Critics of Mahama’s military uniform ignorant

By Ankra K

The name Major Seth Anthony would not be familiar to many Ghanaians – one of the lapses in our educational system.

A system that not only treats the teaching of history with contempt, but even pours scorn on the liberal arts in general, in the end, making patriotism and pride-in-belonging, the losers.

Major Seth Kobla Anthony was the first Ghanaian soldier to earn a commission during WWII [World War 2].

As an NCO, he distinguished himself so well and above the call of duty, that, he was given a field commission by his British superiors. We must remember that, this was an era in colonial history when non-white soldiers served separately from their white counterparts. For a white soldier to salute a black officer was therefore something quite revolutionary! His commission was confirmed and after the war he rose to the rank of Major before retiring.

As a mark of respect and gratitude, by a newly independent nation, he was appointed as Ghana’s High Commissioner to the Court of St. James. The late Major was a forerunner in a long line of distinguished Ghanaian military officers who after retiring from service also pursued distinguished second careers as diplomats. In the current crop of Ambassadors and High Commissioners, two Lieutenant Generals, one Major General, one Brigadier General and one Lt. Colonel are Heads of Mission.

We will also recall Lt. General Erskine who as UNIFIL Commander in the 70s also doubled up as an active military diplomat for the UN in his command. Former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General Seth Obeng, was similarly a UNIFIL Commander when he was called home to take up responsibilities as CDS.

Military establishments like Burma Camp, Arakan Barracks, Kamina Barracks, recall the spheres of action involving Ghanaian (Gold Coast) soldiers in the Asian theatre of WWII and in the Congo. Others like Michel Camp, Bawa Barracks, also pay tribute to the immediate post-independence military bosses who served their country with distinction.

The Ghanaian Military, just like the Ghanaian Civil Service, made a seamless transition from the colonial British administration to the new Ghanaian administration and from March 6 1957 – some would argue July 1 1960 – they swore loyalty to the Ghanaian flag and coat of arms and not the Union Jack and Lion and Unicorn. They replaced the British Officers and when the British Commanding General Alexander departed, he was replaced by Ghanaian Major General S.J.A. Otu.

So professional was the Ghanaian military that, the young nation of Ghana became the first African nation to contribute troops to the first UN Peacekeeping Mission in Africa – the Congo, in the early 1960s. Many early generation Ghanaian army officers cut their command teeth there. Their training was intense and structured along the British Armed Forces with Sandhurst serving as the Oxford University of military scholarship and professionalism. Many Ghanaian officers attended this top flight military academy as well as other institutions in Dartmouth, Aldershot, Camberly and indeed other academies around the world, notably the US, Pakistan and India.

The Ghana Military Academy (GMA) as part of the Military Academy and Training Schools (MATS) situated in Teshie, Accra, was modeled along the lines of Sandhurst and catered not only for Ghanaian officers, but also British West Africa, including Nigeria, The Gambia and Sierra Leone. Among the early intakes, some went on to become heads of state, public administrators and senior statesmen in their respective countries. To this day, MATS remains one of the foremost military academies in Africa.

After the basic training at MATS, Ghanaian officers had to go abroad for their post graduate studies in command and staff training. This necessitated the establishment of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, also at Teshie. Within a short time it became, the standard for command and staff training in Africa and today also caters for the requirements of several African countries. In landmark and bold initiatives, it affiliated with the University of Ghana, Legon, in the award of degrees at the post graduate level. The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) is cited there.

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Army, Navy Air Force – represent one of the top notch institutions representing the country’s sovereignty and therefore feature very prominently in the nation’s scheme of affairs.

They first fired shots in anger against their own in 1966 when in a coup d’etat they overthrew the first post-independence government led by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. This opened the flood gates for other coups, attempted coups and insurrections to flow through. The successful coups after 1966 (NLC), occurred in 1972 (NRC) and 1981(PNDC) with a bloody insurrection by junior officers and other ranks (AFRC), that ended in the execution of five officers in the ranks of General, one in the rank of Admiral, one in the rank of Air Marshal and one full Colonel…

These interventions brought the military into the forefront of national politics and in a way lost the military its “innocence” and neutrality. A kind of military fatigue hung around the nation and Ghanaians simply wanted them back in their barracks. No wonder then, when the PNDC mandated the late Justice Annan to conduct a survey into the political preference of Ghanaians, the verdict was unequivocal and clear: Ghanaians preferred their party political system. This led to the Constitution of 1992 and the elections of that year that restarted Ghana’s multiparty politics and civilian governance.

The country has enjoyed the peace and stability of civilian governance – with its attendant problems – ever since. The military has accepted its traditional role and has offered loyalty to the post-1992 administrations admirably. Military-Civilian relations have never been better and once more, being a soldier is not only admirable but desirable. Adverts announcing enlistment draw some of the biggest “battalions” of applicants. Military turnout on Independence Day when the President as Commander in Chief (CINC) reviews his troops is one of the highlights of the country’s national calendar of events. The Ghanaian military has re-burnished its tarnished honour and is now regarded as one of the country’s most trusted institutions.

And so when the CINC, military or civilian, dons either the No. 1 Service Drill or any other ceremonial or training uniform to partake in military fanfare, it is with a patriotic sense of “Esprit de Corps” that he does so. It is to bond with the men and women in uniform to re-emphasize their role in the overall national agenda of development, security and peacekeeping.

Indeed, it is for this reason that in monarchies, the sovereign or members of the sovereign’s entourage would wear military uniform to many a national event. It is even desirable that offspring of the sovereign go through military training as in the case of the British monarchy.

Heads of state would often wear either military fatigues or combat gear to interact with their troops. Many would recall how President Bush the younger, flew a jet fighter onto the deck of a US naval carrier to declare mission accomplished after the second Iraq War.

Yasser Arafat almost always had a military sartorial expression…

In recent times we have seen Presidents Obama, Goodluck Jonathan, Uhuru Kenyatta and many others put on military uniforms to ginger up their troops, and so when Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama, as CINC, wears smart military uniforms at military events it is not just in the right tradition, but also a necessary gesture to raise the Esprit de Corps of his troops.

In the 4th Republican Constitution, the military takes its orders from the CINC and he is expected to be the morale booster for them.

It is such a pity and a shame, that the egregiousness of petty partisan politics would lead some Ghanaians to deride this. To say that President Mahama is wearing military uniforms to frighten Ghanaians is not only a mark of crass ignorance but an insult to our men and women in uniform and a clear and present danger to national cohesion and stability!

Our military deserve better than that. Since the President started showing respect to our military by wearing their uniforms to their events, this highly patriotic gesture has been grasped upon by rabid and pathological political fault-finders to drag into the quagmire of nugatory partisanship. At least, if such people will not respect our Armed Forces, or applaud the President for his initiative, they should not spread their ignorance around to mislead the public.

It is not uncommon for a Head of State to wear a particular uniform or dress to ginger his or her people to coalesce around a common cause. When Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and his fellow freedom fighters wore the Northern smock to declare Ghana’s independence in 1957, it was precisely because he wanted to bring the Northern Territories on board, after centuries of colonialism had marginalized and demeaned that part of the country.

Nelson Mandela, likewise, made it a habit of wearing the jerseys of the Springboks (Rugby) and Bafana Bafana (Football) as a way of melding together his rainbow nation. Clint Eastwood’s film, Invictus, vividly captures how Mandela’s appearance in the Springboks’ jersey inspired his country to victory in a Rugby World Cup…

The Police Service, Fire Service, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, Prison Service and Immigration Service are technically not part of the GAF and the President as CINC of the GAF is within his rights to showcase Army, Navy, Air Force uniforms in his nation unifying agenda…The Constitution demands that of him.