Kwesi Pratt calls for improvement in the country's security

Accra, Sept. 5, GNA- Mr Kwesi Pratt Junior, a leading member of the Socialist Forum on Friday advised the government to take measures to improve the country's security to avoid any coup.

He contended that recent reports and rumours of coup d'etat, coupled with the worsening economic conditions, are reminiscent of the days prior to all the military coups in Ghana.

"Though Ghanaians have generally condemned any recurrence of coups, they are not farfetched", he said.

Mr Pratt was speaking at a forum by the Socialist Group, with the theme "National Security, Peace and Stability-Ingredients for National Development" in Accra.

He said the reports of coups point to a "looming danger for the security of the state and this demands a second look at the people to whom the security of the state has been entrusted",

Mr Pratt, who is also the Managing Editor of the "Insight" newspaper, said national security will be guaranteed only if political office holders and the electorate have equal access to food, shelter, education, health, employment and other social services.

These, he said, are not available to the masses as they observe that political office holders of the government are living in affluence. He added that situations of that nature destroy the confidence of the citizenry in established democratic institutions, and create fertile grounds for eruption of coups.

Mr Pratt questioned the basis of the proposed deductions of the two-and-half per cent of workers social security contributions, saying that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) promised in its manifesto before the 2000 elections, that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), should not have anything to do with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) Mr Lee Ocran, a leading member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said " we instructed our MPs not participate in the passage of the Bill".

He said the all the parties agreed on a health insurance scheme, but the current scheme is not well structured to take care of endemic diseases. 06 Sept. 03