Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has criticised the arrest of individuals over alleged insults directed at the government, arguing that the John Dramani Mahama administration has recorded more such arrests in its first one-and-a-half years than the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government did throughout its eight-year tenure.
According to Mr Kpebu, the development does not reflect well on the current administration, and he urged President Mahama and his government to reconsider the approach being taken towards offensive public commentary.
Speaking on TV3’s Key Points on Saturday, August 8, Mr Kpebu said the government should be prepared to tolerate criticism and offensive remarks as part of democratic accountability.
“For one and a half years, this current government has arrested more people on matters of free speech than Akufo-Addo’s eight years. It is a bad record for John Mahama; they should be careful. Mahama should pay attention,” he said.
He acknowledged that insulting public officials was wrong but argued that arresting people should not be the government’s immediate response.
Mr Kpebu recalled instances during the Akufo-Addo administration when political opponents and public figures made strong and sometimes offensive remarks about the former president without being arrested.
He cited former President John Mahama’s description of Akufo-Addo and some members of his government as the “Akyem sakawa mafia” as one example.
“During Akufo-Addo’s tenure, Mahama called him and others ‘Akyem sakawa mafia’. Who arrested him?” he asked.
He also referred to comments made by the late former President Jerry John Rawlings against former President John Agyekum Kufuor, as well as remarks by former CPP General Secretary Nana Yaa Jantuah, who described Akufo-Addo as “Nebuchadnezzar.”
“We said Akufo-Addo was stone-deaf; ‘mampam’. Did he arrest me? Nana Yaa Jantuah called Akufo-Addo Nebuchadnezzar; she popularised it. Allow Ghanaians to talk,” Mr Kpebu said.
He suggested that where offensive comments cross the line, authorities could consider alternatives such as fines or public condemnation rather than resorting to arrests.
“Late President Jerry John Rawlings called former President J.A. Kufuor while in office a thief. He didn’t arrest J.J. You can’t shut people down by arrests,” he stressed.
Mr Kpebu further called on the government to be mindful of how it handles criticism, warning that the continued arrest of people over their comments could gradually erode the goodwill enjoyed by the administration.
“These things start small, before he realises all the goodwill is gone. Let the people talk,” he said.
His comments come days after the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held a “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration on Thursday, August 6.
The NPP said the protest was aimed at defending the rule of law, constitutional governance and democratic accountability. The party has accused the government of political persecution, selective justice and abuse of state institutions.
