Pressure group, OccupyGhana, has called on government to lay before Parliament a draft Legislative Instrument (LI) on the status, privileges and immunities given to members of visiting military force under the controversial Ghana-USA military cooperation agreement.
According to the group, “Although other portions of the agreement may come into force in accordance with the terms of the agreement and after parliamentary ratification, the portions of the agreement that purport to confer diplomatic status, privileges and immunities on the US Military and its agents would require a formal Legislative Instrument prepared by the President which Article 11 of the Constitution requires to be laid before Parliament for passage.”
In a press statement, the group indicated that the Legislative instrument would specifically prescribe the US Military as an organization to which Ghana is extending these rights and may contain conditions and limitations.
It said the laying of the draft Legislative Instrument would give Parliament another opportunity to consider some relevant portions of the agreement.
Parliament, on March 23, 2018, ratified the controversial Ghana-US Military Agreement although the Minority NDC staged a last minute walk-out.
Per the agreement, Ghana has entered into an agreement with the US military, which would allow the latter unfettered access to some facilities.
The deal will also allow for military training between the armies of the two countries.
President Nana Akufo-Addo, in an address to the nation, pointed out that the agreement does not include the establishment of a base in Ghana by the US as claimed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to President Akufo-Addo, “The United States of America has not made any request for such consideration and consistent with our established foreign policy, we will not consider any such request.”
However, OccupyGhana, in the statement, expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which Parliament ‘rushed’ the ratification of the agreement on the last day of its sitting when the majority of Ghanaians were “realising probably for the first time that we have such agreements.”
It said although the agreement was properly sent to Parliament for ratification, Ghanaians deserved more time to know more details about the agreement.
“Ghanaians deserved more time to debate and assimilate its terms which would have better informed our support of or opposition to it. The night time acrimonious ratification proceeding was unfortunate. In addition, we cannot help but express our disappointment that the Right to Information Bill has not attracted this sense of urgency from this or any Parliament,” the statement pointed out.
By Gibril Abdul Razak