Ghana: MP Unhappy About President’s Silence …Over Bawku Crisis, Killing of Soldier in Ashaiman

Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa North, James Agalga, has expressed worry about President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s silence on the renewed Bawku crisis and the killing of a soldier in Ashaiman and its aftermath, when the President delivered a message on the State of the Nation (SONA) in Parliament last Wednesday.

In the view of Mr Agalga, the two developments were the most pressing security challenges the country faced in the past “few days” and for the President “to go mute on them should be a concern to Ghanaians.”

Taking his turn yesterday in Parliament to debate the contents of the SONA, Mr Agalga, a former Deputy Minister of The Interior, advised President Akufo-Addo to address the nation on the two developments.

President Akufo-Addo in his address a day after soldiers stormed and brutalised residents of Ashaiman, in the Greater Accra Region, over the killing of a young military personnel, Sheriff Imoro, did not mention the incident and the Bawku crisis, but touted his gov­ernment’s investment in the security sector of the country.

Mr James Agalga, the Rank­ing Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, however, said the President was duty-bound to ap­praise Ghanaians on developments in Bawku and condemn the incident that happened in Ashaiman.

“As Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, one would have expected that Mr President would have told us the state of se­curity in the country before talking about procurement done under his watch for the improvement of the delivery of the security services.

“The age-old Bawku crisis has escalated. There have been many killings. Many people have lost their lives and one would have expected that as Commander-In-Chief, the principal guarantor of the peace and security of the country, President Akufo-Addo would have said some­thing about the age-old renewed Bawku conflict.”

Mr Agalga recalled that “we all witnessed what happened in Ashaiman a day before the President delivered his address on the state of the nation”.

He said “As commander in chief, the President was duty-bound to say a sword about Ashaiman because rights have been violated, including the murder of a soldier. The Pres­ident should have at least consoled the family of the bereaved soldier and also express regret about the abuses of the rights of the people of Ashaiman by the soldiers.

“Mr Speaker, that was unfortu­nate. The President simply did not live up to expectation. As Com­mander-In-Chief, I will admonish him to find space and address the nation on Bawku and Ashaiman.”

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Devel­opment, Mr Moses Anim, said the President’s address exudes hope for a better future.

He said hope was very critical to the survival of any society and that in Ghana’s current economic environment, it was important the President gave hope; absence of which could collapse the country.

To this end, Mr Anim said Pres­ident Akufo-Addo needed to be commended for being frank with the people than being castigated amidst difficult economic climate.

According to Mr Anim, the footprints of the President’s per­formance could be seen across all sectors of the economy and citizens must be appreciative.

He said though the 1992 Con­stitution may have its own inade­quacies, it should not be taken for granted.