When IGP Dampare warned that no doom prophecies would be tolerated in this country any longer, he was hailed by civil society organizations.
He arrested Shatta Wale, and his praises went a notch higher. We all said he meant business and that irrespective of your status in society, if you break the law, Dampare would arrest you.
When he arrested Rev. Owusu Bempah, President Akufo-Addo’s main man, and the man of God had to endure the uncomfortable condition of sleeping in a cell for days, Dampare was praised by leaders of CSOs and the NDC.
Dampare arrested some Members of Parliament for flouting traffic regulations and that was another milestone in his tenure as IGP. He was profusely hailed.
Dampare has given the Police Headquarters a major facelift, garnering praises from Ghanaians across the country and beyond.
When Bugri Naabu and some police officers were caught on tapes, with the Police Officers plotting to oust Dampare so that one of them could succeed him, all hell broke loose as these so-called voices of conscience woke up and urged the President not to listen to these ‘unholy’ calls for the IGP to be dismissed, assigning reasons such as;
- Dampare is upright.
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He never kowtows to pressures from any quarters.
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He never gets influenced by any person or persons in the discharge of his duties.
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Even if the President flouts the laws of Ghana, Dampare’s upbringing and professionalism would let him arrest him.
All these have been said about the IGP, who are we to dispute any portion or portions of these accolades being showered on the hardworking and professionally trained IGP?
Some people decided to demonstrate today. The Police sought an injunction against the protest citing inadequate men and women to police their procession.
These people defied the orders of the court not to demonstrate and took to the streets of Accra, heading towards the Jubilee House to occupy the place.
The Police, headed by the same Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare, arrested these lawless NDC elements and Dampare is not being named anywhere but President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo!
Dampare gets all the praises for all the good deeds of the Police, but these same people who have been at the forefront of singing Dampare’s praises, are blaming Akufo-Addo?
Is Akufo-Addo the new IGP? Has Dampare been replaced with Akufo-Addo? So have the uprightness, boldness and professional ethics of Dampare left him all of a sudden?
In this country, we have failed to make progress because of dishonesty. Hypocrisy has become our bane. Leaders of CSOs are hypocrites, political actors are hypocrites, neutrals are not exceptions.
Unless one is deficient in logical reasoning, he or she cannot blame President Akufo-Addo or any of his appointees for what happened at the botched demonstration today.
It is nonsensical to praise Dampare for everything good that has happened in the Police Service, but blame Akufo-Addo when some lawbreakers are arrested by the same Dampare Police Force!
P.K. Sarpong, Whispers from the Corridors of the Thinking Place.
