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22.03.2018 Feature Article

US Military, The Contrast Of Ghana Beyond Aid!

US Military, The Contrast Of Ghana Beyond Aid!
22.03.2018 LISTEN

It has become the major talk of town since the last few days specifically 20th March 2018 when current Ghana's Minister of Defence Dominic Nitiwul submitted an official contract agreement indicating an agreement the government of The Republic of Ghana intend to engage in with the government of the United States of America,should the agreement be endorsed by the lawmaking body: the Parliament of Ghana.This initiative between the two states surfaced few weeks after the president of Ghana His Excellency Nana Akuffo Addo gave the State of Nation address indicating his intention to position Ghana beyond aids . Ghana Beyond Aid was the major topic of discussion that triumphed through the president's address on his recent 61st Independence Day speech delivered on 6th March, 2018.This speech indicatively highlighted on Ghana loosing Herself from the chains of foreign aids.The current initiative to give a space for the presence of US military in the country and consequently enjoy certain rights and impunity seems to be a literal bite in the face; a contradiction and total confusion to the Ghana Beyond Aid mission.

The agreement which has not affirmatively drawn the lines of limit such us when does the US Military intend to leave and evacuate the Ghanaian soil,nor vividly in a layman's language outlined the reason for the Army's presence,lives so much question to be answered. While lot of security experts are predicting a doomsday for Ghana should her Parliament approve of this initiative, the leaders are busily rationalising their assertion claiming it is for the collective good of the two nations,perhaps a joint military initiative. Nonetheless,we need to ask the question,has Ghana been faced with any international security crises? Do we need the affiliate of US military forces to aid us in any international security threat which currently there has not been any visible one in the first place? What then is the meaning of the "Defence Cooperation" in the agreement therein? Could our leaders decipher such semantic to us? Are there some things going on which the Ghanaian authorities would not like we the citizens to be exposed to? I will not like to talk about the $ 20.Million US dollar promises but is such an amount enough to sell our just recent Ghana Beyond Aid dream? Why inviting the thief to dine with us in broad daylight?

In the agreement,lot of impunity are allocated to the stay of US forces on the Ghanaian soil which every single intelligentsia after reading through the contract agreement eventually end up forming chains of questions about it.Freedom to wear uniforms and carry weapons in the discharge of duty on Ghanaian soil? Freedom to use US driving license without questioning by the Ghana Driver and Licensing Authority? Exemption from payment of taxes ? How? Also,in respect of the contract,any structure established by the US military command on Ghanaian soil shall become the property of Ghana when and only when the US military officially and openly declare they no more need such structures .So ,here comes the puzzle,does it mean we will keep waiting for the US military if they so decide to declare those infrastructure only after 50 years? Does it mean we are going to be waiting for them all these while? Within such duration will those structures not loose their value? Even in Ghana specifically in Accra and Cape Coast there are dozens of building which are more than 50 years of age and are still in good shape.That means before the US troops could declare they do not want such structures anymore,it may even exceed my 50 year speculation. So I ask,what then is the government of Ghana's gain in this joint defence initiative? To train Ghanaian soldiers,send them on US paid mission,and consequently invite US rival forces on vulnerable third-world Ghana? This is just a rhetoric,so let the gods answer.

To conclude,I think Ghanaians need to probe deeper into catastrophes that confront nations in which US situate her military bases or establish her military command; not to even talk about the difficulties entail when such countries eventually decide to expel the US troops from their soil in the case of dissatisfaction or breach of contract. The US established military bases in Japan since 1945 after the second world war when Japan was made to surrender after the launch of the second nuclear warhead in Nagasaki.Till this day the bases are still present.Even though the Ghanaian authorities are still defending the initiative and objecting the rumour that the initiative is not about establishment of military base,while insisting it will pose not threat at the aftermath,I will entreat the leaders to reconsider their thoughts and put the entire country into consideration before endorsing and materialising such an initiative into action as far as the Ghana Beyond Aid is concerned!

Written By: Richard Asumah Kwaku Tetteh
Student of University of Ghana
Email:[email protected]

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