Ghana Has Evolved From Culture Of Silence; Be Bold . . . Stand For Truth - Kweku Baako Admonishes Police & Ghanaians

Kweku Baako has urged security forces in the country to boldly stand up against anything that threatens the security of Ghana.

Mr. Baako's admonition comes on the heels of a shooting incident at the Awutu Senya East constituency in the Central Region involving the Member of Parliament for the area, Mavis Hawa Koomson.

Hon. Hawa Koomson, who is also the Minister for Special Development Initiatives, on Monday, July 20, 2020 fired gunshots at a registration centre in the Awutu Senya East.

According to her, she was reacting to an aggression from some people who had threatened her life.

She stressed her action was a self-defence mechanism.

"I’m a Member of Parliament, I need to protect myself. It was at dawn, my police escort had not started work yet. So that is a mechanism I have adopted in his absence...I realised the lives of my people were in danger. So I wanted to scare the people. I fired the warning shots. I didn’t direct it at anybody," the Minister explained.

The Police have begun investigations into the issue.

Contributing to Wednesday's 'Kokrokoo' on Peace FM, Kweku Baako condemned Hawa Koomson's action saying ''I doubt if there is any basis for her conduct. Member of Parliament and Minister of State, such an exercise and that place is a flashpoint and you're entitled to some personal security but if the personal security is not ready, I don't see why you should go alone. And I'm assuming that she went without a personal security, yes, so I want to give the benefit of the doubt. But why go when your personal security is not immediately available and actually it's not a case where will never show up? And the exercise takes some hours, so why put yourself in potential danger so that you, the Minister the MP, will have to exercise self-defence''

''I think it's completely avoidable and ought not to have happened. So, if you take it from that perspective alone, it's difficult to defend her conduct. I'm being honest with you and it has collateral implications for the party as well as the administration of which she's a part. Needlessly, completely needless!'', 
he slammed the Minister. 

Addressing the issue further, Kweku Baako reposed confidence in the Police administration to exhibit quality professionalism in their work.

Mentioning names like COP Kofi Boakye, the late DCOP Angwubutoge Awuni and others as some Police personnel who have distinguished themselves in their field of work, he appealed to the Police to handle Hawa Koomson's case ''in a transparent manner''.

Kweku Baako also called on all Ghanaians to stand for the truth, stressing the country has evolved from the period of the culture of silence.

"If everybody was scared, afraid and not prepared to fight, I don't think the PNDC would have given way. I don't think we would have had the fourth Republic and don't forget in the process, people died. People went to jail; people went into exile. So, it comes with sacrifice. Something must give way. We must begin to grow that culture. Tell people that, look, stand up and speak. You may suffer. You may become a casualty. It's difficult but they're many such examples. Even winning independence, we went through that. Indeed, we didn't go to war but, people don't know, people died. People went to jail for life," he said.