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Ex-Gitmo saga: Gov’t failed to widen its scope of consultation – NDC’s Fritz Baffour

kencitymediagh
Jan 14, 2016
2 min read

The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defense and Interior, Fritz Baffour says government needs to widen its scope of consultation in executive decisions that directly affects the Ghanaian populace.

He said government’s major problem in the Ex-Gitmo detainee’s saga was the poor handling of the process, which he said ultimately, brought about the panic among the citizenry.

“Government will have to widen its scope of consultation. The Public Relations process was found wanting in that regard,” Baffour said.

He said although the jury is out and Ghanaians are in the main not happy about the severe decision taken by the NDC-government, the move was otherwise not ill-intended.

He feels government however owe it a duty to come back and explain the terms of engagement to parliament and practically clear the rough edges in the deal.

Government has come under public criticism for what they said is government’s way of harbouring terror on the Ghaianaian soil following the agreement by the state to resettle two cleared terrorist suspects of Yemeni origin in the country.

However, President Mahama has called on Ghanaians to show compassion to the two cleared terrorist suspects who were held for fourteen years in America’s popular prison bay, Guantanamo.

Addressing the media, at the seat of government, the Flagstaff House, President Mahama questioned why Ghanaians have suddenly failed to make good their faith based compassion and hospitality which the good people of Ghana are well noted for.

“We must also look at the side of compassion. I am a Christian, and the Bible teaches us to be compassionate to prisoners… that is even persons who have been convicted, these people were not convicted and so where is our Christian passion or where is our faith based compassion on people that after being detained for 14 years without trial, we cannot find it in our hearts to give these people at least a chance to re-start their lives, and so there has been no consideration received for accepting these detainees.