Journalist and Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana show host, Paul Adom-Otchere, has weighed in on the minority’s refusal to present their petition to the representative of the Bank of Ghana (BoG) governor and Head of Security, Wing Commander Kwame Asare Boateng, slamming the leadership of the National Democratic Congress for their “contemptuous” disregard for BoG’s head of security.
Paul Adom-Otchere, while speaking on his show on October 3, 2023, mentioned that the receiving of the petition by the head of security on behalf of the BoG governor was no sign of disrespect, as purported by the NDC, an act that dates way back to the time of late president Fiifi Atta Mills and Flt.Lt. Jerry Rawlings.
Considering the weight of ranks compared to the late Flt.Ltd. Jerry John Rawlings, founder of the NDC, Paul noted that Wing Commander Kwame Asare is senior to the founder of the “whole NDC.”
He said, “Now who is a wing commander ? He is higher than a flight lieutenant.We had a flight lieutenant who became a commander in chief and later a successful president. You respect him but you don’t respect a wing commander higher than a flight lieutenant?
“I don’t understand the NDC. You had a flight lieutenant setting up your party and a flight ltd will salute a wing commander every morning, and you’ve come to meet the wing commander and you say I won’t hand a petition to you because you are security; your party was set up by a flight lieutenant. Your whole NDC was founded by his junior.
“Flt. Lt. Rawlings is junior to this man. Flt. Lt. Rawlings, a captain, set up your while party; you respect that,” he fumed.
He said the leadership of the NDC has rather disrespected Wing Commander Kwame after Minority Leader Ato Forson remarked that “we never said we were going to present our petition to the head of security or someone responsible for security”.
Apologising on behalf of the NDC , Paul called out the leadership of the NDC to rather apologise to BoG’s head of security for their gross disrespect.
“I was totally surprised; that is totally disrespectful, not just to the man but also if you look at Ato Forson and the man’s profile, given that Ato Forson has been elected by some people, I respect that but if you look at the man’s profile, Ato Forson should not be able to tell him that you have disrespected me
“Why do you disrespect such an important person because he was called security? You are the minority leader; you read through documents all the time,” Paul noted.
On October 3, 2023, hundreds of Ghanaians led by the Minority in Parliament throng the streets to demand the removal of BoG’s governor, Dr. Ernest Addison, who is accused of mismanaging the Central Bank.
Hopeful of meeting the governor himself, they were left disappointed and feeling “disrespected,” as mentioned by the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, after Head of Security, Wing Commander Kwame Asare Boateng, announced he would be receiving the petition on the governor’s behalf.
He informed the delegation that Dr Addison had been occupied by a team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), hence his absence.
The Minority Leader, Dr Ato Forson, in turn, got upset and vented his spleen over what he described as gross disrespect by the BoG Governor to Parliament and Ghanaians.
Dr Ato Forson refused to present the petition to Wing Commander Kwame Asare Boateng (rtd), stressing that another protest would be held in the coming days.
According to the Minority Leader, the next demonstration will afford the BoG Governor the opportunity to show up and right his wrongs.