The Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA) has described as ‘empty and demeaning‘ the speech delivered by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo on the US Military base deal.

According to President Akufo-Addo, “the United States of America has not made any request for such consideration and, consistent with our established foreign policy, we will not consider any such request.”

In an address to the nation on Thursday, 5th April, 2018, the President stated that “in consideration of the realities of our circumstances and the challenges to peace in our region in our time, we have deemed it prudent to continue the Co-operation Agreement with the United States of America.”

He was confident that the US-Ghana Military Co-operation Agreement “will help enhance our defence capability, and offer an important layer of support in our common effort to protect the peace in our region.”

But a statement signed by the Executive Secretary-ASEPA, Mensah Thompson and copied to thepressradio.com stated that they condemn the way and manner the President spoke to Ghanaians yesterday on the US military base agreement impasse.

“We observed with serious disappointment how the commander in chief of the Ghana armed forces who was supposed to unite his nation to fight a common enemy (oppression) rather took sides with the (oppressor) foreign agent and created the impression that anyone not agreement with the current DCA is anti-America or against the oppressor which was very unfortunate to say the least”. The statement added.

“We express huge disappointment on the failure of the President to announce a temporal hold on to the agreement and further went on to justify the agreement but most importantly failed to tell us the rationale behind this enhanced DCA”.

Below is the full statement

ASEPA CONDEMNS THE PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS TO THE NATION ON THE US MILITARY BASE DEAL, SPEECH WAS EMPTY AND DEMEANING

We officially condemn the way and manner the President spoke to Ghanaians yesterday on the US military base agreement impasse.

We observed with serious disappointment how the commander in chief of the Ghana armed forces who was supposed to unite his nation to fight a common enemy (oppression) rather took sides with the (oppressor) foreign agent and created the impression that anyone not agreement with the current DCA is anti-America or against the oppressor which was very unfortunate to say the least.

We express huge disappointment on the failure of the President to announce a temporal hold on to the agreement and further went on to justify the agreement but most importantly failed to tell us the rationale behind this enhanced DCA.

The President's posture was demeaning and disrespectful to Ghanaians; he spoke like a dictator instead of a democratically elected President. The name calling was seriously uncalled for and we condemn every aspect of his speech.

We want to assure the President that civil society will not relent on our effort to get this DCA renegotiated.

We are prepared to use all means possible either civil or legal to address this concern.

We therefore advise the President not to append his signature on this agreement if he wants decorum to prevail in the country.

Ghana is a peace loving nation, we have enjoyed major stability and national cohesion for a while and the US knows we are an important asset in terms of peace keeping and defense in the sub region.

We need to leverage on this major goodwill that is not prevalent in most African nations to demand an agreement that does not indict on our sense of sovereignty and citizenship but also promote mutual respect for our laws and cultural jurisprudence.

We will therefore call on the council of state to call the President to order and prevent him from taking any action that will further threaten the stability of this country.

Signed:

Mensah Thompson

Executive Secretary-ASEPA

0243019131

Cc.

The Chairman,Council of State

The Speaker of Parliament

The Chief Justice

The Peace Council

All Concerned CSO's

All Media Houses