'Our borders must command respect' – Osahen Afenyo-Markin on cocaine busts

The Minority Leader, Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has called on President John Dramani Mahama's administration to account for repeated international narcotics seizures involving consignments reportedly originating from Ghana, warning that the incidents pose risks to the country's national security and international reputation.

He said the recurring interceptions of large quantities of drugs in foreign jurisdictions raised concerns about the effectiveness of Ghana's port security, cargo inspection procedures, customs controls and intelligence coordination.

“Our ports must serve legitimate commerce. Our borders must command respect. Our young people deserve protection. Our country’s reputation deserves defending. The government must act,” he said.

Speaking at a Leaders' Media Briefing ahead of Parliament's resumption, Mr Afenyo-Markin disclosed that the Minority, through its First Deputy Whip, Habib Iddrisu, had filed a review of the Speaker's September 29 ruling under Standing Order 127.

The ruling concerned a private members' motion seeking a parliamentary inquiry into major narcotics seizures and possible institutional and regulatory failures that may have contributed to the incidents.

Mr Afenyo-Markin said the Minority was not seeking to undermine the authority of the Speaker but wanted Parliament to discharge its constitutional responsibility of scrutinising public institutions.

“We have a duty to raise those questions, and we intend to discharge that duty once Parliament resumes,” he said.

He maintained that ongoing criminal prosecutions should not prevent Parliament from investigating possible lapses in public administration, port security and regulatory oversight.

According to him, while criminal courts determine the guilt or innocence of accused persons, Parliament has a separate responsibility to examine whether public institutions fulfilled their mandates and whether existing laws and security arrangements were adequate.

“The prosecution of individuals, however necessary, cannot absolve the government of its responsibility to account for the institutional and regulatory weaknesses that may have facilitated these incidents,” he said.