Mr Yaw Debie Appiah Mensah, a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Bono Region has expressed concern about the growing incidents of ‘protocol enlistments’ into security services.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Odumase in Sunyani West Municipality, Mr Mensah, a former organiser of the then Brong-Ahafo Region described such enlistments as nepotism, making the security services porous.
“I believe this is the time the nation must ensure only qualified Ghanaians are enlisted into security services”, he indicated, saying, the security services sector was a sensitive area that required employees with high integrity and good moral values.
“It is rather unfortunate that we no longer check applicant’s character, and history before enlisting them because of ‘protocols’. The development of our nation is a collective responsibility and we must bury partisan politics if we desire to develop”.
Mr Mensah indicated partisan politics had only divided Ghanaians and retarded national progress, and asked everybody to eschew partisanship, and support the government to bring the development of the nation to the next level.
“We have come far as a country and achieved much in democratic government. So we must endeavour to guard against pettiness that impedes democratic growth and forge ahead in unity as Ghanaians to achieve a common goal of development and social cohesion.
“Development should not be regarded as the sole responsibility of an elected government, instead, a shared obligation of the citizenry. This is the surest way we can support successive governments to push our development forward.
“Fix the country is now the order of the day, But who should do that, in fact, if we desire to grow then we must all contribute our quota in that regard”, Mr Mensah said.
The Former Regional Organiser expressed worry about the growing decline of patriotism and love for the nation, and communal spirit among Ghanaians, thereby contributing to rising incidents of corruption in both the formal and informal sectors of the economy.