‘Democratically elected but…’ – Manasseh presents a transcript of God’s cross-examination of Ghana
Following the arrest and continued remand of Oliver Barker-Vormavor, the convener of the #FixTheCountry Movement, many have questioned why the state is still keeping the activist in a custody weeks after his arrest.
Oliver Barker-Vormawor has been in detention since his arrest on February 11 this year. He was charged with treason felony. He has been frustrated in several attempts to secure bail and the latest was the adjournment of the bail ruling by the Tema High Court to Wednesday, March 16. The judge noted that his “mind is made up” but he needed more time to give a detail ruling thus the adjournment.
Manasseh who has earlier said he will now be careful in openly supporting the #FixTheCountry movement owing to the comments of its leader Mr Barker-Vormawor has in a transcript titled, “God Crossed Examines the state on Barker-Vormawor’s Detention”, described what would have happened if the state is to be crossed examined by God for the continuous caging of the activist.
Read below the full transcript.
God Cross Examines the State on Barker-Vormawor’s Detention
By Manasseh Azure Awuni
GOD: Why are you still keeping Barker-Vormawor in detention.
STATE: Granting him bail will hurt the investigations and…
GOD: Will you stop lying? Remember who you are speaking with.
STATE: Sorry, sir. The truth is that we cannot sustain the charges against him in court. In the past, we could not sustain similar charges against people…
GOD: Then why don’t you release him?
STATE: What he has said is very bad. If we leave him, others will do same or even worse.
GOD: So?
STATE: Keeping him in custody is our way of punishing him. If the courts eventually free him, we will have taught him a lesson.
GOD: Do you know that these are things that are done in military regimes, when coups are in place?
STATE: Of course, Sir, we know.
GOD: And why are you keeping him in detention? What has he done?
STATE: He was inciting a coup to overthrow a democratically elected government.
GOD: Why are you not applying democratic processes in his case if you’re truly a democratically-elected government?
STATE: Sir, with all due respect, I expected you to know that there is a difference between a democratically-ELECTED government and and a government that GOVERNS democratically. In Africa and most part of the developing world, we are democratically elected but we rule differently.
