Launching National Security Strategy doesn’t resolve security challenges – James Agalga

The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Select Committee for Defence and Interior has stated that the introduction of a security strategy will not bring an end to the level of lawlessness in the country.

According to Mr James Agalaga, who was speaking in an interview on Joy FM Top Story, Monday, June 7, the country has several legislations meant to tackle security challenges mostly executed by operatives of the National Security, but that has not changed the situation.

His comments come after the launching of a National Security Strategy by the Ministry for National Security today, June 7, 2021.

“I must emphasize that the fact that a national security strategy was launched today doesn’t mean that we have suddenly discovered a solution to the excesses that we have all witnessed. At the level of the conduct of operatives of the National Security Ministry, in the past, we have enacted legislation to regulate the activities of vigilantes. As early as 2020, we passed the vigilantism and other related offences act.

“That law did not cure the mischief for which it was passed. We continued to record the cases of vigilantism, I mean behaviours that are completely unacceptable and the sad thing is that those at the centre of these behaviours are coming from the National Security Ministry,” he told Evans Mensah.

The sector Minister, Albert Kan Dapaah noted at the launch of the document, that the strategy will help coordinate efforts in addressing issues of common concern across the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

According to him, the National Security strategy developed by a multi-sectorial working group meets all international standards.

Despite these high remarks, Mr Agalga stated that without a clear motive to enforce these strategies, they would just remain plans that yield no effect.

“The question boils down to the will we have as a country to implement the strategies we have outdoored. As for the principles, the context in which the strategy itself was passed or drafted, the ideas are noble,” he said.

Should these strategies set up by the government be implemented, Mr Aglaga admitted that there “will be more coordination of our security and intelligence agencies.”

The National Security Strategy outdoored by the government today follows the recent assault against Citi FM journalist Caleb Kudah by operatives of the National Security for filming at the premises of the Ministry.

This forms part of many assaults against practitioners in the media by the national security.

Many institutions and individuals who have described the actions as an attack against press freedom have since called on the government to bring such perpetrators to book as well as create stuctures to end the menace.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo has given the assurance that his administration would condemn the attack on media freedom and see to the end of the canker.

“As President of Ghana, I assure you that the Ghanaian people will continue to exercise their right to free expression to the very end, because of their determination to build a free, open society with accountable governance, no matter the cost,” he stated.