Providing MPs police protection an “Animal Farm” approach – Franklin Cudjoe
IMANI Centre for Policy and Education’s president, Franklin Cudjoe has described government’s decision to provide Parliamentarians with police security as an “Animal Farm” approach.
In a post sighted by Ghanas Online on Mr. Cudjoe’s facebook page, he said the Red Alert security level government increased to release 200 police officers to secure Ghana’s legislators is “Not fair.”
“Animal farm’ police politics aside, the government just increased the Red Alert security level by agreeing to farm out 200 Policemen and women to MPs. Not fair”, the post read.
Mr. Cudjoe’s comments follow calls by Members of Parliament to be provided with state security after Ekow Quansah Hayford, their comrade representing the Mfantseman Constituency was assassinated by highway robbers, which government has heeded to.
Mr. Hayford was returning from a campaign trip in his constituency when he was attacked by robbers on the Abeadze Dominase – Abeadze-Duadze – Mankessim highway.
Following the calls, Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery announced 200 police officers are going to be deployed to provide security for the MPs.
But Mr. Cudjoe thinks some privileged few in society are being prioritised at the expense of the masses who elect those MPs.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Public Safety (BPS) has said the move by government will compromise the masses’ security.
The BPS says security would be diverted from the masses to the few privileged legislators, which does not auger well for the state.
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Executive Director of the BPS, Nana Yaw Akwada, likewise Franklin Cudjoe says the citizenry have been unfairly treated with the development.
“The commitment he [Ambrose Dery] has made actually reduces national security which aims at providing security for the general population and offering such security to politicians and men of power. By so doing he has left the security of the ordinary Ghanaian to his vulnerable state. This is appalling, offensive, indecent. This single decision sends a wrong signal to the many lives which have been lost in a similar fashion”, he said.
The number will be increased to 800 at the end of the year to extend the security to the MPs residences.
These officers will operate under the Parliamentary Protection Unit according to the Interior Minister.
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