The Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall, one of the most recognizable and influential groups in the Catholic Church, has lambasted government over its decision to accept to host two former detainees transferred from the controversial Guantanamo Bay Prison in the United States.
The reaction from the Catholic-friendly society follows a similar one by the Catholic Bishops Conference, which has asked Government to return the detainees since in their view; they pose a security threat to the country.
The Conference, just like other religious groups and civil society organizations, was unhappy with government for not consulting relevant stakeholders before accepting America’s proposal to host the two men.
The Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall is particularly unhappy about what it appears to be the scathing attacks on the clergy including the Catholic Bishops Conference, from some government and NDC communicators, following their views on the subject matter.
The Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall is thus asking government to admit that it erred in the decision to bring the two men.
It thus wants government to reconsider the decision to host the two men and apologize to Ghanaians rather than insulting those who disagree with the decision.
The Noble Order of Knights and Ladies of Marshall is a Catholic friendly society founded in 1926 with the primary objective to bring Catholic men and women together for effective lay apostolate and Catholic action, and also to provide a friendly social forum for Catholics who might otherwise be attracted to non-Catholic societies
Below is the full statement by The Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall.
PRESS RELEASE ON THE 2 GITMO DETAINEES BY THE NOBLE ORDER OF THE KNIGHTS AND LADIES OF MARSHALL
The Noble Order of the Knights and Ladies of Marshall views with trepidation the decision of the Government of Ghana to accommodate two former Guantanamo prisoners.
We associate ourselves with issues raised by a number of Ghanaians and civil society groups, including the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference and the Christian Council of Ghana that the issue relating to the two is totally different from previous asylum requests granted to other refugees.
The Noble Order is of the view that the decision should have been brought for discussion in Parliament as the case in a number of countries.
What is even much more worrying and disturbing is the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Mark Woyongo, who has oversight responsibility for National Security, saying that he was not privy to the discussions.
The statement by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Ms. Hannah Tetteh that she was not aware of the official US information that described the two detainees as risky to the US National Security and for which reason, the two have been debarred from returning to the United States. Further muddying the waters.
Is the government aware that as of July 13, 2013, 100 of the 603, representing 16.6 per cent, released detainees at Guantanamo Bay have re-engaged in terrorist activities? Although the government of Ghana claims that the two Gitmo detainees pose no security risk, we are at a loss as to why the suspects are being kept at the National Security compound and their movement monitored 24/7.
We are also disappointed with the government’s communication or information management on this issue of national interest. Why did the government of Ghana come out to confirm the information only after US major news network, Fox News, had broken the news when the Department of Defence (DoD) had published it on its website?
It is not the resort to insulting Ghanaians or institutions that speak their mind against some of these matters that will right a wrong. The government must first of all acknowledge its pitfalls and apologize to Ghanaians for the manner it handled the issue.
The Noble Order therefore advises the government to reconsider the decision in the broad interest of peace and security.
Issued by the Knights and Ladies of Marshall
Source: citifmonline
