Lawyer Martin Kpebu has warned President John Mahama that continued arrests over political comments could gradually erode the goodwill enjoyed by his government.

Speaking on TV3’s The Key Points on Saturday, August 8, Mr Kpebu said the Mahama administration needed to pay attention to what he described as its record of arrests over free speech matters.

“These things start small; before he realises, all the goodwill is gone. Let the people talk.”

He said the government should be careful about how it responds to criticism and political commentary.

Mr Kpebu also urged the government to “sit up”, arguing that arrests should not be used to silence people.

“You can't shut people down by arrests. I think the government should sit up.”

He earlier said the current government had recorded more arrests over free speech matters in its first 18 months than the Nana Akufo-Addo administration did during its eight years in office.

“For one and a half years, this current government has arrested more people on matters of free speech than Akufo-Addo's eight years. It is a bad record for John Mahama; they should be careful. Mahama should pay attention,” he said.

Mr Kpebu said allowing people to speak, including those who make harsh or offensive political comments, was important to preserving public goodwill.

He suggested that the government consider alternatives to arrest when dealing with offensive public commentary, including fines or public naming and shaming where appropriate.