BNI and Power of Arrest and NPPUSA

During the NPP rule, the BNI had power of arrest, but now NPP-USA is arguing that it does not, even though that power of arrest has not been exercised yet under NDC rule. Where were the NPPUSA people when Selormey was arrested by the BNI in 2001? Even though Mpiani was invited by the BNI and he went on his own accord, NPPUSA wants everybody to believe that he was arrested. Also serious investigations do not last for a minute, and therefore using the duration of the interrogation as a grievance is not justified. However, if it is true that he was interrogated without the presence of his lawyers, then that is illegal, but that is what we are being made to believe by the NPPs whereas BNI is claiming the opposite. NPPUSA is now calling for the heads of Alhaji Mubarak and James Agyenim -Boateng, but where were they during Dr. Anane's scandal? NPPUSA should have prevailed upon Kufuor to put friendship aside and not to reappoint Dr. Anane. Where was NPPUSA when the same BNI dragged Tatsu Tsikata from a church service? Where was NPPUSA when Edzumadzie was bullying the citizenry with his politically backed powers? It was utterly wrong for former MPs of the NPP to throng the premises of the BNI. This is childish and shows disregard for the rule of law by people who are our legislators and are supposed to know the laws of the land. They are all behaving as if they have some skeletons in their closets and are afraid of their own shadows. We should stop acts that will polarize our political atmosphere.

I think for us to demonstrate political maturity, we must try and remove the speck when it is in our own eyes before trying to remove that from our neighbour's eyes. NPPUSA should have called on the Kufuor administration to investigate all allegations and probed its own people, especially, accounting for the many millions that were spent on Ghana@50 before leaving office. Investigating an allegation does not mean indictment. This is when we needed NPPUSA. They are part of the reason NPP lost the last elections, because they turned a blind eye on the political abuses that were going on during the NPP administration. We need to mature our political dispensation by looking inwards when we are in power. It is not too late for NDC to practice such behavior if they will heed my advice. Please let us play fair. I am neither for NPP or NDC, and I am equally disgusted when members from both parties misbehave and abuse their powers.

If there is anything brewing against these Mr. Alhaji Mubarak and Mr. James Agyenim-Boateng , I think members from within NDC should lead the charge. Look at what is happening in the United Kingdom. There already have been about five members of parliament resignations in the past week due to scandals, and even Prime Minister Gordon Brown is being asked to resign. In Ghana, political positions are viewed as gold mines and make it harder for our elected officials to bow out gracefully. President Mills should not hesitate to CRACK the WHIP if any of his ministers is involved in any seeming and credible scandal after thorough investigations. He should not ask us to provide the evidence. If there is evidence, it will surface during the investigation. If no evidence is unearthed by the investigation, the person goes scot free, but I firmly believe that our political leaders owe us the accountability of their stewardship. They cannot take loans in our name and refuse to tell and show us in concrete terms what the loans were used for. They cannot import cars into the country for official purposes for the cars to vanish into thin air. This is a message for all our politicians.

By Kwasi Asamoah