Time factor important in reconciliation act - P. V. Obeng

Mr Paul Victor Obeng, former Presidential Adviser on Governmental Affairs in PNDC regime has said the time factor was vital if people were not to be taken for granted under the National Reconciliation exercise.

"If our intention is to reconcile all Ghanaians and not some Ghanaians, then we have to ensure that whatever time frame is established, should enable all Ghanaians to seek justice, get justice, rather than only allowing some to receive justice", he said

Mr Obeng was contributing to a symposium on; "National Reconciliation - The way forward" organised by the Tema branch of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Alumni as part of the University's Golden Jubilee celebration.

He said objective factors rather than the subjective that must determine the boundaries, adding, "we have started on a wrong footing by allowing time to divide us, but we could have made time to be irrelevant".

He said the South African situation had a time boundary, having regard to their political and social experiences and, therefore, extended it to their present regime, and so did Chile.

Mr Obeng said as; "we want to reconcile and other people refuse to join in the reconciliation process, this will be a thwarted exercise which will have to be followed up by yet another one which will cost time and money".

Other speakers were Mr Abraham Ossei Aidoo, MP for Tema West, Alhaji Mohamed Mumuni, MP for Kumbugu and the Reverend Mongsignor Jonathan Ankrah, General secretary of Ghana Catholic Bishop's Conference. The chairman for the function was Nana Addo Dankwah III, Akwapimhene.