The chickens are home to rest! The facts and figures on the ground suggest that the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is gradually turning into the Ewe Armed Forces (EAF).
The data on the composition of the Ghana Armed Forces as at date are as follows:
Officers
Ashanti Region has 115 for Army, 17 for Navy, 16 for Airforce bringing the total to 148 representing 11.50%.
Brong Ahafo has 27 for Army, 7 for Navy, 10 for Airforce bringing the total to 44 representing 3.4%
Central Region has 100 for Army, 27 for Navy, 16 for Airforce bringing the total to 143 representing 11.11%.
Eastern Region has 143 for Army, 29 for Navy, 33 for Airforce bringing the total to 205 representing 15.93%.
Greater Accra has 105 for Army, 15 for Navy, 27 for Airforce bringing the total to 147 representing 11.42%.
Northern Region has 62 for Army, 8 for Navy, 10 for Airforce bringing the total to 80 representing 6.22%.
Upper East Region has 75 for Army, 7 for Navy, 9 for Airforce bringing the total to 91 representing 7.07%.
Upper West Region has 52 for Army, 11 for Navy, 8 for Airforce bringing the total to 71 representing 5.52%.
Volta Region has 228 for Army, 39 for Navy, 50 for Airforce bringing the total to 317 representing 24.63%.
Western Region has 31 for Army, 5 for Navy, 5 for Airforce bringing the total to 41 representing 3.18%.
Other Ranks
Ashanti Region has 1055 for Army, 136 for Navy, 174 for Airforce bringing the total to 1365 representing 10.34%.
Brong Ahafo has 518 for Army, 75 for Navy, 70 for Airforce bringing the total to 663 representing 5.0%
Central Region has 954 for Army, 256 for Navy, 194 for Airforce bringing the total to 1404 representing 10.64%.
Eastern Region has 1868 for Army, 321 for Navy, 360 for Airforce bringing the total to 2539 representing 19.32%.
Greater Accra has 619 for Army, 174 for Navy, 104 for Airforce bringing the total to 897 representing 6.80%.
Northern Region has 582 for Army, 77 for Navy, 70 for Airforce bringing the total to 729 representing 5.52%.
Upper East Region has 795 for Army, 120 for Navy, 98 for Airforce bringing the total to 1013 representing 7.68%.
Upper West Region has 380 for Army, 52 for Navy, 73 for Airforce bringing the total to 505 representing 3.83%.
Volta Region has 2646 for Army, 458 for Navy, 534 for Airforce bringing the total to 3638 representing 27.57%.
Western Region has 311 for Army, 73 for Navy, 49 for Airforce bringing the total to 433 representing 3.28%.
With this representation in the Ghana Armed Forces, the question now is “why were officers and men from the Volta Region against the policy of Regional Balance?”
Monday, March 29, 2010
Pull An Atta Mills
Students of political science in the nation’s university are likely to take on a new expression in their lingua franca. The expression, which I foresee, would be ‘to pull an Atta Mills’.
What is the meaning of the expression ‘to pull an Atta Mills”? The expression would stand for people, particularly politicians who say one thing and do something completely other.
It would stand for inconsistency and double-dealing. It would stand for being two faced on issues. Politicians across board do this but that of our President and his government is too much.
When he was swearing in as the President of Ghana, President Professor John Evans Atta Mills said he would endeavor to be a President for all Ghanaians.
It was not long after that that his friends in the NDC were chasing his political opponents (and in some cases even members of the NDC) all over the place, harassing and intimidating them.
Today, there are millions of Ghanaians who feel particularly unGhanaian whilst the President looked on. That is pulling an Atta Mills.
Days after it came out that the former President John Kufour was going to occupy a state building as an office, it emerged that he had sought for, and received the permission from President Atta Mills, through his Aide Mr. Paul Victor Obeng, to occupy that building. Since then, Kufour has been chased out of the building. That is pulling an Atta Mills.
When he was campaigning for power, President Atta Mills consistently belabored the fact that Ghanaians were suffering. He said that Ghanaians were over taxed and that fuel prices were abnormally high. Since then, he has increased fuel prices.
That, my brothers and sisters, is pulling an Atta Mills.
In the Manifesto of the NDC for the 2008 elections, the Manifesto for a Better Ghana, the party and Professor Atta Mills promised that they would create a lean government. They promised that they would appoint forty percent of appointees from our women folk. They promised to introduce and implement a comprehensive set of tax policies to ensure that the Ghanaian is relieved. Again, Atta Mills failed to live up to this promise!
Folks another pulling an Atta Mills.
But for me, the greatest of these gimmicks I have seen in spite of the constant and consistent claims by Professor Atta Mills that this country was broke, it emerged that he had splurged 3.6 billion old Ghana cedis on members of his transition team.
That, folks, is pulling an Atta Mills of Herculean proportions! Clearly, our President Associate Professor Atta Mills is a man who is an expert at saying one thing and doing something completely different. He thrives on deceit and lies, and for me, this behaviour has a great potential of completely undermining the integrity of our politics and politicians.
The level of hypocrisy that we are witnessing in presidential terms is probably unprecedented in the history of this country.
Our President has refused to receive per diem with the claim that he does not need it. At the same time, he is refusing to travel much, even when it is required to drum up investment, because he says that Ghana is broke and he needs to cut down cost.
Then it emerges, like a bad dream, that he spent 3.6 billion old cedis on members of his transition team.
When I heard of this matter, my body went cold with shock. I could not understand and I could not believe that our President could be that capricious or I should add the other one!
I mean, this is a government that has been shouting at the rooftops that this nation is broke. In this direction, it has even increased fuel prices by a cumulative percentage of 40%, which is causing hardship in many homes across the nation, particularly for the rural poor.
So I wonder how we are going to justify the payment of three billion six hundred thousand cedis to our folks in the village?
The level of hypocrisy that the Atta Mills Administration represents is truly mind-boggling, and leads one to wonder whether such dishonesty is acceptable in governance.
What is the meaning of the expression ‘to pull an Atta Mills”? The expression would stand for people, particularly politicians who say one thing and do something completely other.
It would stand for inconsistency and double-dealing. It would stand for being two faced on issues. Politicians across board do this but that of our President and his government is too much.
When he was swearing in as the President of Ghana, President Professor John Evans Atta Mills said he would endeavor to be a President for all Ghanaians.
It was not long after that that his friends in the NDC were chasing his political opponents (and in some cases even members of the NDC) all over the place, harassing and intimidating them.
Today, there are millions of Ghanaians who feel particularly unGhanaian whilst the President looked on. That is pulling an Atta Mills.
Days after it came out that the former President John Kufour was going to occupy a state building as an office, it emerged that he had sought for, and received the permission from President Atta Mills, through his Aide Mr. Paul Victor Obeng, to occupy that building. Since then, Kufour has been chased out of the building. That is pulling an Atta Mills.
When he was campaigning for power, President Atta Mills consistently belabored the fact that Ghanaians were suffering. He said that Ghanaians were over taxed and that fuel prices were abnormally high. Since then, he has increased fuel prices.
That, my brothers and sisters, is pulling an Atta Mills.
In the Manifesto of the NDC for the 2008 elections, the Manifesto for a Better Ghana, the party and Professor Atta Mills promised that they would create a lean government. They promised that they would appoint forty percent of appointees from our women folk. They promised to introduce and implement a comprehensive set of tax policies to ensure that the Ghanaian is relieved. Again, Atta Mills failed to live up to this promise!
Folks another pulling an Atta Mills.
But for me, the greatest of these gimmicks I have seen in spite of the constant and consistent claims by Professor Atta Mills that this country was broke, it emerged that he had splurged 3.6 billion old Ghana cedis on members of his transition team.
That, folks, is pulling an Atta Mills of Herculean proportions! Clearly, our President Associate Professor Atta Mills is a man who is an expert at saying one thing and doing something completely different. He thrives on deceit and lies, and for me, this behaviour has a great potential of completely undermining the integrity of our politics and politicians.
The level of hypocrisy that we are witnessing in presidential terms is probably unprecedented in the history of this country.
Our President has refused to receive per diem with the claim that he does not need it. At the same time, he is refusing to travel much, even when it is required to drum up investment, because he says that Ghana is broke and he needs to cut down cost.
Then it emerges, like a bad dream, that he spent 3.6 billion old cedis on members of his transition team.
When I heard of this matter, my body went cold with shock. I could not understand and I could not believe that our President could be that capricious or I should add the other one!
I mean, this is a government that has been shouting at the rooftops that this nation is broke. In this direction, it has even increased fuel prices by a cumulative percentage of 40%, which is causing hardship in many homes across the nation, particularly for the rural poor.
So I wonder how we are going to justify the payment of three billion six hundred thousand cedis to our folks in the village?
The level of hypocrisy that the Atta Mills Administration represents is truly mind-boggling, and leads one to wonder whether such dishonesty is acceptable in governance.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Are These The Men Of Integrity?
Ghana is for all of us. No sole Ghanaian is more Ghanaian than the rest. Before the law, we are all equal. And no single Ghanaian can decide to get up one day to launch violence against his fellow Ghanaian in the name of another Ghanaian.
I normally do the best that I can to avoid hard language, but sometimes, I am sorely tempted, particularly when a bunch of nitwits take it into their head that one particular person is their ‘idol’ and therefore they would attack anybody else who takes on their idol.
In this particular case, I am speaking of the dead brains that have been thronging the precincts of the Cocoa Affairs Court each time Yaw Barfi Darkwa, the young man who accused former President Rawlings of burning his house, visits the court where he is on trial.
My fears were born out a few days ago when people who describe themselves as friends of Barfi also visited the courts and confronted the elements who had been attacking their friend.
I understand that by the time the dust had settled, two people were badly injured. I am sure that unless this matter is addressed, we may see an escalation of this confrontation at the next adjourned date.
The real question that arises is whether the Ghana Police Service is going to be able to do what is necessary to be done before the next adjourned date, because if the police fail, then we may end up with major trouble when Barfi goes to court next time.
Talking of the police, I guess that by now all of us have heard of the troubles that are brewing between the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Techimanhene, all arriving out of the attack on the Chief of Tuobodom by the Techimanhene.
Once again in this instance, I must blame the Ghana Police Service for its laxity in implementing the law. This is for a simple reason.
In 2008, the Chief of Techiman was traveling to Techiman to attend a ceremony organized by a certain person he has recognized as the Chief of Tuobodom. According to him, on the outskirts on Tuobodom, he runs into a barrier created by a group of people who shot into his car.
He is claiming that the people were inspired by the man who is generally recognized as the Chief of Tuobodom, who is a Paramount Chief just like the Techimanhene.
I am not interested in who is right or wrong in the matter as to the legitimate Chief of Tuobodom. Suffice it to state that the Techimanhene at that time made a report to the police, who failed to bring all the suspects to book or at least initiate half way satisfactory investigation.
Then recently, the Chief of Techiman, who according to the Chief of Tuobodom is a supporter of the NDC, organized a group of macho men to kidnap him and this was sanctioned by the traditional council as I heard one his subjects say on radio.
He was taken to the palace of the Techimanhene, beaten up, stripped naked according to his own reports, before being handed over to the police.
This was no Joy Fm and in newspapers for close to two weeks where some youth of Tuobodom promised mayhem if their Chief is not released and nobody including the Inspector General of Police (IGP) listened and so were vindictive Lt. Col Gbevlo Lartey and 1 Star General Nuuno Mensah who claim are in charge of security.
But instead of dealing with the people who had attacked the Chief of Tuobodom in this manner, the police rather arrested the Chief who had been kidnapped, put him before court and sought legitimate backing to remand him.
The chief of Tuobodom swears by the Asantehene, and so when he was granted bail, he traveled to Kumasi to report to his liege.
The Asantehene, riled, then organized a public forum and said that unless the government acted swiftly in this matter, he was going to retaliate against the Techimanhene.
I do not agree with the pronouncements from the Asantehene, but I think that it has become manifestly obvious that until and unless the police begin to act as an independent institution, some of these unfortunate incidents would continue to hound us forever.
I normally do the best that I can to avoid hard language, but sometimes, I am sorely tempted, particularly when a bunch of nitwits take it into their head that one particular person is their ‘idol’ and therefore they would attack anybody else who takes on their idol.
In this particular case, I am speaking of the dead brains that have been thronging the precincts of the Cocoa Affairs Court each time Yaw Barfi Darkwa, the young man who accused former President Rawlings of burning his house, visits the court where he is on trial.
My fears were born out a few days ago when people who describe themselves as friends of Barfi also visited the courts and confronted the elements who had been attacking their friend.
I understand that by the time the dust had settled, two people were badly injured. I am sure that unless this matter is addressed, we may see an escalation of this confrontation at the next adjourned date.
The real question that arises is whether the Ghana Police Service is going to be able to do what is necessary to be done before the next adjourned date, because if the police fail, then we may end up with major trouble when Barfi goes to court next time.
Talking of the police, I guess that by now all of us have heard of the troubles that are brewing between the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Techimanhene, all arriving out of the attack on the Chief of Tuobodom by the Techimanhene.
Once again in this instance, I must blame the Ghana Police Service for its laxity in implementing the law. This is for a simple reason.
In 2008, the Chief of Techiman was traveling to Techiman to attend a ceremony organized by a certain person he has recognized as the Chief of Tuobodom. According to him, on the outskirts on Tuobodom, he runs into a barrier created by a group of people who shot into his car.
He is claiming that the people were inspired by the man who is generally recognized as the Chief of Tuobodom, who is a Paramount Chief just like the Techimanhene.
I am not interested in who is right or wrong in the matter as to the legitimate Chief of Tuobodom. Suffice it to state that the Techimanhene at that time made a report to the police, who failed to bring all the suspects to book or at least initiate half way satisfactory investigation.
Then recently, the Chief of Techiman, who according to the Chief of Tuobodom is a supporter of the NDC, organized a group of macho men to kidnap him and this was sanctioned by the traditional council as I heard one his subjects say on radio.
He was taken to the palace of the Techimanhene, beaten up, stripped naked according to his own reports, before being handed over to the police.
This was no Joy Fm and in newspapers for close to two weeks where some youth of Tuobodom promised mayhem if their Chief is not released and nobody including the Inspector General of Police (IGP) listened and so were vindictive Lt. Col Gbevlo Lartey and 1 Star General Nuuno Mensah who claim are in charge of security.
But instead of dealing with the people who had attacked the Chief of Tuobodom in this manner, the police rather arrested the Chief who had been kidnapped, put him before court and sought legitimate backing to remand him.
The chief of Tuobodom swears by the Asantehene, and so when he was granted bail, he traveled to Kumasi to report to his liege.
The Asantehene, riled, then organized a public forum and said that unless the government acted swiftly in this matter, he was going to retaliate against the Techimanhene.
I do not agree with the pronouncements from the Asantehene, but I think that it has become manifestly obvious that until and unless the police begin to act as an independent institution, some of these unfortunate incidents would continue to hound us forever.