Publication of the Commission's report – Minority to Akufo-Addo

General News on Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Source: Myjoyonline.com

2019-05-29

The minority has threatened to withdraw from all talks leading up to the adoption of the 2019 vigilance and related offenses bill if the president does not release the Emile Short commission.

The Commission was created to investigate the violence that characterized the West Wuogon Ayawaso on January 31.

Under the direction of Judge Emile Short, the Commission's mission was to conduct a thorough, faithful and impartial investigation into the circumstances of the disaster and to establish the facts behind the events and acts of violence that occurred. have tainted the elections.

This was done and a report was presented to President Akufo-Addo in March.

Although the president has six months to publish the report, the minority wants to do so as soon as possible because of the bill tabled in Parliament.

For them, the details of the report are essential to the success of the implementation of the bill. Without it, nothing meaningful can be done.

The minority also announced its intention to boycott the ongoing dialogue between the two main political parties and other stakeholders on the voluntary dismantling of political party militias if the report was not published.

Member of the Defense and Interior Committee, James Agalga, speaking on behalf of the minority at a press conference, said that the consideration of the draft law without the contribution of the report would make the exercise unsuccessful.

"We are very clear about the fact that the President has six months to submit the report but, again, we are very clear about the fact that there are very compelling reasons why the report should be published now .

"Parliament is supposed to pbad this bill with an emergency certificate and the president would have said that Parliament should adopt it before the end of June … but given that we are facing a project the law on vigilantism, how can Parliament prevent such a bill without resorting to the Emile Short Commission report, "he wondered.

He believes that it is in the interest of the whole country that the report be published so that Parliament is invited to pbad a well-informed bill.

"The president can not exercise his discretion in this case by denying us the report despite the fact that he operates within the six-month period," he said.

But if the president insists on meeting deadlines, Mr. Agalga said Parliament should not be pressured to pbad the vigilance bill.

What are we trying to do with the Vigilance and Related Offenses Bill?

The purpose of the bill is to dissolve political party supporters' groups and to ban such acts in the country as a result of the unrelenting violence that characterized the by-elections in the country.

The by-elections in Atiwa, Akwatia, Chereponi, Talensi, Amenfi West and more recently Ayawaso West Wuogon have all been marked by violence.

The bill applies to persons who participate in the activities of a self-defense group badociated, connected, connected or affiliated to a political party, political party leaders or a member of a political party. 39, a political party.

This also applies to people who act as rangers and those who engage in other acts of vigilance.

The bill will not apply to people who live in the same neighborhood or community and act in concert to prevent an offense from being committed in that neighborhood or community. .

In addition, persons who have witnessed the commission of an offense for the sole purpose of preventing the offense or any other offense from being committed again are not covered by the bill.

What happens if the law is broken?

The leaders of the militia groups of dissolved political parties shall, within one month of the coming into force of this Act, inform the Minister in writing of the official dissolution of their militia groups.

The leader of a party of disaffected political parties who fails to comply with the provisions of the bill is guilty of an offense and is liable on summary conviction to a minimum term of imprisonment of five years. and maximum of 15 years.

Similarly, a person who violates the provisions will be punished, on summary conviction, with a term of imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than fifteen years.