Minority call for scrapping of National Security Ministry backed

The Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Security and Counter-Terrorism, Emmanuel Kutin, has backed calls by the Minority to have the Ministry of National Security scrapped.

The Minority Spokesperson on Defence and Interior, James Agalga, on Tuesday questioned why the policy direction of the National Security Ministry is not captured in the 2019 budget statement.

“This was supposed to be a very important ministry so far as our national security as a specialist management is concerned.

“My question to ask is is there a calculated attempt on the part of the Nana Addo administration to place the Ministry of National Security beyond parliamentary oversight and scrutiny?”

He said though the budget was silent, “whopping sums of money” was allocated in the appendix of the statement.

He therefore called for its scrapping if the government does not want parliament to exercise oversight reponsibility on the Ministry.

Speaking on 3FM on Wednesday, Mr Kutin said after two years, no novelty has been seen after the setting up of the Ministry headed by Albert Kan-Dapaah.

“I think the call for its scrapping is laudable,” he stressed.

He pointed out that the sensitive nature of the security apparatus of the country does not warrant it being run by a political person.

“We cannot allow our national security apparatus to be headed by a ministry or a politician. Otherwise the continuous process within the institution as a whole will be lost.”