FEBRUARY 27

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DAILY HERITAGE WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2019
Security Alert
US to mobilise troops and equipment
for ‘Military Base’ establishment
BY VINCENT MENSAH
DO YOU remember
the heated discussions
that took
place almost a year
ago, in March,
2018, about the
‘Defence Cooperation Agreement’,
otherwise referred to as ‘Status of
Forces Agreement’ (SOFA) 2018,
signed between the Governments of
Ghana and the United States of
America?
The Government of Ghana, led
by the Minister of Defence, ably
supported by Cabinet and Parliament,
ratified the Agreement. Civil
society members and groups from all
walks of life – from the discerning
the man on the street, the Clergy, Academia,
etc, through to Parliament,
where the Minority Caucus stood
their ground against the Agreement -
all of whom were convinced that the
‘letter and spirit’ of the Agreement
would eventually lead to the establishment
of a military base in Ghana.
The Minority in Parliament debated
and pointed out the flaws in the
Agreement and the inherent dangers
to Ghana’s sovereignty and security,
if Ghana went ahead and ratified the
Military Agreement. The Government
of Ghana, strongly supported
by the US Embassy in Ghana, defended
the Agreement to the hilt.
‘2019 fishing closed season
fixed’
The above headline was quoted
from Ghanaweb’s Business News of
Wednesday, February 6, 2019, with
‘ghananewsagency.org’ as the source.
The article states among other
things, that ‘The 2019 close season
for artisanal fishers has been fixed
from May 15 to June 15 while that of
industrial trawlers will take place between
August 1 to August 31.’
‘The decision was taken by stakeholders
attending a consultative
meeting convened by the Ministry of
Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
to discuss the road map for the
implementation of the ‘Closed Season’
concept in Ghana’s fishing industry.’
What on ‘mother-earth’ has the
‘2019 fishing closed season’ got to do
with the establishment of a ‘military
base’ in Ghana?
The ‘2019 fishing closed season’
is everything the matter with the establishment
of the ‘military base’ in
Ghana. To establish the link between
the two events, the following questions
must be asked –
What are the reasons for the 2019
and future fishing closed seasons?
Why are the closed seasons divided
into two periods – May 15 to
June 15, 2019, for artisanal fishers,
and August 1 to August 31, for industrial
trawlers?
What happens to the industrial
trawlers during the period of the ban
on fishing for artisanal fishers?
What happens to artisanal fishers
during the period of the ban for industrial
trawlers?
The basic reason for the ‘fishing
closed season’ is that in the past,
there had been ‘overfishing’ activities
in the sea that had supposedly depleted
the territorial waters of Ghana
of its fishery stock, and the ‘closed
fishing season’ would replenish those
stock during the periods of the ban.
Questions ii through to iv seek to
defy the basic logic behind the establishment
of a ‘ closed fishing season’.
If industrial trawlers would be fishing
during the first ban from May 15
to June 15, 2019, and artisanal fishers
would also be going to sea during the
one month ban in August 2019, what
purpose would the so-called ‘closed
fishing season’ achieve in the shortto
long-term?
Herein lies the nexus between the
‘2019 closed fishing season’ and the
establishment of the US military
base in Ghana.
Be it known to all Ghanaians -
concerned or otherwise, politicians
or ordinary citizens, majority or minority
in Parliament, active or passive
citizens – that the United States government
has been interested in
Ghana’s energy sector, more so in
Ghana’s oil and gas resources over
the recent past years. That interest
has been behind the Compact II
Agreement for which initially Electricity
Company of Ghana, including
NEDCo, would be taken over, supposedly
on concession for some 20
years or more, hence the imperative
for the establishment of a permanent
military base, not made up of
tents and trenches – to protect the
future US interests!
The intended ‘military base’
‘The decision was taken by stakeholders attending a consultative
meeting convened by the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development
to discuss the road map for the implementation of the ‘Closed
Season’ concept in Ghana’s fishing industry.’
would need all the materials and logistics
for the various types of infrastructure
to accommodate military
personnel, and all the sophisticated
military hardware that would adorn a
twenty-first century military establishment
within Ghana’s political jurisdiction
and space. Those materials
and logistics would be easily and
furtively transported by sea within
the stipulated periods of two months
– May 15 to June 15, 2019, and August
1 to 31 August, 2019, when
Ghana would be ‘virtually asleep militarily’,
as the invasion plans unfold.
The Ghana Navy, the custodians
of Ghana’s territorial integrity at sea,
would be passive during the periods
of the ban as with the tacit consent
of the Government of Ghana, and
the US deployment of whatever materials
into Ghana would be interpreted
to be from a ‘friendly’ nation.
The snag of all the above scenario
is that the ordinary artisanal
fishers and industrial trawler operators,
who do not know what has
been happening behind their back
whilst at sea all these while with regard
to the Defence Cooperation
Agreement, would be frightened and
overwhelmed at the large warships
that would be sighted in Ghana’s territorial
waters as they unload their
military cargo daily for two separate
months! Those artisanal fishers and
industrial trawler operators would
raise alarms to the Ghanaian public
on the actual happenings at sea,
which would inherently generate
public fear and panic!
How would the United States of
America carry out her intentions
without causing any fear and panic
among the Ghanaian populace? Just
convince the Minister of Agriculture
and Aquaculture and the Government
at large about the need to protect
Ghana’s fishing industry and
therefore implement a ‘2019 closed
fishing season’, the sea would be free
from any ‘tell-tale’ marine operators,
day and night, and then the ultimate
goal would be achieved, seamlessly!
Trust the Ministry of Agriculture
and Aquaculture Development to
deny the above assertion!
Ayawaso violence: Why we can’t just condemn and move on
BY ESTHER KOIKALE SASSRAKU
(Student journalist, GIJ)
MANY HAVE condemned and criticized
it to be wrong, but do we just
condemn and leave it to hang? I do
not require an answer from you, but I
will tell you what my sincere fears are.
From all indications, Ghanaians
should be worried and disturbed
about the outscoring of political vigilante
groups and their activities in the
country especially in recent times.
Sometimes the seeming lack of
ability of the state security agencies
such as the police to counter, arrest
and punish these hoodlums makes it
easy for one to easily forget about
their existence and the fact that they
are mandated by the state to protect
its citizens.
Let me ask again, where are the
security agencies to protect us and
ensure our safety as citizens in the
country. Are they waiting for a command
beyond the IGP’s? Well that
command will not come because the
IGP’s word is your command. Or are
we to assume that the IGP gives
command in public and says something
else in secret? Fact is we are ‘officially’
scared for our lives, we are
beginning to get the point where the
•Police SWAT team
presence and the assurance of the
police means nothing. We know that
is not a desirable point, but you can’t
blame us when you, the police, keep
disappointing us with your sheer
weakness to deal with people who
openly obstruct justice and fight
legitimate authority under the
guise of vigilantism or political
security. Disband them, period!
Come to think of it, how do
you expect us to act normal
when some unidentified, masked
and armed men deployed to
monitor an election by ensuring
the election is peaceful turn to
rather harm electorates and create
fear?
The violence during the byelection
has made people make
certain comments creating fear
and panic in citizens leaving
them in a pool of thoughts.
Where will they go? What will
they do?
Do we even think about the
vulnerable: women, children,
aged and disabled? Although a
commission has been set to investigate
the incidence, do we
just leave it to them to work as we sit
aloof? No way! We all have a role to
play. The so called vigilantes live in
our communities; they are our husbands,
children and brothers. Let’s
talk them out of violence or better
still expose them for who they are. At
least in that way, we would be making
our stands known openly.
Let us remember that in war,
there's no work, productivity, development,
religion and many more.
Is this the legacy we want to leave
for the future generations? Certainly
not. Let's not allow ourselves to be
used by political parties and politicians
for their selfish interest. What
are the measures we putting in place
to prevent what happened in the
Ayawaso West Wuogon by- elections
from repeating itself In the 2020
elections? Lets’ be vigilant, make
Wise decisions and guard the peace
our forefathers left for us.
As my dad says "an action you
take today will have an impact on you
tomorrow." If we turn blind eye to
these bloodthirsty groups, obviously
the repercussion will be on our
heads. You have seen a few of the
likely repercussion, imagine the rest.
The time to act is now.