A Senior Programmes Officer at CDD-Ghana, Nana Kwabena Abrampa Mensah, says the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) risk a declining public trust in their outfit if they fail to communicate the investigations process against their officer involved in the alleged assault of Citi FM journalist, Caleb Kudah.
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Lt. Col. Agyeman, the officer allegedly involved in the assault against Citi FM journalist, received a top military appointment as the GAF’s Commanding Officer of the 64 Infantry Regiment after he was relieved of his position as National Security Director of Operations on May 20.
His appointment has since attracted many reactions from the citizenry; with many expressing shocks.
Nana Kwabena Abrampa Mensah reasoned that from his enquiries, it could be that Lt. Col. Agyemang is under investigations despite his appointment. The Senior Programmes Manager, has, however, noted that GAF has failed in communicating the process to the citizenry.
According to him, this could create doubts and subsequently cause a dearth in the trust the public has for the Ghana Armed Forces.
“When it comes to the Afrobarometer data that assesses the trust in the security institution, previously, it was obvious that the Ghana Armed Forces had a high trust level which was almost always more than 80 percent. But in the last assessment, I think it has dropped to below 80 percent. Even though it is still high we feel they must put in efforts to peg their image in good stand so that the public trust will be high,” he told Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show.
Comparing the trust level of the public for GAF to that of the police service, Nana Agyeman intimated that the public trust in the police service is low and that is what is accounting for reports of citizens attacking the police and their stations.
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He advised that if that happens in the case of GAF, it will be disastrous for the country. “This is because the two most important institutions we trust are the armed forces and the judiciary so in whatever they do they must consider if that will bring disrepute to them or not. You have a responsibility of accountability to your people”, he added.
“For the sake of their image, it would be better for GAF to communicate their processes to the public. But if you don’t say anything and later people see that you are giving him [Lt. Col. Agyeman] an appointment, it will create a certain public perception”, he admonished.
By: Alberta Dorcas N D Armah
