International Relations Expert, Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso, has described the Inspector General Of Police’s caution to the British High Commissioner as a normal response.
Reacting to the general backlash the IGP has received due to his “Di wo fie asem” statement, Dr. Antwi Danso stated that the IGP’s act shows that he knows international laws and knows his job, as such, doesn’t want anybody to interfere in Ghana’s domestic politics that might give rise to instability.
“It’s a normal response to something he feels constitute an interference in his work. There’s a little anger and I believe that he has done justice to his job. Because, the tweet was trying to incite people or so as if there is something untoward, towards a specific person. But as the IGP’s letter notes, there is nothing untoward here.”
Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso
According to Dr. Antwi Danso, he doesn’t side with those criticizing the IGP because the experts on the field understand what he has done. He stated that these minor tweets generates into “wilder fires”.
“So, they begin by turning attention to something very minor and then the public is in disarray, there’s instability and then they have the money to come and stop the instability.”
Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso
The International Relations experts intimated that the IGP has addressed the British High Commissioner in the right perspective through his four-paged document. “That is to say we can’t do that in your country.”
“I am imagining the Ghana High Commissioner to Britain interfering in the arrest of anybody in the streets [of Britain]. So, I don’t think we are right calling on the IGP to apologize. Apologize to who and for what?”
Dr. Vladimir Antwi Danso
Minority on IGP’s response
Meanwhile, the Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has expressed concern about the consistent undermine to freedom of expression guaranteed under the 1992 constitution.
Haruna Iddrissu questioned why a foreign diplomat cannot simply express her view on how a particular trial will go. He stated that there is a difference between a facebook post and a real and actual threat to the stability of our country.
According to the Minority leader, the Police is probably “running ahead of their shadows” because they know what they are doing. He averred that the Minority is disappointed at the highhandedness and the excess responses of the Ghana Police Service.
“So, freedom of expression remains the most fundamental building block of a democracy and if a diplomat can be questioned simply for saying that how will this one too go? …You see, Ghana must operate under the rule of law not the rule of Nana Addo Danquah. He is not the rule of law but he must exemplify and live by it as President of the Republic.”
Haruna Iddrissu
Haruna Iddrissu posited that the Minority might get one of its people to sponsor a private motion on an independent Police Commission so that they can call the Police to order. “They cannot be doing investigation of themselves when they themselves are culpable of doing that.”
“We will support a bill which will look at the establishment of an independent Police commission, akin to what prevails in many other democracies.”
Haruna Iddrissu
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