No CSO muzzled under Akufo-Addo – Prof Gyampo

A Senior Political Science Lecture at the University of Ghana-Legon, Professor Ransford Gyampo, has said he has no knowledge of any Civil Society Organization (CSO) being gagged under President Akufo-Addo’s administration.

The Political Science Lecturer reiterated that he does not believe that CSOs and the voices of reasons in the country are silent on issues bordering on governance and the well-being of Ghanaians.

“To talk about culture of silence, it means that there is a force or a power that will punish you if you dare speak up your mind. As far as I am concern, I don’t think that any government or the current has got that political muscle to think of punishing officials of Christian Council, the Ghana Bar Association for them speaking their mind,” Prof Gyampo stated.

He however argued the ‘culture of silence' claim should be viewed holistically adding that the CSOs were vociferous on issues of the immediate past Auditor General and the Special Prosecutor.

“I don’t know if there’s any vociferously political critic who has been asked to shut up. Even me, I’m still talking. You might receive threatening texts here and there. I believe on this issue we must try and present a holistic picture. Generally, I think a few Ghanaians who have spoken their minds haven’t been gagged just that they receive text messages from cowards,” he told Starr FM Tuesday.

Ghanaian businessman, Dr. Sam Jonah has in a recent address sparked conversations over what he termed the creeping culture of silence in the country.

“What is baffling is that those who used to have voices on these things seem to have lost their voices. People speak on issues based on who is in power. Is our deafening silence suggesting that we are no longer concerned about issues that we complained about not too long ago, particularly when those issues persist… The molestation of and in some cases assassination of journalists, murder of MPs, corruption, the harassment of anti-corruption agents,” he stressed.