Kwesi Pratt lauds Occupy Ghana, slams government's see-saw on Gitmo 2

29th Jan 2018 | Source: Graphic Online

The Managing Editor of The Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has praised pressure group Occupy Ghana for its unwavering stance against the presence of the two former Guantanamo Bay detainees, Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih al-Dhuby, in Ghana.

The group says the presence of the two in Ghana is illegal for which they should be repatriated to the US that negotiated their placement in Ghana, reminding the New Patriotic Party government of its vehement protest against the then administration of John Mahama for accepting to host them.

Pratt, on Radio Gold's Alhaji and Alhaji on Saturday, said the government's lack of principle on where it stands on the subject, and its many explanations why it has failed to repatriate them are simply unacceptable.

According to Kwesi Pratt, the NPP while in opposition, made it clear it opposed the then government's acceptance to host them as they posed a threat to Ghana's security and promised to send them back because their presence was also illegal. Now in government, the NPP proceeded to court, which agreed that due process was breached bringing the ex-detainees into the country and proceeded to offer two solutions.

The court asked that Parliament could ratify their presence in Ghana, or they be returned.

Pratt said the government proceeded to parliament to ratify the agreement that brought them into the country, and when faced with their own campaign promises to repatriate the two, are now seeking to blame the former government of tying their hands from honouring their promises.

That is unacceptable, he said.