The Member of Parliament for Wa Central, Rashid Pelpuo, has cautioned that Ghana’s sovereignty is at risk of being compromised by China if the country continues to depend on the Asian country for some financial assistance.
He said the over- reliance on China has the tendency of Ghana ceding some of its natural resources and key national installations to China, stressing that it was about time Ghana strengthens its relationship with the Asian country very well for them to also export some things that the West African country has in their homeland.
Pelpuo’s caution follows recent barter agreements between the Government of the Republic of Ghana and the Chinese Government worth US$2billion.
Contributing to a statement on the floor of the House, Tuesday, Mr. Pelpuo urged the government to learn lessons from Zambia where the Chinese are alleged to have taken over the country’s telecommunication infrastructure for failing to pay their debt owed the Asian country.
“Mr. Speaker, relations between countries is often as a result of some mutual understanding and mutual gains. It has to do with defending and protecting the interest of one country. And if in doing so, you have to extend relations to another country often the country does so, so as to ensure that that mutual understanding, cooperation and benefits continue to happen. Ghana at independence found that there was the need for as to go socialist at one point and in doing so, we recognised that one country that is suited for our present posture at the time was China, Russia, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Cuba, and other countries. So, we found them to be very good friends in championing the affairs of Ghana in supporting our Pan-Africanism, our independence, and in ensuring that equitable distribution of wealth was enhanced in our new drive to independence and realization of freedom and justice”, he noted.
He added “Mr. Speaker, however, in a situation where you have countries relating with one benefiting all the time from history, it is something to be worried about. Recounting all the benefits we have had with China, and the fact that there is even a request that we continue to enhance that relation, and strengthens it saddens my heart. It shows that that one sided relationship, indeed Ghana stays to be a beneficiary all the time – the loans we have taken, the drafts that we have taken, and any other thing that we have done, shows that it is not a relations that we would want to continue in the direction that we are going. I want to see a situation where the Chinese will be talking about Ghana helping them to do one thing or the other. It is what defines your wealth, your importance, and cements your sovereignty as a country that cannot be taken away by another country. I have seen several African countries in which China’s presence has shown that in the end those African countries matters concerning their sovereignty are compromised – Zambia, and other countries when in situations where their telecommunications and other benefits that are in the country can no longer be decided by the country alone but China coming in to support.
Mr. Speaker saying this does not mean that I don’t cherish our relationship but I want to call on my country men and my governments over the years to make sure that in relating to another country, we are not at the receiving end only and that we stand up as equal partners with mutual benefits in the comity of nations determined by how our individual nations are protected and defended at all times”.
