Ghana@50: JJ sets conditions to join?

DR. ADZEI BEKOE, chairman of the Council of State, and Alban S. Kingsford Bagbin, Minority Leader in Parliament, yesterday, refused to take questions from the media on the close to three-hour closed-door meeting a government delegation had with former President Jeremiah John Rawlings. They both refused to answer questions put to them by members of the media who were kept waiting outside the meeting room for more than three hours.

Although former President Rawlings wanted the media to be present at the meeting, Dr. Bekoe, leader of the government delegation, insisted the media be excused from the meeting.

Briefing the press after the meeting, Dr. Bekoe said the delegation was to give an open invitation to the former president on behalf of the government to all programmes lined up for the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the country.

Apart from the Ghana@50 celebration, he said, the meeting also discussed matters that had taken place in the country over the last two years. Dr. Bekoe expressed satisfaction at the meeting and promised to convey the message of the former first family and the NDC to the president.

The invitation formed part of the initiatives being under taken by the NPP government to diffuse the tension between the two main political parties in the country and reconcile the nation.

For his part, Mr. Bagbin confirmed the mission of the delegation and said the meeting was cordial. He, however, said that they (NDC and Mr. Rawlings) noted the unusual nature of the delegation. According to him, for such an invitation, the president needed not worry elderly citizens such as of the Council of State.

Asked whether the former president and the NDC would honour the invitation of his successor, Mr. Bagbin explained that they were expecting certain responses from the delegation before taking the next step. When asked the same the question, the leader of government delegation told that the media before anything was divulged to the public, they would have to speak to the President first.

Even though none of the spokesmen was prepared to admit it, it could be clearly deduced from their answers that the former president had given certain conditions to be complied with before accepting to take part in the celebration.

The government delegation consisted mainly of the members of the Council of State, including the chairman of the Christian Council of Churches, Rev. Paul Fynn, the Archbishop of Cape Coast, Peter Cardinal Appiah Kwadwo Turkson, and the National Chief Imam Sheikh Nuhu Shaributu

The former president’s council was made up of the National Chairman of the NDC, Dr. Kwabena Adjei; General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah; Minority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin; his deputy, Edward Doe Adjaho; Special Assistant to the former President, Victor Smith and the NDC presidential candidate, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills.

Though the meeting took place in his house, it should be noted that the former president remained indoors during the press briefing, which lasted less than 10 minutes, since the two speakers refused to answer questions from the media.

The NDC chief scribe, for instance, cleverly parried all questions thrown to him by insisting that the former president’s house was not his office, therefore was not prepared to take any question.