Blame police for coronavirus law breaches not political parties – Obiri Boahen to GMA

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is worried that the two main political parties – NDC and NPP – are guilty of flouting the COVID-19 safety protocols as they organise meetings to garner support ahead of election 2020.

But NPP Deputy General Secretary Nana Obiri Boahen believes law enforcement agencies are responsible for the breaches and not political parties.

Vice-President of the GMA Dr Frank Serebour says the parties must do better or risk fueling a second wave of the coronavirus infection in the country.

He told Starr News “all of us have to be worried, in fact even here, see that most people have stopped wearing these facemasks, handwashing is becoming something. It’s like we are pretending as if COVID is no more. It goes for both political parties. We are hoping and praying that we don’t get a resurgence of the virus with the way the campaign is going and the fact that social distancing is not being observed, facemask are not being worn, handwashing is becoming a problem.”

He added: “so we can only advocate and let the political parties be aware that COVID is still around. We still have to adhere to all the safety protocols that all of us agreed to put in place. And should not throw it to the dogs because of political activities. But clearly, I think politics has its own way of throwing things at us. It appears we have thrown the safety protocols to the dogs, but I think we have to go back. In this instance, you cannot fault one single party, all of them.”

However, Nana Obriri Boahen says the responsibility of enforcing the protocols does not lie in the hands of political parties, but law enforcement agencies.

He told Regina Borley Bortey on the Campaign Trail; “when I hear some of these comments, I feel very much worried and concerned. If you violate the protocol, the individual can be held answerable. So, why do you generalize it, can’t we make a statement in this country without roping in political characters?

“The truth of the matter is that all over, it looks like a lot of Ghanaians are not observing these protocols, I don’t know why we should single out political parties.”

He went on, “the bottomline is that all of us must respect the protocol, if you don’t the police can arrest you, arraign you before the court, you will be convicted and you will be jailed.”

“I am saying that there is a law and it is the law enforcement agencies that must see to the compliance of the law. If people violate the law, they must be arrested and tried, but to say that political parties are not helping, what about the churches, what about the market women association, what about the football association?”