The Deputy Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Upper East Region Andrew Atariwini says president Akufo-Addo should not have insisted chiefs rise and greet him.
Speaking in an interview on Breakfast Today on Dreamz FM, Andrew Atariwine said the controversy that greeted his action could have been avoided if he had just greeted the chiefs and ignore their failure to rise up in his reverence.
He argued that although the constitution indicates that the president takes precedence over any other person in the country and thus, he should be highly regarded, he shouldn’t be the one insisting people show him respect.
“ I believe this could have been avoided. Just greet and go away. There’s nothing wrong with that,” he stated.
Atariwine blamed the protocol officers at the said events for failing to ensure the gathering was up on their feet when the president arrived.
“I also believe that it’s a failure of protocols. Failure of protocols not in terms of the practice of protocol but those protocol officers who were supposed to lead this thing. The president didn’t have to be the one to instruct a chief to do that. It means you’re literally self-serving”.
President Akufo-Addo has come under public criticisms after videos of him allegedly instructing chiefs to rise and greet him at events emerged on social media.
Many who are displeased with the supposed actions of the president accused him of being disrespectful and arrogant towards traditional leaders.
In a post on social media, former president John Dramani Mahama expressed grave concern about the president’s action.
But the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, in a statement, justified it but denied that he instructed the overlord of the Gonja traditional area to stand up and greet him.
But Atariwine dismissed the assertion that the president was disrespectful and arrogant towards the chiefs.
