Some people run for cover when he appeared in the village square, elegantly dressed in full military attire. The last time these people checked, it was a certain military attired Caucasian-Negro in charge of the land who could boom at will, and that was some twenty-three years ago. He came back in mufti as a civilian leader, but people still felt unsafe, and ever since he left some sixteen years ago, the land knew some peace.
The good people of Ghana were getting used to not seeing a uniformed man in charge of their daily lives, when, without warning, that fine handsome leader put on a military uniform with such precision that there were no doubts in many minds that before their eyes stood a long serving military officer, who had more experience in warfare and killing tactics that any soldier on the land.
Is Ghana again under military rule? Some tore into the 1992 Constitution to find out in the small prints whether the President of the land can change into an army top brace.
The Constitution had nothing like that. Did it award the President the highest rank ever in the Armed Forces? Nothing over there! So what the hell is H. E. John Dramani Mahama doing in army uniform? Ah…yes, in his bestselling book, My First Coup d’Etat, he could have mentioned how he staged a coup. But he is not listed among those who staged coups in Ghana, and his name is missing from the list of those who attempted coups.
Maybe he staged the coup in the spiritual world, and it is now materialising in the physical. So the question was who did he overthrow? His own self as President of the Republic, or his government?
The appearance of H.E. John Dramani Mahama in military uniform turned the nation into an assembly of debaters. The clarion cry by some was that he erred to put on military uniform.
Suddenly, some self-acclaimed constitutional lawyers climb high roofs to tell us that the President violated the laws of the land by wearing the military uniform, but which law, in particular, we are yet to be told.
It became a heated discussion on social media, and to make matters worse, a certain retired Captain of the Ghana Armed Forces also exhibited his knowledge of the military in this matter and recalled his experiences, as the once upon a time force man came out bluntly to say the President erred, because he took after the wrong practices of H.E. Jerry John Rawlings. His input in the discussion was convincing enough, since he had served in the army before.
Other enlightened members of society could not accept seeing the President in military uniform, not once, but, at least, twice. Some even threatened legal action against the first citizen of the land for violating the statutory dressing code for civilian heads-of-state.
While all these things were going on, no one ever set foot to the army offices to find out how they feel about seeing a civilian in their uniform.
This, unfortunately, is not an ordinary civilian. We are talking about the President, the Head-of-State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
As a Commander-in-Chief, he is above all ranks in the army, because he gives the ultimate command. As a Commander-in-Chief his Aide de Camp (Confidential Assistant) is a military officer of Colonel rank.
The military is mandated, upon request, to present two sets of uniforms from each of the divisions in the Armed Forces: Infantry, Air Force and Navy to the civilian President. He/she can don any uniform to a military function and break no law. One day, H.E. Jerry John Rawlings, who was an officer of the Air Force, wore a naval uniform to honor a military function. If he was serving in the forces, he would do so at the risk of severe sanctions, which could include dismissal. But, as the President, Head-of-State and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, he was entitled to wear any military uniform to any military function as he wished.
The President is mandated to be in uniform, if he is to visit our troops on battlefields. The other day, President Barack Obama of the United States visited the US troops in Afghanistan. He was in an Air Force jacket. The Queen of England attends military functions and parades in full army uniform. She was once a serving military officer by the virtue of her royal background, and being in line to the throne. She is the Colonel-in-Chief of numerous regiments in the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth. It is purely a ceremonial role in military regiments. Also as sovereign, the Queen is head of the Armed Forces. She is the only person who can declare war and peace. Queen Elizabeth II (born: Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), Queen of the United Kingdom and fifteen other Commonwealth nations, is the Commander-in-Chief of all the sixteen nations she rules over.
A Commander-in-Chief is the person that exercises supreme operational command and control of a nation’s military forces, and in most nations, that position is under the authority of the civilian Head-of-State: President, Prime Minister. At least, twenty European nations, and US and Canada, vest this responsibility in the hands of civilian heads-of-state.
A US-based Ghanaian professor, Kwaku Asare, found problems with H.E. John Dramani Mahama in army uniform, and asked to be advised on this, in light of Section 1 of NLCD 177 which states: “No person shall wear or use any military uniform, equipment, accoutrements or other material, unless he is a member of the Armed Forces of Ghana wearing or using the uniform, equipment, accoutrements or material which he is authorised to wear or use.” In response, another legal practitioner and retired army officer, Group Captain Obeng Ntim (Rtd), was emphatic, when he said he saw nothing wrong here. He maintained that the President is free to wear any uniform, because he is the Commander-in-Chief. He gave an example of Ras Tafari Makonnen Woldemikael, also known as Emperor Haile Selassie, of Ethiopia, who wore military uniforms though he was a civilian leader. The military frowns upon civilians wearing army uniforms, and even retired personnel of the forces are barred from wearing the uniform, but this does not extend to their Commander-in-Chief, who is a full part of them. In fact, he is the one who can give directions on military affairs and pronounce the ultimate commands. After he speaks, no one in the military can do or say anything contrary.
This hullabaloo about H.E. Mahama in army uniform threw more light on the growing inability of people who should know better to talk with such authority on issues they do not understand. Hear them loud and clear on radio and television screaming, “It is unconstitutional…it is against the law…” But there is no reference to the statutes in our laws, especially, on this issue. Instead of taking the trouble to go to the source and enquire about the truth of the matter, such people re-write the laws and implement their gross ignorance on us, and expect the whole of Ghana to accept.
In such matters concerning the military, we are glad people like Group Captain Obeng Ntim (Rtd) cleared the air, but not that retired army captain, a native of Doryumu and now based in the United States, who could go on to express his shocking ignorance of an institution he spent his earlier working life in. Shocking to read him speak with authority that Rawlings began this bad precedent of civilians wearing army uniforms. And stated emphatically that since the C-i-C is not a military rank, any officer who wants to aspire to be such must resign and get into politics (but why he did not insist Rawlings resigns shows his ignorance). To him, Rawlings abused his military association by parading himself in full military garb, even when he had retired from the service. Rawlings, he added, retired as a subaltern by rank.
One can immediately realise that this man just passed through the army, and probably knew next to nothing about the military. It is so shocking to hear someone who served up to the rank of Captain not to know that a Flight Lieutenant in the Air Force is the same in rank as a Captain in the Infantry. To say Rawlings retired as subaltern is to say he retired at the rank of Lieutenant, and unless Jerry was demoted, which we do not know, then we should accept that this retired army Captain is as ignorant about the army as those civilians crying out that the President violated the law by donning full military uniform to a military function. In the case of this retired Captain, this is serious, since we do not know how many people he had misled with his lies and ignorance of the army he once served in.
The master-of-ceremonies picked up the microphone and spoke into it, she said: “The next person needs no introduction, but I must start with a few words about him, which most people don’t know. In nursery and lower primary, he was appointed to write down the names of talkatives in class. He was the blackboard monitor in Middle Primary, and made the Compound Prefect in Upper Primary. In Secondary he was made a Class Prefect, and later a Prefect of the school. Outside school, he was the leader of the young men who rode motorbikes around as pastimes. He was also the leader of the BBC (Baila Boys Company) who hunted field mice, lizards and birds with catapults.
Now what you may already know: He started his political career as an Assembly Member and became a Member of Parliament for his people. He was appointed a Deputy Minister, and then a Minister. He held on to the position of MP until he became the Vice President of the land, and finally, he attained the highest position of the land….Ladies, gentlemen and others, I have the singular honor and privilege to introduce to you the man we all know and respect…His Excellency the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, Grand Marshall John Dramani Mahama…”
The young and handsome President stood up in his full military uniform, smiled and waved and addressed his people. After that, people felt comfortable and safe again. He did not boom like the other one. He laughed and joked with his people.
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