Mahama slams gov’t over White Paper on Emile Short Commission Report

Former President John Dramani Mahama has described the government’s white paper on the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election commission report as “unconscionable”.

The flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) government wasted the commission’s time by rejecting 60% of its recommendations.

“The Emile short commission was set up and they came out with recommendations and it is the first time in history that I have seen a government reject over 60% of the findings of a commission of inquiry. All the key recommendations have been rejected and it makes nonsense of the whole sitting and I think it was a waste of Justice Emile Short’s time because all that work they did have been thrown out of the window by government. So, the impunity with which violence was perpetrated at Ayawaso has gone unpunished.”

He argued that government’s rejection of the recommendations on the assault of Ningo Prampram MP, Sam George, set a bad precedent.

He was addressing the leadership of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) when they called on him to invite him to their 70th Anniversary celebrations.

On his part, the President of GJA, Affail Monney, appealed to Mr. Mahama to speak against the attacks on journalists in recent times.

According to him the recent attacks on journalists may be signs of more physical assaults in the coming 2020 general elections.