Law of causing fear and alarm must stay – Effah Darteh

A former Deputy Minster of Interior of erstwhile Kufour’s administration Capt Rt Effah Nkrabea Darteh has said any attempt to repeal the law of causing fear and alarm could spell doom for the Ghana’s young democracy.

According to the Accra legal expert, the spirit of the law was to streamline the propagation of falsehood by a section of the media which has tendencies to create a chaotic situation in the country adding that journalists must be guided by this Act the discharge of their duties.

Speaking ion Classic Morning Show Mr. Effah Darteh who was the MP for Brekum warned journalists to desist from publishing malicious and fabricated stories against those in the authorities.

The Editor of the state-owned Newspaper, Ghanaian Times, was asked to report to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters of the Ghana Police Service Thursday for allegedly spreading false news to cause fear and alarm.

The police are expected to question the editor, Enimil Ashon, over Wednesday’s front page story titled Robbers occupy five police buildings.

The law on spreading false news to cause fear and alarm has attracted condemnation from civil society groups and press freedom advocates after police Monday said they were slapping the charge on the acting News Editor of Joy FM. Some have called for its repeal.

Capt Rt Effah Nkrabea Darteh advised the media to be circumspect in their reportage to ensure total cohesion of the country.

When asked by the programme host Alhaji Tanko that should the law stay or not Capt Rt Effah Nkrabea Darteh reiterated that it is a good law and it must stay in our statutory book to protect individuals image from being damaged by some yellow journalists.

By Antwi Boasiako John Classic fm Techiman