Opinions of Sunday, 29 September 2019

Columnist: Rockson Adofo

See and know who is a 'democratic dictator', Oh Superintendent Tuubo

Superintendent Peter Lanchene Tuubo, former Executive Secretary to David Asante Apeatu Superintendent Peter Lanchene Tuubo, former Executive Secretary to David Asante Apeatu

I am very happy to be around not only to share views with the public but also, to educate, and impart knowledge to, those that need educating and the less knowledgeable.

Therefore, I have the pleasure today, Saturday, 28 September 2019, to publish this article to educate one former Police Superintendent Peter Lanchene Tuubo who was the Executive Secretary to former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr David Asante-Apeatu.

The mentioned former Police Superintendent has asserted in a radio interview granted to the programme presenter of Anopa Nkomo, Kwame Tutu, on Accra-based Kingdom FM 107.7, on Friday, 27 September 2019 that His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is a "democratic dictator" who abhors dissenting views. He went on to claim that the President has been collapsing state institutions through his unrestrained infatuation with dictatorial sentiments.

What does he actually mean by "democratic dictator?" Is it because he is a democratically-elected President through the ballot box by the Ghanaian electorates but he is pursuing authoritarian policies unexpected of a democratically-elected President? He needs to come back to clarify what exactly he means.

What are the dissenting views that are intolerable to the President? Could one of the views be the fact most Ghanaians want him to ensure the suspected corrupt officials are quickly investigated, dragged to court, prosecuted, convicted and fined or jailed but he rather wants the suspects to have a fair trial going through the normal sluggish but unnecessarily lengthy Ghana legal court process?

My search on the internet gives a rough idea about democratic dictatorship and it has principally to do with China. In not wasting time and without any personal input to elaborate it, I shall only quote what it means as found on the internet under Wikipedia.

"The premise of the "People's democratic dictatorship" is that the CPC and state represent and act on behalf of the people, but in the preservation of the dictatorship of the proletariat, possess and may use powers against reactionary forces.[2] Implicit in the concept of the people's democratic dictatorship is the notion that dictatorial control by the party is necessary to prevent the government from collapsing into a "dictatorship of the bourgeoisie", a liberal democracy, which, it is feared, would mean politicians acting in the interest of the bourgeoisie. This would be in opposition to the socialist charter of the CPC"

CPC is the Communist Party of China and proletariat is "(in Marxist theory) the class of workers, especially industrial wage earners, who do not possess capital or property and must sell their labour to survive"

Either the President is a dictator or a democrat, I should think. On what policies does he not agree with people but would have his own way? Is it for example, the presumed unceremonious order to the recent past IGP to proceed on leave prior to his retirement, by the President, when Mr Tuubo, an NDC mole, was preparing briefs for him (IGP) to communicate to the President? As mole as Mr Tuubo has proved himself to be, was he not misleading the IGP and by extension the President, on whatever security policies he was writing for the IGP hence the numerous acts of insecurity visited upon the country under their tenure of office?

Anyway, let me bring to the attention of Mr Tuubo, the attitudes by the current British Prime Minister, Mr Boris Johnson, in comparison to those of President Nana Akufo-Addo, to see which one of them could be said to be a dictator or a democratic dictator intolerant of dissenting views. Mr Boris Johnson prorogued (suspended) British Parliament unusually for five weeks in the peace time political history of Great Britain. He was warned against the consequences of such a move when it became obvious that he had plans to suspend parliament with intent to push through his "no deal" Brexit withdrawal from the European Union. Despite the numerous warnings to him from the opposition parties and some MPs from his own Tory party, he went ahead to get the queen's approval to prorogue parliament.

After probably, but which is very likely, lying to the queen to persuade her to grant him permission to suspend parliament, some aggrieved MPs and opposition parties took him to court. In the end, the case went to the British Supreme Court on appeal after a High Court in London declaring a favourable verdict for Boris while the Court of Session in Scotland found his move wrong. On appeal to the Supreme Court, Boris was unanimously found by a 11-member Supreme Court Justices panel to have suspended parliament unlawfully. The Supreme Court then declared that parliament has not been suspended and asked the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Bercow, to take immediate steps to open parliament as he doe see fit.

When parliament reopened, Mr Boris Johnson has expressed his opinion publicly and on the floor of parliament that he disagrees with the Supreme Court verdict, although he would abide by their decision. He accuses the Supreme Court of dabbling in political issues which had better be left to politicians to sort them out. He makes dangerous pronouncements that have the potential to incite those supportive of his cause to cause harm to his perceived political opponents. He does this on purpose without minding the consequences of his diabolic actions and overambitious quest to get the UK out of the European Union whether do or die, on 31 October 2019. He goes on to make a mockery of the death of a fellow MP, Jo Cox of the Labour party who was assassinated in 2016 during the campaign of the referendum to remain or leave the European Union. The female MP was for remain. She was killed by a male who was for leave, all because of the cause she was championing.

A Prime Minister who disregards the laws to do whatever he wants even in the face of being made aware of causing a breach by his actions, could he not be termed a dictator or a democratic dictator, whichever classification appeals to Mr Tuubo? Does President Nana Akufo-Addo do as Mr Boris Johnson is doing? Even by Boris' attitudes and stubborn actions, no one has been gleefully or teasingly calling him a dictator.

May Mr Tuubo list some of the behaviours of President Nana Akufo-Addo to prove him a dictator?

What about Mr Tuubo himself? Is he a traitor, an NDC mole planted in an office of an IGP appointed by an NPP government? What is he?

Has he not run to join a political party (NDC) that has vowed and strategized to cause insecurity in the country through arson, kidnappings, insults and armed robberies to make the NPP government unpopular and be hated by the public to get them voted out of power come election 2020? What is Mr Tuubo calling such a devilish political party of which he is a secret member since 1992?

Does not Mr Tuubo support the view as expressed by Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, the Chairman of NDC, to cause insecurity in the nation? What a shame on a senior police officer who had probably secretly been communicating police and government secrets to his evil NDC party all for his self-serving parochial interests.

Politician in police uniform, Mr Tuubo, what do you see yourself as, a traitor, or a mole?