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The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has described as "regrettable and misguided" a letter from the Ghana Police Service to the British High Commissioner, Harriet Thompson.

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Dr George Akuffo Dampare in a statement asked the British High Commissioner "to learn to keep within the limits of what concerns you".

This follows a tweet from Harriet after Oliver Barker-Vormawor, a Convener of FixTheCountry Movement was arrested again.

In the tweet, she said: “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…”.

However, in a strong-worded statement signed by Dr Akuffo Dampare, the tweet was "misguided, unwarranted and biased".

"Ordinarily, the Ghana Police Service would not have responded to comments such as yours, obviously made from either a biased or uninformed position. However, we have learnt from 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.

"For the moment, we would recommend a Ghanaian saying that might guide you in your diplomatic engagements. The saying goes: 'di wo fie asem' – it means learn to keep within the limits of what concerns you,” the statement added.

Reacting to this in a statement, the NDC said the IGP "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 statement signed by Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the General Secretary of NDC .


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