'You have forgotten the cost of coup d'états – Awal Mohammed to youth

NPP’s Awal Mohammed believes increasing support for military rule among sections of the Ghanaian public reflects a failure to educate younger generations about the country’s political history.

Speaking on Joy News, he said many of those expressing support for military governments did not experience periods of political instability and therefore lack an appreciation of its consequences.

“When you read Ghana’s history, you know that political instability is one of the reasons we are not really as developed as we are supposed to be,” he said.

Mohammed argued that repeated interruptions to democratic governance disrupted long-term national development plans and slowed economic progress.

“If you look at Kwame Nkrumah’s Seven-Year Development Plan, even after his overthrow, we could have at least implemented that same plan to put the country back on track,” he stated.

He said people who directly experienced military interventions and political upheavals would be less likely to support a return to such a system.

“All those who lived through that period, if they tell you the experiences, even those who supported it at the time will never call for a coup d’état,” he said.

According to him, the survey should serve as a warning to politicians, educators and state institutions that more work is needed to explain the value of democratic governance.