The North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okoudzeto Ablakwa says the Minority’s opposition to the Ghana-US Mulitary Agreement will not change although the Supreme Court has dismissed a suit seeking to set the deal ratified by Parliament aside.
The Supreme Court in its Tuesday decision described the suit brought by the Ashanti regional Youth Organizer of the opposition NDC, Brogya Genfi as unmeritorious.
The seven-member panel presided over by Chief Justice Kwesi Anin Yeboah indicated that the reason for the court’s decision will be made available at a later date.
But Mr Ablakwa and the Minority who have described the agreement as one which surrenders Ghana’s sovereignty to another country, threatening the peace and stability says the ruling does not change their view.
“The position of the Minority remains the same that our government did not negotiate in the best interest of Ghana. Our government could have negotiated better,” he said on Joy FM’s Newsnite programme.
Mr Ablakwa wonders how a deal which has resulted in Terminal 1 of the Kotoka International Airport being handed to a private entity to manage is beneficial to Ghana.
According to him, government has leased the terminal to freight forwarding company, McDan and not even Parliament can have access to the site to assess what goes on there.
“Ghana does not have access to the terminal to determine what does or does not go on there. The Terminal 1 has been leased to a private company McDan and then McDan deals with the US military
“So even our government does not know what is happening between McDan and the US military. You don’t know what is happening at Terminal 1 and you tell me that this is an agreement in the interest of Ghana. You think that the Ghanaian military can go and do this in the United States of America,” he queried.
Mr Ablakwa who is also Ranking Member on Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said the Minority’s opposition to the deal is not meant to jeopardize Ghana and US relations, but rather to seek a win-win situation for both parties.
“We must never undermine our national sovereignty. President Trump talks about America first, there can also be Ghana first. This is an agreement which very eminent Ghanaians including Ghana’s longest serving foreign Minister, Dr Obed Asamoah publicly said was not in our national interest and that it was too one sided
“This is an agreement which the respected Prof Akilagpa Sawyer, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana looked at and said it was not well negotiated and was not in our best interest.”
He said a future NDC government will ask for the Agreement to be reconsidered because they are not in favour of the decision.
The Agreement will give the US Military unhindered access to some key installations following a Memorandum of Understanding between the government of Ghana and the US government.
With the agreement ratified by Parliament, the US troops will among other things be exempted from paying taxes on equipment that are brought to Ghana as well as use Ghana’s radio spectrum for free.
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