Parliamentary Oversight of the Security Sector: Lessons from Ghana

Thus, parliamentarians need at least a rudimentary understanding of thesematters if they are to properly determine policies, laws and budgets of the armed andsecurity forces. 55 This suggests a need for independent research and expertise tosupport the work of the standing and select committees. Examining the PSCD&I, notonly do few of its 18 members have the requisite expertise to adequately perform theirsecurity sector oversight responsibilities, but neither does the committee have anypermanent or specialized staff that could support it with research and administrativeduties. Parliament and its select committee on defence and interior can also take theblame for failing to press for “expanded and independent access” to data on nationalsecurity issues. 56 To help remedy this gap, the United Kingdom has supported capacitybuilding briefing sessions for new parliamentarians and members of the selectcommittee. 57 However, the individual parliamentarians who receive such skills cannot berelied on indefinitely, since their positions both as members of parliament of specificcommittees are not permanent. In the run up to the 2008 parliamentary election, severalof the more experienced MPs announced their retirement or lost party primaries. Thisturnover is contributing to undermining the effectiveness of parliament as an institution.Turnover in the legislature was 63 and 44 percent respectively after the 1996 and 2000elections. As a result, therefore, there is the need to redesign the training package froman individually-driven approach to institutional capacity building approach to ensurecontinuity despite the turnover among legislators.The issue of excessive secrecy in national security matters has also frustratedthe effective exercise of parliamentary oversight. In many situations, security agencies –with the support of the President – have invoked national security reasons to inhibitoversight of sensitive issues. While some of these claims are legitimate, the justificationcan turn into a blanket ban on providing the public with information. A possible means tomitigate this challenge may be to ensure that secrecy is dealt with in statutory law thatclearly specifies the procedures for classification and declassification of information. 58Moreover, since the commencement of the Fourth Republic, there has been a traditionof self-censorship on security matters within Parliament. Parliament has not been able toovercome the issues of “how far it can or should go in considering the military budget,nor whether it has the right to debate it openly on the floor of the House.” 59 Additionally,parliament has always played politics with certain sensitive issues, including nationalsecurity concerns. The debate on the financial proposal for the purchase of somemilitary aircraft in March 2008 was characterized by a similar partisan debate. 60 Bothsides of the political divide engaged in the “politics” of the proposal, rather than focusingon the substantive issues that will inform public debate. Such an approach toparliamentary oversight does a great disservice to national security and must thereforebe discouraged.55 In its earlier incarnation between 1992 and 1996, members of the select committee on defence andinterior often depended on the assistance of the military command for information and other support serviceswhen preparing reports to Parliament.56 Budgeting for Military Sector in Africa: The Processes and Mechanisms of Control, ed. Omitoogun Wuyiand Hutchful Eboe, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006).57 OECD DAC Handbook on Security System Reform (SSR), op. cit.58 Ibid.59 A Freedom of Information Act would allow access to information that might otherwise be classified as‘secret’ or confidential. However, despite the need for such legislation, the Freedom of Information bill is yetto be placed before Parliament.60Statement made by the press secretary to the president, Mr. Andrews Awuni.http://ghana.gov.gh/ghana/presidency_issues_statement_purchase_presidential_jet.jsp, accessed, 3 June2008.10