IGP’s letter to the British High Commissioner is regrettable and misguided — NDC

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) of the Ghana Police administrations letter to the British High Commissioner Harriet Thompson is regrettable and misguided.

The NDC in a statement issued by the General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia said, the letter from the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare addressed to Harriet Thompson has the tendency of jeopardizing the enviable cordial bilateral relations between Ghana and Britain.
This comes after the IGP called on the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Harriet Thompson to desist from meddling in the internal affairs of Ghana.
Dr. Dampare said a tweet by Ms. Thompson on a recent arrest of the pressure group #FixTheCountry convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, amounts to interference.

In a throng worded statement, the IGP said Harriet Thompson should focus on issues happening in her country and not Ghana.

But the NDC disagreed and said “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.”

NDC General Secretary Asiedu Nketia
It added that “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.

“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 who have no regard for democratic principles that are averse to criticism and international scrutiny.”
The NDC called 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 cautioned 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,” the NDC noted.