Opinions of Sunday, 7 July 2024
Columnist: Justice A. Newton-Offei
With persuasions of ECOWAS notwithstanding, the coup leaders of Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso have stuck to their guns of leaving the regional bloc, and gone ahead to constitute themselves into something called Organisation of Sahel States.
These military leaders overthrew their democratically-elected leaders by accusing them of incompetence in managing the economy and not fighting Islamic insurgency to ensure general insecurity. But things have rather worsened.
The promises these "coupists" made in respect of timelines for restoration of democratic governance have all been thrown out of the window and perpetuated themselves in power. Promises of fighting Islamic insurgence have become a mirage.
As a matter of fact, attacks by Islamic insurgence in these three countries have rather become fatalistically rampant. The armies of these countries are being ambushed and slaughtered in their thousands, daily, by Islamists on bikes.
While both economic and security conditions go from bad to worse for ordinary citizens of these three countries, their messianic coup leaders are marrying extra wives and enjoying highlife. Coupists are all pseudo-Marxists!!
They shout egalitarianism to the crowds from the rooftops but behind the scenes, enjoy the trappings of capitalism that will make even the likes of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and so on, actually go green with envy!
They come spotting unkept facial hairs, tattered clothes with sandals made from old catapilla tyres, and shout "One man one toilet". They execute people for having potbellies. But they end up with bellies of heavily pregnant water buffalos.
In 99.99% of cases, they use State resources to form political parties, take off their khakis for civilian clothes, organise elections of which they're referees, linesmen, video assistance referees, declare themselves victorious, and rule by decrees.
As Ghanaians, we have had the most bitter experience of spending nearly half of our statehood under such self-acclaimed messianic "coupists", and will always cherish our worst form of democracy. We cannot be deceived again.
I hear ECOWAS is holding a meeting in Nigeria today, to deliberate about this development. My admonition is simple: the regional bloc must, completely, cut ties with these three landlocked countries, and also, expel their citizens from living in the bloc.