Deputy Defense Minister Major Derrick Oduro has dismissed accusations of bias against the military following sanctions meted out to the soldier who openly criticised plans by parliament to construct a new chamber.
Some Ghanaians have criticised the military for refusing to punish the soldier who took a picture while sipping on Kalyppo in the build-up to the 2016 elections but has gone ahead to punish another for commenting on a matter also in the public domain.
Ahead of the polls, Private Osei Owusu was captured in uniform sucking on Kalyppo, a craze that hades gone viral on social media at the time.
Then-candidate Nana Akufo-Addo was captured in a post sipping on Kalyppo, a fruit drink enjoyed mostly by young persons. The post was put side by side with a picture of US President Barack Obama sipping from a little jug and that of President John Mahama sipping a pineapple juice.
Commenting on the development, Major Oduro said the circumstances are viewed differently from the point of view of the military.
“What you may see as an offense as a civilian, may not be an offense in the military, the soldier in Kalyppo issue did not commit any offense. Every issue is investigated in the military, the fact that some big man drank something or ate something does not mean a soldier cannot also go to the market and buy same food or drink. That matter was investigated and the soldiers found nothing wrong with it,” he told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr.
Director of Communications of the Ghana Armed Forces, Col Aggrey Quarshie , at the the tie would not comment on the outcome of the investigations into the matter except to say that the investigations are over and Private Osei Owusu was going about his official duties.
According to him, the young soldier breached sections of the military regulations but was never detained.
Source: starnews
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Pure rubbish! What a comparison!!!
Mr you are wrong. The Kalypo thing trending on social media at that time was a political support for Nana Addo. The kalypo Soldier broke rule at that time by endorsing a political action..
All of you are missing a key issue relating to the two soldiers and what they were found doing. Let's start with the Kalypo Soldier....he was found to be sucking a drink in his military uniform period! There is nothing in the military codes or regulations that stops anyone from drinking Kalypo in his uniform. In the case of this other military junior officer, there is a clear guidelines and channel to air one's view on an issue thus the public relation outlet of the army. So he could have easily channeled his views there. Secondly, no junior officer of the military has right or audacity to command a senior officer under any situation. This guy in uniform in a way commanded the COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF who is the president of the land. So technically he erred by "commanding" the senior most officer of the Armed Forces concerning a matter which he as a military officer could have channeled it to the appropriate quarters for action or otherwise. If you don't understand how the military operates, don't just pass comment get education.
NPP would have punished this Kalypo soldier and justify it. But i don,t blame them, NDC was weak or afraid of the hostile press and so called civil organisations. When this happened, NDC was in power, what did they do about it?
I guess this soldier was doing military exercise with the kalypo. The hypocrisy of nana addo and his appointees is nauseating.
EVERY ILL UNDER THE NPP IS RIGHT BUT ANY ACT DONE BY ANY GHANAIAN WHICH IS NOT IN THE INTEREST OR FAVOUR OF NPP IS EVIL AND MUST BE PUNISHED. SELECTIVE JUSTICE. THE CALYPPO SOLDIER DID THE ACT DURING NPP CONGRESS TIME HELD AT THE TRADE FAIR SITE AS AN INDICATION OF HIS SOLIDARITY WITH THE NPP PARTY. IF THE SAME ACT HAD BEEN DONE DURING NPP TIME IN POWER AS IN SOLIDARITY WITH NDC, THAT SOLDIER WOULD HAVE HAD HIS HEAD CHOPPED OFF. NPP CAN ALWAYS JUSTIFY THINGS IN THE FAVOUR BUT ARE READY TO PUNISH PEOPLE FOR THINGS DONE NOT IN THE FAVOUR.
I am a public servant. I would be wearing my Ghana Coat of arms breast pin and speak about the ills in government and let us see what laws would be used against me. For instance in the video I would say Ministry of Finance and BOG schemed to use the laws to shut down or steal banks belonging to political opponents whilst Prudential Bank was left off the hook because of connections with the ruling party..