RESPECT THE INTELLIGENCE OF GHANAIANS, MR PRESIDENT!
Ghana President elect Nana Akufo-Addo during his inauguration ceremony in Accra, Ghana, Saturday Jan. 7, 2017. Ghana's chief justice swore in the nation's newly elected President Nana Akufo-Addo amid a sea of people dressed in the red, blue and white colors of his party. Akufo-Addo, 72, won the Dec. 7 election on his third run for the office, defeating incumbent John Dramani Mahama. (AP Photo)
The Right Alliance-Ghana feels petrified by the President, Nana AddoDankwaAkufoAddo’s address to the nation on Thursday, April 5, 2018, in response to the widespread public consternation against the recent Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States of America ratified by the majority in Parliament. A careful analyses of the President’s statement betrays a gross disrespect of the intelligence of Ghanaians!
In his opening statement, the President hinted on a ‘good friend’s’ caution to him about the hazards of democracy which he attributes to his decision to be open about his dealings and run a transparent governance system. This cannot be farther from the truth. We vividly recall his government’s obdurate refusal to account for the Ghana @60 celebration expenses, the Finance Minister’s adamant posture on disclosing the full details of the US$2.25 billion bond issued early last year, and details of transactions such as the Ghana Post GPS deals among several others.
The President cannot take credit for deciding to take the DCA to Parliament for ratification when his predecessors chose not to as evidence of his commitment to open and transparent governance. He simply had no choice in the matter as a Supreme Court ruling on the GITMO 2 case taken to court by members of his own party makes it obligatory for all agreements signed between Ghana and any other entity to be taken to Parliament for approval.
Even then, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, emphasised in the preamble to the agreement which incidentally had not been executed by the President before being sent to the Legislature, that the House had no authority to amend or vary any provisions therein. The President can therefore not be telling the truth about sending the agreement to the people’s representatives for scrutiny. The circumstance under whichthe DCA was laid before Parliament did not allow any such scrutiny by the people’s representatives.
Instead of addressing the issues of contention in the agreement, such as provisions that seek to give the United States Military unfettered access to our territory and facilities including the electro-magnetic spectrum, the President chose to launch a vicious tirade on people he describes as ‘frontline politicians’ and ‘political opponents’ whom he accuses of mischievously leaking documents destined for parliamentary scrutiny. Any document laid before Parliament becomes public record and can therefore not be described as leaked.
While conceding that this may be in true keeping with the style of the President and his party in dealing with their political opponents, it must be pointed out to him that this issue goes beyond their petty partisan politicking and affects the entirety of the country whose citizens cannot all be sycophantic praise-singers and apologists. Well-meaning Ghanaians will put Ghana and its interest first and above any partisan consideration. Reducing this matter to an NDC-NPP political football, we believe, is a juvenile attempt to dilute its gravity and bury it.
We of The Right Alliance-Ghana therefore wish to make it unequivocally clear to our President that well-meaning Ghanaians take strong exceptions to the display of intolerance, condescension and vituperation betrayed by both his demeanour and speech as he addressed the nation. We understand the present and posterior implications of this DCA and it sums up to nothing less than a mortgage of our sovereignty; a situation we will not accept. We are not dunces as he seems to think we are or nitwits as his Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, seems to see us and we demand that he respect our intelligence!
We also, by this statement, urge the Supreme Court to rise above partisanship and possible Executive manipulation as they consider the case concerning this same issue brought before it by some citizens of the land. Their just ruling on the case in the best interest of the Republic will reassure the people that the Judiciary is still committed to protecting the nation’s interest as both the Executive and Legislature have clearly failed us. Ghana deserves much better!
Long live the Right Alliance-Ghana!
Long live the Fourth Republic!
God Bless Our Homeland Ghana!
Signed
King Khorby
Director of Communication
The Right Alliance-Ghana
0209768101
Signed
Alhaji Sani Ibrahim Mohammed
Executive Secretary
The Right Alliance-Ghana
0202299114
