{"id":592160,"date":"2019-02-15T19:32:27","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T19:32:27","guid":{"rendered":"
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A former Executive Director of Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) has described the composition of the Justice Emile Short Commission as \u201ctoo "},"modified":"2019-02-15T19:32:27","modified_gmt":"2019-02-15T19:32:27","slug":"composition-of-emile-short-commission-too-narrow-gyimah-boadi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/02\/15\/composition-of-emile-short-commission-too-narrow-gyimah-boadi\/","title":{"rendered":"Composition of Emile Short Commission ‘too narrow’ – Gyimah-Boadi"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A former Executive Director of Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) has described the composition of the Justice Emile Short Commission as \u201ctoo narrow\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi says thinks the commission\u2019s composition is \u201ctoo loaded\u201d with lawyers.<\/span><\/p>\n

According to him, although it is not a bad idea,\u00a0a commission investigating such a case of such hydra nature and complexity, there should have been people with <\/span>a security<\/span><\/span> background.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is important that the commission involved someone from the security sector at the very least. And also, a social or political scientist whose research or output are grounded in the politics <\/span>of<\/span> Ghana, <\/span>political<\/span><\/span> economy of the country and\u00a0political culture of Ghana,\u201d he said. <\/span><\/p>\n

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This, the former boss of\u00a0CDD, says, poses the danger of shifting the commission\u2019s focus narrowly into the legal and constitutional realm. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Some masked men supposed to be National Security officers who terrorised during the by-election\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

The commission, established by the Vice President on Friday is to probe the shootings that occurred during the Ayawaso-West Wuogon by-election on January 31.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It is chaired by former CHRAJ boss, Justice<\/span>\u00a0Emile Short and has renowned law lecturer, Prof. Henrietta Bonsu as well as Patrick Acheampong as its members. Kofi Abotsi Of Ghana Institute of\u00a0 Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School is serving as its secretary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prof Gyimah-Boadi also called for the extension of the one-month deadline given the commission by the Vice President. <\/span><\/p>\n

He also called on the commission to embrace what he described as \u201cthe sunshine of transparency\u201d, by holding their hearings in <\/span>public<\/span><\/span> and presenting their report to the public and the government at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Prof. Emmanuel Gyimah-Boadi<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a window even in the existing terms of reference even as narrow as it is for them to broaden out. But for that to happen, I would recommend one modification, which is that the duration given them is to too short.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cOne month is way too little for doing a thorough on a matter as complex as this one,\u201d he said advocating the commission be given either three or six months.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the commission started it work on Monday, February 11, to draw up how they will approach their task and the modalities that will govern the way they will work.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe essence of today was to put together working documents, methodology, agree on the frame of work that we have, deal with issues of evidence, possible issue of witnesses and to set in place and motion, an operational strategy,\u201d Kofi Abotsi told Joy News.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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