Opposition to the military cooperation agreement between Ghana and the United States keeps swelling as protest marches in all ten regions are set to begin.
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, gave the hint of the regional demonstrations in a critique of President Akufo-Addo’s silence on the controversial military deal.
A nationwide demonstration organised last week by Ghana Fist Patriotic Front (GFPF) and supported by the Interparty Coalition for National Sovereignty and the Minority in Parliament drew hundreds to the principal streets of Accra to condemn the deal.
The deal, among other things, gives the US Military unrestricted access to some key national facilities.
Many security experts say the deal could jeopardise Ghana’s national security.
“Sir, your continuous silence and abdication will only escalate the ongoing agitations. Already, there is the talk of regional demonstrations and other constituency mass actions on the horizon. Then there are legal suits which continue unabated and for which I have lost count,” the article released on Monday said.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) legislator for North Tongu in the Volta Region said he does not believe it is in the mutual interest of both Ghana and the United States of America for the President to continue “under this climate of stonewalling and heated political confrontations with its attendant international media attention.”
He continues: “There are scary security consequences given this current situation and the earlier we chart a new progressive, inclusive, responsive, sober and less noisy path, the better for us all.
Mr President, I am also quite uncomfortable about the potential ramifications for Ghana-US relations if you do not take conscious proactive steps to quickly address the concerns of Ghanaians. If decisive leadership is not exercised at this crucial hour, leadership would have itself to blame if Ghana-US relations become frosty.
“Sir, history teaches us that Ghana-US relations, like many other relations, have had its highs and lows. From the 23rd July 1958 official visit of President Nkrumah to the US on the invitation of President Eisenhower and at which Nkrumah addressed the US Senate on the afternoon of the next day where he boldly proclaimed – “Like you, we believe profoundly in the right of all people to determine their own destinies.
We are therefore opposed to all forms of colonialism old or new, and we want to see all nations and their peoples genuinely independent and seeking a higher standard of life.”
Joynews
