Government has lowered the esteem of the AWW commission – Bernard Mornah

The National Chairman of the People’s National Conversion (PNC), Bernard Mornah, has chastised the government of belittling the professional standards of the commissioners who constituted and investigated the violence that marred the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election earlier this year.

Mr Mornah explained to GhanaWeb that persons who constituted the Short Commission were experienced and knowledgeable in law such as the criminal law and human rights law and knew what they were doing.

“There is no better criminal law expert than Prof Henrietta Mensah-Bonsu, there is no better person of human rights than Justice Emile Short, the former IGP and Prof Kofi Abotsi are well knowledgeable persons who have taught the law, manifested and practiced the law. For them to have constituted into a committee and the government come to lower their esteem the way they have done…I am wondering going forward whether people of integrity will serve our government in terms of commission,” he said.

Bernard Mornah believes these persons advised the government with their professional expertise and the government could have just disagree with them.

“But to come and say that they don’t know their remit is to tell you that this is a government that with no respecter of people’s expertise and the capacity to deliver,” he indicated.

He added that the violence on the day showed clearly that there was no coordination among the security agencies and the testimonies of the National Security Minister, the Interior Minister and as well as the IGP to the ‘Short Commission’ were contradictory.

“…that is a level of security that is in disarray and the commission tells you that you need to have proper and central command and you are rejecting that one and you are saying that the commission doesn’t know it job?” Mr Mornah questioned.

The government of Ghana White Paper on the commission’s report stated that the ‘Short Commission’ failed to present an impartial report.

The White Paper stated further that the violent incident that occurred during the by-election was confined only to the front gate of the NDC parliamentary candidate, Delali Brempong.

The Paper said although the Commission established the presence of the Hawks, a “vigilante group allied to the opposition NDC, it failed to add this to its facts and findings section of the report”.

Government believes this finding is ‘pertinent’ to the work of the Commission in presenting a “full, faithful and impartial inquiry into the circumstances of, and establish the facts leading to, the events and associated violence.”

This finding of the presence of the Hawks, the Paper said, also cast doubt on the credibility of a key witness, NDC legislator for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George.