General News of Wednesday, 21 March 2018
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2018-03-21
The minority says Ghana will surrender her sovereignty if parliament approves the agreement
The Minority in Parliament has vowed to do everything possible to ensure a Ghana-US agreement on military cooperation is not approved by the House.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) MPs say Ghana will surrender her sovereignty if Parliament approves the agreement which gives the US unfettered access to a host of Ghanaian military facilities.
The agreement is being studied by the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament at a meeting where the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, and Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, are being questioned.
The committee will prepare a report and submit it to the House as a whole where the 275 legislators are expected to take a vote after a debate.
Mr Dery told Joy News, government will provide the same information to the committee as provided to the media.
He was emphatic the nation will benefit from enhanced military training in the agreement. Adding to that, Mr Nitiwul also said Ghana is getting $20m for military training from the agreement.
But the Minority has signalled the agreement is so lopsided against Ghana.
According to the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mohammed, ‘there is nothing in it for Ghana’.
When all is said and done, it will come down to a vote where the Minority will be looking for help within the Majority to scuttle the agreement.
In a 275 member chamber, the NDC will need at least 34 political volunteers within the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP); the Majority, to see and side with their point of view.
The US-Ghana defence cooperation has suffered politicisation within the past few years.
The NPP condemned the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for accepting two former terror suspects from the US into Ghana.
The NDC now in opposition appears to be returning the favour.