"Unprofessional, undisciplined" #Dropthatchamber soldier "an embarrassment" to GAF – Ras Mubarak

Opposition lawmaker Ras Mubarak has described as an “embarrassment” to the Ghana Armed Forces, an “unprofessional” soldier who videoed himself ranting against a decision by the Parliamentary Service Board to put up a $200-million 450-seat chamber for the legislature.

In the video, the army man, who is yet to be identified, pleaded with President Nana Akufo-Addo to stop the country’s Members of Parliament from going ahead with the plan.

“Are our parliamentarians telling us that they don’t have any use for the $200,000 [the estimated amount is actually $200 million] they are raising to construct a new chamber for parliament? Is that what they are telling us?”, he asked.

He continued: “If they don’t have any use for that [$200 million], let me suggest something to them: in fact, there are schools, … children who still learn under trees; there are still school buildings which don’t have furniture in them; there are still rural areas, villages, which don’t have clinics; there are still towns which don’t have potable water.

“They [MPs] should start thinking”, the angry soldier said.

He, thus, appealed to President Nana Akufo-Addo not to support the move and also stop the MPs from going ahead with the construction.

“You Excellency Nana Addo, I know you won’t support this and I don’t expect you to support this. Please, don’t let the parliamentarians bring their trouble this time. We’re fed up with them! We can’t be living in this country when everyone takes decisions which [are] so selfish. This is so selfish a decision and that chamber must drop and I support that. Thank you very much”, he fumed.

Responding to the soldier, Mr Mubarak, who is one of five MPs who have publicly expressed their disagreement with the project, wrote on Facebook thus: “What an embarrassment to the military. If this unprofessional officer cares to know, the majority of MPs don't support spending $200m on a luxury chamber when many of our people lack essential services”.

“That, however, doesn't give an officer in uniform the right to misconduct himself. He has breached the Armed Forces Regulation Vol. 1, Article 19, section 14 subsection 2 and article 19.36. Before he heard a word about it, it was MPs who kicked against it first. The fact that we want the chamber dropped doesn't mean we should promote indiscipline #DropThatChamber”, the Kumbungu lawmaker noted.