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General News of Thursday, 15 November 2012

Source: Paa Kwasi

I am not anti-military- Akuffo-Addo

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has chastised the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) for what he described as “compromising the nation's security” for selfish gains.

According to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, promotions, recruitment and appointments within the various security agencies under the NDC government have been fraught with favoritism and dishonesty.

Nana Akufo-Addo said this in Koforidua in the Eastern Region when outlining his plans for the security sector.

He affirmed: "This is a dangerous development that does not promote national cohesion and the building of a true and professional national security agency."

"Under the Mills -Mahama administration, the significant gains our country made in depoliticizing our state security agencies has been lost and replaced with an aggressive politicization agenda. Indeed as soon as the NDC assumed office in January 2009, the training of two batches of Armed Forces recruits selected during the latter part of the NPP administration was cancelled and the nation was told loudly that these young people who were recruited under a meticulously devised regiment were NPP foot soldiers."

He further brushed aside speculations that his administration would push through draconian anti-military policies, if voted into power saying, “I am certainly not anti-military despite all the efforts to portray me as such. I have no plans to turn our soldiers into farmers nor do I intend to touch the single spine arrangements that were initiated by the NPP government."

Akufo-Addo on that score promised among other things, that his administration would ensure that monies collected as rent from soldiers occupying military quarters will be used for the maintenance and improvement of places of accommodation.