"Armed Forces Only Smoked, Drank Akpeteshie And Read Obituaries During Kufuor's Tenure"

A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Communication Team, Peter Boamah Otukonor, is in hot waters following his comments that all what personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces did during President Kufuor�s tenure was to �smoke and drink akpeteshie� after reading obituaries in newspapers. Otukonor, in contributing as a panel member on a radio programme on Saturday, July 23, 2011, said, �All the military was doing during the era of NPP was reading newspapers, especially the obituary column, smoking, drinking akpeteshie and sleeping at their offices.� He made this statement when the controversial issue of government�s acquisition of five jet planes came up for discussion. As a result, a group calling itself Generational Youth Movement (GYM) has called on the NDC and Peter Otukonor to render an unqualified apology to the Ghana Armed Forces. In its statement of July 24, 2011, Nana Kwabena Agyemang, spokesperson for the group, called on the government and the NDC �to educate its communicators on effective communication skills so as to avoid such unwarranted attacks on professional bodies such as the military.� He said GYM finds it �very unfortunate, insulting and defamatory of a statement that was made by one Peter Boamah Otukonor, who represented government and the NDC as a party on Asempa FM on a programme called �Kukurantumi�.� This, in view of the group, is �very unfortunate and insulting� to the body of the Ghana Armed Forces, whose high reputation across international circles �is undisputed.� He said as a youth of the country, Peter Otukonor should have been careful with his choice of words when he got the opportunity to address issues on the military. �The Ghana Armed Forces and our gallant soldiers who have dedicated their lives in defending and protecting our country Ghana, are not and cannot be drunkards and smokers as the NDC and Peter Boamah Otukonor, member of the NDC communication team, want Ghanaians and the international world to believe, but rather these gallant soldiers are professionals who have gone through vigorous training to be where they are today.� �Our gallant military men and women whose responsibilities are not only defending and protecting the borders of Ghana, but are also responsible for the welfare of their mothers, fathers, wives, husband, brothers, sisters and children, should not be looked down upon by any citizen of this country, less a spokesperson of the ruling government,� he added.