Policy think tank president and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, Franklin Cudjoe, has criticised former Vice President and 2024 New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer Mahamudu Bawumia over what he described as selective outrage on issues of democracy and state intimidation.
In a response to recent comments by Dr. Bawumia condemning alleged intimidation and harassment of opposition members by the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, Mr. Cudjoe argued that the former Vice President failed to demonstrate the same level of courage while in government.
According to him, Dr. Bawumia and the NPP remained silent during the prolonged disenfranchisement of residents in the Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) areas, who were left without parliamentary representation for nearly five years following the creation of the Guan Constituency.
“Well said—but how I wish Dr. Bawumia had shown this same courage and clarity when his own government presided over rendering the people of SALL stateless for nearly five years,” Mr. Cudjoe stated.
He further criticised the previous administration for what he described as a failure to acknowledge the plight of affected residents, insisting that there was “not a single word of apology” from the government at the time.
Mr. Cudjoe said it was ironic for Dr. Bawumia to now present himself as a defender of free speech and democratic rights when, in his view, the previous administration failed to act while citizens were denied representation and political belonging.
“It is deeply ironic to see him now championing free speech and condemning state intimidation, when his administration remained silent while citizens were stripped of their very identity and belonging,” he said.
The IMANI president stressed that Ghana’s democracy suffers whenever governments abuse power or fail to act against injustice, regardless of which political party is in office.
While acknowledging that Dr. Bawumia was justified in speaking against alleged excesses of the current government, Mr. Cudjoe maintained that true accountability must be consistent and not politically selective.
“Justice demands consistency. Accountability cannot be selective,” he added.
He also called for a broader national reflection on the use and abuse of state power by successive governments, insisting that any “day of reckoning” should equally examine the record of the NPP administration.
“The fight for democracy must include the courage to look backward, not only forward,” Mr. Cudjoe reiterated.
By 1960news.com
