Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has criticised what he describes as the continued politicisation of Ghana’s drug problem, describing the trend as “nauseating.”
According to Manasseh Azure, people who have followed Ghana’s politics under the Fourth Republic will remember how the issue of illicit drugs has repeatedly featured in political discourse.
Manasseh Azure recalled how the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was previously labelled a “cocaine party,” arguing that the politicisation of the drug problem may not end anytime soon.
He also criticised the Majority in Parliament over attempts to link recent cocaine seizures to a policy introduced under the previous NPP administration.
The Investigative journalist argued that the current Mahama administration has been in office for nearly two years and should therefore take responsibility for identifying and addressing weaknesses in the country’s security and narcotics control systems.
Manasseh maintained that attempts to shift responsibility for the recent seizures to the previous NPP government “will not wash,” insisting that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration is now in charge and must be accountable for the country’s current security and drug-control challenges.
In a Facebook post, Manasseh Azure Awuni wrote, “You have been in office for nearly two years. Granted that there was a flawed policy at the port that affected vigilance over drugs, as you claim, the officials you appointed over a year ago should have assessed and realised the gaps.
Don’t create the impression that your security advisors and narcotics officials are dumb, that they could not diagnose the gaps until foreigners started busting drug shipments from Ghana.
Blaming the NPP for the drug menace is unacceptably lame. You were elected to fix the problems you said the NPP was incapable of fixing.
You told us that you had better ideas and solutions for our nation’s challenges. You told us to reject the NPP so that your superior ideas and solutions could be implemented.
After nearly two years in office, you are responsible for fixing the shipment drug problem. You can’t take credit for the positive developments and blame the NPP for the lapses under your watch.
It doesn’t make sense to continue to blame the NPP when you’re in charge of the entire national security architecture of the nation.
The politicisation of the drugs problem is nauseating, but those of us who have followed the politics of the Fourth Republic remember those who championed it in the past. We remember how the NPP was called a cocaine party. So, the politics may not end today.
As for the real issues, President Mahama and the NDC administration are responsible for solving the problem we have now.
Do not shift blame to the opposition. It will not wash. They are not in charge. You are”.
See the post below:
@ghnow_ Hon. Jerry Ahmed has called on the government to address the cocaine-related issues in the country. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ NPP National Organizer Henry Nana Boakye describes EOCO’s attempted arrest of Manhyia South MP and legal counsel for Salomey Awiti Bafo, Baffour Awuah, as shameful #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
@ghnow_ Majority MP George Kweku Ricketts-Hagan has criticised the previous NPP administration’s approach to combating drug-related cases, saying it relied on outdated technology to tackle modern narcotics challenges. #GHnow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
