Dr. Prince Hamid Armah
MEMBER OF Parliament for Kwesimintsim, Takoradi, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, has called on Ghanaians to ignore comments by some social commentators that the human rights of some journalists and other persons thought to be critics of the government are being abused by the Akufo-Addo’s administration.
The MP also debunked allegations that the government is suppressive and intolerant of dissenting views, particularly, views of the media.
The Kwesimintsim MP was expressing his views on recent assertions by a section of the public following the arrest of some journalists who were alleged to have published false news and made unguarded statements.
He said President Akufo-Addo, has throughout his public service, advocated free speech and a free media in Ghana, adding that the President has also remained a staunch defendant of human rights which has culminated in many landmark cases captured in the Ghana Law Reports.
He, therefore, said even though “people are free to pursue their own lives so long as they respect the equal rights of others, it therefore cannot be the case that citizens should be allowed to use their right of free speech to incite chaos or advocate for the illegal removal of a legitimately elected democratic government.”
He said “in such a situation, where a constitutionally guaranteed right is being utilised to further the commission and/or promotion of a crime, the law enforcement agencies are mandated to ensure public order and peace prevail.”
He indicated that this could be done by bringing the accused into custody for questioning within the context of the country’s laws.
He reminded Ghanaians that it was during the President’s tenure, as Attorney General and Minister for Justice, that the obnoxious and oppressive Criminal Libel Laws were repealed from Ghana’s statutes.
“It is important to emphasise how the President has continued to assert his human rights legacy by signing into law the Right to Information (RTI) Act, 2019 (Act 989) and operationalising same,” he noted, adding that the passage of the RTI further empowers citizens to demand further insight into public records in order to hold governments to account.
“It will therefore be quite questionable for any person to suggest that President Akufo-Addo will condone human rights abuses, much less personally sanction it,” he stated.
FROM Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi