Inusah Fuseini
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, says government was never interested in investigating the violence that marred the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
According to him, if the civil society, the media and Parliament had not united in their condemnation of the violence at the Ayawaso by-election government would not have been in a hurry to put up a Commission of Inquiry.
He said, prior to the setting up of the commission some state actors had come out to say there was nothing to investigate.
“I have got a distinct feeling that the government was trying to pooh-pooh what had happened at Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency. We had heard state actors come out to say that government was not going to investigate the matter, because there was nothing to investigate, and I am speaking with specific reference to the deputy Minister of Information who said specifically that there was nothing to investigate,” he said on Citi FM/Citi TV‘s news analysis programme, The Big Issue on Saturday.
Security Analyst, Dr. Kwesi Aning had earlier described as needless government’s move to constitute a commission of inquiry over the violence that occurred during the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.
He said the setting up of the commission was a clear sign of the weak state institutions and agencies in the country.
Dr. Anning said the by-election violence shows an escalation of poor handling of Ghana’s security issues, hence the outcomes of the commission whatsoever will yield no positive results.
The setting up of the commission followed the shooting incident that occurred near a La Bawaleshie polling centre that temporarily disrupted the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election and resulted in at least 13 persons sustaining injuries.
But speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show on Friday, Dr. Kwesi Aning said government’s decision to set up the commission is ill-informed and “a desperate response for a crisis that has gotten out of hand.”
“We have too many institutions in the country that ought to function. If they had functioned, we would not have needed a commission. In any other jurisdiction, there would have been an emergency sitting of Parliament [on the night of the violence]. None of the committees in Parliament has discussed this; The minister has not been hauled before any of the committees. This commission of inquiry is a desperate response to a crisis that has gotten out of hand. This crisis that has led to this commission of inquiry means lack of understanding and management of our security forces.”
–
By: Farida Yusif | citinewsroom.com | Ghana
