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Opinions of Wednesday, 26 January 2011

Columnist: Daily Democrat

Why Akufo-Addo Still Wants Ghanaian Soldiers To Go To War And Die

...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.