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The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has served notice to coup plotters that they will not receive its backing because it is ready to protect the constitution it  signed into action.

“We the opposition pride ourselves as the architects of the democratic stability we are enjoying and we are ready to protect it and no adventure will get our cooperation,” the Chairman of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said at the swearing-in of appointees of the National Executive Committee in Accra yesterday.

Reacting to the happenings in the sub-region, Mr Nketiah said the situation was not pleasant.

“Our luck is that though opposition groups will always collaborate with the military adventurers to stage a coup, in Ghana the situation is different because we will not support it,” he stated.

The new appointees included a 30-member Council of Elders, a 26-member Political Committee and a three-member Disciplinary Committee. 

Advantage
Mr Nketiah, fondly called “General Mosquito”, said as a result of the NDC’s will to protect the constitution, the government had taken advantage of it to do worse things than what anybody could think of.

“So let us rise up and speak out to save this democracy.

The youth are the most frustrated lot in the country.

“They don’t have jobs and at least they should be content with the opportunity to change government and install the government they like but what are we seeing?

The opportunity for them to register and participate in the voting process is being blocked,” he said.

“Once again, the machinations happening are all geared towards limiting them access and the right to participate in the democratic exercise,” he said.

The NDC Chairman said if the government refused to do what the people had put them there to do, then they had every right to revolt against the government and bring another one.

“Let us pray we don’t get there,” he added.

He said the youth should be given the opportunity to participate in the process to change governments peacefully because no one could predict what they could do.

He therefore called on civil society organisations, opinion leaders and faith-based organisations to bring pressure to bear on the government to protect the right of the youth to cast their ballot to determine who they want.

“If you block a peaceful avenue of change, you will invite a violent avenue of change and we don’t want to get there.

“The happenings in the sub-region ought to be a wake-up call for all of us.

The challenges are daunting.

Somehow, I believe God is a Ghanaian and I believe we shall overcome.

“But before we can do that, patriots must arise, act and speak with courage and say the unpleasant things that ought to be said, and take the unpleasant actions that ought to be taken so that we can prevent worse things from happening,” he added.    

 Touching on the country’s democracy, Mr Nketiah said Ghana had never come this low in terms of its democratic practice where as a country it was unable to service its debts.

“We have never come this low where corruption in government has become like an American buffet — eat all you can for $10.

The Chairman of the NDC said during such crisis periods, what helped to stabilise the situation was the freedom to demonstrate because, “when people are frustrated and they get the opportunity to vent their feelings, it helps to prevent explosion. Unfortunately, this right too has been trampled upon.”