NPP member Paul Yandoh has his criticism of the military’s involvement in road construction was driven by concerns about the presence of soldiers in communities and whether affected farmers had been compensated.
Speaking to Kumasi-based Owia TV, Yandoh said his concern was not opposition to the road project but the decision to deploy soldiers to carry out the work.
“I was only asking why, all of a sudden, soldiers had been deployed to that area to construct the road. A soldier is a soldier; you cannot challenge him,” he said.
He also questioned whether farmers affected by the project had received their compensation.
“But I am not even sure the compensation due to the farmers has been paid. People must understand my concern,” he added.
Yandoh said military personnel are traditionally associated with external operations and questioned the change in their deployment.
“Soldiers are meant to be deployed for external operations. What has changed that they are now being sent for road construction?” he asked.
His comments come after President John Dramani Mahama described him as “ignorant” after hearing a radio commentator question the use of soldiers for road works.
Mahama cited the military’s role in opening up the Afram Plains during the PNDC era, including the construction of the Donkorkrom Road.
The Ghana Armed Forces Engineers Regiment has in fact been directed to serve as a major subcontractor on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway after completing the clearance of 175.6 kilometres of the project’s right-of-way.
Yandoh said his position was also based on his view that deploying soldiers can create a power imbalance in communities because their presence may instil fear and confusion among residents.
