Defense Minister Dominic Nitiwul has called on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to apologize to Ghanaians for hiding the decision to grant the former Guantanamo Bay detainees a refugee status.
“Until [Wednesday], nobody in Ghana including [the Speaker of Parliament] knew the NDC government has actually granted refugee status to the two Guantanamo Bay dDetainees and have shifted the goal post.”
He said talks about moving them are not possible as the former NDC government had already moved them from ordinary suspects to refugees “and we cannot just throw them away”.
He was speaking after the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, had presented a statement on the current state of the two Yemenis.
‘This pretense must stop’
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, was surprised the government after having been in power for one year, does not yet know that the two terrorist suspects have been granted refugee status.
“How safe are we?” he quizzed.
He told the Foreign Minister on the floor of the House that if she thinks the two do not deserve to be refugees, then she should act in accordance with the Refugees Actl of 1992.
“The [refugees] board may withdraw the recognition of where the board considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that a person who has been recognized as refugee should not have been given the status.”
The Tamale South MP challenged the government to invoke the law “and do what is appropriate”.
“This pretense must stop,” he added.
The Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on the other hand, said he was glad the statement was read by the Foreign Affairs Minister.
He was, however, suprised that it had to take the Interior Ministry to alert the Foreign Affairs Ministry of the refugee status of the two Yemenis.
He was happy that the Foreign Minister comfirmed the detainees have been of good behavior.
He said their side is willing to collaborate with the government in finding a lasting solution to the situation.
Source: 3news
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That is for you. They all behave like children! Why should they muddy all waters for some one to come and clean their mess? With the controversy over the Guantanamo Bay detainees, how on earth could they change their status in secrecy? What an uncaring, unreasonable and incompetent entity is the party and its so called leaders? And Haruna Iddrisu has the guts to vomit nonnesensse. Even if there is no constitutional or policy provision on such issues common sense should have dictated that they consult parliament at least. They had the majority and they could have bulldozed their way through and citizens would have been aware. No government can insulltt its nationals this way and go scott free. They should be taken on by the Attorney General
NDC 'anomaaa kokonekone'!
This issue will put the NDC in opposition for a very long time. It has already provided the NPP party with a big campaign message. We will make sure we use it very ffectively to our advantage.
we have to be careful about the decisions we make oo. these gitmo guys the day they fall out of favor with the country we will regret oooo. so we need to be careful as a country. we should make sure they dont use here as their hub ooo
I think you’re the un.educated one. Otherwise you’d know that revoking refugee status is a very long diplomatic process. Ndc fuor...do whatever you like. Ghanaians are marking your transgressions against this beloved country. Don’t think your scams will bring your party back to power. It won’t!
The ndc mps in parliament who are making unpleasant noises are the youth. They should look up to the behaviour of their elderly folks who have acted responsibly. Empty barrels make the most noise indeed. Their immaturity is becoming nauseating and should spare Ghanaians their negative statements which are unproductive.
Nitiwul, are you uneducated. If NDC granted refugee status and you campaigned that you will send them away if you came to power, what prevents you from revoking their refugee status and send them back. Is not because NDC wanted them to stay that was why they allowed them. If your government don't want them it's easy to send them back.
I always wonder why this N.D.C. the minority in parliament are insisting the ruling government to implement negative policies. Ghana should stop paying them because they are not contributing positively but rather criticisms negatively .If their government fail kpotooo they are expecting the N.P.P. government also to fail, God forbid. You are just playing with Ghanaians emotions collect big, big salaries at the end of every month and ex gracia at every four years.