MPs need more protection – Bryan Acheampong

The Minister of State designate, Bryan Acheampong has raised serious concerns over the security of members of the country’s parliament.

“There’s a security threat,” warned Mr. Acheampong who is also the Member of Parliament for Abetifi in the Eastern region when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament Monday to be vetted for his designation.

According to him, the security of the MPs can only be assured if those charged with the responsibility to protect the country’s law makers are disciplined.

“Most of what we face here is clear case of indiscipline. Because the areas are marked. It’s incumbent on those who are tasked to ensure that security of the MP’s is assured,” he told the Joe Osei Owusu’s vetting committee.

“If you look at our elevator, there are people seated there to ensure that if it is marked MPs only and you’re not an MP, you don’t go into the elevator; [But]in the end those people sitting there allow everybody to go into it. So we have discipline issues to tackle [ofcourse] if we allow that indiscipline that’s where somebody with an evil intention can take advantage of,” he added.

He thus called for attitudinal change saying: “With some small attitudinal change I’m sure the basis of our security will be assured, but I wish to refer other plans to parliamentary subcommittee on security to avoid revealing our safety in public domain for the ‘enemy’ to tap.”

Some Members of Parliament have earlier called for increased security for Ghana’s legislators in the wake of terrorist attacks close to UK’s parliament which led to five deaths.

Terrorist group ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack in Westminster.

Meanwhile, Deputy Majority Leader Adwoa Safo assured that authorities had put in place stringent measures to ensure heightened security.