The NDC gurus at parliament yesterday
Leading members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), including its national executive officers, yesterday besieged parliament in an angry mood to encourage the party’s MPs to completely reject the military agreement between Ghana and the US that would allow their soldiers to be stationed in the country to train their Ghanaian counterparts.
All the NDC MPs and stalwarts of the party wore red arm bands and head gears to signify their opposition to the deal.
Members of another pressure group opposed to the agreement, Economic Fighters League, who wanted to present a petition to the leadership of parliament amidst protests, were prevented from entering the premises of parliament by policemen on duty.
The military agreement was laid in parliament by the Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul, on Tuesday, March 20, sparking incessant protest by the opposition NDC members and their MPs, who are claiming that the agreement, if ratified by parliament, will not only undermine the general security of the state but completely mortgage the economic future of the country to the US for just $20 million, which the US would invest in the military exercise.
As early as 10 am, the leadership of the NDC, including the National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy; General Secretary, Asiedu Nketia; National Vice Chairperson, Anita de Sooso; National Organizer, Kofi Adams; Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC), Bernard Mornah, flagbearer of the All People’s Congress (APC), Hassan Ayariga, and many other NDC faithful, converged on the public gallery of parliament.
The ratification of the agreement, which featured prominently on the business of the day before parliament rises sine dine for the Easter holidays, was not done in the morning until parliament suspended its sitting for the evening.
NDC MPs, throughout the sitting in the morning, constantly heckled the Speaker of Parliament, as well as members of the majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the agreement to be withdrawn from the house.
When parliament was suspended at about 2pm for a break, the leadership of NDC quickly went into a closed door meeting with all their MPs to discuss their next line of action.
As of the time of filing this report at 5.30 pm, parliament had not resumed to consider the agreement.
Sources told DAILY GUIDE that the leadership of parliament also held a marathon meeting.
It is clear that if parliament decides to consider the agreement before it rises, the opposition NDC MPs will strongly oppose its ratification.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Asiedu Nketia, told the parliamentary press that even if the NPP uses its numbers to ratify the agreement, the NDC as a party will continue to fight its implementation by continuously organising protests.
No Military Base
Mr Nitiwul said the agreement is just a follow-up to the previous ones signed by the various NDC governments which were not made public.
He stated that the deal allows the US to establish a military base in Ghana at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra.
The minister added that he was surprised the NDC was making political capital out of this, adding that the main opposition party, which is desperate after losing power terribly, only wants to create fear and panic by unnecessarily politicizing the joint military exercise.
According to him, the agreement is very clear and does not involve any establishment of a military base in Ghana by the US Forces.
He explained that the US military would deploy about 200 military personnel to Ghana to offer counter-terrorism training to men and officers of the Ghana Armed Forces and the Ghana Police Service, adding that “if it were to be military base, the US Forces would have deplored 2,000 or more military personnel to the country.”
He said the parent agreement between Ghana and US on the joint training exercise was initially signed in 1998.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr