It is a foolish game to politicise British envoy’s tweet – Kwesi Pratt
We are concerned about spat between IGP, British envoy – Foreign ministry
Veteran Journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr has bemoaned the handling of the tweet shared by British High Commissioner Harriet Thompson regarding the arrest of Convener of the #FixTheCountry Movement by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Kwesi Pratt said that he is surprised that the sector's minister, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, has not summoned Commissioner Harriet Thompson to question her about the tweet she shared on Oliver Barker-Vormawor’s arrest.
In an interview on Good Morning Ghana monitored by GhanaWeb, the journalist added that if Ghana’s Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, had done the same the British government will subpoena him for questions.
“If Papa Owusu-Ankomah, who is the High Commissioner in London, had twittered the way she twittered about discrimination in the British police against black people, what will have happened to him? Don’t you think, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will have summoned him and given him a brushing of the face.
“Why are we not doing that? I’m actually surprised that our foreign minister, Shirley Ayokor BotchWay did not summon this high commissioner to her office and give a few lessons in diplomacy. It shouldn’t even have come from the Inspector General of Police. I’m really surprised that we haven’t done that ... because this is an affront. It is a complete affront to all of us,” he said.
He also, bemoaned the politicisation of the issue by members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), where members of the NDC are chastising the Inspector General of Police (IGP) George Akuffo Dampare for critiquing Thompson for her tweet.
“I suspect that it is because of this NDC, NPP divide that a lot of people want to take Dampare on. They think that they are scoring against Dampare, they are getting the British on their side against Dampare. That is a foolish game, completely foolish game. My dignity as a Ghanaian is at stake,” he said.
Ghana’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement it issued, said that it was concerned about the spat between the IGP and the British envoy.
It added that it has commenced processes to resolve the matter.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has noted with concern the intense public debate that has been generated by the communication between the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the British High Commissioner in Accra.
“In line with the general diplomatic practice of communicating with diplomatic Missions, preferably through direct engagement, the Ministry wishes to remain circumspect on its pronouncements on the matter," portions of the statement read.
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Veteran Journalist Kwesi Pratt Jnr