|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Security analyst, Dr. Kwesi Aning, is worried over how sensitive security-related information is being handled by some Members of Parliament.
He also expressed concerns about the lingering partisan nature of Ghanaian politics that assail otherwise national interest conversation.
Objectivity, national interest, professionalism
Dr. Aning, speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, noted that while security oversight is important, such issues must be approached with care and professionalism, especially by individuals with security clearance.
“What I mean for Kofi, and I can do that as a civil society activist and as scholars, but as a Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Interior with oversight responsibilities for a lot of our security institutions, and hopefully having security clearance… Such information must be handled differently,” Dr. Aning said.
He further criticised what he described as the politicisation of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament.
“And I think we need to discuss, elevate the conversation, as to how people in sensitive positions, who have clearance and may, because of that clearance, have access to information that is useful to securing our space to handle that information.”
His remarks come in the wake of controversy sparked by Rev Fordjour’s claims that two suspicious aircraft—a private jet and an air ambulance—departed Ghana for Gran Canaria, allegedly carrying cash and possibly illicit substances.
The allegations have triggered alarm and raised questions about possible drug trafficking and money laundering activities.
IMANI Africa
The need for bipartisan and patriotic conversations in resolving critical challenges, crises and problems was also on the same platform highlighted by Senior Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, who cautioned politicians against dismissing allegations of drug trafficking linked to two aircraft that landed in Ghana.
This follows the Minority in Parliament demanding full disclosure from National Security over two aircraft — an air ambulance and a private jet — that landed in Ghana in early March and departed for Gran Canaria on March 25.
As both sides of the political divide would admit, the critical conversations facing Ghana is institutional failure, lack of excellence managing national assets and resources as well as efficiently and effectively harnessing such resources responsibly and innovatively is the reason we are where we are today.
These failures are reflected in how we have handled issues of corruption, galamsey, sanitation, maintenance of infrastructure, transparency in governance and, particularly, how effective our Parliament has been in its oversight and law-making roles.
It is intriguing that politicians ignore this reality and without engaging in retrospection, attack the only bastion of integrity we have in this country which is the Judiciary. It is the opening of our gates to insurgency and arming of anti-law and order forces.
Our peccadillo as a nation is that in matters of democracy, we are more Catholic than the Pope, while in very critical matters such as regard for law and order, we are culturally vulnerable – if not complicit.
Putting Ghana first, with the Executive, Parliament and the Judiciary collectively leading, in the opinion of The Inquirer, is the only way forward.
