President Kufuor salutes the media on world press freedom day

President John Agyekum Kufuor on Friday expressed his best wishes to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and all media personnel on the occasion of world Press Freedom Day.

"Let me take this opportunity to re-affirm the government's commitment to the enhancement of the fundamental human right of freedom of expression, without which the human spirit is deprived of its vital breath," he said. In a statement signed by Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the President said the repeal by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of the criminal libel law that sought to criminalise speech attested to that commitment.

He said coming in the wake of recent events in Yendi, the theme for the celebration in Ghana: "The Media, Conflict Management and National Stability" could not have been more appropriate. "The theme is a clear testimony of the commitment of media in Ghana to assist in the creation of a peaceful and stable environment, without which the progress and development we need as a country will prove illusive," President Kufuor said.

He congratulated the brave and hard working journalists, broadcasters and other media practitioners, whose tireless efforts at defending the tenets of democracy and free society continued to yield positive results. President Kufuor said every objective observer would acknowledge the gigantic role the Ghanaian media had played and continued to play in the nation's quest to entrench multiparty democracy in Ghana.

He urged all the media to work closely with the government to push forward the national development agenda without compromising the watchdog role of the esteemed Fourth Estate of the Realm.