President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday said the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law was a benchmark of proper democratic, liberal and social evolution in the country.
He said the law was introduced by the colonial rulers to ensure that state authority was not challenged, adding: "Our government, which believes in the rule of law, human rights and freedom of speech, had to repeal it for the benefit of society."
President Kufuor said this when a five-man delegation from the National Executive Committee of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle, Osu, to show appreciation to the government for releasing a building for the association's permanent secretariat.
He said the repeal of the law was not to condone loose talk but to ensure that people, who hold office, were responsible and anyone who benefited from its repeal would appreciate it.
President Kufuor said with the repeal of the law the government was counting on media practitioners not to indulge in publications that would undermine the state or create an opportunity for evil forces to operate.
"The government, mass media and civil society would have to relate favourably in order that no one would take the country for a ride to enable us build a country in which democracy would thrive", President Kufuor said.
President Kufuor expressed appreciation to the association for its concern about the government's efforts at upholding human rights and freedom of expression as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution.
He said the government's gesture was a result of the lack of physical infrastructure for the association to function properly and expressed the hope that the building would help strengthen the media to play its role as the Fourth Estate of the Realm.
"We would continue to support you to perform well and grow with a sense of responsibility for Ghana", the President said.
Miss Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of Media Relations, said the sentiments being expressed by some members of the judiciary with regard to the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law was a reflection of some of the anxieties in the society and asked journalists to handle the freedom of speech with much circumspection.
She said the government has demonstrated its confidence in the media in its role of nurturing democracy and it was the responsibility of journalists to return the confidence by ensuring that the repeal of the law made a positive impact on society so that other repressive laws in the statute books could be expunged.
Mrs Gifty Affienyi-Dadzie, President of the GJA, commended the government for initiating the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law, which she said had changed the media landscape.
