GHANA POLITICAL ROUNDUP

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000746 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/W E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM SNAR PREL GH SUBJECT: GHANA POLITICAL ROUNDUP ¶1. (U) Summary: President Kufuor plans to bestow Ghana's highest civilian award on opposition presidential candidate John Atta Mills, to the vocal consternation of top New Patriotic Party leaders. The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) accuses President Kufuor of conflict of interest, following the President's decision to personally chair the Bui Dam Authority Board. A renewed communal clash in Bukprugu-Yunyoo District in Northern Region results in eight deaths and the razing of a village. A shipment of cocaine brought overland from Guinea was seized on the road to Accra. Taxi drivers near Accra protest police harassment; two people are killed by police when the demonstration got out of hand. End Summary. Kufuor Decision To Honor Mills Sparks Controversy in NPP -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) President Kufuor's announcement that he plans to award Ghana's highest civilian honor to John Atta Mills, presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC),has caused controversy in Kufuor's ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP). Some NPP officials, lead by the National Women's Organizer, Rita Asobayire, and the National Youth Organizer, John Boadu, are calling on the President to rescind his decision. They have vowed to challenge Kufuor's decision. Opponents of the move contend that bestowing an honor on the former vice president only boosts his credentials prior to the December election. Current Vice President Aliu Mahama and several other notables are expected to receive the same award. Kufuor Is Accused of Conflict of Interest -------------- ¶3. (U) The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ),a constitutionally chartered body charged with anti-corruption responsibilities, says that President Kufuor has placed himself in a position of conflict of interest by his decision to chair the Bui Dam Authority Board. Bui Dam is a $600 million Chinese financed and built hydro-electric dam project in Brong-Ahafo Region. The president's decision to chair the Board is unconstitutional, according to both the CHRAJ and opposition parliamentary members, because the president's position as appointing authority makes it inappropriate for him to chair the Board. Acting Commissioner Anna Bossman also contends that the president cannot hold any position involving personal profit, and the Act establishing the Board provides for members to receive emoluments. Defenders of the president note that Article 58(3) of the Constitution allows the president to appoint, or serve himself, on various boards, and that his decision is appropriate and proper. Construction recently began on the project, which had been subject to multiple delays. The media has reported on Ghanaian construction workers' complaints about worksite safety and pay conditions. Drugs and Riots -------------- ¶4. (U) Police, acting on a tip, on May 30 stopped a truck on the main Kumasi-Accra road. Hidden beneath a pile of cow hides were 399 bricks of cocaine. The Ghanaian owned vehicle, driven by two Togolese and a Ghanaian, had originated its journey in Guinea. The occupants of the truck were arrested and the cocaine seized. (Comment: Ghana is increasingly a transshipment point for narcotics, and it is unlikely that the cocaine was intended for domestic sale. The multi-national nature of this case illustrates that the problem is increasingly a regional one, spanning West Africa. End Comment). ¶5. (U) Communal violence in Ghana's Northern Region led to the deaths of eight persons and the burning of an entire village. Located fifteen kilometers from Togo, Jimbali village in Burkprugu-Yunyoo District was the scene of violence on May 28. The clashes were the result of a dispute over access to a parcel of agricultural land. Police have arrested several suspects and reinforcements have been sent to the area. ¶6. (U) Taxi and bus drivers demonstrated in Ashaman, near Tema (forty miles from Accra),on June 3, protesting harassment by police. The drivers had surrounded a police station to demand the release of colleagues they believed were being held inside. A group of drivers, according to the media, had been arrested the day before for parking in prohibited places, a tactic the drivers allege is used by the police to extract bribes. A group of drivers attempted to free their colleagues from custody, and in the resulting confusion police fired shots, killing two and injuring others. One of the dead was an elementary student on the way ACCRA 00000746 002 OF 002 to school. DOLAN