The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described as "regrettable and misguided" a letter from the Ghana Police Service to the British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare in a statement asked the British High Commissioner "to learn to keep within the limits of what concerns you".
This follows a tweet from Harriet after Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a Convener of FixTheCountry Movement was arrested again.
In the tweet, she said: “Oliver Barker Vormawor, convener of #FixTheCountry movement, arrested again, I understand for a motoring offence on his way to court. I’ll be interested to see where this goes…”.
However, in a strong-worded statement signed by Dr Akuffo Dampare, the tweet was "misguided, unwarranted and biased".
"Ordinarily, the Ghana Police Service would not have responded to comments such as yours, obviously made from either a biased or uninformed position. However, we have learnt from previous, painful experience that it has not been helpful to ignore such misguided, unwarranted and biased comments intended to tarnish the reputation of the Ghana Police Service and that of our country.
"For the moment, we would recommend a Ghanaian saying that might guide you in your diplomatic engagements. The saying goes: 'di wo fie asem' – it means learn to keep within the limits of what concerns you,” the statement added.
Reacting to this in a statement, the NDC said the IGP "should have raised his concerns about the British High Commissioner’s tweet on Oliver Barker-Vormawor’s latest arrest with Ghana’s Foreign Minister through the Minister for the Interior for it to be addressed via the usual diplomatic channels".
"The IGP’s regrettable and misguided letter has the tendency of jeopardising the enviable cordial bilateral relations between Ghana and Britain. Ghana and the UK have shared strong friendly bilateral relations and official communications must avoid tones and language which are considerably discourteous, offensive and needlessly provocative," the statement signed by Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of NDC .
Read the full statement below:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
31st May 2022.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has become aware of a letter from Ghana’s Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, addressed to the British High Commissioner, H.E. Harriet Thompson, which has now been widely published.
The NDC takes the considered view that Inspector-General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, should have raised his concerns about the British High Commissioner’s tweet on Oliver Barker-Vormawor’s latest arrest with Ghana’s Foreign Minister through the Minister for the Interior for it to be addressed via the usual diplomatic channels.
The IGP’s regrettable and misguided letter has the tendency of jeopardising the enviable cordial bilateral relations between Ghana and Britain.
Ghana and the UK have shared strong friendly bilateral relations and official communications must avoid tones and language which are considerably discourteous, offensive and needlessly provocative.
The IGP’s rather ill-advised attack on the British High Commissioner for being meddlesome in Ghana’s internal affairs appears rather far-fetched, particularly considering the significant fact that the activist of interest is a student in the UK and that matters of human rights are universal and cardinal.
In any case, international relations of the modern era creates great accommodation for peer review—this has been on exhibition in recent times when the Ghanaian President criticised western nations including the UK in his 2021 UN address for apparently using COVID-19 vaccination policies as a discriminatory immigration tool against Africans.
The Ghanaian Government was among the first nations of the world to condemn President Vladimir Putin for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In all these instances, no one has accused Ghana of violating the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961.
The NDC has, on no occasion described these very recent examples cited above as tantamount to President Akufo-Addo meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.
It is only autocratic regimes that have no regard for democratic principles that are averse to criticism and international scrutiny.
The NDC calls on Ghana’s Foreign Ministry to immediately intervene in offering diplomatic guidance to the IGP and also taking concrete steps to ease tensions.
The NDC wishes to caution the IGP against a posture of high handedness and insipid arrogance which creates the impression that the Ghana Police Service under his leadership is above reproach. He must also be reminded that he does not speak for the Ghana Armed Forces or the Government of Ghana.
We request of IGP Akuffo Dampare to rather focus his attention on the worsening security environment which has led to the gruesome loss of the life of a lawyer, gold dealers in Asamang Tamfoe, and many other victims of unresolved police brutalities from the 2020 election killings to Ejura, Tamale, Akatsi, Asawase and Nkoranza.
Signed.
Johnson Asiedu Nketia- General Secretary
Source: Peacefmonline.com
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Why this support of the British High Commissioner, she crossed the line what was the meaning of her comment, is the UK interested in a coup in Ghana. what will be their benefit to a chaotic situation in Ghana, the whites just don't want Africa to progress. They should mind their business. Does our emissions complain when they arrest Pastors for Preaching openly in the UK, just preaching God's love to humanity you get arrested, yet when someone misbehaves in our own country you want us to keep quite because you say so. Please UK the boot licking is over we are a sovereign state. keep out of our issues.
To me, the NDC is being reckless by hanging on to a misguided comment by the British commissioner for propaganda purposes. This shows how despirate the NDC is for its lack of policy message and intellectual competence, choosing to support coup mongers as against national security. I bet if this situation had been during the government of the NDC, Her Honorable British Commissioner would have been doomed with all vulgar language to a day of public filing. This is clearly hypocrisy of the highest order as it goes against political coherence for core national security interests.
Shame on you, NDC
Asiedu, are you telling the over 30 million Ghanaians that Politicians are the only sensible people in this nation. Then I am sorry we are in for trouble, because their utterances are nothing to write home about, especially you.
Did Asiedu Nketia or any NDC person comment on the Late Atta Mill's DWA? Such hypocrisy is what is killing the country, not economic down trend which is global. We should learn to be true to ourselves and stop looking at everything with a jaundiced political eye.
Madam High Commissioner, frankly, your tweet was reckless, misguided and you lacked complete understanding of Ghana history regarding military takeovers. Seek peace with police as an institution and appreciate the difficult job they are doing. IGP was 100% correct in his response. Now you see what the person who you support is coming up with on 4th June? These guys are looking for political power under the guise of Fix the Country but not through democratic means. Any smart person in Ghana knows that.
.... Even hitting a cat in your country demands sentencing let alone traffic offenses.
Why is that the British High Commissioner also didn't raise this issue with the government but used Twitter? The medium used by the High Commissioner required that response.
Oh! Oh! Oh! NDC?!!! Why? Ooooohh!!!! Anytime you make up your mind to vote for them something annoying comes from them. Hmmm
it is only unpatriotic citizens who hate Ghana so much and yet continue to live here will support what the British high commissioner said, because such ***barred word*** people do not understand systems and structures. Dzi wo fie asem, woman