Minority Criticises Government Over Troop Deployment to Jamaica, Calls It Misplaced Priority
The Minority in Parliament has criticised the government over its decision to deploy Ghanaian troops to Jamaica for post-hurricane reconstruction efforts, describing the move as a misplaced priority and procedurally flawed.
The criticism follows the deployment of soldiers from the 48th Engineering Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, reportedly to assist Jamaica after a devastating hurricane and allegedly to Benin following a recent coup attempt.
Speaking to journalists in Parliament on Wednesday, December 17, the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee, Rev. John Ntim Fordjour, said the Minority was not opposed to Ghana offering support to friendly nations but insisted that the government failed to follow the constitutional processes required for such military deployments.
According to him, Parliament was neither briefed nor consulted before the troops were deployed, raising serious concerns about transparency, accountability, and the use of public funds.
“We woke up to the news of Ghana sending troops to Benin, and these undertakings ought to have come to the attention of Parliament for prior approval,” Rev. Fordjour said.
“Today, we have also woken up to the news of the government sending military troops to Jamaica to assist on humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.”
He stressed that Parliament should have been given the opportunity to scrutinise the legal framework, duration, operational protocols, and financial implications of the deployments.
“We do not have any problem with the principle of assisting these countries. However, the due process of consulting Parliament was not followed to allow us interrogate the modalities, the framework, the cost to the state, and how long these decisions will persist,” he stated.
Rev. Fordjour questioned why Parliament was consulted when the government sought approval to procure military helicopters, yet bypassed the House when deploying troops abroad, insisting that both decisions require the same level of scrutiny.
He further demanded clarity on:
The number of troops deployed
The protocols governing the missions
The expected duration of the deployments
The total cost to the state
The Minority warned that it would not allow what it described as misguided deployments to continue without proper oversight and accountability, adding that taxpayers’ money must not be spent without due process.
The group has therefore called on the Minister for Defence and all relevant state agencies to immediately provide answers regarding the troop deployments
