Atta Mills for Court?

New GBC boss, Eva Lokko has received her first baptism of political fire less than a month after being appointed Director General. She may become a defendant in a court case even before she has finished enjoying her pay first package. This is because the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has protested against GTV's alleged refusal to allow Professor John Evans Mills access to airtime.

A statement signed by Mr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Chairman of the Communication and Media Committee, complained that "Prof. Mills' Campaign Committee had offered to pay to have telecast on GTV a 25-minute edited version of the press conference he held on 10 September, 2002."

During the press conference Professor Mills declared his intention to contest for the position of presidential candidate of the NDC at its December Congress.

Spio Garbrah's statement said a letter from GBC signed by Mr. Wallace Bampoe-Addo, Acting Director of TV, stated that "Corporate policy does not allow the paid full broadcast of this kind of material during the 'political off-season' except in our news bulletin."

Prof. Mills is said to have expressed disquiet, claiming that this is the third time that he was being denied access to the publicly owned airtime managed on behalf of the people of Ghana by GBC.

The first time, said Spio Garbrah's statement, was when the state-owned television station declined to broadcast an edited version of a press conference he held in April last year. The second was in September 2001, when Volta Star, the GBC-managed FM station in Ho, denied him access for an on-air interview.

The statement said the NDC Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Alhaji Mohamad Mumuni, expressed surprise and sadness at the way GBC was managing a state asset, contrary to constitutional provision of free expression and access by various political persuasions to the state-owned media.

"If a respected former Vice President of Ghana, known for his moderate views, who also happens to be a presidential aspirant cannot have his full views heard even for a fee, then God save the ordinary citizen of Ghana."

Mills' campaign team indicated that GTV may be sued for that. According to the GNA, "a legal advisor to Prof. Mills for President Committee has indicated that the Professor's lawyers are studying the matter, and the issue is likely to be sent to the Media Commission or even the Courts. The lawyer wondered whether the GBC has forgotten so early a judicial decision obtained against them by the NPP on a similar matter a few years ago". In this case, Professor Mills' lawyer may find that his case would be thrown out, for the Supreme Court's landmark decision was the right to a response.

Stretching the case a little too far, "other members of the Mills campaign feel that this latest decision of the GBC is only one example of many incidents that show how the high level of insecurity and intolerance of the NPP administration is leading to questionable behaviour by various government agencies, including some of the security and law enforcement organisations and the state-owned media."

"Is there anything like a political season in Ghana and when have the state-owned media been responsible for defining this so-called 'political season'?"

The Mills Campaign team is likely to formally petition the Media Commission, with court action as an option pretty soon.

Reacting to the protest, Ms Eva Lokko, Director General of GBC told the GNA that she was sad that political motives were being imputed in the decision to decline access to its facilities for political campaigns.

She said the decision was not influenced by political considerations, "it was a matter of policy that the GBC affords all political parties equal opportunity to air their programmes, but this is done only during the political season. The activities of Professor Mills would continue to be covered as was done when he arrived from Canada. The GBC was at the airport and he was given coverage free of charge since it was a major news item, Ms. Lokko said. She wished Prof. Mills good luck in his second attempt to become the President of Ghana.

Meanwhile, people close to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have also been complaining about the shabby treatment being given the government and even President Kufuor by GTV. Ironically, their latest grouse also involves Professor Mills.

At the Cape Coast Afahye festival, at which a major government delegation was present, the arrival of Professor Mills was heralded on GTV news about the festival as the high point when according to eyewitnesses, Professor Mills' arrival at the festival grounds was hardly acknowledged by the huge crowd. "This," said an NPP supporter to The Accra Daily Mail, "shows that GTV's allegiance is still to NDC and not the government." Though Election 2004 is many months away, GTV's moves would be critically monitored by all the political parties, but especially the NPP and NDC, the two parties that would slog it out once again for the Castle and Parliament House.