Commission report: Minority demand is lame – Oppong Nkrumah

General News on Thursday, May 30, 2019

Source: starrfm.com.gh

2019-05-30

The government rejected the requests of the parliamentary minority to publish the report of the Emile Short commission on the violence in the by-election of Ayawaso West Wuogon.

According to the Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, requests are premature.

The minority on Wednesday urged President Akufo-Addo to release the Commission's report on violence in by-elections.

In the January 31 poll, the Bawaleshie polling station in Bawaleshie was shot dead. The National Democratic Congress (NDC), an opposition party, was forced to withdraw from the exercise because of security concerns.

Voters elected a new MP in the region after the death of NPP deputy Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko.

James Agalga, a member of the European Parliament's Defense and Interior Committee, asked on Wednesday that the report be published before the debate on the draft law on vigilantism and related offenses. The bill was launched at the request of President Akufo-Addo to attack party militia operations, which were blamed for the violence in the by-election.

According to Agalga, the release of the report would influence the minority's participation in the debate on the bill.

"If he fails to publish the contents of the report, the decision to participate in the deliberations of the bill will be taken at the level of leadership and, for the moment, we will not disclose what strategies are in our sleeves" Agalga told reporters in parliament on Wednesday.

"When the time comes, we will advise ourselves appropriately."

Speaking to Starr News, Oppong Nkrumah rejected the minority's demand, saying the report would be released at the right time.

"I do not think we are questioning the constitution of the Republic. The Constitution of the Republic clearly states that when you have an investigating commission, you have up to six months to make a decision: a. If the report will be made public and you publish it, along with the white paper that accompanies it or – b. If the report contains something for which it can not be made public, the president is required to publish a statement in which he explains why it can not be made public, "Oppong Nkrumah told Ibrahim Alhbadan, a Starr journalist, on Thursday. News.

"That's about what … three months after the commission report, so it will be strange for anyone who knows the law, knows the constitution and knows it very well. [then] suddenly pretend to ignore what the constitution says. I think it's very clear and it's not necessary to address this point unless someone wants to do something wrong with that, "he added.

He said that the minority's suggestion to make the report public to enlighten his arguments was out of place.

"I have heard them present an alternative argument that, because of the anti-vigilantism bill, I think when you go back to that argument, you're having trouble. Why do you think that without a public release of the Emile Short Commission report, people can not contribute to the vigilantism bill? It's a lame argument to make, "Oppong Nkrumah said.