A former Minister of National Security, Francis Poku, expressed deep concerns over, what he describes as, the loss of confidence in democratic governance in the country.
In a public lecture on the topic, Reflection on Democratic Control over the Military: A Way Forward for Sustainability, Mr. Poku noted that if these concerns are not addressed, the country might face another history of political instability.
“There’s a gradual loss of confidence in democratic rule, and we have to say it. I believe that 2025 must be the beginning of this country,” he stated.
“I am saying this because I was in charge of Accra security before Jerry John Rawlings, and in fact, former IGP, Peter Nanfuri, and I were interrogating Rawlings at the 1979 coup. Three years before, we had predicted the revolution. Clearly, it was so powerful that former head of state General Acheampong was going to start the transitional government and end military rule.
“As we know, advisors came in, and that was the beginning of the end. I can assure you that if that advice had been heeded, Ghana would have been in a different country by now. After a period, there is something we call anocracy.
“When you have a strong person who occupies the throne for a very long time, the government did not last for more than 27 months until 1996. So, this is a test, and I believe we must all respond to this call that if the phase of this democracy does not change after 2025, we are going to go through another history, and it must be a collaborative effort,” he stated.
