Joyce Aryee: Military must not overthrow gov'ts

Director of the Salt and Light Ministries, Dr Joyce Aryee, has advised countries to use democratic means to change governments, notwithstanding the fact that African governments sometimes decide to hold onto power for too long.

“I don’t think that any government should be overthrown by the military. That is why they call it a coup. Its rupture,” she told Nii Ardey Clegg on the Morning Starr on Starr103.5FM Wednesday February 3.

She added: “I think we must learn to use democratic means to change governments even though African governments too are so difficult I mean they stay there forever. Even so, I think that it is better to go through the democratic dispensation.”

Asked if she would have served under a military government in Ghana, the former Secretary of Information said “no”, adding that “the chairman of the PNDC knew I didn’t like a military government”.

According to Dr Aryee, Ghana is not doing very well with its democracy.

In her opinion, “We have become much polarised and it is not good for us. It is important for us to understand that Ghana is one entity and as one entity we are bound to have differences in opinion but it should never be ‘because you don’t agree with me you are my enemy’”.

“It should never be like that,” she added.