Opinions of Wednesday, 26 January 2011
Columnist: Daily Democrat
...they did not vote for NPP in 2008
Source : Daily Democrat
The actions and behaviour of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership
particularly the flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo and Members of Parliament (MP),
toward the military since the 2008 general elections, has been one of pure
hostility because the soldiers did not vote for them but rather supported
National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2008 general elections.
The act by the military in exercising their democratic right of voting massively
for Prof. Mills and the NDC in the last elections did not go down well with Nana
Akufo-Addo and his party, Daily Democrat can reveal.
NPP’s hatred for the military has clearly manifested through their members of
Parliament kicking against the STX Housing deal that will help improve soldiers’
well-being, as well as their flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo’s fervent wish for
President Mills to push the soldiers into a senseless war in La Cote d’lvoire
for them to be slaughtered.
First to demonstrably roll this anti- military agenda were NPP MPs who strongly
opposed government’s decision to build houses for our gallant soldiers to make
them comfortable.
What makes it worse is the intransigent position taken by the opposition party’s
flagbearer, Nana Addo that Ghanaian soldiers should be sent to go to war in
Ivory Coast damming the consequences of injuries and deaths to the soldiers and
the resultant social implication for their families.
A source close to the party revealed that, they would never forgive soldiers for
not voting for them in the last elections and would therefore do all they could
to frustrate them.
The wise counsel on the La Cote D’lvoire crisis as clearly stated by President
John Evans Atta Mills is that the solution to the leadership crisis of that
country does not lie in the use of military force to remove Gbagbo from power
but in quiet diplomacy through dialogue.
The Industrial Trade Union Conference (ITUC-Africa) on January 10th 2011 in Togo
added their voice to the wise call against the use of military force in Cote
d’voire. According to them, the military option is a dangerous one that can
plunge the whole the West Africa sub-region into an unprecedented crisis and
should not be encouraged.
African representatives on the United Nations’ Security Council have also
thrown their weight behind the wise decision of president Mills not to commit
soldiers to fight a senseless war.
What Nana Addo has failed to recognize is the potential danger that any war will
expose foreign nationals including over 1.5million Ghanaians to. The inevitable
Influx of refugees into Ghana in the event of any war, would impact negatively
on the country’s economy with its attendant political and social problems.
Some people who spoke to this paper on the issue said Nana Addo must be reminded
that Ghanaians were attacked and killed in Cote d’voire some years back because
of a football match between Asante Kotoko and Asec memosah.
It is alleged that Nana Addo’s strong position is also influenced by monetary
considerations from external forces whose political and economic fortunes would
be enhanced if Gbagbo is removed.