"Let's be conscious of our security" October 20, 2008

Story: Michael Donkor
THE Minister of the Interior, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, has advised Ghanaians not to leave their personal security and that of the state to the military, the police and other security agencies alone.
He said the arrangement whereby security was left in the hands of such institutions was unsatisfactory because under a democratic dispensation one had to avoid the situation whereby the national security apparatus could be used to maintain the ruling party in power.
Dr Addo-Kufuor gave the advice at a seminar organised by the Legon Centre for International Affairs (LECIA) in Accra at the weekend.
Speaking on the topic, “Ensuring Peace and Security in Ghana: Challenges and prospects”, the Interior Minister said most citizens desired to live in peace and security and demanded to be involved in the processes that would ensure their security.
He said in all societies, peace was the bedrock on which the development and general well-being of the citizens were anchored.
He said peace should, therefore, be protected by all citizens of goodwill to ensure that the very existence of the society was preserved and its vital institutions protected.
Dr Addo-Kufuor said effective and durable peace and security could only be maintained when the citizens respected and accepted the authority of the government.
He said to achieve that level of co-operation between the government and the people, certain conditions must prevail and mentioned those factors as the reduction of extreme poverty, access to employment, health, education and shelter.
Dr Addo-Kufuor suggested that there should be a serious attempt at wealth distribution to avoid huge gaps between the rich and the poor.
He said there should also be serious attempts at ensuring good governance.
The minister recalled the government’s submission to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and said its record of good governance had earned it support from the development partners.
He gave the assurance that the government would, at all times, place the interest of the country and its people above all partisan considerations to ensure free and fair elections.
Dr Addo-Kufuor pledged the government’s respect for the results that would emerge at the end of the general election as the sovereign will of the people freely expressed through the ballot box and accept them, regardless of which party was victorious.
He cautioned that any person or group of persons who would attempt to undermine the peace during this period for their parochial end would be made to face the full rigours of the law.
He said the challenges facing the country included the drug menace, the oil find, problems with Fulani herdsmen, galamsey groups, lawless ECOWAS citizens, ex-combatants from other countries now resident in Ghana and the high level of crime in the country.
Dr Addo-Kufuor said in spite of those challenges, prospects for the country in the medium-to-long term were good.
He said Ghanaians treasured the current peaceful environment and would strive to ensure that it was not disturbed by a few misguided individuals.