The host of the Good Morning Ghana show on Metro TV, Dr. Randy Abbey, has waded into the ongoing coup debates in Ghana.
Sharing his views on the subject on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, during his socio-political show, the seasoned journalist could do nothing but admit that leaders in the West Africa subregion have paid little or no attention to the pressing needs of their people.
“It gets to a point that we have no choice but to believe that we have taken things for granted. The fact that we have a very terrible history in terms of what coups have done to us and therefore we have resolved that we want to use the democratic path,” he opined.
To him, it appears that West African leaders are just taking advantage of the terrible coup experiences that scare the people and their willingness to focus on the democratic path hence, they are not living up to expectations and but messing up.
The host, who was engaging in a discussion with his two guests, Kwesi Pratt Jnr and Collins Adomako Mensah noted that “the ECOWAS leaders are not seen engaging themselves and speaking truth to themselves, advising themselves on the things that they need to do and not to do in order to deal with some of these issues.”
The Islamist issues and related matters, according to Dr. Randy Abbey, have escalated into a concern encompassing the entire West African region.
He tends to think the leaders of West African nations have not demonstrated a collective determination to convene and address this matter resolutely, by coordinating a regional force to combat these challenges.
Dr. Abbey pointed out that when a leader of an ECOWAS state is toppled, in such a critical moment the nation finds itself confronting such issues in isolation, without any regional support.
Since 2020 West Africa has witnessed a series of military coups. Still, the responses from the Africa Union and The Economic Community of West African States have varied from hard sanctions to near indifference.
Burkina Faso’s army ousted President Roch Kabore in January 2022, blaming him for failing to contain violence by Islamist militants.
A group of Malian colonels led by Assimi Goita ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020. The coup followed anti-government protests over deteriorating security, contested legislative elections, and allegations of corruption.
Also, in Mali, Special forces commander Colonel Mamady Doumbouya ousted President Alpha Conde in September 2021. A year earlier, Conde had changed the constitution to circumvent limits that would have prevented him from standing for a third term, triggering widespread rioting.
Just last week, Niger’s presidential guards held President Mohamed Bazoum inside his palace in the capital Niamey.
By: Akua Karle Okyere | Metrotvonline.com | Ghana
