DEPUTY INFORMATION Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has been cautioned by a group calling itself the Concerned Students Coalition (CSC), USA Chapter, to gag his harsh utterances, which seem to attack former ministers and sympathizers of the Kufuor-led administration.
It however noted that the Information Ministry was established purposely to inform and educate the citizenry on both government and national issues and not a platform for flexing political muscles.
In a joint press statement by the Coalition’s Communications Director, Peter Jackson Wadja, and Research Director, William Yamoah, it said that “we clearly want to state that it is however consequential for the Hon. Deputy Minister of Information to distinguish between an administrative position and a political propagandistâ€.
The Coalition further observed that Mr. Ablakwa had on several occasions used his office to make utterances which spoke ill of certain personalities in opposition, a situation “we feel is a total deviation from what the Ministry stands for. It is unacceptable for him to make unsubstantiated statements and later apologize or retractâ€.
In addition, CSC said that it was unethical and childish for him to order former government officials to return state vehicles in their custody and later render frivolous apologies to those he wrongly accused, stressing that “such an attitude does not augur well for his new positionâ€.
Describing Ms. Ursula Owusu’s recent views on the Narcotic Control Board (NACOB) as ‘ranting’, according to the group, amounted to gross disrespect. “For him also to describe the flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as a ‘serial caller’ after his press conference to address the current state of affairs in the country is rather unfortunate and uncalled for,†it added.
Again, such approach, according to CSC, “does not provide an atmosphere enough for political cohesion and thus, presupposes that political opponents should have no say in the country’s development agenda. The beauty of democracy provides room for diverse opinions and people’s views must be respected but not castigatedâ€.
“We feel as Information Minister, he has not done enough to inform, educate or exonerate the government from certain allegations but rather end up inciting and attacking personalities,†CSC noted.
It therefore pointed out that regardless of one’s socio-economic or political pedigree, “our culture teaches us to respect the elderly in societyâ€.
