The Minority caucus in Parliament says they will not cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry probing the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election violence.
A statement signed by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu indicated that, they would not relent in undertaking a full democratic process to seek justice for victims who were injured during the chaos.
“The Minority in Parliament wishes to serve notice that we would not relent in pursuing the series of democratic actions we had earlier announced until such a time that we are convinced that there is a genuine effort to hold the cowardly masked perpetrators accountable for their crimes...Sadly, since that meeting with the Ghana Police Service, not only has there been no further communication with us, more worryingly, there has not been a single arrest of the perpetrators despite the existence of abundant information including numerous pictures and videos which are exceedingly useful to investigators in every jurisdiction,” the statement noted.
If you may recall, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) took a similar stand because they claim the Commission led by Justice Emile Short is biased and that they will not respond to any invite.
Read full statement below
STATEMENT BY THE MINORITY IN PARLIAMENT ON JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE STATE-SPONSORED TERROR DURING THE AYAWASO WEST WUOGON BY-ELECTION
Today marks exactly one week since the Minority boycotted Parliamentary proceedings and marched to the Ghana Police Headquarters to demand justice following the State-sponsored terror that characterised the January 31, 2019 by-election in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.
As is now well known; innocent, unarmed citizens including our colleague Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram – Sam Nartey George were brutally attacked and others shot at leaving many of them hospitalised with their lives altered permanently.
In the aftermath of the bloody attacks, which must also be seen as an assault on our democratic credentials, the Minister of State at the Presidency responsible for National Security, Bryan Acheampong conceded that his outfit was responsible for recruiting those bloodthirsty party bandits and providing them with the logistics, weapons and masks which they used to terrorize the very tax payer President Akufo-Addo swore to protect.
In our interaction with the police high command last week, we made it clear that the good people of this country whom we represent in Parliament expect nothing short of swift and comprehensive justice in this matter.
Sadly, since that meeting with the Ghana Police Service, not only has there been no further communication with us, more worryingly, there has not been a single arrest of the perpetrators despite the existence of abundant information including numerous pictures and videos which are exceedingly useful to investigators in every jurisdiction.
Besides, their leader and mastermind, Mr. Bryan Acheampong has stated publicly that he knows the hoodlums and therefore it is safe to assume that he can easily produce them to face the law, even as we expect Bryan Acheampong himself to have been dismissed by now and equally made to answer for his crimes.
We wish to make clear that regardless of the Commission of Inquiry so established by the President, it is our reasonable expectation that criminal investigations and prosecutions will be carried out without prejudice to the work of the Commission.
The Minority would not be part of any scheme to cover up or create immunity for the perpetrators.
The position we take on this matter is further strengthened by the Ghana @ 50 case where it was held inter alia that:
“It is however a matter of judicial notice that persons against whom adverse findings were made by the Commission of Inquiry into the Yendi events and the Commission of Inquiry into the Accra Sport Stadium Disaster were prosecuted in the High Court, notwithstanding the clear provisions of article 280 of the constitution, which clearly represent the aspirations of the great men and women who engineered our 1969, 1979 and the 1992 constitutions; the aspiration being that findings of commissions of inquiry should never develop into criminal trials… Flowing from the aspirations of the framers of our constitution that the findings of a commission of inquiry are not to develop into a criminal trial, I find that the Ghana @ 50 Commission of Inquiry itself respectfully erred when it recommended that Government may prosecute the applicants herein.”
It was additionaly stressed that: “From the historical development of Commissions of Inquiry under our constitutional framework, it should now be clear that reports of such commissions containing adverse findings are judgments of the High Court as defined by the constitution, and the persons affected by the said judgment have the right of appeal to the Court of Appeal. If this was the thinking of the framers of our constitution, as demonstrated by the Constitutional Proposals cited in this ruling, can it then be right for the Attorney- General to prosecute the affected persons against whom the Republic has already secured a judgment; from which judgment they have the automatic right of appeal? No, I think the provisions in Chapter Twenty Three of the 1992 Constitution are clear enough on the intentions and aspirations of the framers as expressed in paragraph 301 of the 1978 Constitutional Proposals.” – In the Republic v Kojo Mpianim& anor aka Ghana@50 case, Marful-Sau JA (as he then was).
The Minority in Parliament wishes to serve notice that we would not relent in pursuing the series of democratic actions we had earlier announced until such a time that we are convinced that there is a genuine effort to hold the cowardly masked perpetrators accountable for their crimes.
We have all toiled to nurture the democracy which has become a proud reference of the international community and we are determined to ensure that rogue elements who seek to erode gains and turn Ghana into a banana republic are not allowed to succeed.
Signed,
Haruna Iddrisu (MP)
Minority Leader
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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You are boycotting the Commission but seeking for justice from somewhere. Why did the coalition present petition to the President, the IGP and the Interior Minister? He who comes to EQUITY MUST DO EQUITY. ONAAPO
Minority in parliament, please avoid this boycott. Go before the commission with evidence and make the people of Ghana proud. Yes, we know the history of commissions in Ghana but that is a constitutional arrangement that cannot just be discarded. Just as we know about how corrupt politicians like you are but cannot boycott because that is part of democracy. so go to the commission and make your case.
Haruna Iddrisu who ever demand for equity must come with clean hands. When NDC was in power there were electoral violence at Atiwa bye elections people were brutalised and shot at. Those who committed the criminal acts were NDC thugs were they prosecuted. Asokwa Bye elections the NDC thugs who committed those crimes were they prosecuted. Not too talk off Talensi and Chereponi. The NDC were in power but did nothing to prosecuted the NDC thugs . All the victims in this cases also needs justice. proosecution must start from that place
Ghanaians will boycott this ev*il party when the time for elections come. NDC do not trust anybody, yet they expect ghanaians to trust them and vote them to govern? They'll learn a bitter lesson the next polls. 2016 will be small. Unrepentant bunch of selfish and reckless politicians whose only agenda is to loot state funds.
Truly NDC is not coward, they should never take part in such commission, the commission will vindicate them since the video and the pictures are showing everything about them what else do the commission need?
Is it true that Emile Short is the card bearer of NPP that is why he was given that assignment? God is watching.
NDc is running away from their EVIL DEEDS. NOTHING more. They know if they cooperate their EVIL intentions on that day will be known to EVERYBODY. They should not deceive themselves that they are going to match NPP boot-for-boot. They will have a shock of their lives!
So the minority was able to walk over 2 km to Police headquarters, they were able to make pronouncements on various platforms about violence at Ayawaso, but they dont want to participate in unravelling the truth about political violence in Ghana. South Africa, Burundi, our own Ghana had Truth and Reconciliation inquests. These actions cannot totally eliminate problem but can help minimise them. You see how the cards have turn? The Minority know the NDC is the cause of the violence so they are running away from the truth.
THE MINORITY MUST ASK THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MOST ESPECIALLY DEMOCRATIC STATES SUCH AS FRANCE, UK, USA, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, YOU JUST MENTION THEM, TO PUT A TRAVEL BAN ON THE HEAD OF NANA "KRAMAN" AKUFO ADDO AND HIS GOVERNMENT MACHINERY (MINISTERS AND OTHER GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS -MMDCEs)FROM TRAVELLING TO THEIR COUNTRIES UNTIL THE HOOLIGANS OF THE AYAWASO BY-ELECTIONS ARE BROUGHT TO BOOK.
Yes the truth will expose who did what and who start what and the people who claim to been victims are running away.Yes we will know them by their fruits.Diabolic NDC.