By Morkporkpor Anku/ Eric Appah Marfo
Accra, Feb.15, GNA — Mr Adib Saani, Executive Director of the Jatikay Centre for Human Security and Peace Building, has asked Mr Henry Quartey to maintain objectivity in his new capacity as Minister of the Interior.
He said Mr Quartey should carry out his duties without regard for political expediency and work with security services to guarantee the country’s overall safety.
“He must put the nation forward before the political party… He should remember that when a political party wins an election, it becomes a government of the people, for the people and by the people. In principle, you are no longer a political party but rather a government for the people,” he said.
Mr Henry Quartey is one of the Ministers affected by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s recent Ministerial reshuffle.
He previously served as the Greater Accra Regional Minister. He succeeded Ambrose Dery as the new Minister of the Interior.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Thursday, Mr Saani, a Security Analyst, stated that Mr Quartey’s time as the previous Greater Accra Regional Minister had provided him with some understanding of matters related to security.
He stated that during his term, the Minister oversaw various security operations in Accra, showing determination and dealing with indiscipline.
However, the Interior Ministry, he remarked, provided a whole other set of issues, given that Ghana was about to go to the polls, with all the attendant stressors.
He pointed out that Mr Quartey would have to deal with the circulation of small arms and light weapons in the system, particularly in conflict hotspots as also diversions for politically motivated acts of violence.
The Security Analyst stated that the Minister must also address the public’s divided perception of the police’s neutrality in carrying out their mandate.
He urged the Mr Quartey to work with Civil Society Organizations and actors to embark on awareness campaigns to educate the public on how they can enhance the efforts of security services.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced a cabinet reshuffle on Wednesday, appointing new Ministers and Deputy Ministers and reassigning some to other Ministries to reorganise the government.
Some 13 central government ministers, ten deputy ministers and two regional ministers were relieved of their duties.
They included Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta, Interior Minister Ambrose Dery, Health Minister Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Environment, Science, and Technology Minister Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, and Roads and Highways Minister Kwasi Amoako-Atta.
GNA