Governance Expert, Professor Baffuor Agyemang-Duah has backed calls by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin against the deployment of military to various voting centers in the 2024 election.
In his welcome address to MPs after returning from the break, Alban Bagbin stated that soldiers are not needed at voting centers adding that the police are mandated to handle elections.
He also revealed that Parliament together with the prominent members of the clergy will be engaging the EC, Police, National Security Council, Presidential Candidates, party executives among others all geared towards a peaceful poll.
“When there is the need to call the military we will call them but they should not be at polling or voting centers.
“Honorable members, the clergy and notable civil society leaders will be actively involved. The signs and signals happening in the country are not that of assurance and hope,” Mr. Bagbin stated.
Commenting on the development on Morning Starr with Francis Abban, the governance expert stated that the police are mandated to handle internal security matters and they should be allowed to handle the election.
He was however quick to add that the military could only serve as a backup for the police.
“I think I should commend Mr. Speaker for this initiative which shows the concerns he has for stability over the years, we all know. This is not the first time we are going for election; the police have the responsibility of maintaining peace in the country.
“The military only comes in to back the police when the police have been unable to execute this kind of mandate. So in all elections we will want the police to be at the front but the military should also be ready in the reverse. They will be called upon in case of failure by the police, that is the normal practice,” professor Agyemang-Duah stated.
He continued: “Because if you armed soldiers, you know soldiers are not trained to be nice to you when there is chaos or conflict. They are trained to bring in force to stop whatever that they need to stop. So if you bring them early, their presence can be intimidating to voters. I will hope that we go by the normal practice of putting the military on the alert to be ready to be called upon. To intervene there is a complete breakdown of law and order, that is how I think we should manage this.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
