Minority wants govt to publish Emile Short C’ssion report

The Minority in Parliament has called on the President to, as a matter of urgency, publish the report of the Emile Short Commission that probed the violence during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.

They contended that the immediate release of the report would contribute immensely to discussions on the Vigilantism and Related Offences Bill, 2019.

At a press conference by the Minority at the Parliament house on Wednesday, they agreed that the President had discretionary powers and a time frame of six months for such a report to be published.

The bill to disband
The bill, with the object to disband political party vigilante groups and proscribe acts of vigilantism in the country, was introduced before the House on April 11, 2019 by the Attorney-General under a Certificate of Urgency, but was suspended for more and wider consultations.

After the introduction of the bill just a day before Parliament rose for the Easter holidays on Friday, April 12, 2019, the Speaker, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, notified members that the House would be recalled for its consideration and passage because of the urgent nature of the bill.

However, at the recall of the House from April 29 to May 3, 2019, the consideration was not carried out, still to wait for more and wider stakeholder consultations and inputs.

According to a Provisional Order Paper, the Vigilantism and Related Offences Bill would be presented to the House by the chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Committee on Thursday, May 30, 2019.

Political violence

Mr James Agalga, the Ranking Member on Parliament's Defence and Interior Committee, and Member of Parliament for the Builsa North Constituency, while addressing journalists, wondered why the report of the Justice Brobbey Commission that inquired into the creation of new regions in 2018 had still not been published.

Quoting part of President Akufo-Addo’s State of the Nation Address, Mr Agalga recalled that the President expressed the hope that the findings and recommendations of the Emile Short Commission would enable Ghanaians to chart a path towards ending politically related violence.

He said holding on to the Emile Short’s Commission Report would stampede the work of Parliament, when the President himself had asked Parliament to work with dispatch on the proposed legislation.

Enacting legislation

Any attempt by the Executive to stampede Parliament into enacting legislation on political vigilantism without recourse to the Emile Short Commission’s Report could only result in the enactment of a half-baked legislation not capable of dealing sufficiently with the problem, Mr Agalga said.

“It is against this backdrop that we call on His Excellency, President Akufo-Addo, to cause to be published immediately the Emile Short Commission’s Report in furtherance of the work of Parliament in relation to the passage or otherwise of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Bill,” he said.

Mr Agalga, who quoted provisions in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, said “where the report of a commission of enquiry is not to be published, the President shall issue a statement to that effect, giving reasons why the report is not to be published”.

The Minority called on the President to uphold the tenets of good governance by publishing the report in the public interest.

The Minority also queried the content and volume of the bill, which had 10 articles.

Govt reacts

But speaking to Citi News, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah indicated that the ongoing processes are not affected in any way by the fact that the commission’s report has not been published.

Mr. Oppong Nkrumah also said the release of the report would not have a bearing on the crafting of the law.

“Why do we suppose that without a public outing of the Emile Short commission report, persons cannot contribute to the Vigilantism Bill? It is a strange argument to make,” he stated.

If an input from the report is needed, the Minister said the Interior Ministry could be made privy to the report to aid the crafting of the law.

“He can be authorized by the President to have a reading and inform the discussions on the legislation with whatever recommendations are relevant to the Bill we are passing.”