Veteran Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Junior has admonished African leaders to desist from creating situations that make coup de’tats appealing to the masses.
The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper describes the clarion call by many presidents in Africa condemning the recent spate of military overthrows of civilian governments in Africa as hypocrisy. According to the senior journalist, even though the leaders are condemning these coups, the masses are on the street jubilating for the overthrows.
He therefore explained the celebration by the masses as a demonstration of their worsening socio-economic plight while leaders continue to live in extreme luxury in the name of democracy and civilian rule.
Speaking on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV with Dr. Randy Abbey on Wednesday, Kwesi Pratt Junior asserted that the ordinary people and peasants do not care about the system of government in place if their basic needs and aspirations are met.
However, since democracy has failed to meet the basic needs of the masses, it is only natural for them to support any form of regime change.
To him, the economic conditions in Africa have created a conducive environment for coups to be supported adding that there are going to be more coups on the continent.
“Coup de’tats just don’t happen. They happen when the conditions for coup de’tats are rife. So if you don’t want a coup de’tat to occur, you do everything to make sure that the conditions for coup d’etat do not ripe,” Kwesi Pratt noted.
He continued that, “the masses out there in the streets, our villages, the peasants, they don’t give a heck about what we call democracy and what we say we are defending. They need very basic things. If the so-called democracy does not address the needs and aspirations of our people, they will not support it. If the so-called democracy is able to address the needs and aspirations of our people, they will protect it with their lives. So when you find thousands of people on the streets supporting coup regimes, they are supporting themselves not the coup.”
“It is important for us to make sure that so-called democratic regimes we have deliver on providing the needs of the people and creating the right conditions for the realization of the aspirations of the masses. Otherwise, coups will occur, and when coups occur, they will be supported fully by the masses. If you don’t want coup d’etats, don’t create one,” he admonished.
