By Moses Mozart Dzawu
Ghana has begun negotiations with the Export-Import Bank of China for a $6 billion loan to be used to develop social infrastructure, the Daily Graphic reported, citing Vice President John Dramani Mahama.
The amount will be given in three tranches of $2 billion for education, health, electricity and water projects, the Accra-based newspaper reported.
The facility is separate from a $3 billion loan the West African nation is borrowing from China Development Bank Corp., the newspaper quoted Mahama as saying.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Kufuor: Treason Charges Against Agyapong "Is Like Using A Sledge Hammer To Kill A Fly"
Former President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on President John Evans Atta Mills to take steps to douse rising tensions resulting from the arrest of Mr Kennedy Agyapong, Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North.
Former President Kufuor who was currently attending meetings in Washington DC, USA, warned against the escalation of tensions, especially, in this election year and asked President Mills to instruct the law office and the police not to leave any impresions of partisanship in the discharge of their duties.
''Treason is the highest criminal offense of the land and must not be used lightly", the former President said in a press statement.
"Using a sledge hammer to kill a fly is like pouring oil unto fire,'' he said.
Mr Kennedy Agyapong is alleged to have declared war as well as incited Ashantis to attack Gas and Ewes while speaking on Oman FM, a private radio station which he owns on April 13, 2012.
He has been in police custody since April 16, 2012 and has been charged with treason and made his first court appearance on Wednesday.
The Adjabeng District Magistrate’s Court in Accra where he appeared said it had no jurisdiction over the hearing of a treason case.
The presiding judge Ms Patricia Kwansah, recused herself from hearing the matter after defence lawyers had applied for bail for the MP.
She explained that the Chief Justice had, in a circular dated June 17, 2008, directed all magistrate’s courts to refer matters relating to robbery, murder, treason, hijacking, rape and other first degree felony cases to the Chief Justice’s Secretariat for a Higher Court to be assigned.
Agyapong has been charged with three counts of treason, treason felony and attempted genocide.
His plea was not taken. He, however, raised his hands during the hearing of his case and apologised to the court for the unruly behaviour of his supporters.
He also stated that he did not intend to cause mayhem in the country.
Party big wigs interacted with him briefly after the presiding judge had risen to her chambers.
All Condemn Ken Agyapong
…But NPP defends his genocidal, hate speech
Source: Al-Hajj
At a time when well meaning Ghanaians and Civil Society groups are lambasting the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Hon Kennedy Agyapong over his hate comments believed to bother on genocide, his party, the New Patriotic Party in a subtle manner; seems to justify the act.
From civil society organizations, to politicians and religious leaders, Ghanaians were unanimous in their condemnation of the incendiary and warmongering speech of the NPP MP.
The MP for Assin North Kennedy Agyapong was arrested and charged Monday over comments he made last Friday on his radio station OMAN FM inciting his party supporters to take up arms against some ethnic groups and the state.
He is said to have declared war on Ewes and Gas over fallouts in the ongoing biometric registration exercise.
But his Counsel, Atta Akyea says his client meant no harm. Atta Akyea told Joy News’ Evans Mensah that his client was only “metaphorical” with his words and has no bad intentions.
However, on Tuesday, Mr. Kojo Asante, a Senior Research Officer at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) condemned the alleged treasonable comments made by Assin North NPP MP Kennedy Agyapong.
“Yesterday was quite sad for me listening to Mr. Kennedy Agyepong and that tape, and I think it has to be condemned with really no reservation,” Mr Asante remarked.
He further stated that even the tone of Ken’s comments was distasteful and urged those who have sought to rationalize it to desist from such acts. He told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host.
Others who downrightly condemn the statement by the Assin North MP include; Security Analyst, Emmanuel Bombande, Legal practitioner at the Legal Resources Centre, Abraham Amaleba and elder statesman and former diplomat Mr. K.B Asante
The rest include Mr. Akoto Ampaw, a human rights activist and a member of the National Media Commission, NPP Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Hon. PC Appiah Ofori and the Managing Editor of the “Insight” Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
Political Parties, TUC, Ga Council and civil societies were not left out in the Condemnation of Kennedy Agyepon’s.
However, the Assin North MP’s political party, the NPP seemed to show justifications for the embattled MP’s ‘use of intemperate public statement’, in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey.
“The New Patriotic Party takes note of the arrest yesterday, 16th April, 2012, of the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, for an intemperate public statement made by him last Friday in reaction to the unfortunate incidents in the Odododiodio constituency, Greater Accra Region…
“In the last few weeks Ghanaians have witnessed with dismay divisive statements by political leaders and violent acts, all because of the voter registration exercise. The NPP has been most disturbed by these acts of violence and intimidation, the inflammatory statements and other illegal acts that have been associated with the ongoing exercise. We have also been disturbed by the selective, partisan manner in which the law is being enforced in dealing with the situation. It was for this reason that we issued an open letter to the President of the Republic recently”.
Now read the reactions that followed Hon. Kennedy Agyapong’s arrest over comments he made last Friday on his radio station OMAN FM, as captured by various media outfits.
All must condemn Ken Agyapong's comments - Kofi Asante
A Senior Research Officer at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has said that he is expecting leaders of the various political parties to call their members to order and stop them from engaging in acts that could plunge the nation into chaos.
Mr Kojo Asante stated that politicians as well as the police administration would soon be held accountable for their conduct as the nation prepares for the upcoming elections in December.
“…I’m expecting that the party leaders…leaders in this country, if there are any adults in this country, that they stand up and speak the truth because the kind of hypocritical behavior that’s going on, that people are just allowed to be lawless” is not healthy for the nation’s peace, he said.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Tuesday, Mr Kojo Asante condemned the alleged treasonable comments made by Assin North MP Kennedy Agyapong. He is currently in the grips of officials of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) assisting in investigations.
“Yesterday was quite sad for me listening to Mr Kennedy Agyepong and that tape, and I think it has to be condemned with really no reservation,” remarked Mr Asante.
He further stated that even the tone of Ken’s comments was distasteful and urged those who have sought to rationalize it to desist from such acts.
According to Kojo Asante, one cannot “right a wrong with another wrong” and that if Ken’s concerns had to do with police inconsistency and tribalism, the remedy to ‘cure that mischief’ was not to “stoke more tribalism”.
He said: “It’s very disturbing that people will mass up…” to besiege the police headquarters where Ken was detained on Monday before being whisked away to the offices of the BNI.
“If we don’t put a stop to it now and all politicians say is that you did the last time so I am also doing it this time we are going to be in real trouble in this country,” he said.
He said the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) is compiling all incidences where political leaders have made inflammatory statements and the subsequent action taken by the police.
“And we are going to hold the police accountable,” Mr Asante declared.
Myjoyonline.com|Dorcas Efe Mensah
WANEP: Ken Agyapong’s 'Dangerous' Comments Could Destroy Ghana
A Security Analyst, Emmanuel Bombande says comments by the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong inciting ethnic violence against his party’s political opponents risks plunging Ghana into conflict.
Mr. Agyapong was picked up and interrogated by the Criminal investigations Department of the Police Service on Monday over comments described by the Police CID as treasonable.
He had declared war against his opponents on his radio station, Oman FM in Accra on Friday.
His comments sought to incite supporters of the main opposition NPP to launch reprisal attacks against supporters of the ruling NDC in the ongoing biometric voter registration exercise.
Speaking to XYZ News, Mr. Bombande who is the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) said Mr. Agyapong’s dangerous comments could destroy Ghana’s democracy.
Mr. Bombande said “those comments are very unfortunate, very regrettable especially in the context of Ghana, a democratic model for Africa preparing for elections”.
He added “that it exacerbates the anxiety and tension and can increase the level of violence”
Meanwhile, a Sociology lecturer, Dr. Nana Obiri Yeboah says ethnic or tribal politics must be condemned in all uncertain terms.
According to him, politicians and individuals who use all means to deepen the ethnic cracks in the country ahead of the December polls must be shamed and made accountable for their actions.
Source: Radioxyz
KEN AGYAPONG'S COMMENTS ARE GENOCIDAL – LAWYER AMALEBA.
A legal practitioner at the Legal Resources Centre, Abraham Amaleba, has called for an objective non-partisan approach in dealing with what he has described as the genocidal comments by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Assin North.
Kennedy Agyapong was on Monday invited by the police on a possible charge of treason, for inciting supporters of the party to foment violence in the round-up to the December polls.
Mr Amaleba told XYZ News however, that Mr. Agyepong’s comments do not necessarily amount to treason but genocide which is equally dangerous and punishable by law. “If he is trying to overthrow the government of the day, that could be treasonable but if you call on people to attack another ethnic group or to attack a section of the population, then you are calling for genocide.”
Mr. Amaleba has therefore called on security agencies to dig deeper into the matter and execute the case dispassionately and according to the dictates of the law. “We should allow the security agencies to pick anybody who inspires violence and who wants to plunge this country into chaos… They are becoming common, we should not allow them. There must be a point where we say that enough is enough.”
Meanwhile, the Media Foundation for West Africa says it expects the leadership of the New Patrotic Party (NPP) to condemn Mr. Agyepong’s comments for its potential of disrupting the peace of the country.
Ken Agyapong’s comment inexcusable, indefensible – Akoto Ampaw
There appears to be some division among members of the National Media Commission (NMC) on what position to adopt about the alleged treasonable comments by the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, George Sarpong, Tuesday refused to specifically condemn the comments widely denounced by political parties and civil society organizations.
There have been calls for the NMC to do same, but in an interview with Joy News Mr. Sarpong refers to an NMC statement that adopts a general approach and says nothing about Kennedy Agyepong’s comments.
But, a member of the commission and renowned lawyer, Akoto Ampaw holds a different view.
He believes the comments by Kennedy Agyepong deserve specific and outright condemnation.
He told Joy News: “Personally speaking, I think his comments are completely inexcusable and indefensible.
“And even if he had reasons to be provoked, those reasons do not in any way justify the kind of inflammatory language he used, to the extent that that statement incites people to violence, it ought to be condemned.
Joynews
Ken Agyapong Must Be Punished - KB Asante
Elderly statesman and former diplomat K.B Asante has endorsed calls for NPP MP for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong to be sent to court if indeed the police have enough evidence that he actually incited violence with his latest comments on his radio station Oman FM.
Dr. KB Asante who is also a former chairman of the Ga-Dangbe council told XYZ News that incitement is punishable by law and anyone found culpable must be made to face the full rigors of the law.
“If anybody is heard openly saying something to incite hatred to a particular people therefore he is arrested and placed before court he must be charged.
“What do you need to investigate after all, if Kennedy Agyapong said what I hear he supposed to have said and the Police have evidence about it, he should be taken to court.
“There shouldn’t be any hullabaloo about investigations and long procedures and so on…he must be charged within a matter of hours” K.B Asante said. Source: Radioxyz
Ken Agyapong’s Comments Were Harsh But – Appiah Ofori
The Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, PC Appiah Ofori, has in a subtle manner condemned the comments by his colleague MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
According to the outspoken MP, the comments by Kennedy Agyapong who is in the custody of the Police CID were too “harsh and unnecessary”.
Speaking in an interview with XYZ News, Hon. Appiah-Ofori said though the comments by the legislator were inflammatory, he made them out of frustration. Source: Radioxyz
Political Parties Condemn Kennedy Agyepong
What appeared to be an inciteful comment made by the embattled NPP Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyepong, has generated more condemnations from various political parties.
Commenting on the issue, the General Secretary of the People’s National Convention, Bernard Mornah thought his detention was appropriate.
He said, “It was most unfortunate that an Honorable Member of Parliament, could make such comments to the extent of inciting violence and I thought that it was condemnable by all well meaning people.”
He emphasised, “His subsequent arrest and for him probably to find the opportunity to regret the situation is one matter that I think was appropriate.”
“The law enforcement agencies will have to deal with people whose action can destabilise our society; to that extent I think that the law enforcement agencies acted correctly and what I will encourage is that irrespective of party or personality involved, anybody that makes such comments must be taken on and it must not be limited to one party.”
The National Secretary of the Progressive People’s Party, Kofi Asamoah Siaw, equally endorsed the police action.
“Mr. Kennedy Agyepong wanted to address a certain concern that he felt something has to be done about, but the way and manner he went about it you cannot support it.”
“He was preaching some ethnic groups against others and his prescription could have landed all of us in undesirable consequences that is to say a civil war.” Source: Citifmonline.com
Pratt Slams Ken Agyapong And NPP: What Kind Of Solidarity Is This? He Asks
Managing Editor of the “Insight” Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has questioned the decision by members of the opposition New Patriotic Party to scurry to the defence of beleaguered Parliamentarian, Kennedy Agyapong.
He believes that the NPP should either have issued a statement distancing itself from the comments made by the Assin North MP or better yet, suspends him from the party to avoid any collateral damage.
Commenting on the issue on PeaceFM’s “Kokrokoo” Morning Show, Kwesi Pratt was emphatic that the electoral fortunes of the NPP will be greatly affected by the utterances of the NPP MP.
“This issue occurred on Friday and I wonder if the attention of his fellow party members were not drawn to his comments….This is because under normal circumstances, moments after a party activist makes such a statement, the party will quickly distance itself…in another vein, the party can even suspend him to avoid any collateral damage. But the NPP allowed it to be discussed for four days without any action….And then when he was arrested the NPP is talking about solidarity action. Offering solidarity to someone who has declared ethnic war in Ghana? What kind of solidarity is that? The party should have issued a press statement distancing itself from his remarks;…that way the NPP would have grown much bigger and stronger….The NPPs campaign is going to be seriously affected by what he said for a very long time to come. Tensions are already mounting as a result of the impending election and instead of helping your party to win, you are rather destroying it. I don’t understand,” Kwesi Pratt said.
The seasoned journalist added that the incendiary statement by the legislator cannot be the position of the NPP. He also dismissed the argument that Ken Agyapong’s statement was in relation to the brutality meted out to Ursula Owusu and posited that the NPP MP has a penchant for making seditious comments.
“There are people in the NPP who are learned and knowledgeable and if they are to comment on Ursula’s attack, they would have given a better presentation. This is because what Kennedy Agyapong said is something which can lead to the downfall of NPP and you can’t tell me that what he said is the position of the NPP. That is not the position of the NPP…It cannot be true that Kennedy Agyapong made those remarks due to what happened to Ursula earlier on; that cannot be true. Even when former President Kufuor was in power that was what he used to do; it’s his stock in trade. He threatened to shoot me some time ago; when I had not even had any argument with him. It was during a normal discussion; so his recent comment is not due to an incident that happened earlier. How can an honourable Member of Parliament, an entrepreneur who owns his own radio and television station, go on-air and asked that Gas and Ewes should be lynched? When he was saying that did he forget that his party member (and National Chairman), Jake Obetsebi Lamptey is a Ga? Are there no Ewes in the NPP? These are comments which he should not have made in the first place. It got to a point the presenter asked him if he was declaring war and he said yes; the presenter tried to right his wrong but there was no stopping him…This was how Rwanda started…Ghana must be careful not to thread on that path,” he cautioned.
To him, the statement by the outspoken NPP MP was unprecedented.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
STATEMENT: Arrest Of Ken Is Evidence Of Selective Application Of The Law - NPP
The New Patriotic Party takes note of the arrest yesterday, 16th April, 2012, of the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, for an intemperate public statement made by him last Friday in reaction to the unfortunate incidents in the Odododiodio constituency, Greater Accra Region.
In the last few weeks Ghanaians have witnessed with dismay divisive statements by political leaders and violent acts, all because of the voter registration exercise. The NPP has been most disturbed by these acts of violence and intimidation, the inflammatory statements and other illegal acts that have been associated with the ongoing exercise. We have also been disturbed by the selective, partisan manner in which the law is being enforced in dealing with the situation. It was for this reason that we issued an open letter to the President of the Republic recently.
The NPP is fully behind the police in the execution of their mandate and we expect them to do this in a fair, even-handed and professional manner. However, the current posture of the police to take no action to protect our party members and ordinary Ghanaians, in the face of such acts of violence, intimidation and exclusion at the hands of the NDC, particularly in Odododiodio, poses a serious threat to the maintenance of peace and security nationwide.
The arrest of the MP for Assin North is further evidence of this selective application of the law. For the police to take no action against the perpetrators of violence but to suddenly discover their powers to take action against those, who in frustration, make statements in reaction to acts of violence and police inaction sends very worrying signals about the forthcoming general elections. This is affecting public confidence in the police. The Police Service must be professional and act without fear or favour.
The violence, intimidation and the apartheid manner in which the NDC parliamentary candidate for Odododiodio and a senior aide to the President, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has been conducting himself during this registration exercise is completely unacceptable. The President, the Commander-in-Chief, in whose office Nii Lantey Vanderpuye works, is yet to take any action against these blatant acts of lawlessness.
The NPP makes it absolutely clear that we do not support intemperate statements and actions that can incite and inflame ethnic passions. Ghana is a proud multi-ethnic country and the NPP, a truly national party, is committed to jealously guard and promote this heritage.
We urge our supporters to be calm in the face of provocation. This biometric registration exercise is about giving all Ghanaians voters an equal chance to decide, first, where they ‘ordinarily reside’ and, ultimately, on the future of their country on voting day. Our duty, as politicians, to those voters is to keep Ghana peaceful, democratic and just for all her citizens.
We applaud our party loyalists who have been defending these values and the integrity of the registration exercise in spite of the intimidation, violence, ethnic challenges they have faced. We encourage them to stay focused and be vigilant in monitoring the ongoing registration exercise. They should have courage and stay on the right side of the law.
We finally call on the President of the Republic to be at the forefront in ensuring law and order. His statement that he is not a police officer gives the unfortunate perception that the Commander-in Chief is distancing himself and his office from this all important responsibility of maintaining law, order and security for all citizens.
Signed
Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey
NPP, National Chairman
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Source: Al-Hajj
At a time when well meaning Ghanaians and Civil Society groups are lambasting the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin North, Hon Kennedy Agyapong over his hate comments believed to bother on genocide, his party, the New Patriotic Party in a subtle manner; seems to justify the act.
From civil society organizations, to politicians and religious leaders, Ghanaians were unanimous in their condemnation of the incendiary and warmongering speech of the NPP MP.
The MP for Assin North Kennedy Agyapong was arrested and charged Monday over comments he made last Friday on his radio station OMAN FM inciting his party supporters to take up arms against some ethnic groups and the state.
He is said to have declared war on Ewes and Gas over fallouts in the ongoing biometric registration exercise.
But his Counsel, Atta Akyea says his client meant no harm. Atta Akyea told Joy News’ Evans Mensah that his client was only “metaphorical” with his words and has no bad intentions.
However, on Tuesday, Mr. Kojo Asante, a Senior Research Officer at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) condemned the alleged treasonable comments made by Assin North NPP MP Kennedy Agyapong.
“Yesterday was quite sad for me listening to Mr. Kennedy Agyepong and that tape, and I think it has to be condemned with really no reservation,” Mr Asante remarked.
He further stated that even the tone of Ken’s comments was distasteful and urged those who have sought to rationalize it to desist from such acts. He told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host.
Others who downrightly condemn the statement by the Assin North MP include; Security Analyst, Emmanuel Bombande, Legal practitioner at the Legal Resources Centre, Abraham Amaleba and elder statesman and former diplomat Mr. K.B Asante
The rest include Mr. Akoto Ampaw, a human rights activist and a member of the National Media Commission, NPP Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Hon. PC Appiah Ofori and the Managing Editor of the “Insight” Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr.
Political Parties, TUC, Ga Council and civil societies were not left out in the Condemnation of Kennedy Agyepon’s.
However, the Assin North MP’s political party, the NPP seemed to show justifications for the embattled MP’s ‘use of intemperate public statement’, in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey.
“The New Patriotic Party takes note of the arrest yesterday, 16th April, 2012, of the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, for an intemperate public statement made by him last Friday in reaction to the unfortunate incidents in the Odododiodio constituency, Greater Accra Region…
“In the last few weeks Ghanaians have witnessed with dismay divisive statements by political leaders and violent acts, all because of the voter registration exercise. The NPP has been most disturbed by these acts of violence and intimidation, the inflammatory statements and other illegal acts that have been associated with the ongoing exercise. We have also been disturbed by the selective, partisan manner in which the law is being enforced in dealing with the situation. It was for this reason that we issued an open letter to the President of the Republic recently”.
Now read the reactions that followed Hon. Kennedy Agyapong’s arrest over comments he made last Friday on his radio station OMAN FM, as captured by various media outfits.
All must condemn Ken Agyapong's comments - Kofi Asante
A Senior Research Officer at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has said that he is expecting leaders of the various political parties to call their members to order and stop them from engaging in acts that could plunge the nation into chaos.
Mr Kojo Asante stated that politicians as well as the police administration would soon be held accountable for their conduct as the nation prepares for the upcoming elections in December.
“…I’m expecting that the party leaders…leaders in this country, if there are any adults in this country, that they stand up and speak the truth because the kind of hypocritical behavior that’s going on, that people are just allowed to be lawless” is not healthy for the nation’s peace, he said.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Tuesday, Mr Kojo Asante condemned the alleged treasonable comments made by Assin North MP Kennedy Agyapong. He is currently in the grips of officials of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) assisting in investigations.
“Yesterday was quite sad for me listening to Mr Kennedy Agyepong and that tape, and I think it has to be condemned with really no reservation,” remarked Mr Asante.
He further stated that even the tone of Ken’s comments was distasteful and urged those who have sought to rationalize it to desist from such acts.
According to Kojo Asante, one cannot “right a wrong with another wrong” and that if Ken’s concerns had to do with police inconsistency and tribalism, the remedy to ‘cure that mischief’ was not to “stoke more tribalism”.
He said: “It’s very disturbing that people will mass up…” to besiege the police headquarters where Ken was detained on Monday before being whisked away to the offices of the BNI.
“If we don’t put a stop to it now and all politicians say is that you did the last time so I am also doing it this time we are going to be in real trouble in this country,” he said.
He said the Coalition of Domestic Election Observers (CODEO) is compiling all incidences where political leaders have made inflammatory statements and the subsequent action taken by the police.
“And we are going to hold the police accountable,” Mr Asante declared.
Myjoyonline.com|Dorcas Efe Mensah
WANEP: Ken Agyapong’s 'Dangerous' Comments Could Destroy Ghana
A Security Analyst, Emmanuel Bombande says comments by the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong inciting ethnic violence against his party’s political opponents risks plunging Ghana into conflict.
Mr. Agyapong was picked up and interrogated by the Criminal investigations Department of the Police Service on Monday over comments described by the Police CID as treasonable.
He had declared war against his opponents on his radio station, Oman FM in Accra on Friday.
His comments sought to incite supporters of the main opposition NPP to launch reprisal attacks against supporters of the ruling NDC in the ongoing biometric voter registration exercise.
Speaking to XYZ News, Mr. Bombande who is the Executive Director of the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) said Mr. Agyapong’s dangerous comments could destroy Ghana’s democracy.
Mr. Bombande said “those comments are very unfortunate, very regrettable especially in the context of Ghana, a democratic model for Africa preparing for elections”.
He added “that it exacerbates the anxiety and tension and can increase the level of violence”
Meanwhile, a Sociology lecturer, Dr. Nana Obiri Yeboah says ethnic or tribal politics must be condemned in all uncertain terms.
According to him, politicians and individuals who use all means to deepen the ethnic cracks in the country ahead of the December polls must be shamed and made accountable for their actions.
Source: Radioxyz
KEN AGYAPONG'S COMMENTS ARE GENOCIDAL – LAWYER AMALEBA.
A legal practitioner at the Legal Resources Centre, Abraham Amaleba, has called for an objective non-partisan approach in dealing with what he has described as the genocidal comments by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Assin North.
Kennedy Agyapong was on Monday invited by the police on a possible charge of treason, for inciting supporters of the party to foment violence in the round-up to the December polls.
Mr Amaleba told XYZ News however, that Mr. Agyepong’s comments do not necessarily amount to treason but genocide which is equally dangerous and punishable by law. “If he is trying to overthrow the government of the day, that could be treasonable but if you call on people to attack another ethnic group or to attack a section of the population, then you are calling for genocide.”
Mr. Amaleba has therefore called on security agencies to dig deeper into the matter and execute the case dispassionately and according to the dictates of the law. “We should allow the security agencies to pick anybody who inspires violence and who wants to plunge this country into chaos… They are becoming common, we should not allow them. There must be a point where we say that enough is enough.”
Meanwhile, the Media Foundation for West Africa says it expects the leadership of the New Patrotic Party (NPP) to condemn Mr. Agyepong’s comments for its potential of disrupting the peace of the country.
Ken Agyapong’s comment inexcusable, indefensible – Akoto Ampaw
There appears to be some division among members of the National Media Commission (NMC) on what position to adopt about the alleged treasonable comments by the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, George Sarpong, Tuesday refused to specifically condemn the comments widely denounced by political parties and civil society organizations.
There have been calls for the NMC to do same, but in an interview with Joy News Mr. Sarpong refers to an NMC statement that adopts a general approach and says nothing about Kennedy Agyepong’s comments.
But, a member of the commission and renowned lawyer, Akoto Ampaw holds a different view.
He believes the comments by Kennedy Agyepong deserve specific and outright condemnation.
He told Joy News: “Personally speaking, I think his comments are completely inexcusable and indefensible.
“And even if he had reasons to be provoked, those reasons do not in any way justify the kind of inflammatory language he used, to the extent that that statement incites people to violence, it ought to be condemned.
Joynews
Ken Agyapong Must Be Punished - KB Asante
Elderly statesman and former diplomat K.B Asante has endorsed calls for NPP MP for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong to be sent to court if indeed the police have enough evidence that he actually incited violence with his latest comments on his radio station Oman FM.
Dr. KB Asante who is also a former chairman of the Ga-Dangbe council told XYZ News that incitement is punishable by law and anyone found culpable must be made to face the full rigors of the law.
“If anybody is heard openly saying something to incite hatred to a particular people therefore he is arrested and placed before court he must be charged.
“What do you need to investigate after all, if Kennedy Agyapong said what I hear he supposed to have said and the Police have evidence about it, he should be taken to court.
“There shouldn’t be any hullabaloo about investigations and long procedures and so on…he must be charged within a matter of hours” K.B Asante said. Source: Radioxyz
Ken Agyapong’s Comments Were Harsh But – Appiah Ofori
The Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, PC Appiah Ofori, has in a subtle manner condemned the comments by his colleague MP, Kennedy Agyapong.
According to the outspoken MP, the comments by Kennedy Agyapong who is in the custody of the Police CID were too “harsh and unnecessary”.
Speaking in an interview with XYZ News, Hon. Appiah-Ofori said though the comments by the legislator were inflammatory, he made them out of frustration. Source: Radioxyz
Political Parties Condemn Kennedy Agyepong
What appeared to be an inciteful comment made by the embattled NPP Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyepong, has generated more condemnations from various political parties.
Commenting on the issue, the General Secretary of the People’s National Convention, Bernard Mornah thought his detention was appropriate.
He said, “It was most unfortunate that an Honorable Member of Parliament, could make such comments to the extent of inciting violence and I thought that it was condemnable by all well meaning people.”
He emphasised, “His subsequent arrest and for him probably to find the opportunity to regret the situation is one matter that I think was appropriate.”
“The law enforcement agencies will have to deal with people whose action can destabilise our society; to that extent I think that the law enforcement agencies acted correctly and what I will encourage is that irrespective of party or personality involved, anybody that makes such comments must be taken on and it must not be limited to one party.”
The National Secretary of the Progressive People’s Party, Kofi Asamoah Siaw, equally endorsed the police action.
“Mr. Kennedy Agyepong wanted to address a certain concern that he felt something has to be done about, but the way and manner he went about it you cannot support it.”
“He was preaching some ethnic groups against others and his prescription could have landed all of us in undesirable consequences that is to say a civil war.” Source: Citifmonline.com
Pratt Slams Ken Agyapong And NPP: What Kind Of Solidarity Is This? He Asks
Managing Editor of the “Insight” Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has questioned the decision by members of the opposition New Patriotic Party to scurry to the defence of beleaguered Parliamentarian, Kennedy Agyapong.
He believes that the NPP should either have issued a statement distancing itself from the comments made by the Assin North MP or better yet, suspends him from the party to avoid any collateral damage.
Commenting on the issue on PeaceFM’s “Kokrokoo” Morning Show, Kwesi Pratt was emphatic that the electoral fortunes of the NPP will be greatly affected by the utterances of the NPP MP.
“This issue occurred on Friday and I wonder if the attention of his fellow party members were not drawn to his comments….This is because under normal circumstances, moments after a party activist makes such a statement, the party will quickly distance itself…in another vein, the party can even suspend him to avoid any collateral damage. But the NPP allowed it to be discussed for four days without any action….And then when he was arrested the NPP is talking about solidarity action. Offering solidarity to someone who has declared ethnic war in Ghana? What kind of solidarity is that? The party should have issued a press statement distancing itself from his remarks;…that way the NPP would have grown much bigger and stronger….The NPPs campaign is going to be seriously affected by what he said for a very long time to come. Tensions are already mounting as a result of the impending election and instead of helping your party to win, you are rather destroying it. I don’t understand,” Kwesi Pratt said.
The seasoned journalist added that the incendiary statement by the legislator cannot be the position of the NPP. He also dismissed the argument that Ken Agyapong’s statement was in relation to the brutality meted out to Ursula Owusu and posited that the NPP MP has a penchant for making seditious comments.
“There are people in the NPP who are learned and knowledgeable and if they are to comment on Ursula’s attack, they would have given a better presentation. This is because what Kennedy Agyapong said is something which can lead to the downfall of NPP and you can’t tell me that what he said is the position of the NPP. That is not the position of the NPP…It cannot be true that Kennedy Agyapong made those remarks due to what happened to Ursula earlier on; that cannot be true. Even when former President Kufuor was in power that was what he used to do; it’s his stock in trade. He threatened to shoot me some time ago; when I had not even had any argument with him. It was during a normal discussion; so his recent comment is not due to an incident that happened earlier. How can an honourable Member of Parliament, an entrepreneur who owns his own radio and television station, go on-air and asked that Gas and Ewes should be lynched? When he was saying that did he forget that his party member (and National Chairman), Jake Obetsebi Lamptey is a Ga? Are there no Ewes in the NPP? These are comments which he should not have made in the first place. It got to a point the presenter asked him if he was declaring war and he said yes; the presenter tried to right his wrong but there was no stopping him…This was how Rwanda started…Ghana must be careful not to thread on that path,” he cautioned.
To him, the statement by the outspoken NPP MP was unprecedented.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
STATEMENT: Arrest Of Ken Is Evidence Of Selective Application Of The Law - NPP
The New Patriotic Party takes note of the arrest yesterday, 16th April, 2012, of the Member of Parliament for Assin North, Hon. Kennedy Agyepong, for an intemperate public statement made by him last Friday in reaction to the unfortunate incidents in the Odododiodio constituency, Greater Accra Region.
In the last few weeks Ghanaians have witnessed with dismay divisive statements by political leaders and violent acts, all because of the voter registration exercise. The NPP has been most disturbed by these acts of violence and intimidation, the inflammatory statements and other illegal acts that have been associated with the ongoing exercise. We have also been disturbed by the selective, partisan manner in which the law is being enforced in dealing with the situation. It was for this reason that we issued an open letter to the President of the Republic recently.
The NPP is fully behind the police in the execution of their mandate and we expect them to do this in a fair, even-handed and professional manner. However, the current posture of the police to take no action to protect our party members and ordinary Ghanaians, in the face of such acts of violence, intimidation and exclusion at the hands of the NDC, particularly in Odododiodio, poses a serious threat to the maintenance of peace and security nationwide.
The arrest of the MP for Assin North is further evidence of this selective application of the law. For the police to take no action against the perpetrators of violence but to suddenly discover their powers to take action against those, who in frustration, make statements in reaction to acts of violence and police inaction sends very worrying signals about the forthcoming general elections. This is affecting public confidence in the police. The Police Service must be professional and act without fear or favour.
The violence, intimidation and the apartheid manner in which the NDC parliamentary candidate for Odododiodio and a senior aide to the President, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, has been conducting himself during this registration exercise is completely unacceptable. The President, the Commander-in-Chief, in whose office Nii Lantey Vanderpuye works, is yet to take any action against these blatant acts of lawlessness.
The NPP makes it absolutely clear that we do not support intemperate statements and actions that can incite and inflame ethnic passions. Ghana is a proud multi-ethnic country and the NPP, a truly national party, is committed to jealously guard and promote this heritage.
We urge our supporters to be calm in the face of provocation. This biometric registration exercise is about giving all Ghanaians voters an equal chance to decide, first, where they ‘ordinarily reside’ and, ultimately, on the future of their country on voting day. Our duty, as politicians, to those voters is to keep Ghana peaceful, democratic and just for all her citizens.
We applaud our party loyalists who have been defending these values and the integrity of the registration exercise in spite of the intimidation, violence, ethnic challenges they have faced. We encourage them to stay focused and be vigilant in monitoring the ongoing registration exercise. They should have courage and stay on the right side of the law.
We finally call on the President of the Republic to be at the forefront in ensuring law and order. His statement that he is not a police officer gives the unfortunate perception that the Commander-in Chief is distancing himself and his office from this all important responsibility of maintaining law, order and security for all citizens.
Signed
Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey
NPP, National Chairman
Source: Peacefmonline.com
Mills Is Creating A Dangerous Environment In Ghana
‘MILLS IS CREATING A DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT IN GHANA’
A STATEMENT BY THE NPP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
Source : Thursday, 19 April 2012 (Ghanaweb)
18 April, 2012: Today has been a shameful day in the history of the rule of law in our country with state prosecutors presenting the New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong, before a magistrate court on three charges of (i) treason, (ii) treason felony and (iii) attempted genocide. The charges are ostensibly based on remarks he made in reaction to the acts of violence perpetrated in the Odododiodio constituency by Presidential Aide and parliamentary candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye.
The Attorney General, knowing so well that the magistrate court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter, brought the ‘prisoner’ there only to request for the court to remand him in police custody for an additional two weeks. It was merely to seek to keep the member of the parliamentary Minority in custody in order to “teach him a lesson”.
The treason charge levelled against Mr Agyapong can be described only as a mockery of the law being perpetrated for reckless partisan advantage. President Mills, in deploying state resources against political opponents, is prepared to sacrifice the rule of law and the national interest to satisfy his desire for his own political gain, even if via violence and cheap propaganda. The NPP is worried that Mills is deliberately building an environment that will compromise the potential for a free, fair, and peaceful election in Ghana.
The arrest, detention and prosecution of Mr Agyapong are, in our view, not because the government is genuinely concerned about the use of intemperate language—which has been actively wielded by some of their own supporters in this heated election cycle with no consequences brought to bear. The arrest, detention and prosecution of this leading member of the NPP are purely to serve two major agendas of the ruling party: (1) to put the fear of the ‘Asomdwehene’ in the NPP—to intimidate and cow our leadership into submission and; (2) to punish MP Agyapong for leading the crusade on the single biggest corruption scandal in the history of Ghana: the unlawful payments to Alfred Agbesi Woyome and other equally dubious multi-million dollar judgment debts made by the Mills-Mahama government mainly to its major financiers.
Seeking to discredit the character of MP Agyapong will not whitewash the criminal wrongdoing of the Mills-Mahama administration. Ghanaian citizens and friends of Ghana should be concerned with the narrowing political space in Ghana.
? WOYOME SCANDAL It is obvious that President Mills and his administration have been rocked by Kennedy Agyapong’s exposé on the judgment debt scandals, in which GH¢51.8 million was doled-out to Mr Woyome, and arbitration settlements of €35 million and €94 million were given to Waterville and CP Construction Ltd, respectively. These payments were illicit because no evidence was proffered to support the claims. On the contrary, government ignored all the glaring evidence that the claims were fraudulent.
So far, out of GHC642 million worth of judgment debts paid by President Mills’ government between 2009 and 2011, at least US$197.5 million (or GHC356 million) has been clearly identified, in the words of the sacked Attorney-General, Martin Amidu, as “gargantuan crimes against the state” and fraudulently given to just three or so individuals and entities.
The NPP MP, Mr Agyapong, has, over the last few months, shown exceptional courage and patriotism in exposing the extent of the “gargantuan crimes” being committed through the instrumentalisation of very senior people in the government, including the President, who ultimately authorized these payments.
However, the nature of the selective justice being displayed under the law professor, President JEA Mills, is unprecedented in the history of the Fourth Republic. Ghanaians can judge for themselves why the two Ministers of State directly and actively responsible for making these corrupt payments, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, and Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, have not been charged for this unprecedented fraud against the Ghanaian people.
IMPEACHMENT President Mills is neck-deep in this whole judgment debt saga and he may soon have to answer impeachment questions on these very serious charges, which are supported by considerable evidence. President Mills has left many questions unanswered and lied outright when he initially told Ghanaians that he knew nothing about these fraudulent judgment debt payments, until he was exposed by an investigation he set up to cover-up his complicity and that of his Ministers. The President has, thus, made any probable case for impeachment proceedings to be brought against him weighty.
VIOLENCE IN ODODODIODIO AND BEYOND DURING THE BIOMETRIC REGISTRATION After warning the NPP after our successful regional rally at Mantse Agbona, the Director of Operations at the Office of the President, who also happens to be the President of the Association of Weightlifters in Ghana, has always been known for his incendiary political statements. But he became more specific and vitriolic towards the NPP after our recent successful regional rally at Mantse Agbona. He proceeded to unleash his gang of machomen on our supporters and on ordinary, innocent Ghanaians in the constituency he is campaigning as the NDC Parliamentary Candidate, Odododiodio. He has not been questioned once by the police even though in his case, he evidently followed his threat of violence with acts of violence, committed in his name by his supporters and hired thugs.
Earlier this year, Vanderpuye offered that: “I swear to you that the NPP can never organize any rally in Odododiodio in the near future, if that is their mission. The only place that will be safe for them (to hold their rally) will be in space, and not in my constituency.” This set the tone for intimidation and violence in the commercial district which he has carried forward into the registration period. The violence in Odododiodio reflects the way this important national exercise of compiling a new and credible voters’ list has been marred by the ruling party.
In the Ashanti Region, the police identified a gang of NDC thugs who were moving from registration centre to registration centre assaulting people queuing up to register and destroying registration machines. When a district police commander offered a prize for information leading to the arrest of the criminal gang, the response of his superiors in Accra was to disassociate themselves from that move to apprehend the culprits who were terrorizing Ghanaians and disrupting the registration exercise.
The following are just a few examples of incidents of violence documented in Odododiodio and beyond during the voter registration period: • Justice Opoku, an NDC agent at the registration centre at the Foase Kokoben Electoral Area in the Bekwai constituency, shot a 12 year old boy.
• On 25th March (the first day of registration), some NDC supporters attacked the Takofiano polling station and inflicted severe cutlass wounds on Kwadwo Sarfo, a known NPP activist.
• On 25th March, the driver and bodyguard of Professor Ameyaw Akumfi, NPP MP for Techiman North, were attacked with machetes at a polling station at Jama Timponim, the MP’s hometown.
• Sheriff Mohammed, secretary of the Okakoi North Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party, was stabbed to death allegedly by NDC supporters at Fadama on 10th April.
• John Kofi Donyina (Communications Director for Techiman South NPP) was attacked by an NDC supporter around 7:30pm on 10th April.
• A reporter of the Daily Searchlight newspaper, Bright Amo-Addo, had a portion of his thumb chopped off by irate activists of the NDC at Fadama in Accra on 8th April.
• Ursula Owusu, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ablekuma South, and Abu Jinapor, an aid to the NPP Presidential Candidate, were subjected to physical assault by some heavily-built NDC acitivists during a tour of some registration centres in the Odododiodoo Constituency last Wednesday.
It is in the context of the ongoing violent incidents during the ongoing biometric registration that Mr Agyapong spoke last Friday. In the interest of peace and unity, the NPP believes that he should not have allowed himself to be provoked into making any intemperate remarks. Our own flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, has repeatedly called for vigilance and courage but also calm and peace throughout the past few years, even as NDC intimidation tactics have mounted. However, that Agyapong was then taken into custody to silence him during a hotly contested election shows that President Mills and the NDC have no such qualms about the use of force and intimidation.
For the duration of Mills’ first year in office, after the NPP candidate conceded the close presidential election and called for national unity and reconciliation to move Ghana forward, NDC footsoldiers terrorized Ghanaians in all 10 regions, seizing and destroying government properties, beating up public workers and unleashing violence on ordinary people without a single word of rebuke or a single order of arrest from the President. This has set the tone for the current political environment in Ghana, and the President is responsible for these growing tensions.
TREASON CHARGE AS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED This treason charge against the MP for Assin North is a diversionary tactic by a failing, incompetent and corrupt government that has lost touch with the concerns of the ordinary people of Ghana. We have no doubt the case will be laughed out of court eventually but the President must be hoping MrAgyapong will be silenced by the trauma. Whatever your opinion of Mr Kennedy Agyapong statements, he has done nothing to show that he has the capacity to levy war against his motherland.
In Ghana, before a charge of treason is levelled against a person, the state must prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Article 17 of the constitution has been breached. Subject to clause (18) of article 17, treason shall consist only:
(a) in levying war against Ghana or assisting any state or person or inciting or conspiring with any person to levy war against Ghana; or (b) in attempting by force of arms or other violent means to overthrow the organs of government established by or under this Constitution; or (c) in taking part or being concerned in or inciting or conspiring with any person to make or take part or be concerned in, any such attempt.
Whatever your opinion of Mr Kennedy Agyapong’s statements, he has done nothing to show that he has the capacity to levy war against his motherland, nor was he engaged in a criminal conspiracy to mount one. Ghana is long past the days when criticizing a weakness of the current government or making an irresponsible remark should amount to treason.
The political motivation behind these charges is made clear by the fact that an earlier statement from General Secretary of the ruling party Aseidu Nketia, in which he stated that “there would be civil war in Ghana if biometric verification is implemented” for the December 2012 elections, was ignored by the same police who arrested MP Agyepong. (The Electoral Commission has proceeded with biometric verification for this year’s elections after the NPP helped champion this technology.) It is this kind of double standard that threatens the peace and security of our nation.
Mr Agyapong’s tone and manner and the unnecessary reference to ethnicity was a clear misjudgement. It is clear that these views do not reflect those of his party and his constituency, but were offered out of his own personal frustration for the current state of affairs and polarized political environment in Ghana. Long before the MP’s pronouncements, there had been violence all across this country. The NPP sees this as the inevitable outcome of the NDC’s discriminatory, patronage based governance and policies. The charge of treason levelled against Mr Kennedy Agyapong for comments no different than those offered by other NDC representatives is only the latest example of this.
ABUSE OF POWER Kennedy Agyapong’s arrest is about the abuse of power by deploying state resources against political opponents and not about the enforcement of Ghana’s laws. Only the Attorney General who could have approved the charge of treason and this charge exposes President Mills as playing a very dangerous game.
Ghanaians can all bear witness to the system of apartheid and “ethnic cleansing” being supervised by Nii Lantey Vanderpuije in the Odododiodio constituency. People who are ordinarily resident in the constituency but deemed by NDC agents to have non-Ga-sounding names or who cannot speak Ga are prevented from registering, a blatant breach of the Constitution. In our view this has been the starting point of violence and the introduction of ethnic divisions in the ongoing biometric registration exercise.
The acts of violence being perpetrated in Odododiodio by NDC thugs have been accompanaied by an air of impunity. Some of the thugs who brutalised Ursula Owusu and Abu Jinapor have been positively identified (as agents of the Director of Operations at the Castle) and yet the police have refused to take action to bring these men to justice. The police have apprehended none of the weapons-wielding NDC thugs identified in photographs in the newspapers as tormenting ordinary residents and traders in the constituency, which is the commercial heart of the capital.
Yet, when a member of the NPP voices his deep frustration at the selectivity with which the Ghana Police Service is upholding and enforcing the laws of the country, he is whisked away with lightning fast speed and immediately charged with treason. This will deepen the divides within the country and sets a dangerous precedent.
3 YEARS OF POLICE INACTION AGAINST NDC THREATS AND VIOLENCE If, indeed, Mr. Agyapong’s words are landing him in court for treason, quite a few of our fellow citizens should have preceded him to jail and then into court. Amongst these would be: • President Mills for his 2008 threat to turn Ghana into Kenya if the elections did not go well.
• The Hon. Baba Jamal who declared a “Jihad” during the Akwatia by-election in 2009. This declaration of war by Baba Jamal was followed by a shocking incidence of barbarism and thuggery by NDC supporters, who inflicted severe injuries on 15 NPP supporters.
• The events of 25th August 2009, involving the gruesome murder of three traders and workers in the Agbogbloshie market (Alhassan Fuseini from Tamale, Soale from Yendi and Sule J.Y from Tolon) in broad daylight in front of a police station. Witnesses identified the alleged perpetrators to be NDC members, including one Sule, Sahana Mohammed Ayatu, Awal Voulina Naa, Sule Nabiya, Abdalla Say and Abdalla Rasta. Three years on, the nation is still waiting on the law enforcement agencies to even invite these suspects for questioning.
• The Tamale incidents of February 17th 2009, where violence erupted after discussions on Radio Justice following the seizure of the vehicle of Nana Akufo-Addo by agents of National Security. There were arson attacks in Nyihini, Lameshegu, Worizehi, Choggu and Gumbihini. All the 27 properties that were attacked belonged to NPP members. Not a single one belonged to an NDC member. In the most outrageous case, Madame Sadia Seidu, a thirty-five year-old Nursing Officer was brutally assaulted after a mob burnt and razed down the family’s 18-room house. She had to be airlifted to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment where she underwent surgery and weeks of treatment. No one has been arrested and charged for the attempted murder of Sadia, even though she identified those who led the mob attack. No attempt has been made by the state to assist the innocent victims, numbering about 800, who had their homes and belongings destroyed. Those affected by the violence are first and foremost Ghanaians, whatever their political colours. The apparent revival of the idea of the “democratisation of violence” in our politics is unwelcome and unacceptable.
PRESIDENT MILLS AND EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY The President has declared that he cannot be responsible for preventing violence though the Constitution and our laws are very clear about his responsibilities. Article 58(1) of the Constitution states that: “The executive authority of Ghana shall vest in the President and shall be exercised in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.”
Article 58(2) further explains that, “The executive authority of Ghana shall extend to the execution and maintenance of this constitution and all laws made under or continued in force under this constitution.”
Regarding the President’s police responsibilities, he appoints eight of the ten-member Police Council, including his vice and the IGP. Furthermore, all leadership appointments in the Police Force are made by the President or in his name.
So if the President is not responsible for what the Police does, who is?
It is clear President Mills does not want peace in Ghana, and contrary to his declarations on local and international platforms, he does not want a peaceful, free, fair and transparent election. It is clear that the NDC either intends to use violence itself or to look the other way while third parties acting in their name deploy violence.
Ghana has been peaceful since 1992. We have had 5 elections and none of them have brought Ghana to the brink of violence, but this is a real danger in the election about to be supervised by President Mills.
The selectiveness with which Ghana’s laws are being enforced by the Ghana Police Service, under President Mills, must end.
President Mills must be held accountable as the President of our Republic, who is also the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces and on whose shoulders the fortunes of the nation rest.
The NPP wants an electoral process free from violence and intimidation, free from the use of intemperate language and free from the selectiveness with which Ghana’s laws are being enforced by the Ghana Police Service.
The NPP remains firmly behind the Hon. Kennedy Agyapong in his quest for justice in the unfounded accusations of treason made against him. We would not sit by and allow the rule of law to be transformed into the misrule of Mills.
Ghana deserves better.
……signed……
Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey.
NPP National Chairman
A STATEMENT BY THE NPP NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
Source : Thursday, 19 April 2012 (Ghanaweb)
18 April, 2012: Today has been a shameful day in the history of the rule of law in our country with state prosecutors presenting the New Patriotic Party’s Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Agyapong, before a magistrate court on three charges of (i) treason, (ii) treason felony and (iii) attempted genocide. The charges are ostensibly based on remarks he made in reaction to the acts of violence perpetrated in the Odododiodio constituency by Presidential Aide and parliamentary candidate of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye.
The Attorney General, knowing so well that the magistrate court had no jurisdiction to hear the matter, brought the ‘prisoner’ there only to request for the court to remand him in police custody for an additional two weeks. It was merely to seek to keep the member of the parliamentary Minority in custody in order to “teach him a lesson”.
The treason charge levelled against Mr Agyapong can be described only as a mockery of the law being perpetrated for reckless partisan advantage. President Mills, in deploying state resources against political opponents, is prepared to sacrifice the rule of law and the national interest to satisfy his desire for his own political gain, even if via violence and cheap propaganda. The NPP is worried that Mills is deliberately building an environment that will compromise the potential for a free, fair, and peaceful election in Ghana.
The arrest, detention and prosecution of Mr Agyapong are, in our view, not because the government is genuinely concerned about the use of intemperate language—which has been actively wielded by some of their own supporters in this heated election cycle with no consequences brought to bear. The arrest, detention and prosecution of this leading member of the NPP are purely to serve two major agendas of the ruling party: (1) to put the fear of the ‘Asomdwehene’ in the NPP—to intimidate and cow our leadership into submission and; (2) to punish MP Agyapong for leading the crusade on the single biggest corruption scandal in the history of Ghana: the unlawful payments to Alfred Agbesi Woyome and other equally dubious multi-million dollar judgment debts made by the Mills-Mahama government mainly to its major financiers.
Seeking to discredit the character of MP Agyapong will not whitewash the criminal wrongdoing of the Mills-Mahama administration. Ghanaian citizens and friends of Ghana should be concerned with the narrowing political space in Ghana.
? WOYOME SCANDAL It is obvious that President Mills and his administration have been rocked by Kennedy Agyapong’s exposé on the judgment debt scandals, in which GH¢51.8 million was doled-out to Mr Woyome, and arbitration settlements of €35 million and €94 million were given to Waterville and CP Construction Ltd, respectively. These payments were illicit because no evidence was proffered to support the claims. On the contrary, government ignored all the glaring evidence that the claims were fraudulent.
So far, out of GHC642 million worth of judgment debts paid by President Mills’ government between 2009 and 2011, at least US$197.5 million (or GHC356 million) has been clearly identified, in the words of the sacked Attorney-General, Martin Amidu, as “gargantuan crimes against the state” and fraudulently given to just three or so individuals and entities.
The NPP MP, Mr Agyapong, has, over the last few months, shown exceptional courage and patriotism in exposing the extent of the “gargantuan crimes” being committed through the instrumentalisation of very senior people in the government, including the President, who ultimately authorized these payments.
However, the nature of the selective justice being displayed under the law professor, President JEA Mills, is unprecedented in the history of the Fourth Republic. Ghanaians can judge for themselves why the two Ministers of State directly and actively responsible for making these corrupt payments, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, and Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, have not been charged for this unprecedented fraud against the Ghanaian people.
IMPEACHMENT President Mills is neck-deep in this whole judgment debt saga and he may soon have to answer impeachment questions on these very serious charges, which are supported by considerable evidence. President Mills has left many questions unanswered and lied outright when he initially told Ghanaians that he knew nothing about these fraudulent judgment debt payments, until he was exposed by an investigation he set up to cover-up his complicity and that of his Ministers. The President has, thus, made any probable case for impeachment proceedings to be brought against him weighty.
VIOLENCE IN ODODODIODIO AND BEYOND DURING THE BIOMETRIC REGISTRATION After warning the NPP after our successful regional rally at Mantse Agbona, the Director of Operations at the Office of the President, who also happens to be the President of the Association of Weightlifters in Ghana, has always been known for his incendiary political statements. But he became more specific and vitriolic towards the NPP after our recent successful regional rally at Mantse Agbona. He proceeded to unleash his gang of machomen on our supporters and on ordinary, innocent Ghanaians in the constituency he is campaigning as the NDC Parliamentary Candidate, Odododiodio. He has not been questioned once by the police even though in his case, he evidently followed his threat of violence with acts of violence, committed in his name by his supporters and hired thugs.
Earlier this year, Vanderpuye offered that: “I swear to you that the NPP can never organize any rally in Odododiodio in the near future, if that is their mission. The only place that will be safe for them (to hold their rally) will be in space, and not in my constituency.” This set the tone for intimidation and violence in the commercial district which he has carried forward into the registration period. The violence in Odododiodio reflects the way this important national exercise of compiling a new and credible voters’ list has been marred by the ruling party.
In the Ashanti Region, the police identified a gang of NDC thugs who were moving from registration centre to registration centre assaulting people queuing up to register and destroying registration machines. When a district police commander offered a prize for information leading to the arrest of the criminal gang, the response of his superiors in Accra was to disassociate themselves from that move to apprehend the culprits who were terrorizing Ghanaians and disrupting the registration exercise.
The following are just a few examples of incidents of violence documented in Odododiodio and beyond during the voter registration period: • Justice Opoku, an NDC agent at the registration centre at the Foase Kokoben Electoral Area in the Bekwai constituency, shot a 12 year old boy.
• On 25th March (the first day of registration), some NDC supporters attacked the Takofiano polling station and inflicted severe cutlass wounds on Kwadwo Sarfo, a known NPP activist.
• On 25th March, the driver and bodyguard of Professor Ameyaw Akumfi, NPP MP for Techiman North, were attacked with machetes at a polling station at Jama Timponim, the MP’s hometown.
• Sheriff Mohammed, secretary of the Okakoi North Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party, was stabbed to death allegedly by NDC supporters at Fadama on 10th April.
• John Kofi Donyina (Communications Director for Techiman South NPP) was attacked by an NDC supporter around 7:30pm on 10th April.
• A reporter of the Daily Searchlight newspaper, Bright Amo-Addo, had a portion of his thumb chopped off by irate activists of the NDC at Fadama in Accra on 8th April.
• Ursula Owusu, NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Ablekuma South, and Abu Jinapor, an aid to the NPP Presidential Candidate, were subjected to physical assault by some heavily-built NDC acitivists during a tour of some registration centres in the Odododiodoo Constituency last Wednesday.
It is in the context of the ongoing violent incidents during the ongoing biometric registration that Mr Agyapong spoke last Friday. In the interest of peace and unity, the NPP believes that he should not have allowed himself to be provoked into making any intemperate remarks. Our own flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, has repeatedly called for vigilance and courage but also calm and peace throughout the past few years, even as NDC intimidation tactics have mounted. However, that Agyapong was then taken into custody to silence him during a hotly contested election shows that President Mills and the NDC have no such qualms about the use of force and intimidation.
For the duration of Mills’ first year in office, after the NPP candidate conceded the close presidential election and called for national unity and reconciliation to move Ghana forward, NDC footsoldiers terrorized Ghanaians in all 10 regions, seizing and destroying government properties, beating up public workers and unleashing violence on ordinary people without a single word of rebuke or a single order of arrest from the President. This has set the tone for the current political environment in Ghana, and the President is responsible for these growing tensions.
TREASON CHARGE AS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED This treason charge against the MP for Assin North is a diversionary tactic by a failing, incompetent and corrupt government that has lost touch with the concerns of the ordinary people of Ghana. We have no doubt the case will be laughed out of court eventually but the President must be hoping MrAgyapong will be silenced by the trauma. Whatever your opinion of Mr Kennedy Agyapong statements, he has done nothing to show that he has the capacity to levy war against his motherland.
In Ghana, before a charge of treason is levelled against a person, the state must prove beyond all reasonable doubt that Article 17 of the constitution has been breached. Subject to clause (18) of article 17, treason shall consist only:
(a) in levying war against Ghana or assisting any state or person or inciting or conspiring with any person to levy war against Ghana; or (b) in attempting by force of arms or other violent means to overthrow the organs of government established by or under this Constitution; or (c) in taking part or being concerned in or inciting or conspiring with any person to make or take part or be concerned in, any such attempt.
Whatever your opinion of Mr Kennedy Agyapong’s statements, he has done nothing to show that he has the capacity to levy war against his motherland, nor was he engaged in a criminal conspiracy to mount one. Ghana is long past the days when criticizing a weakness of the current government or making an irresponsible remark should amount to treason.
The political motivation behind these charges is made clear by the fact that an earlier statement from General Secretary of the ruling party Aseidu Nketia, in which he stated that “there would be civil war in Ghana if biometric verification is implemented” for the December 2012 elections, was ignored by the same police who arrested MP Agyepong. (The Electoral Commission has proceeded with biometric verification for this year’s elections after the NPP helped champion this technology.) It is this kind of double standard that threatens the peace and security of our nation.
Mr Agyapong’s tone and manner and the unnecessary reference to ethnicity was a clear misjudgement. It is clear that these views do not reflect those of his party and his constituency, but were offered out of his own personal frustration for the current state of affairs and polarized political environment in Ghana. Long before the MP’s pronouncements, there had been violence all across this country. The NPP sees this as the inevitable outcome of the NDC’s discriminatory, patronage based governance and policies. The charge of treason levelled against Mr Kennedy Agyapong for comments no different than those offered by other NDC representatives is only the latest example of this.
ABUSE OF POWER Kennedy Agyapong’s arrest is about the abuse of power by deploying state resources against political opponents and not about the enforcement of Ghana’s laws. Only the Attorney General who could have approved the charge of treason and this charge exposes President Mills as playing a very dangerous game.
Ghanaians can all bear witness to the system of apartheid and “ethnic cleansing” being supervised by Nii Lantey Vanderpuije in the Odododiodio constituency. People who are ordinarily resident in the constituency but deemed by NDC agents to have non-Ga-sounding names or who cannot speak Ga are prevented from registering, a blatant breach of the Constitution. In our view this has been the starting point of violence and the introduction of ethnic divisions in the ongoing biometric registration exercise.
The acts of violence being perpetrated in Odododiodio by NDC thugs have been accompanaied by an air of impunity. Some of the thugs who brutalised Ursula Owusu and Abu Jinapor have been positively identified (as agents of the Director of Operations at the Castle) and yet the police have refused to take action to bring these men to justice. The police have apprehended none of the weapons-wielding NDC thugs identified in photographs in the newspapers as tormenting ordinary residents and traders in the constituency, which is the commercial heart of the capital.
Yet, when a member of the NPP voices his deep frustration at the selectivity with which the Ghana Police Service is upholding and enforcing the laws of the country, he is whisked away with lightning fast speed and immediately charged with treason. This will deepen the divides within the country and sets a dangerous precedent.
3 YEARS OF POLICE INACTION AGAINST NDC THREATS AND VIOLENCE If, indeed, Mr. Agyapong’s words are landing him in court for treason, quite a few of our fellow citizens should have preceded him to jail and then into court. Amongst these would be: • President Mills for his 2008 threat to turn Ghana into Kenya if the elections did not go well.
• The Hon. Baba Jamal who declared a “Jihad” during the Akwatia by-election in 2009. This declaration of war by Baba Jamal was followed by a shocking incidence of barbarism and thuggery by NDC supporters, who inflicted severe injuries on 15 NPP supporters.
• The events of 25th August 2009, involving the gruesome murder of three traders and workers in the Agbogbloshie market (Alhassan Fuseini from Tamale, Soale from Yendi and Sule J.Y from Tolon) in broad daylight in front of a police station. Witnesses identified the alleged perpetrators to be NDC members, including one Sule, Sahana Mohammed Ayatu, Awal Voulina Naa, Sule Nabiya, Abdalla Say and Abdalla Rasta. Three years on, the nation is still waiting on the law enforcement agencies to even invite these suspects for questioning.
• The Tamale incidents of February 17th 2009, where violence erupted after discussions on Radio Justice following the seizure of the vehicle of Nana Akufo-Addo by agents of National Security. There were arson attacks in Nyihini, Lameshegu, Worizehi, Choggu and Gumbihini. All the 27 properties that were attacked belonged to NPP members. Not a single one belonged to an NDC member. In the most outrageous case, Madame Sadia Seidu, a thirty-five year-old Nursing Officer was brutally assaulted after a mob burnt and razed down the family’s 18-room house. She had to be airlifted to the 37 Military Hospital for treatment where she underwent surgery and weeks of treatment. No one has been arrested and charged for the attempted murder of Sadia, even though she identified those who led the mob attack. No attempt has been made by the state to assist the innocent victims, numbering about 800, who had their homes and belongings destroyed. Those affected by the violence are first and foremost Ghanaians, whatever their political colours. The apparent revival of the idea of the “democratisation of violence” in our politics is unwelcome and unacceptable.
PRESIDENT MILLS AND EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY The President has declared that he cannot be responsible for preventing violence though the Constitution and our laws are very clear about his responsibilities. Article 58(1) of the Constitution states that: “The executive authority of Ghana shall vest in the President and shall be exercised in accordance with the provisions of this constitution.”
Article 58(2) further explains that, “The executive authority of Ghana shall extend to the execution and maintenance of this constitution and all laws made under or continued in force under this constitution.”
Regarding the President’s police responsibilities, he appoints eight of the ten-member Police Council, including his vice and the IGP. Furthermore, all leadership appointments in the Police Force are made by the President or in his name.
So if the President is not responsible for what the Police does, who is?
It is clear President Mills does not want peace in Ghana, and contrary to his declarations on local and international platforms, he does not want a peaceful, free, fair and transparent election. It is clear that the NDC either intends to use violence itself or to look the other way while third parties acting in their name deploy violence.
Ghana has been peaceful since 1992. We have had 5 elections and none of them have brought Ghana to the brink of violence, but this is a real danger in the election about to be supervised by President Mills.
The selectiveness with which Ghana’s laws are being enforced by the Ghana Police Service, under President Mills, must end.
President Mills must be held accountable as the President of our Republic, who is also the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces and on whose shoulders the fortunes of the nation rest.
The NPP wants an electoral process free from violence and intimidation, free from the use of intemperate language and free from the selectiveness with which Ghana’s laws are being enforced by the Ghana Police Service.
The NPP remains firmly behind the Hon. Kennedy Agyapong in his quest for justice in the unfounded accusations of treason made against him. We would not sit by and allow the rule of law to be transformed into the misrule of Mills.
Ghana deserves better.
……signed……
Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey.
NPP National Chairman
Chief State Attorney Attacked
The Chief State Attorney been attacked by persons suspected to be supporters of the New Patriotic Party who besieged the Magistrate Court, Wednesday over the controversial case involving Assin North MP Kennedy Agyapong.
Rexford Wiredu was in a convoy away from the Court when the assailants pelted his car with stones.
He had failed to secure a two week prison remand for the embattled MP who is facing three charges of treason, treason felony and attempted genocide for comments he made on an Accra radio station on Friday.
The state attorney confirmed the attack in an interview with Joy News’ Evans Mensah on Wednesday.
The car suffered dents and Wiredu has reported the attack to the police who have begun with investigations.
He is however unable to identify who the attackers were.
According to Rexford Wiredu, shortly before their departure from the court room, he saw a man write down his car number with others pointing at him as the man prosecuting Kennedy Agyapong.
The men he said followed his convoy.
Whilst he did not sustain any injuries in the attack, Rexford Wiredu said he is facing some psychological turmoil.
He explained the state did not go to prosecute the case at Magistrate’s Court but were seeking to get an indictment and a remand from the court.
He said the move was to meet the tenets of the constitution which said that the state would have to seek the authority of the court to detain the suspect more than the approved 48 hours.
Rexford Wiredu could not however say if he disagreed with court’s decision to wash its hands off the case.
He said however that they will take the case to the High Court.
Joy News Editor Samson Lardy Ayenini, who is himself a lawyer said whilst it is not strange for the state to proceed to an inferior court to indict a suspect and to seek the appropriate forum for prosecution, he is convinced a charge of treason does not follow that procedure.
Quoting the portion of the constitution which talks about treason, Ayenini is of the firm opinion that the prosecution ought to have proceeded to the High Court without going for a “forum shop” at a lower court.
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