Coup d’état not a solution to our economic challenges – NCCE

Kathleen Addy, the Chairperson, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Tuesday said the economic hardship currently being experienced by Ghanaians must not give rise to any form of political unrest in the country.

She said coup d’état was not the solution to the country’s problems, stressing the need for Ghanaians to continue to uphold the tenets of democracy to sustain the gains made.

“We cannot afford to erode the hard won gains of our democracy…Indeed, when it comes to coups, Ghana has been there – we have done that and we know for a fact that nothing good can come of it,” she said.

Addy said this in Accra when she launched the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the NCCE, to mark three decades of the Commission’s existence.

It was on the theme: “Thirty Years of Sustaining Ghana’s Democracy Through Effective Civic Education.”

Established by the 1992 Constitution, the NCCE is mandated to educate Ghanaians on civic matters.

Activities earmarked for the anniversary include high-level panel discussion with statesmen on the role of independent government institutions such as the Electoral Commission and National Media Commission, in sustaining Ghana’s democracy, visits to the three Arms of Government, and a civic awards ceremony to recognise patriotic citizens and nation builders.

Addy noted that Ghana had made significant progress since it returned to democratic rule three decades ago, building a thriving electoral democracy, upholding the rule of law and fundamental human rights and freedoms.

However, recent happenings in the West African sub-region and the world at large were concerns that could not be ignored.

Also factors such as economic hardship, monetisation of politics and the emergence of fake news, misinformation and disinformation were threats to the country’s democracy, she said, and urged Ghanaians not to forget the years of instability the country endured post-colonial era.

“Nothing good came out of the multiple coup d’états we experienced in Ghana. Nothing but oppression, fear, widespread atrocities and a culture of silence that those who did not live through the era can never imagine or understand,” Ms Addy said.

She pledged the NCCE’s resolve to continue to faithfully discharge its mandate through sustaining awareness of the principles and objectives of the 1992 Constitution, educating and encouraging the public to always defend it, and formulating programmes for national, regional and district level for government’s consideration.

“Today, as we pause to acknowledge how far we have come, we must also reflect on what the next 30 years should look like for the Commission and Ghana,” she added.

Stephen Anzantilow, the Director of Anti-Corruption, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said the NCCE was an important institution to the work of CHRAJ.

The NCCE had assisted CHRAJ to protect the fundamental human rights of Ghanaians, insist on accountability and on the respect for the values of democracy in the country.

“We are hoping that in the next years to come we will have opportunities to do more things together, because in sustaining democracy, it is important that all independent constitutional bodies will have to work together. That is the only way by which we can achieve success,” he said.

Samuel Asare Akuamoah, the Deputy Chairman in charge of Operations, NCCE, said Ghanaians needed to see some results on the recent calls for constitution amendment, indicating that those reforms were necessary for strengthening the country’s democracy.