Ghana's day of shame

13/01 & 31/12 EQUALLY SHAMEFUL

Today marks exactly 49years when the first constitutionally elected government of the Republic of Ghana was overthrown by a brutal military mutiny. Knowingly or unknowingly, the mutineers sowed the seed for two other insurrections against the People of Ghana, Constitutional practice, as well as Representation through Parliament.

February 24, 1966, set the tone for Military interventionism in our democratic practice by overthrowing the 1st Republican Constitution. Two years after the coming into being of the 2nd Republican Constitution, January 13, 1972 another coup de'tat occurred overthrowing the second constitutionally elected government of the Progress Party. The third wave of military interventionism and perhaps the last would occur just a little over two years after the coming into being of the 3rd Republican Constitution on December 31, 1981. This is the reason why we are operating under the 4th Republican Constitution.

As we have come to learn, the introduction of the army into civilian life has been a disaster to say the least. Their attempt to govern makes them venture into realms unknown, and in the bid to make a justification for that entry, they make many more mistakes.

The first President of the Republic of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah while on an international peace mission in Hanoi received with a heavy heart and unbelief the news of his overthrow by the joint Police and Military operation dubbed by its architects; "Operation Cold Chop."

Ghana became independent in 1957 on the 6th of March, one hundred and thirteen years after the bond of 1844 which unequivocally set a hundred year as the period for agreed dominion or 'subjugation'. Historians recall that "in 1844 a bond was written between the Fante, on behalf of the Gold Coast, and the British, allowing the Gold Coast to gain independence without war one hundred years later."

Independence for the Gold Coast and the other territories would be granted not without war. Contrary to the terms of the Bond of 1844, the people of the colony would put up a strong fight against the British to secure their sovereignty. After independence in 1957, Ghana would operate under the dominion of the British Monarchy for an additional three years to become a republic in 1960 on the 1st of July.

Regardless of the speed with which the first President of the Republic moved to make Ghana economically independent, the Military mutinied and overthrew the constitutionally elected government. The NLC led by Kotoka, Afrifa, Deku, Harlley and later Ankra would set themselves up in office and reverse all the economic gains chalked thus far under the advice of the Western powers who had collaborated with them to make the overthrow a success story.

Some have argued that the 1966 coup was necessary and justified. They argue that the President had curtailed all rights of the individual thereby closing all avenues to vent dissent as well as their frustrations. Thus the coup was imminent and appropriate.

While conceding that it was wrong for the rights of the individual to be abused no matter the circumstances, Prof D.E.K Amenumey in his professorial dissertation titled; "Coming of Age in the second half of the twentieth century – the case of Ghana", remarks; "but all this does not negate or diminish the peculiar problems that confront new nations in their attempts to create viable and properly integrated societies out of the disparate units haphazardly brought together in individual colonial territories."

In fact, in 1993, the NPP went to court to seek the declaration that the February 24, 1966, January 13, 1972 and December 31, 1981 were illegal, unconstitutional and required no recognition from the State.

Yes, the 1st Republican leadership was not without flaws, errors or sins including those that stifled human rights but what did the coup in 1966 do to reverse all the negative tendencies it used as the basis for the overthrow? The NLC did worse than the CPP in human rights violations. While it is recorded that about 1,600 persons were released from political detention under the PDA, over 2,000 persons including members of Parliament were jailed in the name of the PDC on the same 24th February, 1966.

Among the detained MPs in 1966 was then pregnant Lucy Anin representing the people of Bechem in the Brong Ahafo region. Auntie Lucy is now 76years and recounts the abuses they suffered as "evil and dangerous."