Mrs Patricia Appiagyei, Deputy Majority Leader and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa, has reiterated that no Parliamentary candidate or MP has been allocated any recruitment slots into any of the security services.
She said this on Tuesday during a news conference in response to a claim by Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader, and National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, that slots had been allocated in the recruitment of the security services for Parliamentary Candidates and MPs of the governing NPP.
The Deputy Majority Leader noted that: “We are compelled to address the baseless and preposterous allegations raised by the Minority regarding the recruitments into the security services”.
“First and foremost, it is essential to clarify emphatically that no Parliamentary candidate or a Member of Parliament has been allocated any recruitment slots into any of our security services.”
She said the claims were not only false but a desperate attempt by the Minority to incite public displeasure against the Government, approaching the 2024 elections.
“The Minority assertion that 276 NPP Parliamentary Candidates including 138 sitting MPs have each been given 30 recruitment slots is mathematically and administratively ridiculous,” she stated.
“To suggest that about 8,250 new recruits could be absorbed into our security forces in the system that traditionally accommodates 1,200 recruits annually shows a profound misunderstanding of the operational and financial framework of our security institutions.”
Mrs Appiagyei said the claims by Dr Forson were “a deliberate distortion of reality and a malicious fabrication aimed at undermining the integrity of the Government”.
She said such allegations served only to provoke unwarranted tensions and foster an environment of needless mistrust and political rivalry.
The Deputy Majority Leader said Mr Henry Quartey, the Interior Minister had already outlined the Government’s recruitment strategy, which focused on giving a second chance to qualified Ghanaians, who previously applied but were not selected.
This approach, she said was not only fair but also thoughtful, avoiding unnecessary financial burdens on applicants by not re-opening the recruiting of the Ghanaian public.
She said such tactics by the Minority were beneath the dignity of democratic processes and could potentially endanger the peace and security of the nation.
“As a governing party, we remain committed to fairness, transparency and the rule of law,” Mrs Appiagyei said.
“We will not be swayed by these groundless accusations but will continue to work diligently to ensure the safety and security of all Ghanaians.”
She urged all parties and media houses to demand factual accuracy and to contribute responsibly to the political discourse of the nation.
“Let’s move forward, not with falsehood and fear but with facts and faith in our democratic institutions,” Mrs Appiagyei said.
In a response to a question why there had not been advertisements of recruitments into the security services in recent times, Mr Frank Annoh-Dompreh, the Majority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, said ever since the NPP Administration came into office, he could recall seeing more than three times recruitment advertisements of the security services in newspapers such as Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times and Daily Guide.
“…So, it would be a wrong impression for one to say why is that for some time now, there had not been any advertisement. You cannot advertise when you are not ready to recruit, because before you come to advertise you must put your house in order – you must have secured all the financial clearance to do the needful”.
