Regardless of the rot, military has no place in government – Prof Gyampo recalls worst experience of 1979 coup

Prof Ransford Gyampo, Senior Political Science Lecturer at University of Ghana

A Senior Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has recalled the attempted coup and subsequent successful coup led by late President Jerry John Rawlings in 1979.

In a Facebook post on Monday, May 15, marking the 44th anniversary of the failed coup attempt, Prof. Gyampo emphasized that the military is never an option regardless of the rot in the system.

In his post, Prof. Gyampo described the events of 1979 as a lesson for all Ghanaians.

He urged citizens to deal with the rot in the system by keeping elected regimes on their toes, eschewing excessive partisanship that breeds political madness and peacefully changing governments that do not serve the people well through periodic elections.

The political science expert stressed that the military has no business in governing a country.

"Regardless of the rot in the system, the military has no business in governing a country. We as civilians have all it takes to deal with the rot in our system by keeping elected regimes on their toes, eschewing excessive partisanship that breeds political madness, and peacefully changing governments that do not serve us well through periodic elections," Prof. Gyampo wrote.