Policy analyst and President of IMANI Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, has criticised former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia for what he described as selective outrage over alleged abuses of state power and threats to free speech.
Reacting to recent comments by Dr. Bawumia condemning political intimidation and defending democratic freedoms, on the Gold Morning Conversation on Radio Gold, Mr. Cudjoe argued that the former Vice President failed to demonstrate the same resolve during the controversy surrounding residents of the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) traditional areas.
Mr. Cudjoe said he wished Dr. Bawumia had shown “the same courage and clarity” when the previous government allegedly rendered the people of SALL “stateless for nearly five years.”
According to him, the silence of the former administration on the matter was deeply troubling and undermined democratic accountability.
“Not a single word of apology then. Not even an acknowledgment, even if his party had decided they would never say sorry,” he stated.
Mr. Cudjoe described it as ironic for Dr. Bawumia to now champion free speech and condemn state intimidation when, in his view, the administration under which he served remained silent while citizens were allegedly stripped of “their very identity and belonging.”
He further argued that both the governing National Democratic Congress and the opposition New Patriotic Party must be held to the same standards when it comes to protecting democratic principles and human rights.
“The NPP’s silence then was as damaging as the NDC’s actions now,” he said.
Franklin Cudjoe stressed that Ghana’s democracy suffers whenever governments abuse power or fail to speak against injustice, regardless of political affiliation.
While acknowledging Dr. Bawumia’s right to criticise present developments, he insisted that genuine commitment to democracy requires consistency and reflection on past failures.
“Justice demands consistency,” he noted, adding that “accountability cannot be selective.”
He concluded by saying that if there is to be a national reckoning over abuses of state power, it must also include a review of the record of the previous administration.
“The fight for democracy must include the courage to look backward, not only forward,” he added.
Story By: Eric Boateng
