Minority says NPP's witch-hunting is real

Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leader in Parliament, said the assertion that the government has adopted witch-hunting and vindictiveness as a policy are real and that nobody should be under any illusion.

He said the daily unfolding of events on the political scene confirm this assertion and that actions being taken by New Patriotic Party (NPP) activists and its front-liners confirmed this in respect of how people, who occupied prominent offices before the coming into office of the government were being treated.

Mr Bagbin was speaking to newsmen in his office at Parliament House. He showed a letter written to Mrs Alberta Quartey, Chairperson of the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC), cancelling her appointment as a special representative of the President to the Third Preparatory Committee Meeting for the 2001 Special Session of the General Assembly on the World Summit for Children.

The letter signed by Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Women's Affairs, and addressed to Mrs Quartey said she held views that were at variance with that of the government.

The letter dated May 29, said, "your appointment by the former President of the Republic of Ghana, Flt. Lt. J. J. Rawlings as his special Representative to the Preparatory Committees meetings, notwithstanding, your contributions at the Consultative Meeting organised by the Ministry from 16-17 May, 2001, clearly showed that your views and ideas about children's welfare and development are at variance with the vision of the Government."

It said, "consequently, the Ministry has decided that His Excellency Nana Effah Appenteng, Ghana's Permanent Representative at the United Nations, should lead the delegation to the Third Preparatory Committee Meeting to the be held in New York from June 11-15, 2001".

Mr Bagbin said he would leave the contents of the letter to the good judgement of Ghanaians.

He said Mrs Quartey is held in high esteem about her commitment towards the development of children and wondered what could have constituted her views, which were allegedly at variance with that of the government.