IS THE PRESIDENT AN IMBECILE??-KWESI PRATT

The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper has
strongly condemned some of the inscriptions
written on placards carried by some Ghanaian
demonstrators in Germany .
Some Ghanaian residents in Berlin , Germany’ s
national capital decided to stage a demonstration
when President John Dramani Mahama visited
Germany a few days ago .
The protestors , most of whom wielded placards
which read, 'Drop your annoying Mahama , ' ' Drop
that yam, ' ' NDC: National Distributors of Cocaine , '
' Stop cocaine trade in Ghana , ' 'No German loan for
NDC , ' 'NDC : National Defenders of Corruption , '
' Where is Ghana's oil money ?' ' Stop family and
tribal politics, ' expressed disappointment in the
Mahama - led National Democratic Congress ( NDC )
administration .
This generated controversy back home in Ghana as
the ruling government condemned the
demonstration and accused the opposition New
Patriotic Party ( NPP ) of masterminding it.
There were also reports that two of the
demonstrators had been arrested in Berlin for not
having the required immigration documents .
However, the Germany Branch of the NPP in a
statement , denied the arrest of any of the
demonstrators .
Reacting to some of these issues in a panel
discussion on Radio Gold ’ s Alhaji and Alhaji, Kwesi
Pratt condemned the kind of message the
demonstrators used even though he believes the
demonstration itself is not wrong.
“… the 1992 constitution provides right for
Ghanaians to demonstrate and so the attempt to
demonise demonstration is irresponsible and
unfortunate … . but the fact that we as citizens have
the right to exercise a certain power , does not
mean we can violate other people’ s right and
engage in things which can only be described as
vulgar by the decent society. What justification is
there for any demonstrator to call a female
minister a prostitute? What right does any
demonstrator have to put up a placard which says
the President is an imbecile ? What right do you
have to put up a placard and describe people as
thieves when you don ’ t have basis… that is the
problem with the demonstration in Germany” he
stated .
He also added that: “ the problem is the message
that the demonstrators took out there and I am
completely scandalised with some of the message
that came out . They first of all are not verifiable;
some of them are indeed to all intents and
purposes vulgar. Nowhere in the world will any
people allow any group of people to describe their
President as an imbecile … let us agree that you
don ’ t like him and you don’ t like his policies ; indeed
I don’ t like all the policies of this government.
There are some of the policies that I am opposed
to including the attempt to privatised the
Electricity Company of Ghana ; but that does not
give you the right to insult the President in this
manner; Imbecile Oh my goodness Imbecile ? How
can you do that but it was done in Germany… this is
my worry ”