Persons before NRC advised to present only true accounts

Kumasi, Aug 31, GNA-Persons appearing before the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) to testify have been advised not to allow monetary or material gains to influence them into misinforming the Commission about atrocities they suffered but rather they should strive to always present a true account of such atrocities to the Commission. Odeneho Kwaku Appiah, immediate past president of Youth in Action, a network of youth groups, who gave the advice, said true and factual presentation of cases by victims of atrocities, was the surest guarantee for the success of the work of the NRC and it should therefore, never be compromised.

He was speaking on the topic, "The true way to reconcile the country," at a forum organised by the Kwadaso Christian Youth Fellowship in Kumasi on Saturday.

He also counselled against the use of indecent language during testimonies by some persons appearing before the Commission since that habit will only undermine the goal of the Commission in reconciling people.

Odeneho Appiah explained that the Commission depends not only on true and factual presentation of accounts but also decency in the language used during testimonies to enable it to make rightful recommendations for genuine reconciliation.

He entreated people who might have suffered any form of atrocities or pain to perceive the NRC as the rightful body to bring relieve to them and therefore, be bold to appear and testify before it instead of resorting to the use of the media.

"It is the NRC which is mandated to look into and come out with recommendations for amicable reconciliation between victims of atrocities and perpetrators and not the media", he stressed. Odeneho Appiah observed that most, often airing such issues on the radio ends up inflaming passions and hatred rather than helping in the reconciliation process.

He also called on Christian youth to be at the forefront of the crusade to reconcile Ghanaians by mounting educational programmes that would be used to enlighten people about the importance of the current national reconciliation exercise.

Mr. Patrick Mensah, chief patron of the fellowship, entreated churches to cease perceiving themselves as different from one another because of the doctrinal differences, saying, "irrespective of the doctrines, all churches are founded by Christ and remain one".