Petitions are part of democracy and should not be ignored – Prof Agyeman-Duah tells Gbande

Former UN Senior Governance Advisor, Prof. Baffour Agyeman-Duah, has condemned the notion that the government should disregard petitions submitted by demonstrators, emphasizing these as a cornerstone of democratic governance. This critique emerges after the Deputy Director of Operations at the Presidency, Mustapha Gbande, stated that the government would not consider a petition from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) following a protest against the arrests of its members, which it deems politically motivated.

During an appearance on Joy FM’s Top Story on Thursday, August 6, Prof. Agyeman-Duah underscored that while demonstrations and their accompanying political narratives are commonplace, outright dismissal of petitions undermines democratic engagement. "Petitions are part of politics. Petitions are part of seeking resolution to conflicts.

Petitions are part of addressing issues," he asserted. He pointed out that Ghana’s Constitution guarantees the right to protest, positioning public demonstrations as a legitimate avenue for voicing grievances and seeking redress. Prof. Agyeman-Duah noted that both the NPP and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) have reduced the dispute over the arrests of opposition figures to partisan politics, despite the concerns raised by these actions being of genuine governance significance.

Acknowledging the concerns over freedom of expression and the high bail conditions imposed on certain suspects, he maintained that these issues merit attention. However, he stressed that political figures should not be exempt from accountability merely because of their affiliation with a political party. "If there’s a real case of corruption or stealing of state resources, and there’s evidence for that, the proper thing is to secure the arrest, follow the necessary protocols, allow the person to be tried, and let judgment be given," he argued.

Agyeman-Duah also criticized the tendency of both the NPP and NDC to perceive any legal action against one of their members as an assault on the whole party, arguing that this perspective obscures the public's understanding of criminal proceedings and diminishes efforts to hold public officials accountable. He cautioned that politicians are, in some ways, fostering the impression that they are immune to wrongdoing, a notion that is not accurate.