One of Ghana’s astute veteran broadcasters and journalist with an array of Loris to his works, as well as the Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has remarked a shocking revelation and conditional facts about the Ghana- US Military Cooperation pact which is currently causing an undue uproar and cacophony in Ghana.
Mr. Pratt fumed and queried why the Akufo-Addo led government and lawmakers couldn’t consider certain technical clauses and articles which have been encapsulated into ‘article 18′ which gives explicit and strict autonomous power to the US on the basis that in an unlikely event where objections are raised by Ghana on any disagreeable front, there shall be no international tribunal to intervene or adjudicate over the matter for amicable settlement unless the Americans provides full cooperation or gives tacit approval.
He exclaimed and couldn’t appreciate why proper due diligence weren’t taken into consideration under such ambiguous and auspicious circumstances under which the issue gained attention in Parliament before members of the House proceeded to ratify the motions in the agreement thereof.
The eloquent broadcast journalist also opined that, America soldiers have gained notoriety for meddling in several deviant atrocities in areas where they have established such bases’ in the world.
And thus, makes one to wonder how a sovereign nation like Ghana is seeking to embrace such a contractual and mutually exclusive pact into the country.
He elaborated further on the ‘Alhaji And Alhaji Political talk Program aired on Saturday 7/4/2018″ .
That when the President delivered a speech at the Jubilee House on the raging controversies about the Ghana-America Defense Base in country, he hinted that the US is not going to set up a military Base but instead a facility.
A position according Mr. Kwesi Pratt cannot hold truth and be justified under any ground, because per the American’s understanding in security matters a facility is the same as a Base. A situation he prefixed is self explanatory and doesn’t require any clarification.
He continued by explaining that, the terms of conditions as espoused in the said agreement shows Ghana is going to be used as a checkpoint for staging operations within the Africa sub regions in additions to all their Hybridization in security accoutrements hence if the term facility isn’t the same as a base, ” then what is it”
Furthermore, he chides his major concern about the agreement is premised on open secret that, the United States Of America is leapfrogging in terms of nuclear power as well as a haven for one of the stock pile nuclear weapons of the world.
He bemoaned, since there is no restrictions in the said dossier to act as checks on the number of highly sophisticated and biological weapons which ought to be in the country. He disclosed is most unfortunate and an affront to the sovereignty of the citizenry.
Kwesi Pratt again described the exposition by President Nana Addo about the agreement few days ago as un nationalistic in character and questioned why the President launched a scathing attack on persons who shared contrary opinions about the pact.
Similarly it would recalled that President Akufo-Addo during a live broadcast from the Jubilee House on Thursday night fumed profusely on groups and political opponents who dissent to government and parliament for going ahead to give legislative and Executive backing to the Ghana- US Defense Cooperation agreement.
Mr. Pratt couldn’t understand why President Nana Addo cited persons’ who resent to the documentations covering the agreement as unpatriotic, Cynics, nation wreckers, amongst other belligerent comments he uttered whilst delivering the speech in the Jubilee House.
He also stressed to the effect that in America, for instance famous and influential personalities like Bennie Sanders and his co- likes are staunch critiques when it comes to Trump’s idles in Americans militarisms of the world.
Hence the political social commentator questioned if showing such an unkempt and vehement posturing by these senior diplomats against President Trump’s Security Pacts makes them Anti- America and took a swipe at persons who have taken a divergent view in support of the deal but have resorted to christened those who dissent as having championing an Anti- Ghana agenda.
A move he however described as most unfortunate and blatant disregard for unparalleled shakes of opinions.
Mr. Pratt asserted by alluding in the same article that an aggrieved party cannot take a perpetrator to court unless the perpetrator agrees or otherwise.
An act the veteran broadcaster retorts is preposterous and undermines the authority of the state.
In deciphering further, he asked why intelligent state men and parliamentarians of good standing in parliamentary rudiments would okayed such a pact where upon any assumption that, Ghana decides to take America to court over any disagreed tendency in future, it will have to take the blessings of the United State of America before such a hearing would be sanctioned and presided over by that Tribunal.
He revealed profusely that “if America troops come to Ghana and kill our soldiers and Ghanaians, the nation is not entitled to any compensations” or whatsoever.
Mr.Kwesi Pratt also schooled there is more to the deal and appealed to stakeholders to open up to the public and avoid being overly rated in its prominence stature, devoid of emotional touch and ecstasy.
He again revealed there are some international relations and academician’s who are drawing a comparable heights between the United Nation’s Security operations and that of the American’s and elucidated such posturing can’t be understood by any right thinking person in that context.
He articulated the United Nation’s Organization is an embodiment of all countries of the world (about 193).
Hence the body doesn’t take the sovereignty of a country into account in terms of its military operations and concluded by saying that the two positions aren’t mutually beneficial or at parallel to each other.
Mr. Pratt further charged government to take steps to minimize Ghana’s quest of dependency burden on the US devoid of further strengthening ties with them (America) for grants and aids, if the country indeed want to flee from the shackles of begging for loan facilities and solicitations.
He re-echoed the fact that, America gives freebies and benevolence to Ghana doesn’t mean the country should surrender her national interest at the perils of its people.
He admits Ghana has major security problems but such problems , he contend the situation has long been given designs and appraisals by weighted- diplomats and eminent personalities such as; Professor Akilakpa Sawyer ( Lawyer), Brigadier General Nunoo Mensah(former National Security Advisor to late President Mills) security experts, Politicians and governance pundits such as Mr.David Agbee, Hassan Ayarga, Ex. President Jerry Rawlings, amongst persons of high ranking reputes in the corridors of the New Patriotic Party are just a few to mention who have all spoken against the sighting of such military facility in Ghana.
On the Africa continent , Mr Pratt also eulogized the memories of past and present freedom lighters such as ; Dr.Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nkwerere, Nelson Mandela, Modinbo Keita amongst their likes who have long stipulated the antidotes for curbing the porous and fragile security bottlenecks within the sub region. He also charged present Heads of state to be proactive on issues bordering on security in Africa. This Mr.Pratt suspect could minimize the geo- military monopoly by the westerners.
Though Mr. Kwesi Pratt expressed, he doesn’t hold similar position by the main opposition, National Democratic Congress where the party has preyed the Akufo-Addo’s government to reconsider the terms and conditions enshrined in the Defense agreement by constituting a bipartisan enquiry into it.
He noted, the NDC is more magnanimous and diplomatic with issues of the cooperation pact, but for him as a citizen, he’s advocating for a total scrap of the entire agreement between Ghana and their America counterparts, on grounds of touching base with military operations in the country.
The development according to Kwesi Pratt is a mere charade and wouldn’t be a profit – driven for Ghana if government does not heed to calls by numerous resenting voices and rescind its decision to allow the US to established its troops Base in Ghana.
Nana Dogbe|ahotoronline.com|Ghana
