Position by NMC has vindicated me - Sam George

The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George says he has been vindicated by the response from the National Media Commission (NMC) on the directive issued by the Communications Ministry to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) to reduce their digital television channels on the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform.

The legislator had raised concerns over the directive describing it as illegal.

He told the media after the directive became public that the Minister had no locus to issue such a directive and it was only an attempt to undermine the work of the state broadcaster for the benefit of family and friends of the government.

The Minister in an interview with journalists in parliament last week Wednesday said among the reasons for the intended closure of the channels of the state broadcaster, is the need to create redundancy on the DTT platform which she said is operating at full capacity.

Also, Mrs Owusu-Ekuful claims the government has no platform of its own to communicate to the nation.

But the NMC through a statement has ruled that the directive by the Ministry of Communications to the state broadcaster to reduce their digital television channels on the national digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform undermines the 1992 Constitution.

The NMC in its statement noted that any action by any entity which culminates into limiting or depriving the media of the use of public resources legitimately allocated to serve the nation as anticipated by the constitution.

It said: "The Commission wishes to state clearly that the directive given to GBC and Crystal TV by the Minister for Communications purports to usurp the constitutional mandate and authority of the National Media Commission and same cannot be obliged under our current constitutional dispensation.

"We wish, however, to take advantage of the current discussion to draw public attention to the Commission’s concerns regarding the operations, management and governance of the National DTT platform.”

Reacting to this, the NDC MP in a Facebook post said: "Yet again my position has been vindicated against that of the Ministry of Communications Ghana in the matters relating to the directives of the Minister on Ghana’s DTT infrastructure".

"My ‘fertile and mischievous imagination’ as the Minister described it is actually the position of the law as upheld by the Constitutionally mandated body on such matters – the National Media Commission".

"I would continue to hold the Ministry and Minister to the highest standards required of that noble office and offer my support when they get it right. In service to God and Country.”