempt should be made by gun totting elements in the society to cause us pain and anguish again. As it is said, a bad politician could govern better than a full General when it comes to governance and we were all witnesses to what we went through under military regimes.

Indeed, The Chronicle is baffled at this revelation by the Minister but so far as we have resolved to resist oppressors rule, echoing from our National Anthem, no sane Ghanaian will troop into the streets and support or hail a coup in the country. Those who want to rule through the barrel of the gun should by now realise that we prefer to be ruled through the thumb.

Governance is not an act. It's a serious business and where that profession of governance is not in your realm, why force to take up that mantle which will derail the country's growth and see Ghanaians hit by disastrous calamities.

We salute the security agencies for a good work done but they should now keep their eyes wide open and their ears firmly on the ground to avert any possible bloodbath in this country again. Gone are the days when we had liberators, redeemers, revolutionaries and what have you who led us into the valley of poverty and mismanagement. Those days, to this paper, are gone forever.

Mr. Opoku and his men and women should be congratulated immensely for averting a situation, which would have placed Ghana in a very delicate and shameful situation, taking into account that our President is the current Chairman of the African Union. Let us all resolve never to have a coup in Ghana again.