Soldiers ordered to speak French

Soldiers ordered to speak French

The GAF is considering setting aside the first Friday of every month as a 'French Day', on which all military personnel would speak French.

The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) is considering setting aside the first Friday of every month as a 'French Day', on which all military personnel would speak French, instead of the normal English.

Major General Peter Augustine Blay, Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), disclosed this during the closing ceremony of the Ghana Armed Forces Annual Inter-Service Shooting competition held at Yawhima in Sunyani.

He noted that as Ghana was surrounded by French-speaking countries, it would be prudent for personnel of the GAF to take the learning and speaking of French serious.

Maj. General Blay urged personnel of the GAF to take up the challenge to learn and speak French, adding "it makes a lot of sense to be able to speak the French language for our own interest, and for an enhanced international cooperation.”

According to him, the GAF fortunately, has fully-functioning French language centres in the 2 and 5 Garrisons, which all efforts would be exerted to replicate them in the remaining garrisons, to afford facilities for the learning of the French language.

He commended the competitors for exhibiting their preparedness to fulfill their constitutional mandate of defending the state, reiterating that the GAF, as an institution of state, was established to create the necessary security environment for the socio-economic development of the country.

"We therefore have the onerous responsibility to be proficient in the use of our personal weapons for the achievement of our mission," Major Gen. Blay stressed.

He recalled that in recent times, the GAF had been called upon to ensure peace in conflict areas like Yendi, Bawku, Gushiegu, Sankore, and many other areas in the country, whilst troops have been deployed to deal with social crimes such as armed robbery, highway robbery, and other criminal activities, which in the course of these duties the GAF had become the target of miscreants.

The Chief of the Defence Staff continued that in order for the GAF to carry out its duties efficiently and without harm, and defeat the enemies of the state, it behooves on members of the Armed forces to perfect the use of the primary tool - the rifle.

According to Major Gen. Blay, even as personnel of GAF risk their lives to keep the peace in various conflict areas, and continue to combat various criminal activities in support of civil authority, it was not everybody who may appreciate the sacrifices, adding "our actions, as well-intentioned as they are, could be misconstrued, misrepresented or even condemned outright by persons who may not have the right information or the requisite knowledge."

He emphasised that a recent incident in Bawku illustrates the aforementioned point, where the media reported that GAF troops in Bawku had paraded suspected gunmen naked in public.

Maj. Gen. Blay said investigations had however revealed that the reportage was exaggerated and factually incorrect.

Meanwhile, based on it, the GAF was vilified and condemned on several FM radio stations.

"A little patience by the media for investigations would have averted the unwarranted vilification," he noted.

The Chief of the Defence staff, however, urged the military never to be frustrated by such unfair reportage, but continue to discharge their duties diligently to the country as they have sworn to do, whilst they continue to treat civilians with care and respect at all times.