Wednesday, 15th September, 2021b

DAILY ANALYST
Wednesday, 15th September, 2021 Page 5
Coup D’etats; A terror
on nations and citizens
By Henry Nana Boakye
As a young child,
I was not spared
with the trauma
and fearsomeness
associated with
the related consequences and
excesses of the coup d’états
staged by the AFRC and PNDC
between 1979 to 1991.
My late father, a successful
businessman, Mr. Edward Osei
Boakye, known to many as
Boakye Mattress, was a household
name in the business
community in Ghana at the
time with many companies
and a varied number of investments
in Ghana and across
Africa with a large pool of
employees. Businessman E.O.
Boakye was the only Ghanaian
who first wholly established a
Mattress and Foam Factory in
Ghana in the 1960s.
He then expanded his businesses
through joint ventures
and other partnerships with
Vitafoam of Nigeria and many
other West African Companies.
In the 1970s, Boakye Mattress
built the first fully-serviced
private hospital (now the
state-owned Police Hospital).
He also had commercial prop-
erty developments, houses and
apartment blocks (FC Cosmetics
Building, for instance,) in
Accra and Kumasi.
Despite all his contributions
to the Ghanaian economy,
he was politically hounded
and chased out of all his
businesses; and his immediate
family was forced to leave in
fear and persecutions when
the PNDC coup d’état violently
erupted.
In a matter of the military
uprising, however, by
all accounts, my dad became
one of the many casualties
of the PNDC coup. His businesses
were grounded due to
political witch-hunting. His
great vision as a sought-after
businessman was truncated
abruptly.
As a child, I grew up without
a father, I couldn’t set eyes
on my father because he was
in exile for about 15 years.
The harrowing tales told
then, nerve-racking and shocking
revelations that came out
during the year 2000s National
Reconciliation Commission’s
public hearing alone should be
the major reason any Ghanaian
seen supporting, rooting
for, praising, and welcoming
coup d’états should be condemned
outright.
The unlawful detentions,
serial abductions, torture,
violations of human rights of
wealthy and influential persons
in society, brazen thirst
for collapsing businesses owed
Ghanaians who were deemed
as opponents(in the case of
my dad) , civil unrests, violent
protests have been the character
of all the numerous coups
which has happened in Africa
since 1960s till our current
democratic dispensation.
It’s an admissible fact that,
sometimes, there are undercurrents
and remote causes
that set the stage for the military
to topple governments but
the crux of the matter is that,
ousting democratically elected
governments amidst the chaos
and potential national instability
should never be the best
panacea to the supposed ‘National’
hues and cries as compared
to resolutions through
diplomacy and dialogue.
I could go on and on
about the repercussions and
heart-wrenching memories
that Ghanaians share anytime
coup d’état is mentioned in our
national discourse but having
among many others.
Nana Frantehene was optimistic
that his community
can always rely on the NDC if
given another chance because
of what the community prebrating
and welcoming coup
d’états are nothing short of
nation wreckers!
At a time that Ghana is this
peaceful, I have always felt
that words and statements
that has the propensity to incite
and inflame passions and
fuel electoral war should not
come out from former President
Mahama .But, shockingly
his recent outbursts on the ‘do
or die’ analogy positions him
as a man who believes in violence.
I call on all well-meaning
Ghanaians to condemn
his irresponsible and reckless
statements and call him to
order.
May God bless Ghana.
The Krontihene of
Ejura Sekyedumase,
Nana Agyapa II, has
expressed surprise
about what he calls
the deliberate misinterpretation
of an idiomatic expression
used by former President
John Dramani Mahama to
describe the commitment of
the National Democratic Congress
(NDC) towards sealing
loopholes that contributed to
the party’s inability to win the
2020 general elections.
According to the NDC
2020 Presidential Candidate,
the party considers the 2024
election very critical and that
it will be a ‘Do or Die’ affair,
urging party operatives to
remember that they can only
win the election at the polling
station level.
In his remarks to welcome
the former President and his
entourage to the palace of the
Frantehene ahead of his tour
of the Ashanti Region, the Krontihene
expressed his misgivings
about what he termed a
deliberate attempt by critics to
read different meanings into
what Mr. Mahama said.
“These days, even when you
speak well, some misconstrue
it. It is unfortunate because
the former President is only
rallying his supporters that at
the next elections, the party
would be vigilant and not be
Ejura chief wades into
Mahama’s do or die comment
caught unawares and that all
persons given responsibility
should focus and execute their
task flawlessly to get their
expected results.”
“There is nothing wrong
with what he [Mahama] said.
But others have deliberately
misconstrued his statement.
But don’t lose hope, I know
that good times are ahead. I
am very happy that you have
seen that it is not the court
you would go to seek redress,
but that you and your party
members will be vigilant and
put in the right measures so
that your victory is not stolen,”
he stressed.
Speaking later at a gathering
where the leadership of the
NDC interacted with victims of
a November 21, 2020 accident
that involved members of the
party from Frante, Frantehene
Nana Owusu Sekyere Bobo
III commended the former
President for the development
he brought to the community
during his presidency.
He recalled that it was
President Mahama’s NDC administration
that connected 51
communities in the constituency
to the national grid.
He also acknowledged Mr.
Mahama for coming to the aid
of the people and responding
to a demand for a school block,
being a direct victim of coups,
I would unreservedly and
relentlessly use every opportunity
given to call on the nation
wreckers ranting and chanting
for coup d’état in Ghana to
desist from it and refine their
thoughts accordingly.
It is recklessly reprehensible,
morally unjustifiable, and
sheer amounts to cluelessness
if only coups become the major
solution to National upheavals
and problems. My principle on
any day as a trained Lawyer
and Ghanaian is that, democratically
and constitutionally
mandated governments should
be allowed to represent the
people at all times. All persons
and groups associating, cele-
viously benefitted from when
the NDC was in power.
He also requested help to
upgrade their clinic to be able
to cater to the health needs of
the people.