Ghana not US's '51st state, side-chick' – Sam George

Minority MP Sam Nartey George has said his caucus will do everything legally possible to stop President Nana Akufo-Addo from selling Ghana’s sovereignty to the United States of America, since, in his view, a leaked military contract between the two countries, essentially makes Ghana America’s “mistress” and “side-chick”.

The defence contract gives U.S military forces unfettered access to some Ghanaian resources.

Among other things, Article 5.1 of the contract says:

1. Ghana hereby provides unimpeded access to and use of agreed facilities and areas to United State forces, United States contractors, and others as mutually agreed. Such agreed facilities and area: or portions thereof, provided by Ghana shall be designated as either for exclusive use by Unite States forces or to be jointly used by United States forces and Ghana. Ghana shall also provide access to and use of a runway that meets the requirements of United States forces.

2. United States forces are hereby authorised to exercise all rights and authorities that are necessary for the use, operation, defense, or control of agreed facilities and areas, including taking appropriate measures to protect United States forces. United States forces intend to coordinate such measures with the appropriate authorities of Ghana.

3. United States forces and United States contractors may undertake construction activities on, ant make alterations and improvements to, agreed facilities and areas. United States forces may carry out construction works and other services with military personnel and civilian personnel.

4. United States forces are hereby authorized to control entry to agreed facilities and areas that having been provided for exclusive use by United States forces, and to coordinate entry with the authorities of Ghana at agreed facilities and areas provided for joint use by United States force and Ghana, for purposes of safety and security.

5. United States forces shall be responsible for the operation and maintenance, construction, and development costs of agreed facilities and areas provided for the exclusive use of United State: forces unless otherwise agreed. The Parties shall be responsible on the basis of their proportionate use for the operation and maintenance costs of agreed facilities and areas provided for joint use byUnited States forces and Ghana. Ghana shall furnish, without rental or similar costs to United States, all agreed facilities and areas, including those jointly used by United States forces and Ghana.

6. United States forces and United States contractors shall be afforded priority in access to and use agreed facilities and areas that have been provided for joint use whenever United States forces are conducting exercises or other activities in connection with this Agreement in Ghana. Access to and use of agreed facilities and areas by others may be authorized with the express consent a both Ghana and United States forces.

7. From time to time, representatives of the Executive Agents shall conduct joint inspections of agreed facilities and areas, for instance at the start and completion of each period during which United States forces are physically present at the agreed facilities and areas. Each inspection shall be documented by written report, prepared by representatives of the Executive Agents, an: including the date, time, names of inspectors, and conditions identified. Copies of the report shall be provided to each Executive Agent within seven-1days of the completion of each inspection.

In Mr George’s view, “This is AFRICOM. What is in it for Ghana? Nothing. So what is President Akufo-Addo gaining from this? Because Ghana is not gaining anything from this, so for him to give his approval, it means he is gaining something from this. He has to tell the Ghanaian people,” he said on Accra-based Starr FM.

The Minority in parliament, he said, will fight it in every way: “You can’t tell me this makes logical sense to sell your sovereignty. What are we selling our sovereignty for? Nothing. They are going to lay it before parliament this morning. They will hear the Indian belly, ‘gumbe’, more ‘gumbe’ will flow on the floor of the house, because you cannot bring this to us, this is an insult to the people that we represent and I expect every properly minded Ghanaian to stand up and speak against it”.

“I expect to see civil society rise up against this. We need to rein our president in. Now some of us are beginning to understand when he went and stood in America and promised to help America fight terrorism. Even Invincible Forces, we cannot control them and now you want to incur the wrath of al Qaeda, al Shaba and Boko Haram on your doorstep? And is our president aware that Ghana has a foreign policy position and that Ghana is part of the non-aligned movement? And being a member of the non-aligned movement means that you are taking no sides and that is why Ghana has always taken position in support of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian issue. We are not an ally of the US, We are friends of the US, we are friends of East, we are friends of the West, we are no an ally of the West. This basically changes our foreign policy position. Does the president have the power to do that? To take us out of the non-aligned movement? Change our entire foreign policy position? Basically what we’ve become now is the mistress of the US, the side-chick.

“If it means pouring out onto the streets, I will personally go out on the streets and let the president know that this country is not his, he’s holding it in trust for the people of Ghana, and he cannot continue to behave in a very irresponsible manner. … He cannot sell our sovereignty and we will make that known to him and if it means that we have to go to the court for a pronouncement on this, we will. We will explore every legal action, every position defiance action that is available to us to let president Akufo-Addo know that Ghana is an independent nation, we will not become the 51st state of the US. We are a sovereign nation, the shining star of Africa, we can’t be made the mistress of Uncle Sam. Ghana is not Uncle Sam’s mistress”, Mr George noted.

To him, Ghana will become a “prime target for terror attack” just as has happened to Mali, Niger, Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia if such an agreement is allowed to pass.