The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for accusing the Mahama administration of unfair and discriminatory bail conditions in recent court cases, urging the party to “read the public mood” before attacking the government.
Speaking on Alhaji and Alhaji on Pan African Television, Mr. Pratt said the NPP’s claims of bias in the justice system, particularly its reference to the different bail terms granted to Ashanti Regional Chairman Bernard Antwi Boasiako (Chairman Wontumi) and Asutifi North MP, Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, ignore the broader public sentiment in the country.
“Today, in spite of the bail conditions which have been imposed, and in spite of investigations being carried out, the vast majority of people out there think that the Mahama government is treating the NPP with kid gloves,” he said.
Mr. Pratt recalled that the Ghanaian public has, at various times in history, been driven more by anger than fairness, a lesson he said dates to the June 4th Revolution of 1979. He recounted that when he criticised the military regime’s public executions at the time, the public turned against him.
“I said the executions were unfair and unjust. Do you know what I suffered then? The public wanted to eat me alive because they wanted to see blood,” he recalled, adding that: “The public was not interested in fairness; the public wanted to see people punished.”
Drawing parallels to the current political climate, he said economic challenges and widespread frustration have hardened public opinion, with many demanding punishments for officials and supporters of the NPP: “If you ask people what they want, they say, Jail them. Jail the NPP people. That’s the mood.”
Mr. Pratt listed several achievements of the Mahama administration, including a stabilising cedi, a reduction in inflation, the introduction of free tertiary education for persons with disabilities, and major infrastructure investments, but noted that these gains have been overshadowed by growing public anger.
“Inflation is down to 8 percent; the cedi is around 11 to the dollar; there are free tertiary scholarships for persons living with disabilities. Yet, the public doesn’t care. They want accountability,” he said.
He described the NPP’s recent press conference attacking the government’s handling of bail as “ungrateful,” arguing that the administration has respected due process rather than bowing to public pressure for swift retribution.
“Instead of being grateful to a government which is following due process, you are attacking that government? Can’t you see the public mood?” he asked.
According to him, the Mahama government deserves credit for allowing the justice system to function without interference, warning that public anger could have taken a more dangerous turn if the law had been sidelined.
“If the public were told to deal with you, do you know what would happen? The government is holding on to the rails and following the law,” he cautioned the NPP.
