North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has raised concerns against the way and manner the Inspector General of Police reacted to the comments made by the British High Commission regarding the arrest of Convener of FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker-Vormawor.
He described the IGP’s statement as highhanded, a statement that is full of raw and undiplomatic expressions.
Speaking in interview with TV3’s Komla Adom on the mid day news, Tuesday May 31, Mr Ablakwa who is the Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, said “To be very sincere it is my view that this matter could have been handled much better. The IGP could have raised his concerns with the Minister respodnble for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
“Those are the normal diplomatic channels , the Foreign Missions could have conveyed whatever concerns the Ghanaian has with the High Commissioner. If you look at the statement which has now been made public, it is very highhanded , very strong words, the use of very raw, undiplomatic language. It is as though the IGP is not speaking to a friendly country. “
For his part, a Governance Expert, Professor Baffuor Agyemang-Duah has observed that some foreign diplomats in Ghana interfere in the domestic affairs of Ghana too much.
He described some of these interferences as unduly and unnecessary.
The Former United Nations Senior Advisor was commenting on the concerns raised by the Inspector General of Police Dr George Akuffo Dampare against the comments made by the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson regarding the arrest of Convener of FixTheCountry Movement, Oliver Barker Vormawor.
The IGP described the comments by the British High Commissioner as uninformed and biased.
In a tweet on Tuesday May 17, Harriet Thompson said regarding the arrest that, “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…”.
But in a statement issued by the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare on Tuesday May 31, the Police said “we consider you tweet violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 which enjoins diplomatic missions not to interfere in the internal affairs of their host countries.
“Your Excellency, the fact that you use the ‘arrested again’ we believe must mean you were making reference to previous occasions Mr Barker Vormwaor was arrested for threatening the security of the state and recently for motor traffic offences.”
Professor Agyemang-Duah also said among other things on the mid day that “we are a sovereign nation and there are diplomatic requirements when a nation engages another nation. When they send their diplomats they are guided by the general convention.
“What some of our diplomatic officers here do is to unduly or unnecessary poke their noises in our internal affairs.”
By Laud Nartey|3news.com|Ghana