Document #1026848
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
Information on the treatment of New
Patriotic Party (NPP) members by the authorities is currently
unavailable to the DIRB in Ottawa. However, the DIRB has reported
extensively on the NPP and its role in Ghanaian politics since its
formation in June 1992. For updated information concerning the
NPP's role as the leading Ghanaian opposition party, please refer
to Responses to Information Requests GHA18039.E (23 July 1994),
GHA18088.E (3 July 1994), GHA17618.E (14 July 1994), GHA17398.E (7
June 1994), GHA17376.E (18 May 1994), GHA17377.E (17 May 1994) and
GHA17398.E (7 July 1994). These documents are currently available
at your Regional Documentation Centre. Also, please refer to the
attachments, which further describe the NPP's formation and its
political orientation.
General information on the treatment of
opposition parties by the Ghanaian authorities was provided by a
journalist with the London-based New African, who writes
primarily on Ghana (12 Sept. 1994). According to the journalist,
the government perceives opposition parties or groups as
"opponents, threats or detractors" (ibid.). The authorities use
various "subtle" measures to counter the effectiveness of
opposition parties and the press. For instance, business people who
are known NPP or opposition supporters are deprived of government
contracts and import permits (ibid.). As well, foreign exchange
authorization to conduct business abroad is difficult to obtain and
approval time for government authorizations tend to take longer
than usual (ibid.).
The New African journalist stated
that while the government does not use "blatant measures" to
intimidate the opposition, the subtle measures employed are meant
to "send a message" to opposition groups and their supporters. In a
country where government is usually present in the operations of
business establishments and in the lives of individuals, it is
impossible for anyone to escape transactions with the government
(ibid.). In this atmosphere, the social status of individuals and
their relationship with the NPP or the opposition could influence
the authorities' reaction to them (ibid.).
A professor of economics who specializes in
socio-economic development in sub-Saharan Africa at the American
University in Washington, DC corroborated the above information
that the authorities use intimidation tactics, particularly against
the press (12 Sept. 1994). The professor indicated that the days of
"outright political attacks" on opposition politicians are a thing
of the past in Ghana (ibid.).
A University of South Florida professor who
specializes in comparative politics in sub-Saharan Africa at the
College of Arts and Sciences in Tampa disagreed that there is even
the use of subtle measures to intimidate known NPP or opposition
supporters (12 Sept. 1994). He added that this might have been true
in the past, but was no longer the case in the current political
climate in Ghana (ibid.).
This response was prepared after
researching publicly accessible information currently available to
the DIRB 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.
Professor of economics specializing in
sub-Saharan Africa, American University, Washington, DC. 12
September 1994. Telephone interview.
Professor of comparative politics in
sub-Saharan Africa, College of Arts and Sciences, South Florida
University, Tampa. 12 September 1994. Telephone interview.
Journalist with New African,
London. 12 September 1994. Telephone interview.
Africa Research Bulletin
[Cambridge]. 1-31 May 1994. Vol. 31, No. 5. "Ghana: NPP Rejects
Dialogue," p. 11442B.
. 1-31 August 1993. Vol. 30, No. 8.
"Ghana: Opposition Recognises Election," p. 1111B.
. 1-28 February 1993. Vol. 30, No. 2.
"Ghana: Opposition Strategy," p. 10891B.
. 1-31 January 1993. Vol. 30, No. 1.
"Ghana: Rawlings' Landslide," p. 10852A.
. 1-31 December 1992. Vol. 29, No. 12.
"Ghana: Parliamentary Elections," 10816B.
. 1-30 November 1992. Vol. 29, No. 11.
"Ghana: Rawlings' Victory," pp. 10781B-3B.
. 1-30 June 1992. Vol. 29, No. 6.
"Ghana: PNDC Forms Party," pp. 10611B-2A.
Ghanaian Times [Accra]. 3 June
1992. "New Patriotic Party Launched, p. 3.
Political Parties of Africa and the
Middle East: A Reference Guide. 1993. Edited by Roger East and
Tanya Joseph. London: Longman Group UK Ltd., pp. 111-13.