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Supreme Court nominee Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu says the government’s rejection of some recommendations made by the Emile Short Commission after the Ayawaso West Wuogon midterm violence does not question the Commission’s competence.
Professor Mensa-Bonsu was part of the three-member committee formed by President Akufo-Addo to conduct a full investigation into the circumstances that led to the violence during the midterms held on January 31.
After a month of work, the Commission presented its report to President Akufo-Addo.
But the White Paper released by the Presidency said that “the government’s fundamental response to the Report’s findings is that the Report did not address the first and most critical of the Commission’s terms of reference, which was” to do a full report, research faithful and impartial about the circumstances and establishing the facts that led to the events and associated violence that occurred during the election of Ayawaso West Wuogon on January 31, 2019. “
“Failure to do so prevents the Government from fully accepting the Commission’s results. Some of the findings are accepted by the government, while others are rejected. “
When asked by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa if that answer was an indictment of the Commission’s work, Professor Mensa-Bonsu, who was being examined, said that was not the case.
According to her, “it is customary when people write appeals to say that the sentence is against the weight of the evidence. So I don’t see it except in that light.
“And enough recommendations were accepted so that it is not entirely correct. Yes, the language may have been unfaithful, but the constitution uses that language, so anyone who wants to question something would be correct to use that language, but I don’t think it questions our competence anyway, no, “he added.
Implementation of recommendations
In response to his concern that the government has not implemented the recommendations, Professor Mensa-Bonsu said that it is not the duty of the members of the Commission to push for the implementation of the report.
According to her, it is the responsibility of parliamentarians and other institutions to promote such implementations.
“We are guided by the law. The rules say that when you submit your report, you are functus officio. Therefore, it is not your duty to pursue people to implement them. The commission no longer exists.
“When, for example, judges make decisions in court, the judge has really sweated the decision, it is appealed and reversed, the judge does not hold a press conference to complain. That is the nature of this.
“When you give advice, you expect it to be taken, but what I know is that those who want it don’t need it and those who need it don’t want it,” he added.
