Soldiers alert on coup d?etats - Force Sgt Major

Accra (The Evening News) - The Forces Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer James Cole, has told politicians that the Ghana Armed Forces is now alert and will not tolerate any coup d? etat in the country. He said the leadership of the high command is more enlightened and would not allow any politician to embark on any ?military adventurism.?

Chief Warrant Office Cole said this when he made a contribution to a forum organised for the Ghana Armed Forces, as part of the Second National Constitution Week at the Burma Camp in Accra. It was under the theme: ?Promoting discipline and the rule of law in the Ghanaian society.?

He observed that most coups plotted in Ghana had politicians as the main drivers, adding that until politicians are advised to cease nurturing ideas on military takeovers, the problem will continue to exist. The Forces Sergeant Major said although most people including the military are aware of the rule of law, they have a problem of appreciating the provisions of the constitution because of the language.

He said the problem becomes complex when interpreters of the constitution do not arrive at a consensus. Chief Warrant Officer Cole was, however, happy that the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) is translating the Constitution into local languages so that people would understand and know their responsibilities.

A justice of the Supreme Court, Justice William Atuguba, also touched on military intervention in Ghana and said it had disturbed growth and thereby made economic development to lag. Therefore, he said, ?there must be an end to military interventions in the governance of this nation. No single individual or group of persons have a right to rule this nation through military intervention,? he stated.

He said ?the authority to rule is vested in the hands of the people through the power of voting and not through the barrel of the gun.? Justice Atuguba said Ghanaians are now determined more than before to resist anyone who dares to take the nation for a ride. He said the 1992 Constitution, like the 1979 constitution, outlawed coup d? etats and also protects patriotic citizens who assist in resisting the unconstitutional overthrow of the government.

He advised the Armed Forces that, ?as gallant men, you have a crucial role to play in sustaining discipline and the rule of law in this country. By your training, expertise, and competence you are better placed to resist any adventurer from attempting to overthrow this Constitution.