NewzA fellow at the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Dr John Osae-Kwapong, has expressed doubt that a parliamentary inquiry into the recent cocaine seizure linked to Ghana will produce meaningful results. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, he questioned whether MPs could examine the case impartially when it had already become the subject of political exchanges between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC). “It has already become a partisan issue on the outside, I am just not sure how, once they go into the chamber, they will be able to let go of their partisan positions and look at it passionately as a national issue,” he bemoaned.
His comments follow the Minority’s call for a parliamentary probe into the cocaine busts, following the interception by French authorities of a large consignment of suspected cocaine believed to have originated from Ghana, which the Minority says raises serious national security concerns. Dr Osae-Kwapong said Parliament had considered serious issues in the past without, in his view, producing visible results. He argued that the current political atmosphere gave him little confidence that MPs would set aside party positions to establish what happened and ensure appropriate action was taken.
“I share the concern that issues come up, and quote unquote nothing comes up, institutions like our parliament took a lot at it, and nothing seems to come out of it, and therefore when you hear that parliament wants to take a look at another institution, your natural response will be nothing different will come out of it.” Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 26, he said the focus should instead be on addressing the case, protecting Ghana’s international reputation and building a bipartisan response to the concerns it has raised. Dr Osae-Kwapong said turning the matter into a contest over which political party or administration should be held responsible could distract from the more important questions surrounding the case.
“For me, what matters is if we can move away from this comparison of who performs well or who is facilitating this as a government or as a party and who is not, to what are the real questions at stake and what is it doing to the image of the country, and can we find some bipartisan consensus in building the way forward so that ultimately it is the image of the country that is protected,” he said. His comments follow the seizure of nearly 3.9 tonnes of cocaine by French customs at the port of Dunkirk. The drugs were found in a container shipped from Ghana, raising questions about how the consignment passed through the country’s export controls.
The Minority in Parliament has called for a parliamentary probe into the cocaine busts, saying they raise serious national security concerns. Concerns over parliamentary probe Dr Osae-Kwapong, however, expressed reservations about whether another parliamentary inquiry would produce meaningful results, citing concerns over the outcomes of previous investigations. He said the priority should be to identify the real weaknesses exposed by the recent developments and build consensus around measures that can protect Ghana’s reputation and prevent similar incidents.
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