Dokument #1282976
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Autor)
As indicated in the June/July 1988 issue of
Africa Events, a Professor Adu Boahen was arrested for publicly
criticizing the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) in a
speech made in Accra.
The Provisional National Defence Council
was constituted immediately following the military coup staged on
31 December 1981. Since then, it has functioned as the ruling body
of the Republic of Ghana (See the Overview of Ghana published by
the IRBDC for more details).
Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR's) were
originally constituted in December 1984 to replace the People's
Defence Committees (PDC) which were abolished in a major
restructuring of the government apparatus. [ Donald I. Ray, Ghana:
Politics, Economics and Society, (London: Frances Printer, 1986),
pp. 69 - 70.] The CDR's are subordinate to the PNDC and function as
the local and regional units of government. The District CDR
Secretariat is responsible to the PNDC District Secretary. Both the
PNDC District Secretary and the Regional CDR Secretariat are
responsible to the PNDC Regional Secretary. The PNDC Regional
Secretary is directly responsible to the PNDC which is chaired by
Flight-Lieutenant J.J. Rawlings. [ Ibid., See table for more
details.]
During 6 - 13 December 1988, District Council elections were held
throughout Ghana. [ "District Reflections," in West Africa,
(London: 26 December 1988 - 8 January 1989).] The establishment of
District Councils as the unit of local government has obscured the
function of the CDR's. It is not clear whether or not the CDR's
will be abolished, integrated into the district councils, or
whether they will be given some ancillary administrative
functions.
See Attachments
"They Come at Midnight," a letter to
the editor of Africa Events, (London: Dar es Salaam
Publications, June\July 1988).
George Thomas Kurian, ed.,
Encyclopedia of the Third World, vol. 1, (Washington: Facts
on File Publications, Ltd., 1987).
Donald I Ray, Ghana: Politics,
Economics and Society, (London: Frances Printers, 1986).
Endnotes