By Valentia Tetteh
The Majority in Parliament has rejected calls by the Minority for a refund of GH¢113 million reportedly paid by disqualified applicants in the ongoing recruitment exercise into the country’s security services.
According to the Majority caucus, similar payments made by applicants who were disqualified during recruitment exercises under the previous administration were not refunded.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Monday, March 16, the Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, described the Minority’s demand for a refund as misplaced and urged Parliament to focus instead on broader economic reforms and job creation.
“You cannot be discussing refunds now. Let us discuss how we can fix the economy so that jobs can be created for these young people. How can the money be refunded? The young ones are looking for jobs, not the money,” he said.
Mr Ayariga also defended the government’s decision to allow about 500,000 applicants to compete for roughly 5,000 available positions, explaining that the approach was meant to ensure fairness and equal opportunity in the recruitment process.
“What we are doing is giving every young person a fair opportunity. We could have simply gone and selected our foot soldiers and given them the jobs the same way the NPP did, but we are not doing that,” he stated.
He further noted that the high number of applicants reflects the level of unemployment in the country and underscores the need for sustained efforts to create more job opportunities, particularly through private sector growth.
However, the Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, maintained that the explanation offered by the Majority undermines the government’s reset agenda and fails to address concerns raised by the Minority regarding the recruitment process.
