diff --git a/gpMgmt/bin/Makefile b/gpMgmt/bin/Makefile
index 8a4ba000f1977e556e4cbc58997fdaebd38440f8..bd42bf822dab95c6a91477713698923c794f5634 100644
--- a/gpMgmt/bin/Makefile
+++ b/gpMgmt/bin/Makefile
@@ -220,8 +220,13 @@ unitdevel:
 	PYTHONPATH=$(SERVER_SRC):$(SERVER_SBIN):$(PYTHONPATH):$(PYTHONSRC_INSTALL_PYTHON_PATH):$(SRC)/ext:$(SBIN_DIR):$(LIB_DIR):$(PYLIB_DIR)/mock-1.0.1 \
 	    python -m unittest discover --verbose -s $(SRC)/gppylib -p "test_unit*.py"
 
+
+.PHONY: installcheck-bash
+installcheck-bash:
+	./test/suite.bash
+
 .PHONY: installcheck
-installcheck:
+installcheck: installcheck-bash
 	$(MAKE) -C gpload_test $@
 
 clean distclean:
diff --git a/gpMgmt/bin/gpinitsystem b/gpMgmt/bin/gpinitsystem
index 23acf63c9f705226a363e74dd5f8ed4ab1a14fb3..f63fe24bb55246d4fce4fc9d082761ee2819a4e4 100755
--- a/gpMgmt/bin/gpinitsystem
+++ b/gpMgmt/bin/gpinitsystem
@@ -1586,13 +1586,6 @@ START_QD_PRODUCTION () {
     LOG_MSG "[INFO]:-End Function $FUNCNAME"
 }
 
-SET_GP_USER_PW () {
-    LOG_MSG "[INFO]:-Start Function $FUNCNAME"
-    $PSQL -p $MASTER_PORT -d "$DEFAULTDB" -c"alter user $USER_NAME password '$GP_PASSWD';" >> $LOG_FILE 2>&1
-    ERROR_CHK $? "update Greenplum superuser password" 1
-    LOG_MSG "[INFO]:-End Function $FUNCNAME"
-}
-
 CREATE_DATABASE () {
 		LOG_MSG "[INFO]:-Start Function $FUNCNAME"
 		SET_VAR $QD_PRIMARY_ARRAY
diff --git a/gpMgmt/bin/lib/gp_bash_functions.sh b/gpMgmt/bin/lib/gp_bash_functions.sh
index 354936091dfdf58f551950abd6ec9d37c92893a3..01419ba9d1dad9041a4017b57f2bce4e2945e250 100755
--- a/gpMgmt/bin/lib/gp_bash_functions.sh
+++ b/gpMgmt/bin/lib/gp_bash_functions.sh
@@ -1297,6 +1297,21 @@ CHK_GPDB_ID () {
 	LOG_MSG "[INFO]:-End Function $FUNCNAME"
 }
 
+SET_GP_USER_PW () {
+    LOG_MSG "[INFO]:-Start Function $FUNCNAME"
+
+    local alter_statement="alter user :\"username\" password :'password';"
+
+    $PSQL --variable=ON_ERROR_STOP=1 \
+      -p $MASTER_PORT \
+      -d "$DEFAULTDB" \
+      --variable=username="$USER_NAME" \
+      --variable=password="$GP_PASSWD" <<< "$alter_statement" >> $LOG_FILE 2>&1
+
+    ERROR_CHK $? "update Greenplum superuser password" 1
+    LOG_MSG "[INFO]:-End Function $FUNCNAME"
+}
+
 #******************************************************************************
 # Main Section
 #******************************************************************************
diff --git a/gpMgmt/bin/test/gpinitsystem_test.bash b/gpMgmt/bin/test/gpinitsystem_test.bash
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..7177bfb4f429aeca0dde7a67ff3705a01d15b38c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gpMgmt/bin/test/gpinitsystem_test.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+. lib/gp_bash_functions.sh
+
+__cleanupTestUsers() {
+  dropuser 123456
+  dropuser abc123456
+}
+
+mimic_gpinitsystem_setup() {
+  # ensure MASTER_PORT is set, it is needed by SET_GP_USER_PW
+  GET_MASTER_PORT "$MASTER_DATA_DIRECTORY"
+
+  # the return value set when performing ERROR_CHK
+  # on the status code returned from $PSQL
+  #
+  # set it to a default value
+  RETVAL=0
+}
+
+it_should_quote_the_username_during_alter_user_in_SET_GP_USER_PW() {
+  mimic_gpinitsystem_setup
+
+  # given a user that is only a number
+  USER_NAME=123456
+  createuser $USER_NAME
+  trap __cleanupTestUsers EXIT
+
+  # when we run set user password
+  SET_GP_USER_PW
+
+  # then it should succeed
+  if [ "$RETVAL" != "0" ]; then
+    local error_message="$(tail -n 10 "$LOG_FILE")"
+    echo "got an exit status of $RETVAL while running SET_GP_USER_PW for $USER_NAME, wanted success: $error_message"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+it_should_quote_the_password_during_alter_user_in_SET_GP_USER_PW() {
+  mimic_gpinitsystem_setup
+
+  # given a user
+  USER_NAME=abc123456
+  createuser $USER_NAME
+  trap __cleanupTestUsers EXIT
+
+  # when we run set user password with a password containing single quotes
+  GP_PASSWD="abc'"
+  SET_GP_USER_PW
+
+  # then it should succeed
+  if [ "$RETVAL" != "0" ]; then
+    local error_message="$(tail -n 10 "$LOG_FILE")"
+    echo "got an exit status of $RETVAL while running SET_GP_USER_PW for $USER_NAME with password $GP_PASSWD, wanted success: $error_message"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+}
+
+main() {
+  it_should_quote_the_username_during_alter_user_in_SET_GP_USER_PW
+  it_should_quote_the_password_during_alter_user_in_SET_GP_USER_PW
+}
+
+main
diff --git a/gpMgmt/bin/test/suite.bash b/gpMgmt/bin/test/suite.bash
new file mode 100755
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3cf581e0ef9cd89a57824512260cd75b4635d363
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gpMgmt/bin/test/suite.bash
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+
+set -o errexit
+
+./test/gpinitsystem_test.bash