The Good Old General Goofed - Kweku Baako

Brigadier General Joseph Nunoo Mensah (rtd), National Security Advisor have been receiving numerous backlashing after he opined that persons who cannot sacrifice for the development of Ghana should �take your passports and get out of this country. If you can�t sacrifice like what some of us have done, then get out. If the Kitchen is too hot for you, get out.� Speaking at the commissioning of a nine-classroom block he has built for O�Reilly Senior High School in Accra on Saturday, the National Security Advisor said the many strikes on the labour front showed high levels of indiscipline in the country. The main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called for his dismissal because to them, his comments were �highly inappropriate, distasteful, and disrespectful.� Government has also dissociated itself from the comments of the retired military officer indicating that �the use of intemperate language is not something that government will encourage. It should tell you right away that government does not endorse the comments that were made by the General. Contributing to a panel discussion, Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr said the National Security Advisor goofed in his comment over the labour unrest. He said as the National Security Advisor to President John Dramani Mahama, he should have advised him on measures to take to deal with the labour agitations in the country instead of publicly chastising the labour unions and exacerbating the situation. �I have high regard for him and I know him as someone who has tried to live by his standards; not subjected to all these materialistic influences but he goofed big time. The good old brigadier general goofed big time. What was he trying to communicate? As a national security advisor who is so worried and concerned; reflecting government position on industrial agitation and the need to find solutions to the problems; was what he said detrimental or beneficial to the situation? You are not a serial caller or a foot soldier or an ordinary member of government; you are the national security advisor� you will expect some level of self-control from a national security advisor� he indicated. He said with what the former military officer said he has aggravated the situation especially in his capacity as the National Security Advisor. According to the managing editor, various groups from government, committees as well as executives from the labour front have committed themselves in a process to curb the various strike actions �and so coming out to say something like that gives a wrong impression of government and their willingness to solve those issues. He has come out to irritate and provoke.�