The Member of Parliament(MP) for Akuapem North Hon. Samuel Awuku has said government should not be handling insults and other distasteful comments from party footsoldiers with arrests saying the act only weakens the nation’s democratic fortunes.
Speaking at the “Democracy Under Attack Demonstration” held by the New Patriotic Party(NPP), the MP said government should not confront insults with unwarranted arrests.
“The democracy that we are practicing is gradually having a culture of silence where anytime a government feels uncomfortable, anytime the president feels uncomfortable, whoever is at the tail end, the person is quickly arraigned before the Court and sentenced,” he said.
He said such sentences come with all kinds of ill treatment and does not think it is proper. Because he and many other people have being at the receiving end of such comments but nothing of this sort happened.
The government has recently being criticized by many stakeholder for not being tolerant to hate speech. According to Hon. Awuku, various people have gone through this new mill including a young lady is serving a one year jail term for such acts and another who has not being able to meet her bail conditions, even though reports suggest she is pregnant.
He called it an attempt to “erode the gains of democracy.” He said, “I don’t think that is what we bargained for.”