Criminal Libel Is Archaic - Pianim

August 6, 1998 by Gabril Gbanabame

Accra - The guest speaker at the fifth John Kugblenu Memorial Lectures, renowned economist Andrew Kwame Pianim, has called for the scrapping of the country's criminal and seditious libel laws which he

described as archaic.

Pianim lamented the erosion of freedom of expression in Ghana and the despair of some media practitioners and others who, he said, had either resigned themselves to fate, given up or were simply praying for divine intervention. This state of affairs, he opined, militates against the overall development of the country. He urged Ghanaians not to lose sight of the power of dissent which, according to him, is one of the ingredients of true democracy.

"I salute all the censury heroes of the press who, despite the odds, continue to strive for free expression," he said. Mr. Pianim made these remarks on Tuesday, August 4, at the British Council Hall. He was speaking on the topic -"Ghana, the land of missed opportunities: making strategic choices for accelerated development in the 21st century."

Pianim paid tribute to the courage and resilience of the late John Kugblenu, former editor of the Free Press newspaper and publisher Tommy Thompson who, he said, have endured immense suffering in the struggle for a free society. He also noted that the Kugblenu Lectures are a unique platform for the discussion of pertinent national issues in Ghana today and he therefore commended Mr. Thompson for the initiative.

Elaborating on the problems of the press in Ghana and the rest of Africa, Pianim said it takes a lot of courage to confront those who wield immense state power and that the nation owes a debt of gratitude to people like the late John Kugblenu. The guest speaker, who was at one time in prison with John Kugblenu, described the late journalist as a simple and untemperamental personality who never surrendered to angry outbursts but merely used irony to express his feelings.

"The death of Kugblenu is a great loss to Ghana," he said. Mr. Pianim then stressed the importance of tolerance which he said is a sine qua non for peace and development. He said there is a need for Ghanaians to come to terms with dissent, especially political dissent, which he noted is needed by the electorate to make informed judgements on national issues.

"Without tolerance there will be sycophancy," he warned. Continuing, this year's guest speaker said it is the fear of exposure that keeps public officials in check and that the press should not be faltered by what he described as bad laws. The removal of such laws, he added, would pave the way for accountability and probity in Ghana.

Turning to economic issues, Pianim said according to studies carried out by economists in the country, Ghana needs a minimum annual growth rate of 8 per cent to create an environment that will lead to the improvement of the standard of living of the average Ghanaian worker. He said Ghana's annual growth rate today is only 5 per cent, and that it will take years for the country to return to the standard of living it enjoyed in 1965. He underscored the importance of democracy and a market-based economy for rapid economic development and pointed out that totalitarianism has been one of the major causes of Africa's backwardness.

He called on the country's intellectuals to be critical of public policy and other issues of national life so that the people could meaningfully participate in national development. He observed that Vision 2020, the NDC Government's policy guidelines, if well-managed and implemented can lead to accelerated economic development but he lamented that the present Government has not been following the presumptions of Vision 2020.

Mr. Pianim concluded the first part of his lecture by debunking the widespread belief that modernised agriculture is a panacea for Africa's problems. He said even though agriculture should not be ignored, sustained and accelerated development can only take place in a country like Ghana if other options are considered. The ceremony was chaired by retired Justice F.K. Apaloo, a former Chief Justice of Ghana and Kenya.