US Military Deal: Ghana Exposed to New Threats – Aning

Dr. Kwesi Aning has bemoaned the partisan politics that shrouded discussions on Ghana’s military pact with the United States of America.

In his first public commentary on the matter, the security analyst said the politics around the deal has, to some extent, exposed Ghana to terrorism.

“People in high office deliberately leaked sensitive information around these agreements and by doing so without placing the interest of Ghana and Ghanaians at the centre of these discussions, have exposed all of us to new threats because Islamic State (I.S.) in the West African Province now says: ‘Oh, so, Ghana, you created a platform for the U.S. to launch attacks against us.

“This agreement has exposed the dangerous bipartisanship in our politics; so dangerous that the stability of this country does not matter in the calculus of those who play these games insofar as they will hurt their political opponents. That is dangerous, that threatens you and [me], that exposes us as a nation to ridicule amongst our partners and I’m hoping that as things calm down, we will all be a little reflective and to say: ‘What can we put out into the public domain, under what condition, what time and for what purpose?” he wondered in an interview with Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Tuesday.

In his view, politicians in both the ruling and opposition parties must be made to sign an oath on the kind of information to release to the public.

“The question is: How do we create a political culture in this country so that people in opposition and in certain positions swear the official secret oath or secret act so that information that can hurt Ghana if it gets out into the wider public, stays where it ought to stay”.

A one-sided parliament on March 23, 2018, ratified the controversial defense cooperation agreement between Ghana and the US.

The Minority side stormed out of the Law Chamber leaving the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) MPs to rubberstamp the pact late in the night before Parliament rose for recess.

The Ghana-US defence cooperation agreement gives American soldiers unimpeded access to certain key installations and in return the West African country will earn $20 million by way of training of its soldiers and equipment.

Source: Starrfmonline