Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Monday, May 18, Dr Zaato said it was inconsistent for people to defend one commentator while condemning another, depending on political alignment.
He further compared public responses to political commentator Kevin Taylor and activist Kwame Baffoe, known as Abronye.
“If you supported or provided shelter for Kevin Taylor and today you are condemning Abronye, that is witchcraft,” he said, adding that such positions reflected “height of hypocrisy”.
He argued that political commentary in a democracy often includes harsh and provocative language, and warned against what he described as selective outrage.
“These things are baked into democracy,” he said. “People will speak in ways that are sometimes irresponsible. But constantly weaponising it only escalates tension.”
Dr Zaato urged greater tolerance in political discourse, saying repeated escalation of speech-related conflicts could undermine democratic stability.
He also cautioned against concentrating power excessively, quoting the view that “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, and suggesting that institutions and individuals alike must exercise restraint.
Addressing questions around enforcement of court orders and state protection, he noted that warrants and legal processes are ultimately enforced by the state, not private individuals, and argued that inconsistencies in enforcement fuel public suspicion.
He said Ghana needed to “take the pedal off the car” and build greater tolerance for political disagreement, rather than escalating disputes that could otherwise be managed within democratic norms.