You Goofed – NDC To IGP: Says ‘Ill-Advised’, ‘Regrettable’, ‘Misguided’ UK Envoy Jab Autocratic, Offends Diplomacy

The opposition National Democratic Congress has accused Ghana’s Inspector General of Police of having committed a diplomatic gaffe with his tersely worded letter to UK High Commissioner Harriet Thompson, in which he warned the diplomat to stay out of Ghana’s internal affairs.

In the letter, Dr George Akuffo Dampare described the High Commissioner’s recent ‘I’ll be interested to see where this goes’ comment on the last arrest of #FixTheCountry Movement convener Oliver Barker-Vormawor, as “uninformed, biased, misguided and unwarranted”.

After Mr Barker-Vormawor was arrested in mid-May this year for an alleged traffic offence, the UK envoy tweeted on 17 May: “Oliver Barker Vormawor, the 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…”

The IGP, however, said in his letter: “Ordinarily, the Ghana Police Service would not have responded to comments such as yours, obviously made from either a biased or uninformed position”.

“However”, he continued, “We have learnt from a 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.”

The police also accused the UK envoy of interfering in Ghana’s internal affairs with her tweet.

“What is more, we consider your tweet as a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 which enjoins diplomatic missions not to interfere in the internal affairs of their host country”.

In a statement issued by the NDC on the matter, the biggest opposition party said: “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”.

The party said the IGP should have used the appropriate channels to air his concerns.

“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”.

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: Classfmonline.com