PDA, FRA And NADA Re-Incarnate in Parliament Is It Now Forbidden to Call a Murderer, a Murderer?

During the First Republic, draconian laws made it very impossible for Ghanaians to express opinions, that may put the president and his government in the negative. The Preventive Detention Act (PDA)1959,gave the president the power to throw anyone to jail without trial and the False Report Act (FRA) 1959, would throw anyone to jail without trial, when he is perceived to have made statements that dishonoured the president and government. Under these laws anyone who is truly or falsely accused will not have the opportunity to defend himself in court. He will go straight to jail.

Then we had the National Assembly (Disqualification) Act (NADA) of 1959which disqualified from sitting, Members of Parliament who failed to carry out their parliamentary duties.

Today it seems these obnoxious laws have re-incarnate in no other place than our honourable House of Parliament.

On February 4, 2025, when the NPP minority leader, Hon Afenyo Markins was eulogising Dr. J.B. Danquah on the 60th anniversary of his death, Hon Murtala Muhammed of the NDC proclaimed that the doyen of Ghana politics and democracy, was a traitor and CIA agent. Hon Zanetor Rawlings of the NDC was seen urging Hon. Muhammed on. Then a strong voice swept the Chamber, “Daughter of a Murderer,” referring to Zanetor.

Since then, all hell has broken loose and that truth is now being described as an unsavory remark which could have thrown one straight to jail under the PDA or FRA in the First Republic. As for the uncouth lie about J.B. Danquah being a traitor and CIA agent, it is acceptable. As in those days, you dare not say harsh truths about Nkrumah, today Parliament is also saying we should not criticise Rawlings.

Someone from the Nkrumaist side of the House had falsely accused J.B. Danquah as a traitor and CIA agent and that is okay, but another from the UP-Tradition side who rightly called Rawlings a murderer, is being criminalised.

Very typical of NDC and Nkrumaists, who have propaganda genes in their blood and can lie till it is accepted as the truth and can easily make the truth look like a lie, they keep insisting that J.B. Danquah was what they described him, but Rawlings was not a murderer.

In fact, we are now being told that, that the word, murderer, is not allowed in Parliament and the MP who utter those words, when found, can be expelled by invoking the re-incarnated National Assembly (Disqualification) Act, because according to Speaker Bagbin, that MPhad failed to carry out parliamentary duties.

Hear the Speaker,“Such a member, when found guilty of defamation or contempt of parliament, or in breach of parliamentary privilege, would be liable to be reprimanded, or by resolution, suspended from the service of parliament for a period not exceeding nine months, or expelled from parliament altogether.”

This is ridiculous! In 2020, Rawlings himself on YouTube, in so many words, announced to the world that he was a murderer.

Before passing judgment on whoever called Zanetor, a daughter of murderer, I expect Parliament to view and debate the full clip of Rawlings’ interview on Asaase FM without any political lenses on. For if someone said it hurts him that,he had people he knew were innocent to be killed, what makes that person?

Some Ghanaians havecome out to label Rawlings,a murderer, when he was alive. They include Mike Adjei, Kwaku Baako Jnr, ex-Cop. Adabuga and others. But Rawlings never had the nerves to take them on, to provide proof. However, when publications came out in some Ghanaian newspapers, demanding him to clear the air about a publication in a foreign media saying he was involved in gold smuggling or drug trafficking, he immediately dragged the editors to court and had them jailed.

The House of Parliament is one arm of government that can clearly come out to label Rawlings as he was and take the necessary steps to console the families of his victims. This is very important because Rawlings did not make this admission at the National Reconciliation Commission but waited about five months to his death to tell us who he truly was. And the government of that day could not send him to court, how sad.

Rawlings had caused lots of pains in the hearts of many families which affect millions of others, by killing their loved ones. In Anlo, we have the Amedume and Goka families. In Tongu, the Agbofu clan of Tefle who are in-laws of Acheampong and are still in pain and mourning him with his children. All across the country there are families mourning the murder of their loved ones by Rawlings and all Parliament is saying it is wrong to call him a murderer? Is Parliament, a House of truth and justice?

If the House finds out who pronounced those words at Zanetor and punishes him, it would breed discontent all over and throw the country into chaos.

I ask the lawyers in Parliament including the Rt. Hon Speaker, that what verdict would a judge give if Rawlings makes the same confessions, he made on Asaase FM, in court? Would Rawlings be convicted of manslaughter or murder?

If the word murderer is unsavoury and unparliamentary, then Ghana is back to the First Republic.

Hon. Daniel Dugan

Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle

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