Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., believes the NPP and President Nana Akufo-Addo are to blame for legalizing the stay of the Gitmo 2 detainees in the country.
The seasoned journalist, speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's Kokrokoo, asked the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to point the accusing fingers to themselves because the Supreme Court gave them an option to return the detainees to either the United States of America or Yemen.
Mr. Pratt was commenting on the government's inability to repatriate the detainees though the arrangement between the Mahama administration and the US for admitting them into Ghana had expired.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey on Wednesday told Parliament that the Government of Ghana has no option to return the Gitmo detainees because the erstwhile Mahama administration granted them refugee status.
She also disclosed that the agreement between Ghana and the United States of America indicates that while the US has no obligation to the detainees after the two-year settlement plan, Ghana has the responsibility to integrate the two into the country.
“The government at the time granted the two detainees refugee status. This followed a request by National Security to the then-Chairman of the Ghana Refugee Board. They were issued a decision letter dated 21st July 2016, recognizing their status as refugees”, she said.
“For now, we are saying that our hands are tied because they have been granted a legal status for them to stay here. On our side, I am going ahead to explore options . . . “they will not be leaving Ghana and, that they are now the responsibility of the state”, she said.
Also speaking in an interview with host Sefa Kayi on the Wednesday edition of Kokrokoo, a Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs and NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Ablakwa noted that "there was no specific exit arrangement . . . and so within the two year period, discussions ought to continue . . . They were given refugee status because they were being hosted in Ghana; you need to give them some legal cover. Moreover, as a government it (refugee status) can be revoked at any time; it is nothing binding and so the government saying that their hands are tied is neither here nor there".
Mr. Pratt finds it disgusting that the Akufo-Addo administration would apportion blame to the Mahama government when they decided to opt for a Parliamentary ratification instead of the court ruling to return them after their stay had lapsed.
He asserted that it is the current administration that has made their stay legal though the Supreme Court had ruled it "illegal. It was unlawful. It was unconstitutional. How do you perpetuate something that’s unconstitutional? You can not perpetuate it".
"The only way was to make it constitutional. So, those who have made this constitutional for it to remain on our necks are the NPP government because if they hadn’t gone to Parliament for ratification, it would have been an illegal act. But they have legalized the act", he stated emphatically.
Mr. Pratt would prefer the government sends the detainees back to either their country of origin or the US since the agreement between the previous government and the US is no more binding on Ghana.
Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. |