Why you shouldn't organize a coup or call the army useless



Coups don’t fix long-term problems. Ghana has had three interruptions of democracy in the past and what do we have to show for it? A few brilliant ideas here and there but did that bring us lasting change? If it did, we wouldn’t be here, would we?

I love the army. I respect the decision of our soldiers to lay down their lives for our country if the need arises. I have many passions but I don’t count laying my life down for Ghana one of them. So when some people willingly choose to do this, I respect it. Having professed my undying love for our soldiers, it is no brainer that soldiers are not necessarily good rulers. The rigid discipline of the army can be useful in small doses for national morale but in policy formulation and international negotiations, it may not be very useful.

Now let us talk about trust in the future. For all our flaws as a country, we stand a better chance of crawling our way out of poverty than reversing the gains we have made over the last 20 years through another coup. I am a Ghanaian living abroad and I engage with people from different parts of the world. My observation is that Ghana enjoys positive reviews and has been doing so for years now. The country’s security is particularly enviable in the sub-region. Its diaspora is hardworking and diligent. The Black Stars breaks hearts sometimes but overall they are decent. Now back to the point. A lot of us in the diaspora are looking to invest back home because we believe in the future stability of the country – and it's not just us. There are many investors who are looking to put their money into Ghana because they believe that although today is hard, tomorrow will be great for the country. This morning I saw a tweet of comedian Michael Blackson asking Tyler Perry to set up a movie studio in Ghana. I can imagine at least 5 make-up artists or beauticians who could benefit if such a project took off. Blackson, like I, believes in the future prospect of Ghana.

There are many people out there in the world who are looking for a safe place to invest their money - and Ghana is that place. The idea or prospect of a coup will scare them away. I will certainly not put my money into a country where the army takes over at the slightest whiff of hardship.  

 So why should we throw away all this momentum because our constitution has flaws? It is not semantics as some people suggest. Coups are no joke. They should not be referenced for their trend value. Neither should it be used to draw attention to one’s cause. It should remain the line we all agree not to cross.

 

We are building a nation and that takes time. I am not one to describe countries as superior but in this context, I say that countries that are generally deemed to have more stable democracies have developed glaring cracks in recent times. The cracks are so big everyone can see them. Here I refer to Donald Trump’s America. Should the US army have stepped in because Trump was not an ideal president? Should the army be called useless for not overthrowing Trump? I think not.

#Fixthecountry #Ghana #OliverBakerVormawor #coupdetat

Location: Bonn, Germany

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