Majority Chief Whip Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor has criticised the arrest and detention of people over comments deemed insulting to the government or public officials, warning that such actions could hurt the administration rather than protect it.

He said although insults against public officials were regrettable and should not be encouraged, they did not necessarily pose a threat to the government and should not automatically result in arrests.

Mr Dafeamekpor said he was unhappy with some of the recent arrests, arguing that they risk creating unnecessary controversy for the government.

“I am upset by some of these arrests; it hurts the government. Sometimes government doesn’t even sanction them; it’s the police,” he said.

The South Dayi MP urged the government to pay closer attention to the issue, particularly amid concerns that such arrests could create the impression that the administration was intolerant of criticism and dissent.

“I think that as government, we must pay attention to some of these things; it doesn’t help. These things don’t detract from the government in any way, so they should allow the people to speak,” he said in an interview with TV3.

Mr Dafeamekpor maintained that the government should concentrate on fulfilling the mandate given to it by Ghanaians rather than allow arrests arising from political commentary to distract from its work.

“Let’s focus on our mandate and deliver. As a government, we don’t want this at all. Arresting people and confining them, it doesn’t help us. That is my disclaimer,” he stated.

He stressed that while offensive comments should not be condoned, the broader political and democratic consequences of arresting people over their utterances must also be considered.

His comments come amid renewed debate over free speech and the use of state institutions following the opposition New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) “Democracy Under Attack” demonstration on Thursday, August 6.

The NPP said the protest was intended to raise concerns about the rule of law, constitutional governance and democratic accountability.

The opposition party has accused the government of political persecution, selective justice and abuse of state institutions — allegations the government has rejected.