Chief Scout Commissioner's tenure challenged

Accra, June 7, GNA- Three officers of the Ghana Scout Association (GSA), have filed a writ at an Accra Fast Track Court, praying it to restrain the Chief Scout Commissioner (CSC), and his deputy, from holding themselves as officers of the association, because their tenure ended on May 21, 2008.

In addition, they are asking for an order from the court that "by virtue of the White Paper issued by the government of Ghana against Mr Louis Parcoo, Property Commissioner in 1997, he is not an eligible member of GSA.

The three, who are members of the Greater-Accra Regional Scout Council, are Commissioner Abdul Hamid, Commissioner Abdul Aziz, and Skipper Jerry Aikins.

They are praying the court for an order to appoint an Interim Management Committee (IMC), which, in their view, would organize an Annual General Meeting (AGM), to elect new officers for the association. Another relief sought include an order to compel the CSC and his other executives, to render proper accounts of their stewardship, and an additional order "that all appointments made after the end of the term of office of the CSC and his deputy, be nullified." They also want an order to restrain the CSC and his deputy from "signing any cheques in the name of GS or attend any international scout programme in the name of the association.

In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs contend that at a meeting held at Sakyikrom from November 11 to 13, 2005, they were surprised that the CSC, unilaterally brought an entirely new constitution, claiming it had been adopted from the constitution of the Ugandan Scout Association, and proposed that for review. He said the constitution they expected the CSC to bring along was the existing one, which was to be discussed and amended. They further contend that no consensus was reached at the Sakyikrom meeting on the final document of the constitution, largely because the CSC and his deputy virtually wanted to dictate how the amendment should go.

He said members present agreed that a meeting of representatives from all the Regional Scout Councils, without the CSC and his deputy, be held at a later date to review the proposed constitution. The plaintiffs contend that while waiting for a meeting on the proposed document, the CSC issued a letter on January 17, 2008 to the effect that the proposed constitution had been adopted and had taken retrospective effect from January 10, 2008.

It is the plaintiffs' contention that the CSC and his deputy have "an interest in changing the association's constitution to suit themselves, and hand over to a person of their choice, and to perpetuate their office at the GSA.

It is plaintiffs' further contention that the proposed constitution "is intended to deprive the National Scout Council, the right to elect officers," adding that, too much power had been vested in the CSC by the proposed constitution and was undemocratic and dangerous. They said the Deputy Chief Scout Commissioner breached the scout procedures of doing things, by sending her daughter outside to contest the position of a secretary at the African Youth Secretariat without the knowledge of either the National Scout Council, nor the Regional and District Councils.

The plaintiffs contend also that the deputy scout commissioner abused her office by sponsoring her daughter, who was not a member of the GSA, using the resources of the association, and representing falsely that the daughter had been selected by the association. They finally contend that until restrained by the court, the CSC and his deputy, not only "intend to hold an AGM from June 27 to June 28, 2008, to elect officers in accordance with their proposed constitution, but "will continue in their bid to impose this proposed Constitution on the GSA and perpetuate their office". 7 June 08