Free speech comes with responsibility, Kwame Jantuah
Barker-Vormawor charged with treason felony
The Chief Executive Officer of African Energy Consortium Limited, Kwame Jantuah, has said the convenor of the #FixtheCountry movement, Mawuse Oliver Barker-Vormawor, who is being prosecuted for saying he would lead a coup, should have known better.
He said Barker-Vormawor, being a constitutional lawyer, should know that the right to free speech comes with responsibilities, Asaaseradio has reported.
Kwame Jantuah, who is a lawyer himself, explained that comments made by Barker-Vormawor can easily instigate some persons who are looking for reasons to organise coups.
He added that, should there be a coup, Ghana’s current economic situation would be worse than it currently is.
“Barker-Vormawor is a constitutional lawyer and he should know better, shouldn’t he? And we talk about free speech, free speech comes with responsibility. You don’t just get up and say things and just walk free because “free speech”, comes with responsibility and limitations.
“…And the thing about it is that it’ll instigate others who want a leader or somebody to help them run that cause. I said here the last time, I’ve lived through all the coups, from childhood to adulthood, it has not been a nice event. Nobody should even think about it because it won’t help us. The situation we’re in today will be 10 times worse if there’s a coup,” asaaseradio.com quoted him.
On Monday, February 14, 2022, the Ashaiman District Court charged the #FixtheCountry movement convener with treason felony in accordance with section 182 (b) of the Criminal and other Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Barker-Vormawor was arrested last Friday at the Kotoka International Airport on his arrival from London and was subsequently detained by the Tema Regional Police Command.
His arrest is in relation to a social media post in which he threatened to stage a coup if the E-levy that is currently under consideration in parliament is passed into law.
According to the police, “the post contained a clear statement of intent with a possible will to execute a coup in his declaration of intent to subvert the constitution of the Republic of Ghana.”
#FixtheCountry convenor, Mawuse Oliver Barker-Vormawor being escorted by armed police men