The Reform Movement (RM) is a group of dissident National Democratic Congress (NDC) politicians (AC 28 May 1999, 4; The Monitor 17 Aug. 1999). Reform Movement's (RM) leaders helped to build up the NDC in the early 1990s from the old Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), under whose umbrella President Rawlings assumed power in 1981 (AC 28 May 1999, 4). The RM is reportedly disgruntled with corruption and patronage, which it claims, has "caused a morale crisis" in the NDC (ibid.). According to sources, the RM's "final straw" came when Rawlings announced that his successor would be his vice-president John Evans Atta-Mills before the delegates' conference to choose a successor (ibid., The Monitor 17 Aug. 1999). The RM "published an open letter pointing out that of the 20,000 NDC branches said to exist, only two were functioning and that party democracy was dead" (AC 28 May 1999).

According to Africa Confidential, the NDC's initial reaction to RM's criticisms was to offer "lucrative jobs." When RM members reportedly turned the offers down, the NDC resorted to firings. Consequently,

Reform-supporters have been sacked from civil service jobs and entrepreneurs who back them are being pressured by Rawlings-loyalists. Private employers and even foreign governments are under pressure to sack or terminate the contracts of Reform-supporters...As the Reform activists challenged these moves, the government's Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) started harassing the dissidents. In some regions, the BNI detained Reform-supportes and confiscated their literature. (ibid., 4-5).

Those sacked from their positions include the RM's national executive, Winfred Osei-Owusu, NDC propaganda secretary and Peter Gameli Kpordugbe, director of the national service secretariat in the ministry of education. The businesses of the RM's spokesman Augustus "Goosie" Tanoh have allegedly also been subjected to a "squeeze" (The Monitor 18 Aug. 1999). In July 1999, the British Department of Finance and International Development (DFID) reportedly cancelled a contract with consultants of United News Service, a company whose managing director, Mije Barnor,is the spokesman for the RM (AC 9 July 1999, 8).

Keesing's Record of World Events states that the RM registered the National Reform Party (NRP) as a political party on 3 June 1999 (June 1999, 42987). This information is corroborated by The Independent of 10 June 1999, which adds that NRP's interim national chairman is Peter Kpordugbe and Kyeretwie Opoku is its interim General Secretary; Alhaji Mohammed Sannie and Dr. Nathaniel Tanoh are its interim National Treasures, while "Goosie" Tanoh is its interim spokesman. The party has ten regional co-ordinators who also represent their regions on the national executive committee (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please see the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Africa Confidential(AC) [London]. 9 July 1999. Vol. 40, No. 14. "Ghana: Privatising Politics."

_____. 28 May 1999. Vol. 40, No. 11. "Ghana: Reforming the Reformers: Schisms are Growing in the Ruling NDC - Much to the Delight of the Opposition."

The Independent [Accra]. 10 June 1999. "NDC Gets Rival Group." (Africa News/NEXIS)

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. June 1999. Vol. 45. "Ghana."

The Monitor [Kampala]. 17 August 1999. "Ghana Hunts for an Heir." (NEXIS)