Government must not burst the bubble of democratic freedoms - Miracles Aboagye

Dennis Miracles Aboagye, aspiring National Communications Officer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), cautioned the government against actions that could undermine democratic freedoms, particularly the right of citizens to freely express their views. Speaking in an interview on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday on the recent 'Democracy Under Attack demonstration, Mr. Aboagye described protests as a powerful tool that can help governments break out of what he called a "bubble" created by the trappings of political power. He stated, "Sometimes when you are in government, and we will be in there, you find yourself in a bubble. If you don't take care, you will see things only as they appear to you where you are."

Mr. Aboagye explained that demonstrations and public dissent can serve as a reality check for governments by exposing concerns not visible from within government. He added, "Protest sometimes pokes this bubble, bursts it, and then you feel a certain new air, and you decide what to do." He said governments often find it easy to justify their decisions while in power, but warned that such approaches are rarely sustainable when they fail to respond to legitimate public concerns. He also stated that the arrest and prosecution of citizens over comments made on social media raise serious questions about the state of freedom of expression in Ghana.