Ghana And Democracy

: CIRCUIT COURT CHARGING UNDER SECTION 208 of the Criminal Code AND A COURT PROSECUTER PRAYING FOR A BRUTAL REMAND.

GHANA DEMOCRACY: The NPP Party sympathizer was on Wednesday dragged before an Accra Circuit Court presided over by C.A Wilson and charged with the offence of publishing false information with the intention to cause fear and alarm to the general public under Section 208 of the Criminal Code.

Nana Darkwa pleaded not guilty to the charge but was remanded into prison custody by the trial judge to re-appear on March 3, 2010 after DSP E.Y. Frimpong, the prosecutor, had prayed the court to do so to ensure the suspect's safety- an action that caused a stir among sympathizers.

The accused person who was a panelist on Top Radio, an Accra-based FM station's morning show hosted by Kwasi Fokuo Kudom, was said to have claimed during discussions that the former President Rawlings actually burnt his own house, basing his argument on news reports in the Independent newspaper.

Whilst the heated arguments were on-going, former President Rawlings' spokesperson, Kofi Adams, who was not pleased with the comments made against his boss, rushed to the studio and requested a recorded version of the programm. But this request was turned down.

A group of NDC supporters also stormed the station and allegedly threatened to lynch Nana Darkwa but was stopped by security guards from entering the premises.

Later, police personnel invaded the place and whisked Nana Darkwa and one George Best, another panelist, away for causing panic.

After investigations, Nana Darkwa was charged at the Circuit Court the same day. Is this Democracy or Autocracy? I think it’s more autocratic than Democratic.

Somebody who has evidence which can help the Police or the BNI in their investigation must be invited by the security agencies for assistance but not be arrested directly.

The only one who could cause the arrest of Nana Darkwa should have been the former President Rawlings, after failing to produce his said evidence, but not somebody like Kofi Adams who is only a spokesman for the ex-President.

I don’t however know if democratically, an ordinary Party executive member (Deputy General Secretary of the NDC) Kofi Adams can cause the arrest of any Ghanaian citizen anyhow, without a direct tangible reason.

Where then is the Democracy we have been talking about in Ghana?

FRANCIS TAWIAH (Duisburg – Germany)