John Boadu Slams Mills-Over �Am Not A Policeman� Comment

The Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu has responded to what he deemed as a misplaced statement on the part of President John Evans Atta Mills when he (Mills) said �the President is not a law enforcement officer and the President can�t be a prosecutor� in his reaction to the incessant calls made by the opposition party for pragmatic measures to curb the dotted violence that has characterized the on-going biometric registration exercise across the country. The President made these comments over the weekend when he addressed a durbar of chiefs during his one day visit to the Central Region to inspect the ongoing biometric registration exercise. In fact that visit had been described variously by people as a campaign tour. Speaking on Asempa FM�s flagship programme, Ekosii Sen over the weekend, John Boadu, stated that as the appointing authority, the President cannot completely exonerate himself from what he described as the unprofessional conduct of some police officers who had looked on un-concerned as �thugs from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party assaulted NPP supporters� and disrupted registration at some centres. The Deputy Communications Director stated without mincing words that President Mills per his comment had display double standards at the presidency and a clear demonstration of deceptive tactics after he (Mills had promised Ghanaian of peace before, during and after the December general elections. He added that many a Ghanaian expected the overly praised �father for all� President to have calmed down tensions and condemned the violence in the early days rather than his sarcastic comments and insinuation at his critics. Again, John Boadu stressed that the NPP had not asked President Mills to interfere in the work of the security personnel but rather to ensure discipline within the police service and crack the whip when need be. He further cautioned that the NPP would not stand aloof and unconcerned to watch the President plunge the country into mayhem just to cling onto power. The Deputy Propaganda Secretary of the NDC, Solomon Nkansah, who was also on hand as a co-panelist on the programme rebutted that President Mills had remained committed to ensuring a peaceful elections and that attempts by the NPP to associate him (Mills) with the violence that has characterized the ongoing biometric registration would not wash.