The Progressive National Forum (PNF) has described as “unconstitutional” the creation of the Business Development Committee of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The committee is tasked to create jobs for members of the ruling party.

According to a spokesperson of the Forum, Richard Nyamah: “The formation of the said committee is unconstitutional and therefore illegal and should be disbanded with immediate effect. According to the 1992 constitution of the republic of Ghana, article 17 clause 1 states ‘’ all persons shall be equal before the law.

“In clause 3, it States ‘’for the purpose of this article, ‘’discrimination’’ means to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed, whereby persons of one description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another description are not made subject or granted privileges or advantages which are not granted to persons of another description’’

“Secondly this committee is in total breach of the labour act 2003 act 651 which states in clause 14 that ‘’ an employer shall not in respect of any person seeking employment, or of persons already in his employment: (e)) discriminate against the person on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed, social or economic status, disability or politics.’’

Below is the full statement of the PNF:

The PNF has learnt with disdain the setting up of a ‘’Business Development Committee’’ by the National Democratic Congress - NDC to be chaired by the trade and industry Minister Dr. Ekow Spio Gabrah and which was launched by Mr. Kofi Portuphy to purposely create jobs for NDC faithful’s.

At the said program, the chairman of the NDC, Mr. Kofi Portuphy outlined the main responsibility of the said committee to include harness ‘’available opportunities for our people, for ourselves, to create jobs in the private sector and possibly the public sector as well for our people’’

The formation of the said committee is unconstitutional and therefore illegal and should be disbanded with immediate effect. According to the 1992 constitution of the republic of Ghana, article 17 clause 1 states ‘’ all persons shall be equal before the law’’

In clause 3, it States ‘’for the purpose of this article, ‘’discrimination’’ means to give different treatment to different persons attributable only or mainly to their respective descriptions by race, place of origin, political opinions, colour, gender, occupation, religion or creed, whereby persons of one description are subjected to disabilities or restrictions to which persons of another description are not made subject or granted privileges or advantages which are not granted to persons of another description’’

Secondly this committee is in total breach of the labour act 2003 act 651 which states in clause 14 that ‘’ an employer shall not in respect of any person seeking employment, or of persons already in his employment: (e)) discriminate against the person on grounds of gender, race, colour, ethnic origin, religion, creed, social or economic status, disability or politics’’

Ghana is extremely polarized on partisan lines and to be specific NDC/NPP lines that a careful analysis of the political landscape of the country clearly shows that this extreme partisanship has become a major fault line with an enormous potential to cause civil strife, conflict or an outright war. This decision by the NDC government to form such a myopic, selfish committee to create jobs for NDC foot soldiers is a national security threat.

As we currently speak. Tens of thousands of Ghanaians have lost their jobs due to the ‘’dumsor crisis’’ the government has grossly mismanaged. To destroy the few private and public employment opportunities due to the power crisis and then turn around to provide jobs both in the public and private sectors to party faithful’s is not just short sighted but dangerous to the polity of this country. The PNF wishes to call on the chairman of the NDC, Mr. Kofi Portuphy to with immediate effect disband this committee and apologize to the good people of Ghana just like the General Secretary did when he realized he had brought the name of Togbe Afede into disrepute and also violating the constitution which frowns on chiefs engaging in partisan politics.

We hereby state unequivocally that should the chairman refuse to disband the committee with immediate effect, we will seek legal redress to stop the government from sinking this country into war through such unconstitutional, discriminatory parochial and partisan program.

Signed Spokesperson Richard Nyamah