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Tag: Democratic People’s Party (DPP)

  • You had a private meeting with AG because you didn’t want to be prosecuted – Prosecution tells Jakpa

    You had a private meeting with AG because you didn’t want to be prosecuted – Prosecution tells Jakpa

    The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Yvonne Atakora Obuobisa, suggested that Richard Jakpa’s reason for requesting a private meeting with the Attorney-General via WhatsApp was to dissuade him from prosecuting him.

    This issue became central during Jakpa’s cross-examination by the DPP at the High Court on Thursday, June 20.

    In the proceedings, the DPP queried Jakpa, who is standing trial alongside Minority Leader Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, about his intentions behind seeking a private discussion with the Attorney-General.

    “That was the main reason, from what you have told this court, why you wanted to have a private discussion with him,” she said.

    In response, Mr Jakpa refuted this claim, asserting that his sole aim was to clarify his innocence to the Attorney-General.

    The businessman further explained to the packed courtroom overseen by Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe that he had sought the meeting to urge the Attorney-General to refrain from using discretionary powers in what he considered an arbitrary and unjust manner against innocent Ghanaians.

    He stressed that his intention was not to avoid prosecution but to address what he perceived as unfair treatment.

    “Because deep within me and with the knowledge of the ambulance project, I was 100 per cent convinced that I was innocent and Dr Cassiel Ato Forson was innocent and the only person that had a case to answer if there was any financial loss at all was Dr Sylvester Anemana, so I saw it as a responsibility to request the meeting to put the case and the facts before him and appeal to his conscience to do what is right,” he said.

  • Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen quits as party chair after local elections

    Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has resigned as head of the governing Democratic People’s Party (DPP) after its poor showing in local elections.

    The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) won several major races on Saturday, including in the capital Taipei.

    The vote has drawn global attention as Taiwan becomes a bigger geopolitical flashpoint between China and the US.

    President Tsai had framed the election as a vote for democracy amid rising tensions with China.

    “The election results were not as expected… I should shoulder all the responsibility and I resign as DPP chairwoman immediately,” Ms Tsai, who will continue as president of the self-ruled island, told reporters.

    The elections for local councils and city mayors theoretically have a domestic focus, covering issues such as crime, housing, and social welfare, and those elected will not have a direct say on Taiwan’s policy regarding China.

    However, Ms Tsai and government officials urged voters to use the election to send a message about standing up for democracy, as Beijing increases pressure on the island.

    Voters also rejected lowering the voting age from 20 to 18, in a referendum that was run alongside the local elections.

    The Chinese government sees Taiwan as a breakaway province that will, eventually, be part of the country.

    But many Taiwanese people consider their self-ruled island – with its own form of government and a democratic system – to be distinct.

    Tensions reached a peak in August when Beijing staged huge military drills around Taiwan in a protest against US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island.

    The US has long walked a tightrope over Taiwan. Officially, it has no formal ties with Taiwan, but has also pledged to supply the island with defensive weapons and stressed that any attack by China would cause “grave concern”.

    Two parties, two views

    There are two main political parties in Taiwan and they have different approaches to China.

    The Kuomintang (KMT), a party of conservative business champions, are traditionally seen as pro-China “doves”.

    They have advocated economic engagement with China and have appeared to be in favour of unification, though they strongly deny being pro-China.

    Their main rival is Ms Tsai’s governing Democratic People’s Party (DPP). Ms Tsai won by a landslide in the 2020 national election.

    She has taken a strong stance towards China, saying Beijing needed to show Taiwan respect and that Taipei would not bow to pressure.

    She was re-elected on a promise to stand up to Beijing. Locals told the BBC at the time that protests in Hong Kong and Beijing’s subsequent crackdown on civil rights had raised concerns in Taiwan.

    Source: BBC.com