Ghana-US Defense Deal Scares Me ― Pratt

Screaming headlines are expected to hit the newsstands after ‘frightening’ revelation that Ghana may soon enter into a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the United States of America.

In the coming days, many―constitutionalists, advocacy groups would be split on the topic. They would dive into the details and perform a constitutional surgery on it.

Cabinet’s approval of the agreement that allows the US to set up a military base in Ghana has dazed many.

The deal, according to reports would grant unrestricted access to a host of facilities and wide-range of tax exemptions to the US military and its civilian personnel.

Cabinet has since passed the memorandum to parliament for consideration and implementation.

But the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt has stated categorically that the agreement, if implemented and approved by parliament, would be Ghana’s first step back to colonialism.

Explaining why he has unflinchingly resisted the set up of such bases in Ghana, Mr Pratt said, clauses of the agreement were frightening.

“One aspect of the agreement says that if US forces come to Ghana and kill our soldiers and kill civilians and so on, they do not pay us any compensation for the killing,”

“If they come into Ghana and destroy private property like your house, car and so on, Ghanaian law would not apply to them. It is incredible,” he explained on Accra based Radio Gold, on Tuesday.

According to Mr Pratt, there are salient lessons to be drawn from countries that have housed US Military adding that “the most important lesson is that wherever US Military is stationed, they attract terrorist the same way that rubbish attract flies.

Contractors

Another disturbing feature of the agreement is the involvement of ‘Contractors’, Mr Pratt revealed.

“Who are these contractors? The most popular is the ‘Black Water’ which operated in Iraq. They operate with extreme impunity. They kill, they spy, they destroy.

He Continued: “…we are going to have US forces on our territories, waging war…they are not coming here to plant flowers, they are not coming here to plant roses, they are coming to fight.”

False Military Base Claims

At the wake of discussions, Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, says reports that Ghana has entered into an agreement with the US for the establishment of a military a base in the country is false.

According to him, the media has misrepresented the facts of the agreement and has asked the public to disregard every mischievous plot to cause fear and panic.

Addressing the issue on Joy FM, the minister said “The USA is not establishing a military base in Ghana, at all…it is not true and they do not intend to do that, not at all.”

He explained that the US has brought a DCA seeking an understanding of the status of their troops who come to the country to train Ghanaian soldiers.

In the agreement, Ghana has also agreed to bear the cost and take primary responsibility for securing the U.S. facilities in Ghana. This, critics have termed as unreasonable.

But Mr Nitiwul says the US has been supporting Ghana over the years and it was only fair to return the kind gesture.

“In fact, a lot of our anti-terrorism training, they do it for us and they do it for free,” he said.

He continued: “Over the next two years, they are going to pump into Ghana, through the military, over $20 Billion in various exercises and in various capacity building and equipment for the troupe.”

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]