Ghana Armed Forces Promotions – Tribal and Political Delusions

By Wilson Tay

As the political storm in the country appears to be subsiding gradually, there comes the need to revisit those stinking lumps whose pollutions of the air were overshadowed by the political clouds. One of such offensive lumps is the Ghanaweb article titled ‘NDC’s Last Gargantuan ‘Kokofu’ Promotions Out’ – a news article supposedly put up on 4 December 2012 by a clown of a media house named ‘DAYBREAK’.

In the said article, the authors freely poured out their lamentations about intended promotions in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) in their usual reckless manner aimed at drawing public sympathy towards a passionate cause they had long embarked upon. The most striking feature of the article however is its poor journalistic quality atypical of a responsible media house; the tones of the architects mirroring those of a bunch of miscreants who seek opportunities under press freedom to chastise the military with the use of false and concocted information.

The article alleged that the intended promotions published by the GAF Military Secretary’s Office were based on tribal considerations and political party cronyism. GAF may have chosen not to embroil itself in any quagmires with second-rate journalists and has therefore offered a feeble rebuttal against the allegations. Needless to say that the military itself is conscious of the strict regulations governing its promotions and the transparency with which such promotions are executed. However, those of us sitting on the bench have seen the whole ploy as going beyond the denting of GAF’s image.

I do not question how the paper had come by its proclaimed GAF Military Secretary’s Publication because there is no doubt that such media misfits who are discomforted by lack of attention and patronage often find solace in the generation of very controversial issues. What is amazing however is the silence of the publishers of DAYBREAK after the release of the true GAF Military Secretary’s Publication; their blatant refusal to apologise to Ghanaians for having disgorged deceitful and malicious information into the public domain. There is no doubt though that the architects behind DAYBREAK are contented with the unrecoverable dust thrown into the air and would do nothing to undermine the force behind the pursuance of their broader agenda.

From the hollow depths of their thoughts, the authors of DAYBREAK named some Senior Officers whom they said have been discriminated against in favour of others on pure ethnic and political grounds. They tried to reinforce this defective presumption with the assertion that virtually all the beneficiary Senior Officers of the supposed promotion originated from Volta and the ‘three Northern Regions’. But having seen the true GAF Military Secretary’s Publication later and having realised that indeed Akans greatly dominated the list, the publishers of DAYBREAK have disgracefully recoiled into their rat-holes to enjoy the comforting and triumphant dawn of their desired reality. Would DAYBREAK’s profiting from the soothing revelation discourage any further acquisition of fictitious promotion publications from conspirators in the military from which they figure out how many Voltarians and Northerners in relation to Akans are contained therein?

DAYBREAK authors know Akans, Ewes, Ga Adangbes, etc, and they know ‘Northern Ghana’ but not Gonjas, Dagombas, Mamprusis, Bimobas, Frafras, Kokombas, and so on. The Akan tribe is too large to be credited or discredited with a particular set of values or a pattern of behaviour, but if there are some of our countrymen and women who share in the greedy sentiments being nurtured by DAYBREAK and want to unfold the extent to which public or corporate administrative privileges and rights are allotted to some identified tribes undeservedly, they would have certainly tasked objective and analytical minds devoid of prejudicial feelings. Such a mission would certainly not be assigned to a bunch of frustrated personalities like publishers of DAYBREAK who are aptly depicted as such by virtue of their absurdities.

The said media house in its stoking of public anxiety and the creation of mistrust for GAF had published previous similar bizarre and libelous articles such as; ‘Kokofu and Victimisation in the Army’, ‘Ghana Armed Forces must be Regionally Balanced’, ‘Kokofu Retirement of NPP activist in the GAF’ and ‘Soldiers Cash for Mill’s Campaign’. In these crap of journalistic craft, the bigots read tribalism and political party cronyism into every occurrence in the military. My humble question is: Are all such woefully deprived and wretched media houses operating under the regulatory mechanisms of the Ghana Media Commission and the Ghana Journalist Association?

DAYBREAK authors are not alone in their uneasy feelings and self-hunt about which appointment goes to what tribe. The columnists Rocky Adofo, Justice Sarpong, and the she-male Kwabena Akurang-Parry (alias Akadu Ntiriwa Mensema) who have become so pathetic, miserable and demented due to the twist against their expectations on the political scene have always joined in the bigoted chorus initiated by DAYBREAK. These names signify faceless personalities who have become pathetically wrought under the burden of red-hot anxieties and excruciating pain of seeing appointments going to members of some identified tribes in our society. They are continually begrudging government and some public entities such as GAF on matters of appointments, promotions and all what they consider as the preserve of their origin in a bid to invite public vilification on their target tribe. It is an opportune moment to tell the authors of DAYBREAK and their cohorts that as a noble institution, GAF has always laid enough emphasis on its human resource development and backed it with an effective career planning. In this vein, a military officer’s performance and conduct is monitored from the first day of his or her enlistment. No two officers hold the same seniority in rank; therefore, based on the number of vacancies available at a particular time, one could be promoted over his or her mates. GAF’s final list of recommendations for promotion is done by a GAF Selection Board and not by one person as thought by the authors of DAYBREAK in their faulty conjecture. The board is not composed of members of a particular tribe or political party operatives. Such perceptions by any person would only be a figment of his or her imagination. The Selection Board’s major considerations are inter alia; the number of years served in the current rank, records of proficiency and general conduct.

At least a few Ghanaians are aware of the platforms used by GAF to educate the general public on its activities. There are occasions for Open Day Celebrations aside the training of National Service Personnel and School Cadets. Such occasions often offer good opportunities for the public to interact with members of GAF. Our journalists also know that the doors of GAF are opened to them, especially on such pure administrative issues as promotions, to the extent that the security of the nation or that of GAF is not compromised.

I call to mind a sticker on someone’s vehicle that reads: ‘In Case of Reckless Driving Dial 0800-01-Go Eat Shit’. If the authors of DAYBREAK wish to continue riding on mischief to malign GAF with their falsified promotion and appointment lists, they can go a step further by seeking correction through such authorities as CHRAJ, or they may dial: 0800-01-Go Eat Dung.

Wilson Tay is an environmentalist. You can contact him on 0243-821734672 or 0233-246861423 or wiltayson@yahoo.com