Minority’s response to statements by the Minister Interior on govt's secret recruitment into the security services, addressed by Cassiel Ato Forson

The attention of the NDC Minority in Parliament has been drawn to some shockingly alarming and ridiculous statements by the Minister for the Interior, Hon. Henry Quartey.

This follows the NDC Minority’s disclosure of the clandestine recruitment of foot soldiers of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) into the security services ahead of the 2024 general elections.

Ghanaians will recall that the NDC Minority raised concerns about similar secret recruitment of NPP foot soldiers, including its thugs and hoodlums, into the security services as part of its election-rigging machine for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

These secret recruitments, which are done on the blindside of the public, are characterized by outright nepotism and procedural breaches. Instead of the Minister of the Interior addressing the concerns raised by the NDC Minority Caucus about the serious implications of the illegal recruitment for the peace and security of our country, especially with the crucial 2024 elections on the horizon, he chose to peddle outright falsehood.

Hon. Quartey’s insinuation that members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have benefited from the questionable recruitment practices without providing any shred of evidence is a clear attempt to confuse the issues and divert attention.

The Minister’s remarks, made during interviews with FM stations on 21st May 2024, were empty, hollow, and laughable threats intended to silence legitimate criticism from the NDC Minority. The Minority Caucus remains steadfast and cannot be silenced, not even by the Interior Minister’s veiled threats and cheap blackmail.

The NDC’s concern has been, and remains, the lack of transparency and fairness in the recruitment process for Ghana’s security services. We highlighted credible information suggesting that the ruling NPP is manipulating recruitment processes to favor its parliamentary candidates with 30 slots allocated to each of them for the various security agencies including the Police Service, the Immigration Service, the Fire Service, and the Prison Service.

This issue is serious and deserves a substantive response, not a deflection. We therefore challenge the Minister for the Interior to publish the names of persons that he claims were forwarded by the NDC MPs for the secret recruitments.

If the Minister fails to provide these names, then his statements must be seen for what they are; baseless, ridiculous, frivolous, provocative, and false. The Minister’s announcement that there is going to be a recruitment this year without public advertisement and the sale of forms because the government wants to clear the backlog of previous recruitments is untenable, outrageous, and disturbing. May I use this opportunity to ask the Minister the following questions: because the government wants to clear the backlog of previous recruitments,

a. How does the clearing of his so-called backlog ensure that persons who might have exceeded the cut-off age for recruitment or may have developed certain health-related issues are not recruited into the security services?

b. Since when did the Government of Ghana block recruitment into the security services by restricting access for only a selected group in the name of backlog?

c. Why does this government take pleasure in the destruction of our strategic state institutions, including the security services?

The people of Ghana cannot be deceived in the name of the so-called backlog of persons waiting to be recruited into the Police Service, Immigration Service, Fire Service, and Prison Service. This is because there is NO such backlog. I repeat, there is NO such backlog!

Indeed, on 7th July 2023, the Public Affairs Directorate of the Police Headquarters issued a press release signed by Assistant Commissioner of Police, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, under the heading POLICE CONCLUDE ITS 2021-2022 RECRUITMENT EXERCISE. The two-paragraph press release stated as follows:

a. The Ghana Police Service brings to an end its 2021-2022 recruitment process with an invitation to the last batch of successful candidates to report for medical screening and training.

b. We wish all the candidates well as they begin the process of becoming part of our noble institution charged with the constitutional mandate of maintaining law and order in the country.

This press release by the Ghana Police Service conclusively shuts the door in the face of the Minister of the Interior and exposes the Minister’s dishonesty in his fabrication of the so-called backlog.

While this government is stuck in rhetoric and opaqueness, the Minority Caucus will continue to push the boundaries of transparency and accountability in the interest of the people of Ghana. Consistent with our parliamentary oversight, we can assure the Minister for the Interior that the Minority will bring a motion to demand a full-scale inquiry into the recruitment into the security services since 2017.

This inquiry will seek to uncover any instance of corruption, favoritism, nepotism, or irregularities in the recruitment processes, and ensure that going forward, such unacceptable practices are eradicated. As consummate social democrats, the NDC believes that all Ghanaians irrespective of gender, tribe, political lineage, religion, or creed deserve a fair and equal opportunity.

The integrity of our security services and the trust of the people of Ghana in our institutions depend on our collective commitment to transparency and fairness. The NDC Minority will therefore continue to be alive to its duty by holding the feet of the government to the fire of accountability.

Thank you.