A former Minister for National Security, Mr. Francis Poku, has expressed confidence in the institutions of State and the persons managing the democratic governance systems, more particularly the style of leadership of the President and those in charge of National Security, and urged Ghanaians to remain calm and patient to enable them have a firm grasp on the levers of state.

Mr. Poku, who spoke to Hot FM from his London base on a wide range of issues told the host, Adakabre, that the new political administration, headed by President John Evans Atta Mills has the wherewithal to strengthen democratic structures and create the right atmosphere for economic and social transformation of the economy. He argued that every leader has his own style of leadership and that President Mills’ style is in consonance with his own understanding and democratic philosophy as to how a country should develop along certain lines.

The Ex-Security Minister also touched on Ghana’s security institutions such as the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the National Security apparatus. He maintained that these institutions should be given the leverage to operate at the optimum level. “When you have a transition from one administration to the other, there is always some challenges. What is important is to allow these security institutions to realign and go through the requisite reappraisal so that they can be on top of their operations.”

Commenting on the calibre of the security heads, Mr. Poku told his host that the Director of the BNI, Mr. Yaw Donkor is an efficient professional whose expertise has been acknowledged even in Liberia where he was engaged for some time. On National Security, he intimated that he has known the men at the helm and has no doubt about their competence. He said they are on the right track despite some teething problems which he described as normal of any human institution going through transition. Responding to a question about the paranoia surrounding public pronouncements by Ex-President Jerry John Rawlings, Mr. Poku stated that he finds nothing wrong with that in a democracy. Rawlings, he revealed has the right as any other individual Ghanaian to express his views on national issues. He added that by expressing his opinions and views openly, he (Rawlings) is demonstrating his belief in the democratic system. Rawlings, he noted is a politician and must be accorded that right to free expression. The continuous discourse on governance and democratic issues by the Ex-President, he avers makes it less encumbered for any democratic government since ideas and views are constantly expressed in the open which leads to engendering debate on democracy within the public sphere. The Ex-Security Minister reiterated his belief in the solidity of security structures capable of dealing with any infractions. It is his contention that the open-door policy in a democratic setting which allows for deliberation and free expression has reduced the risk of destabilization, more particularly when the various security institutions such as the Armed Forces and the Police Service have been responsive to democratic tenets.

Turning to the controversial issue of drug trafficking, Mr. Poku, who said a private newspaper had defamed him by publishing falsehood in connection with MV Benjamin, categorically denied having anything to do with the failed bid to apprehend the drug barons. He explained that the intelligence on the ship carrying drugs was passed on to the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) by Ghana’s Western intelligence partners. “It was when NACOB ran into difficulty after four clear days of fruitless attempt to bust the barons that his attention was drawn to the matter.

Mr. Poku described as criminal an attempt to link him to drug barons from Colombia and Venezuela and expressed his strongest indignation at the deliberate ploy to smear and tarnish his image. Â He noted that if any fresh evidence is established which requires his assistance to get to the bottom of the MV Benjamin saga, he is available to co-operate with such an investigation.

He, however, took a strong exception to the attempt to link him to something he claimed he knew nothing about adding he had no hand in the granting of leave to Bed Ndego let alone having framed-up ACP Kofi Boakye. He maintained that Ndego does not work under him let alone report to him but rather to the Interior Ministry. For Kofi Boakye, Mr. Poku told the Hot Fm host that they can verify from him how he (Poku) got to know of his involvement in the recorded tape palaver.

In his view, governments from the rein of Jerry Rawlings (who established NACOB) have done well in working very hard to resist the attempt by faceless drug lords to make Ghana a major hub of the illicit drug trade. He commended former Security Boss, Mr. Kofi Bentum Quantson and Col. Akuoku, both former heads of NACOB for building the institution into a more proactive unit.