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 for it to be addressed through the time-tested diplomatic channels.
Ghana and the UK share strong cordial bilateral relations and official communications do not have to be caustic, virulent and intemperate so as to create the impression as though we have become sworn adversaries.
The IGP’s rather ill-advised attack on the British High Commissioner, H.E. Harriet Thompson 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 criticized 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 has also been loud in the public condemnation of President Vladimir Putin for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
I wouldn’t describe these very recent examples cited above as Ghana’s President meddling in the internal affairs of other nations.
It is quite ironic though, that the IGP does not preach the “di wo fie asem’ doctrine when it is time to receive the numerous donor assistance packages from the British Government.
I shall respectfully, however, urge Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey to urgently intervene with the objective of de-escalation and restoring our traditionally friendly Ghana-UK climate.
May I plead with my good friend, IGP Dr. Akuffo Dampare to rather focus his attention on the worsening security environment which has led to the gruesome loss of life of a lawyer, gold dealers in Asamang Tamfoe, and many other victims of unresolved police brutalities from the 2020 Elections to Ejura, Tamale, Akatsi, Asawase and Nkoranza.
