The Minister of National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, says injustice, occasioned by the absence of an effective justice delivery system, delayed justice and biased justice is a threat to national security.
He said when injustice abounds, particularly in situations where the Bench, considered as the final arbiter of disputes, citizens tend to take the law into their own hands without recourse to the established systems of justice delivery.
Mr Kan-Dapaah was speaking on the newly launched National Security Strategy 2022 in Accra.
He said similarly, the failure of the criminal justice system to ensure effective and expeditious trial of criminals adversely impacts the morale of law enforcement agencies, emboldens criminals to perpetrate more crime and breeds lawlessness among the citizenry – developments which threaten the internal security of the state.
He said the need to safeguard the country’s collective security as a state requires that “we work assiduously to eliminate all forms of injustice.”
The minister said, indeed, justice remains the only value that together with freedom had proven to be an effective abiding principle in uniting people of different backgrounds into a stable nation.
“This underscores the wisdom in the decision of our forebears to combine justice with freedom to form the country’s motto,” he said.
The minister said discussions concerning national security often evoke concepts such as peace, security and stability.
“Strangely, although the concept of justice tends to be overlooked, peace, security and stability cannot be achieved without justice,” he added.
He said justice is the foundation upon which the rule of law, equality before the law and fairness of the law are established.
The minister indicated that the ultimate responsibility in doing so rests squarely at the feet of members of Ghana’s judicial system which is entrusted by law with the power to ensure effective justice delivery.
Mr Kan-Dapaah said the National Security Strategy 2022 calls for closer collaboration between state security and intelligence agencies and the judiciary to ensure swift and effective delivery of justice.
He added that the strategy would promote complementarity in the execution of the mandates of both entities.
The minister emphasised the readiness of the ministry to support all activities of the judiciary geared towards safeguarding the peace, security and stability of Ghana.
