Stop comparing; The "Kalyppo soldier" did not break the military rules – Major Oduro

General News on Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Source: Starrfmonline.com

2019-07-17

Deputy Defense Minister Major Derrick Oduro rejected accusations of bias against the army following the sanctions imposed on the soldier who had openly criticized Parliament's plan to build a new chamber.

Some Ghanaians criticized the army for refusing to punish the soldier who took a photo while he was sipping Kalyppo before the 2016 elections, but decided to punish another for commenting on a case in the public domain.

At the ballot box, Private Osei Owusu was captured in uniform sucking Kalyppo, a craze turned viral on social media at the time.

The candidate at the time, Nana Akufo-Addo, was captured in a message while sipping Kalyppo, a fruit drink enjoyed mostly by young people. The message was put side by side with a photo of US President Barack Obama sipping a small carafe and that of President John Mahama sipping a pineapple juice.

Commenting on the changing situation, Major Oduro said the circumstances were perceived differently from the army's point of view.

"What you can consider as an offense as a civilian, can not be an offense in the army, the soldier in the case Kalyppo has not committed any offense. The army studies every problem, the fact that a big man drinks or eats something does not mean that a soldier can not either go to the market to buy the same food or the same drinks. This case was the subject of an investigation and the soldiers found nothing to complain about it, "he told Francis Abban in the Morning Starr.

Colonel Aggrey Quarshie, communications director of the Ghana Armed Forces, would not comment on the results of the investigations, except to say that the investigations were over and that Private Osei Owusu was discharging his official duties.

According to him, the young soldier violated provisions of the military regulations, but was never arrested.