Former Interior Minister Henry Quartey has assured that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will support President John Dramani Mahama’s plans to retool the Ghana Armed Forces, insisting that national security must not be reduced to partisan politics.
He emphasized that as Commander-in-Chief, President Mahama deserves the safest means of transport and protection, and the NPP will not oppose measures that strengthen the Armed Forces.
Quartey recalled how past governments, including those of President Kufuor and President Akufo-Addo, invested in retooling the security services, noting improvements in police logistics as an example.
He maintained that just as the Police Service has been equipped to meet modern demands, the Armed Forces must equally receive the necessary tools and infrastructure to effectively respond to threats.
The Mahama administration is currently preparing to acquire new aircraft and modern logistics for the Armed Forces, a move Quartey described as essential to safeguarding the presidency and protecting Ghana’s sovereignty.
He stressed that issues of security and defense transcend political divides and pledged the NPP’s support for all initiatives aimed at strengthening peace and stability.
“We [NPP] will not fight the Ghana Armed Forces being retooled. President Mahama is the president of the country, we voted for him and it is our duty to give him that security. So if he has to fly in an aircraft that is safe for the people of Ghana, hallelujah and we will do that,” Mr. Quartey stated.
“Some of us will support a worthy cause of retooling the Ghana Armed Forces. Indeed, President Kufuor did so. That is why today you can see. Look at the normal police cars passing between 2017 and 2018. I mean, when we came to power, I was then a Deputy Minister of Interior. It was sad to note that complainants went to police stations and CIDs would say, what the car buyer now? In some districts, they didn’t even have one rifle. But today, Ghana Police is riding in cars with air conditions on,” he recalled.
