President of Mamprusis Youth Association, Bawku chapter, Awudu Saidu, has revealed that there is partiality and some biases with regards to fact-finding in the Bawku conflict.
He stated that a majority of members of Parliament have not only shown bias against them but have openly exhibited coastal and provocative comments targeting them.
“The composition of every fact-finding group should be impartial and unbiased. The members should also be people whose parties to the conflict will have absolute confidence in their neutrality. However, many of the MPs notably Hon. Mahama Ayariga, Hon. Cletus Avoka, Hon. Abdulai Abanga have since the beginning of the conflict made open comments in support of one of the factions. Hon. Mahama Ayariga and Hon. Cletus Avoka have not only shown bias against the Mamprusis but have openly exhibited hostile and provocative comments targeting the Mamprusis. This in our opinion, coupled with the fact that the duo are the leaders of the group, completely compromises their work.” He said
He further noted that, the actions by, the group of MPs exhibited the highest level of bias against the Mamprusis and other tribes in their so-called fact-finding and visited only the Kusasis. No attempt whatsoever was made to visit the Mamprusis side to ascertain what the issues were from their perspective.
“It is appalling that since the eruption of the conflict in December 2021, Government particularly the Interior Minister has reneged on its responsibility of doing independent fact-finding in Bawku but chose to sit in Accra receiving misinformation from the Regional Minister. The result of his apparent negligence is what this group of people with a highly vested interest in one faction has exploited to promote their tribal agenda. ” He appealed.
He further called on Parliament, Government, and Ghanaians to treat any communique emanating from the biased MPs with the contempt it deserves. It should be treated as a miserable attempt by these politicians to further their ethnocentric and political agenda.
Read FULL release below.
MAMPRUGU YOUTH ASSOCIATION – BAWKU CHAPTER
DISREGARD ANY FINDINGS/COMMENTS FROM THE PURPORTED FACT-FINDING MISSION BY SIX (6) MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
The Mamprugu Youth Association wishes to urge Government, Parliament, various stakeholders, and the general public to completely disregard any comments or findings that would be put out in the name of a fact-finding mission embarked by six members of Parliament from the eastern part of the Upper East Region.
Everything about their mission on 22nd March 2022 is against the basic tenets of any credible fact-finding mission committed to finding pragmatic solutions to the decades-long conflict. Their visit, to even be charitable to them, can best be described as a charade and a propaganda mission aimed at promoting the concerns of one faction ( the Kusasis).
We are unable to independently confirm whether they were officially commissioned by the Government or Parliament to carry out this so-called fact-finding. However, we believe it is very erroneous and against the natural rules of justice for such a group to be constituted in the name of fact-finding for the following reasons:
1. The composition of every fact-finding group should be impartial and unbiased. The members should also be people whose parties to the conflict will have absolute confidence in their neutrality. However, a majority of the MPs notably Hon Mahama Ayariga, Hon Cletus Avoka, Hon Abdulai Abanga have since the beginning of the conflict made open comments in support of one of the feuding factions. Hon Mahama Ayariga and Hon Cletus Avoka in particular have not only shown bias against the Mamprusis but have openly exhibited hostile and provocative comments targeting the Mamprusis. This in our opinion, coupled with the fact that the duo are the leaders of the group, completely compromises their work.
2. It is basic knowledge and in fact, a requirement of the rules of natural justice that every honest fact-finding mission will interact with all sides of a dispute. This will enable them to have a comprehensive view of the issues from both factions so that the appropriate mediation can be implemented. Sadly, the group of MPs exhibited the highest level of bias against the Mamprusis and other tribes in their so-called fact-finding and visited only the Kusasis. No attempt whatsoever was made to visit the Mamprusi side to ascertain what the issues were from their perspective.
3. Not even families of victims who are not Mamprusis but Bissas, Moshis, Hausas, and Fulanis were visited by this so-called fact-finding mission. The least they could have done was to even visit the family of the murdered 82 year old Fulani man whose gruesome murder sparked the recent violence. To them, fact-finding is a Kusasi mission and the lives of other tribes mainly living in the Bawku township do not concern them. They ignored the families of people gruesomely murdered by their henchmen but decided to travel to Pusiga to solidarity with Akpakpa Ibrahim Philip who falsely claimed he was harassed by the security agencies. We wish to remind Ghanaians that the lives, concerns of Mamprusis and other tribes living in the Bawku township also matter.
4. It is appalling that since the eruption of the conflict in December 2021, Government particularly the Interior Minister has reneged on its responsibility of doing independent fact-finding in Bawku but chose to sit in Accra receiving misinformation from the Regional Minister. The result of his apparent negligence is what this group of people with a highly vested interest in one faction has exploited to promote their tribal agenda.
From the aforementioned, we once again wish to call on Parliament, Government, and Ghanaians to treat any communique emanating from the biased MPs with the contempt it deserves. It should be treated as a miserable attempt by these politicians to further their ethnocentric and political agenda.
SIGNED
