Ghana, increasingly being perceived
as a stable, democratic country and the ‘gateway to (West) Africa’, is
scheduled to go to the polls in November 2016 to either maintain or change the
democratically elected government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Typical of an election year, major
security concerns exists within civil society regarding a peaceful change-over
of government. This security concern is informed by a turbulent history of
coups détat and conflict spill-overs across borders of ECOWAS member States and now terror attacks.
Interviews granted and comments made
by security analysts in the media, seminars and workshops in the recent past
indicated no major security concerns in an election year but current
developments seemingly negate this assertion. In fact, the general consensus
during these seminars was that the security situation in the country was stable,
but with a caveat that it is an election year and there is need for the
security agencies to be on the alert and civil society to be only cautiously
optimistic.
The response to this particular observation
is twofold: firstly, that most participants in the security debate were aware
of the instability in the sub-region and the possibility of consistent conflict
spill-overs from the Western to the Eastern parts of West Africa. This is
reflected in the systematic movement or gradation of the epi-centre of
conflicts/civil wars from Senegal through the Mano River region to Cote
d'Ivoire with Ghana or Togo appearing to be next in line.
Civil society, however, expects
Ghana’s national security apparatus under Yaw Donkor NOT Baba Kamara to guard
against any unforeseen destabilization.
Secondly, elections in Ghana are
always characterized by widespread tension in which pronouncements by political
elites band sensational headlines by the media, create the general fear,
insecurity and tension.
Readers should not forget how the state
played a dangerous propaganda game with the three South African ex-police
officers, who were arrested in Ghana for offering illegal training to some
members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) including drivers and photographers.
Again, the security agencies are
said to have these developments under control and must be fair NOT selective.
NB: Additional files from Mercenarism in West Africa
