Francis Xavier Sosu
The law enforcement department, the Ghana Police Service, has clashed with a Member Of Parliament (MP) whose conduct during a demonstration in his constituency leaves much to be desired.
The MP Francis Xavier Sosu has a Herculean task of convincing the good people of Ghana that the contents of his so-called petition to the Speaker Of Parliament represents the true reflection of what happened when he led a gang of unruly youth in his constituency to demonstrate.
The demonstration which he organised and led was ostensibly over ‘bad roads’. The real agenda was the usual NDC expression of frustration for being on the side of the aisle and the party’s quest to cause disaffection for government.
It is beyond our ken that such a demonstration would take place at a time when the nation’s capital is witnessing a massive asphalting of its roads.
The MP under review should not abuse the terms of parliamentary privilege and misbehave the way he did.
The Ghana Police Service has a duty to ensure that law and order prevail including the protection of lives and property. Indeed police officers are remunerated from the public purse to do just that and so when in the face of unruly conduct occasioned by the burning of tyres and a general wayward conduct in the name of a demonstration they must act as they did.
Nobody in this country including MPs, is above the law. The privileges which MPs enjoy are to allow for the smooth operation of the House Of Parliament but not to allow for the perpetuation of unruliness.
Nobody including the Speaker of Parliament should by their actions or remarks seek to reduce the esteem of our security agencies and in this matter the Ghana Police Service in the eyes of the public.
The maintenance of law and order is an arduous task done sometimes at the peril of the life of the security officers assigned such duties. It is for this reason that the citizenry must support police officers to undertake this function.
The Greater Accra Regional Operations Commander and the Adenta Divisional Police Commander both officers working under the Inspector General of Police are duty-bound to ensure that those who breach the law are brought to book regardless of the status of such persons.
It is glaring how the MP is seeking to draw into the partisan realm a subject which is pure disregard for the laws of the land. We find it ironic that those who enact the laws of the land would be seen championing the cause of lawlessness in a country ruled by law.
The so-called threat of dragging the Police to the Privileges Committee is an outright abuse of the privileges which MPs enjoy.
The two senior police officers are only doing their work by demanding that the MP responds to the invitation to report to the police station.
Today the IGP Dr. George Akuffo Dampare the man the NDC hailed as a professional cop who is discharging his duties fairly and professionally is being condemned because the police has descended upon an unruly MP within the party’s fold.
When an MP allows a junior police officer driving him to ignore the orders of senior officers we expect the conduct of the legislator to be ignored not glorified under so-called privileges.
The MP was under the influence of the usual NDC lawlessness which creates the delusion of being above the law.
Mr. Sosu was not heading for Parliament which had not reconvened at the time of his smelly conduct. Those who appear to be supporting him are only being on the side of lawlessness. What a shame!