Anger Over Military Appoinments

Major General Peter Blay Some soldiers are fuming with rage at what they see as the tribal cum political promotions and appointments that has rocked the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) since January this year, in spite of initial concerns and alarms raised from a section of the populace, including military experts. While some have described the contents of a May 12, 2009 publication signed by Commodore T.S. Appiah as disturbing, others say another one signed by Col Boateng for Air Commodore CEK Dovlo, the then Director General Personnel Administration, is simply heart-breaking as it paints a clear picture of the results of the December 2008 general elections. Speaking to DAILY GUIDE on condition of anonymity, the soldiers are worried at the trend, with some hinting of lowering of morale in the Forces. A recent release, which they consider very irritating, was the postings to the country’s missions abroad, which they say has clear tribal imbalance. The letter reads as follows: 1. Approval has been given, per reference C, for the under-mentioned OR to be posted to DA officers/Missions on dates stated against their names. a.184210 WOI Matanawui Sylvanus -Clk Pay- Abuja (30 Apr 09) b.185709 WOII Ofori Augustine -Clk- Abuja (30 Apr 09) c.184076 WOI Agbakpe Divine N -Clk-India (30 Apr 09) d.185487 WOII Klevor Emmanuel -Clk-India (15 May 09) e.184444 WOI Amenyeah MA -Clk-Washington (15 May 09) f.190711 Cpl Mohammed Abubakari -Mov Clk- London (15 Jun 09) g.189747 A/Sgt Yakubu Sakina -Mov Clk-India (15 Jun 09) h.184215 WOII Agyapong Edward -Clk-Cairo (15 Jun 09) i.184055 CPOII Doku Isaac -Clk-Cairo (15 Jun 09) 2. The personnel are to be governed by the Terms and Conditions of Service of Personnel posted to Foreign Missions. 3. The OR are entitled to travel with their spouses and two children each not above the age of 18years. They are to depart Ghana on or about dates indicated. According to the worried soldiers, many of those appointed are handpicked on the bases of tribal and political expediency, and not on efficiency. Out of nine soldiers, 6 or 66.67 percent come from the Volta Region, with two of 22.22 percent hailing from the North. The last person is from the Central Region. It would be recalled that some officers penciled downed by the former government for Diplomatic Postings were dropped and replaced with the ones who are loyal to the current regime, but some soldiers said they smell rat because according to them, many of them do not qualify for the postings. The military became the hotbed of politics and ethnic debate since the cancellation of the recruitment of some 420 junior officers, but the tension reached a crescendo with the victimization and dismissal of certain senior officers. Brigadier General J.A. Kwasie, Col Oppong Otchere, Col A. Wuni, Colonel K. Damoah, Naval Captain K. Osei Sarfo, Naval Captain S. Darbo and Group Captain L.E. Dwamena Mante had their names replaced with that of Brigadier General B. Gborglah, Brigadier General P. Opoku, Captain M. Addison Brigadier General G.E. Amamoo and Colonel E. Abdulai in that respective order.Since then, there has been suspicion and mistrust in what used to be Africa’s most disciplined and dependable military unit. By Bennett Akuaku DAILY GUIDE