The Minority in Parliament has raised concerns over recent advertisements for recruitment into the security services under the Ministry of the Interior. They vehemently disagree with the recruitment procedure published in the August 7, 2024 editions of the Ghanaian Times and Daily Graphic newspapers.
In a press statement, the Minority insists they had previously petitioned the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate allegations of unequal and unfair recruitment practices within the security services, purportedly based on a backlog of applications. Despite this ongoing investigation, the Ghana Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Ghana Prisons Service, and Ghana Immigration Service have issued advertisements restricting the 2024 recruitment process to individuals who applied in 2021.
The Minority argues that these advertisements are an attempt to undermine CHRAJ’s investigation and mislead the public into believing that the recruitment process is being conducted fairly. They assert that the concept of a backlog is being used to create unequal access to recruitment opportunities, favoring certain individuals without any legitimate basis.
They further alleges that the current government’s insistence on recruiting from a non-existent backlog is a strategy to enlist party loyalists and vigilantes into the security services ahead of the 2024 general elections. They cite the violence during the 2020 general elections, where eight civilians were killed, as evidence of the government’s misuse of security personnel for political gain.
In response to these developments, the Minority has called on various stakeholders, including the National Peace Council, the Christian Council of Ghana, the Office of the National Chief Imam, development partners, civil society organizations, and all advocates for peace, to speak out against the ongoing recruitment process.
The Minority emphasizes their support for the recruitment of youth into the security services but insists on a fair and transparent process that provides equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, or creed.