Governance analyst Ali Moro has called for neutrality from state institutions in politically sensitive matters while criticizing comments made by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin over the handling of a recent court case.
Speaking on Dreamz FM’s “Dreamz Breakfast News,” Mr Moro said institutions such as the police and judiciary must remain independent and avoid perceptions of political bias.
“It is important that these agencies should be seen to be independent rather than just as tools that are used by the government of the day,” he said.
Mr Moro warned that public confidence in state institutions could erode if Ghanaians perceive them as serving partisan interests instead of the broader national good.
“Once people start seeing some of these agencies as nothing but tools of government, then they lose their credibility and their essence of being there,” he stated.
Commenting on the handling of the case involving opposition activist Abunya, Imoro said some aspects of the judicial process appeared excessive, although concerns should be addressed through legal procedures rather than public attacks.
“At best, what Abunya did is a misdemeanor case,” he said. “Why would he now be spending two weeks in cells?”
He suggested that bail conditions could have been imposed instead of prolonged detention.
“You could have cautioned him as a judge that, ‘Okay, I’m granting you bail on this condition,’ and then he would be fine,” Mr Moro added.
The governance analyst, however, criticized comments made by Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin against the judge handling the matter, describing the remarks as inappropriate given his position as leader of the parliamentary minority.
“The comments that were made by the minority leader, to me, were below the belt. They were quite unfortunate,” he said.
Mr Moro said while criticism of judicial decisions is legitimate, attacks from senior lawmakers could create tension between the arms of government.
“Once the leadership of the legislature makes such a comment and an attack, it becomes like an attack on the judiciary,” he noted.
He also dismissed the opposition’s decision to escalate the matter to the diplomatic community, describing it as largely political strategy.
“That is just optics. That is just politics that they are doing,” Mr Moro said.
According to him, the move was intended more to shape political narratives than to secure diplomatic intervention.
“They are trying to communicate to the diplomatic community that press freedom is under siege,” he said. “But it’s nothing but political optics.”
Mr Moro concluded by urging leaders of state institutions to remember that they serve all citizens regardless of political affiliation.
“We should have state agencies that are designed for the overall interest of every Ghanaian and not some Ghanaians,” he said.
