Deputy Minister of Defence, Major Rtd Derrick Oduro has accused the media of inciting constituents against Members of Parliament.
The Deputy Defence Minister who is also the MP for Nkoranza North while bemoaning the apparent hatred of parliamentarians by the general public blamed the media for turning the masses against them.
Speaking to the media in Parliament, the MP for Nkoranza claimed that they are being hated by their constituents who elected them. He contended that MPs deserve love and support from the general public to enable them execute the mandate given to them by the public not hatred and thus blamed the Fourth Estate of the realm for playing a role in instigating the public against them.
“As if we are from Congo River Basin who are brought to come down here to serve the nation; meanwhile you voted for us. You’re supposed to love us. Get us close to you but you hate parliamentarians and it is partly because of you the media incite the general public against us. We must be frank,” he fumed.
His remarks follow stiff opposition against the deployment of 200 police officers to serve as body guards to individual Members of Parliament.
On Tuesday, October 13, 2020, Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery disclosed that 200 police officers would be deployed by the Inspector-General of Police to Parliamentary Protection Unit as part of measures to ensure the safety of MPs following increased attacks on them.
The decision, however, generated public outrage with some security experts arguing that the decision does not augur for general security of the populace and could hamper operations of the police service.
Defending the deployment of police personnel to protect them, the Deputy Defense Minister refuted claims that the deployment will affect security operations negatively insisting that the police service has enough personnel to fill the void they might have created.
He argued that the provision of personal bodyguards for MPs forms part of the privileges they enjoy as Article 71 officer holders hence the public uproar is baseless.
“The Interior Minister is saying that they have enough police people to provide security for MPs and provide security for the whole nation. That is why we have been given and we are thankful to the government of the day that they have listened to us. The law says that we should be given. This is all that we are saying and it shouldn’t be annoying that we ask for what we require. That is what we need and that is what the law says give us,” he said.
While arguing that the lives of MPs, who have been killed, could have been saved if they were provided with personal security, Major Derrick Oduro questioned the sympathy expressed by the public particularly the media over the killing of the MP for Mfantseman suggesting the media maybe “shedding crocodile tears” over the murder of the MP.
