Deputy Government Spokesperson Shamima Muslim has urged the leadership of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to call its youth wing to order over what she describes as its consistent disrespect for the Presidency.

Her comments follow an incident during the youth wing’s ‘Yɛgye Yɛ Sika’ demonstration on Tuesday, November 3, when she received a petition from the protesters but was allegedly not allowed to address them.

Speaking on Accra-based Citi FM, Ms Muslim said she had met the leadership of the protesters and received their petition courteously, but was repeatedly interrupted when she attempted to speak.

According to her, the demonstrators began singing and chanting immediately after she took the microphone, making it difficult for her to deliver her response.

She explained that she had intended to acknowledge receipt of the petition and inform the demonstrators that it would be sent to the Chief of Staff’s Office for onward submission to the President.

“I received it, and I was supposed to now make a very final comment about accepting the petition and assuring them that the petition will be submitted to the Chief of Staff’s Office for onward referral to the President’s attention,” she said.

Ms Muslim said the incident was not an isolated occurrence, recalling similar encounters involving other government officials and members of the presidential staff.

“They did it to Nana Yaa Jantua, they did it to Sammy Ayeh, a presidential staffer, when they refused to hand over their petition because they said they wanted a senior person from the Presidency,” she said.

Describing the conduct as a recurring pattern, she said the NPP youth wing needed to reflect on its approach when engaging government officials.

“It’s a character thing, and they should look at it and try to advise themselves before they set out. You know, it’s a character thing. It’s not a one-off thing,” she said.

The Deputy Government Spokesperson maintained that political demonstrations should not be an excuse for disregarding basic courtesies, insisting that protesters were expected to show respect while presenting their concerns.

She stressed, however, that opposition groups were free to organise demonstrations and submit petitions, adding that the government was willing to listen to their concerns.

“They can protest as many times as they want. As you have seen, we have not arrested anybody. We did not manhandle anybody,” she said.

Ms Muslim also disclosed that the petition presented by the NPP youth wing had been sent to the Office of the Chief of Staff for review.

According to her, the government would consider the concerns outlined in the petition and act on them where necessary if they were deemed legitimate.