We won’t support a coup – Ghana Armed Forces guarantees

The military has sworn to uphold the Constitution and the people’s sovereign right to self-determination and to refrain from any action that would jeopardize the state’s peace and democracy.

“The coups in West Africa are a serious concern, but we are committed to upholding the Constitution and the wishes of the people,” they said.

When the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) paid him a courtesy visit at his office in Accra last Friday, the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, said, “If the people decide that democracy is the type of governance they want, then we need to respect that.” coup

“We are concentrated on fulfilling our mandate, which is to safeguard the State’s territorial integrity.

Therefore, you should be certain that the Ghana Armed Forces have no interest in governing when you hear any coup-related news.

We think the people have a maximum of four years to replace the government if they don’t like it,” he said.

Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, the president of the GJA, led the team that traveled to discuss subjects of importance to both the GAF and the GJA.

Government coups

Coup d’états, according to the CDS, are a thing of the past.

According to him, practically everyone in the country knew that government was outside the scope of the GAF’s mandate given the current condition of the country’s development.

“I want to reassure you that we have the best interests of the country at heart. The press is mostly responsible for instilling in the public fear of a military coup.

Everyone should have peace of mind knowing that the military is focused on defending the nation’s territorial integrity and not on anything that may cause damage, according to Vice Admiral Amoama.

Unreliable reporting

He also expressed his gratitude to the GJA and the entire media community for their critical contribution to upholding the national will.

He stated that although there was still space for improvement, the GAF and the GJA had had some amicable ties over the years.

“There are a few instances of unethical behavior by some association members, particularly the hurry to publish unverified articles and also involve the GAF in national politics.

When we are frequently consulted before our reports are published, media coverage of security matters could be improved, Vice Admiral Amoama suggested.

He claimed that the GAF had an open-door policy and that as a result, it had links with a lot of institutions.

He mentioned the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) as being notable among them.

“We have established a very strong relationship with the GBA, to the point where they would like to talk with us before issuing a comment on any specific topic.

Our most recent efforts in the Greater Accra Region’s Ashaiman are one example.

They spoke with us, and we gave them an explanation of the events that led to that operation, so they knew exactly why it was required, according to the CDS.

According to him, the GAF faced a lot of negative press over the same issue, but “I think if we had a better interaction, the picture which was painted out there would’ve been different,” he stated.

As he pointed out, “It’s not only negative news that sells, but there are also positive developments in the GAF that could also sell,” he also urged the media to focus on the GAF’s positive stories.

Media-military relationship

According to Mr. Dwumfour, the military-media connection has been improving for some time, and as a result, the nation’s democracy has continued to advance.

He claimed that because of their friendly connection, the media could carry out their duties in peace and without worrying about military involvement.

He also expressed the GJA’s willingness to strengthen the relationship between the media community and the military.

He stated that in order to find more effective and creative ways of maintaining the relationship, the GJA would continue to engage with the GAF leadership on a recurrent basis.

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