A former Head of Monitoring at the Forestry Commission, Rev. Charles Owusu has called for stricter action against individuals who engage in insults and abusive language in Ghana’s political space, saying punishment is needed to serve as a deterrent.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, Rev. Owusu urged both the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to caution their supporters against political insults.
“When are we going to put a stop to all these insults? Both political parties should advise their members that we can express our opinions without insulting one another,” he said.
According to him, politicians from both major parties have contributed to the growing culture of insults by rewarding individuals who engage in such conduct for political attention.
“Both NPP and NDC have accepted what is happening. Politicians are glorifying what is happening. If a politician wants to be popular, they resort to insults,” he stated.
Rev. Owusu noted that former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and President John Dramani Mahama have both been victims of political insults over the years.
“The presidents that have suffered from these insults a lot are Mahama and Akufo-Addo. But why they do it is because they are rewarded by the same politicians,” he added.
He further expressed concern that insults have now extended beyond politicians to traditional leaders.
“Now they have even moved to insulting chiefs, all because politicians have accepted this bad behaviour,” he lamented.
Rev. Owusu, however, criticised what he described as excessive actions by state authorities in dealing with some offenders.
“In as much as I don’t agree with government that someone has written something on their WhatsApp status so the person will be picked up, why? That is too much,” he said.
He stated that although he supports discipline in public discourse, imprisoning individuals for minor offences may not be the best solution.
“I’m not happy that someone will be put in jail for weeks for minor offences, but how did we get here?” he questioned.
The political commentator stressed the need for political parties and supporters to discourage abusive conduct instead of shielding individuals who engage in insults.
“We should also advise the people involved and those supporting the people who insult. The political parties have become a shield for them to be doing those things,” he added.
Rev. Owusu maintained that while freedom of expression is important, it should not be abused to justify insults and offensive conduct.
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