Even before the El Wak recruitment stampede happened, a group of commentators had found in security matters a pastime to offer their opinions.
The media has tagged such persons ‘security experts’; their opinions often politicised and lacking any substance that stands them out as expert submissions.
They have often had field days because the real security experts, many retired persons, shy away from such media commentaries and the accompanying harangues.
Some of the so-called experts have been engaged by sulking retired security persons to run down the new crop of leaders at the helm of the military. They would have wanted to stay put in their appointments; not having their way, they have resorted to the pull-him-down syndrome.
Unfortunately, the world was not created this way. You play your part and depart when your time is up so others too will take over and contribute their quota to national development in varying forms.
In the wake of the recent unfortunate El Wak Sports Stadium stampede, we have observed how the so-called experts have been cruising with their opinions in manners which do not inure to national security.
We do not need to be experts to appreciate the national security implications of undermining the country’s Armed Forces as represented by the Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS).
The General who heads the Services; Army, Air Force and Navy needs all the peace to protect the country’s territorial integrity, which he does by ensuring his Service Chiefs carry out their appropriate orders.
Some of these commentators working for former Generals have passed comments which are anything but in the interest of national security.
Those who have exited the military, of course being part of the national reserve, should steer away from fueling comments which can only compromise national security.
Various Directors manage routine processes such as the annual recruitment exercises using laid-down templates. Being human institutions and, therefore, prone to occasional hiccups, when these occur we should be measured in our utterances so these do not puncture national security.
While we sympathise with the families of the six young ladies who lost their lives in the stampede, we would be quick to demand of the Board of Inquiry to do a decent job of unearthing the root causes of the incident.
We wish to salute the CDS, Lt Gen William Agyapong, for his swift empaneling of a board to probe what happened; he needs the support of all Ghanaians at this time, not the proxy interference from retired persons who had the opportunity to alter what they did not find alright. Let them sharap!
We have taken note of the fresh measures announced for the resumption of the screening exercise in the Greater Accra Region.
We have also taken note of the efforts to make the exercise as transparent as possible. This way those who make it through the process will know they did so deservingly and those who do not would not harbour bad blood against the system.