B/A GJA Chairman Calls Ablakwa To Order

B/A GJA Chairman Calls Ablakwa To Order

From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

Comments made by a Deputy Minister for Information, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa last weekend describing the Ghanaian media as terrorist has incurred the wrath of the Chairman of the Brong Ahafo Regional Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Ian Motey, who is demanding that the minister comes out to explain what he meant by “media terrorism.”

According to the GJA chairman, when it comes to media terrorism it is they the politicians that set the agenda instead of the media doing so.

Mr. Motey told Daily Guide in an interview that there are many professional journalists in the media who do not dabble in the affairs of the politicians, and so their conscience cannot tolerate the insults from politicians anymore.

 “I respect people like Okudjeto and all honourables. As much as I do that there is also respectable people in the media whose intelligence should not be toiled with,” the GJA chairman said whiles challenging Mr. Okudjeto to explain his media terrorism.

The GJA chairman further stated that in as much as the media want to help the government to deliver on its Better Ghana Agenda, people like the deputy minister should not insult the professionals in the media.

“He might have insulted the former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, but he should watch his utterances because it might bring him down,” he added.

“His Excellency Atta Mills is a humble man and a father for all so people like Okudjeto should be brought to order to avoid the riots of people,” he opined.

Mr. Motey called on the deputy minister to respect members of the media like any other professional body.

“But for the fact that he is being giving the platform by the media to speak, which he does well, should not give him the platform to underrate and disturb the intellectual capacity of some of the professionals like myself who have been practicing this profession for two decades now. I challenge him to explain the word if he knows the meaning of the words he used,” he angrily said.

“How safe are we when we land outside the shores of Ghana and identify ourselves as journalists, can’t we be blacklisted and treated as terror suspects?” If we live in our own country and a minister of information identifies journalists as terrorists and the government shouts up without calling him to order then he is creating fear and panic,” he concluded.