Interior Minister advises security agencies

March 31
THE Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwamena Bartels, has tasked personnel of the security agencies to adopt proactive strategies to avert any unrest during the electioneering and after the elections.
"It is a well known fact that misunderstanding in the electoral processes were the cause of armed conflicts and mayhem in Togo, Liberia and La Cote d’Ivoire, thus leaving Ghana as the only place of peace and stability in the sub-region.”
"The need to sustain peace and stability in Ghana has, therefore, become imperative as there will be no place of refuge if this country falls into a similar phenomenon,” he said.
Mr Bartels said this in an address read on his behalf by the Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mrs Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, at a day’s workshop in Bolgatanga.
The workshop, organised by the Ministry of Interior with support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, was aimed at conscientising personnel in the security agencies in the Upper East Region on their role in the 2008 general elections.
It was also targeted at educating security personnel in the region on their role in the 2008 general election and reminding them to maintain their inter-dependent and non-partisan role during elections.
About 50 participants drawn from the police, fire service, immigration service, the military, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service, as well political parties, the Electoral Commission and the National Commission on Civic Education, attended the workshop.
Mr Bartels told the security agencies that they had no choice but to be firm and fair, adding "You need to be extra vigilant and ensure that those who attempt to foment trouble are put in their proper place".
The Senior Programme Manager of Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Mr Isaac Owusu-Mensah, said every Ghanaian had a role to ensure the safety of other Ghanaians during and after the elections in December.
“The state has a role in our safety but it is a limited role and as it happens in all jurisdictions, the citizenry play a crucial role by supporting security services with the requisite information and the needed comportment,” he said.
The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Ofosu-Mensah Gyeabour, said the Ghana Police Service and related security agencies had a statutory duty to ensure that law and order prevailed before, during and after the elections.
He called on the security personnel to arm themselves with the provisions of the Public Order Act and the Political Parties Law to enable them to deal effectively with issues as they cropped up.
Mr Gyeabour also urged them to show a high sense of professionalism no matter the provocation, stressing that they should be neutral and focused on their responsibilities.
The Regional Director of the National Electoral Commission, Mr Iddrisu Adam, advised them not to show prejudice against any party or take part in the administration of polling stations since that was the role of the staff of the commission.
The Regional Director of the National Commission on Civic Education, Mr Haruna Sulemana Hussien, advised the security personnel to regularly keep track and monitor the situation on the ground in order to determine hot spots and flash points.
That, he said, could help avert any electoral conflict and violence.