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Opinions of Sunday, 21 February 2016

Columnist: Yiadom, Boakye

Security Agencies of Ghana are struggling with armed robbery

The thinking and reasoning of James Agyenim Boateng, NDC Presidential Staffer, is irresponsibly identical to that of Akua Donkor, Founder and Leader of Ghana Freedom Party. Akua Donkor quite recently insulted the integrity of all Ghanaians irrespective of partisan politics.

Agyenim Boateng has said “if Ghanaians have been able to live with the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for all this while, the citizenry should not have a problem with the accommodation of the two ex-Guantanamo Bay detainees in the country.”

According to Agyenim Boateng, the NPP whose violent nature and conduct in itself is threat to the security of the state should be the last people to be speaking about issues relating to the ex-terrorists.

The NPP parliamentary caucus said it mildly. Instead President Mahama should be impeached for breaching sections of the constitution in hosting the two terrorists -- Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby.
Has any member of the NPP committed any acts of terrorism, arrested, prosecuted and jailed? The brainless Agyenim Boateng failed to adduce tangible reasons to back his incomprehensible statements made against the NPP.
He woefully quoted Article 75 sub-sections (1) and (2) to support the President’s decision to accept the Guantanamo Bay detainees in Ghana. These two Yemeni terrorists should have been sent to Yemen but NOT GHANA?
Sub-Section two of Article 75 states “A treaty, Agreement or Convention executed by or under the authority of the President shall be subject to ratification by (a) Act of Parliament; or (b) A resolution of Parliament supported by the votes of more than one/half of all the members of Parliament.

When did Mahama inform Parliament about the arrival of the terrorists? It is preposterous for Agyenim Boateng to make light business of terrorism.

According to citifmonline.com, the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, on Monday, January 18, 2016, called on Christians and all religious groups across Ghana to offer special prayers for the country to ward off any planned terrorist attack.
His appeal follows the surge in terrorist attacks in the world including countries in the West Africa sub-region. The latest of such attacks was in Burkina Faso where 27 people perished and several others were injured.

If terrorism was not important to civilized leaders, the august visitor to Ghana, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi would not, on February 2, 2016, have added his voice to calls on Ghana to help fight terrorism.

Mr. Renzi said the country should be concerned in finding an “antidote” to the many atrocities perpetrated by terrorists, and work together with international partners like ITALY to find solutions “against terrorism and the violence of those, who want to destroy our values, including those of compassion, inclusion and unity”.
Africa has not been spared the terror attacks, Mr. Renzi cautioned. Al-Qaeda militants recently bombed a luxury hotel in Burkina Faso, a country bordering Ghana to the north in January 2016. The assault left at least 28 people from 18 countries killed.
Agyenim Boateng knows very well that the country’s security agencies are struggling with ARMED ROBBERY in Ghana. What about terrorism which is more of a serious fight than armed robbery? The two Yemeni hard core terrorists can just over night turn Ghana into chaos and confusion. You should therefore not joke with the situation Ghanaians find themselves.
Dr. Kwesi Aning, Director of Academic Affairs and Research at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping and Training Centre, has expressed concerns about how security issues are handled in Ghana.
Dr. Aning, who is Security Expert, has questioned claims by government that security has been beefed up in the country. He quoted outgoing Interior Minister Mark Woyongo as assuring Ghanaians on January 28, 2016, that government had put in place security measures to forestall any terrorist attacks in the wake of recent attacks in the sub-region.

In his view, security has not been beefed up. “The fact that three policemen are standing in front of a building without any equipment and not understanding why they are standing there doesn’t mean security has been beefed up,” he told Class News’ Atiewin Mbillah.

According to Dr. Aning, it is not the numbers that count, but the quality of the training and the level of preparedness and sharpness. Agyenim Boateng must read and understand what security means to all security conscious people and not hollow minded people like him (Agyenim Boateng).

Agyenim Boateng’s unwarranted attack on the NPP caucus in Parliament is an attempt to divert attention of Ghanaians from the hardships they (Ghanaians) are going through. Agyenim Boateng should know that the people will no longer tolerate the foolishness of NDC.

Source: Dr. Boakye Yiadom