Ghana Journalists Association, A Stinky Fraternity

Or The Inky Fraternity?

The TRADITIONAL ROLE of the press is to INFORM and to REPORT the FACTS since the truth is rarely objective and difficult to establish.

The press interprets and comments, and varying opinions are the LIFE BLOOD of society and good governance. The significance of views varies and as such, it is highly desirable that all points of views are REPORTED which is ABSENT in Ghana since 99% of Ghana’s journalists are biased against objectivity, for they always play the ostrich by burring their heads in the sand.

Before the 1992 constitution, Ghanaian journalists could write false stories about innocent well meaning Ghanaians who could NOT write rejoinders to clear themselves and the journalists had a field day.

The ends of justice CANNOT BE SERVED by a press trial where the lips of the ACCUSED are SEALED, because his rejoinder to the particular newspaper accusing him will never be published.

However, the 1992 constitution provides a clause for MANDATORY REJOINDERS by accused Ghanaians in the media.

What the papers say is assumed to be true, but a truer position is that the media have a mind of their own, either the proprietor’s or editorial, which would normally not differ from the proprietors since HE determines who will be the editor. Since Ghana returned to constitutional rule, we now have scores of semi-literate carpenters, apprentice mechanics, truck pushers and driver mates parading as journalists in Ghana’s private media who always publish trash, concoct stories about innocent Ghanaian politicians who are not sharing their ideology. The second group of so-called journalists include some hot heads, drunkards, excellent liars, confusionists, double faced people, and poison minded drug addicts with high international connections who can NEVER see anything BEYOND THEIR STOMACHS. These academic undesirables and ONE WAY journalists have only specialized in the art of inventing lies, cooking false stories, maligning innocent and decent Ghanaians in both the business sector and in the political arena. Such characters always support corruption 100% and even publish stories to encourage it and defends corruption aggressively with their pens. When you write false stories it always stinks but these “journalists” insulted the intelligence of well meaning Ghanaians for 8 solid years 2001 – 2008 – Why was it so? Money, dollars, Euros, Pound Sterling, cedis every where and it worked to the dis-advantage of those money bags in the NPP in 2008 general elections. A dishonest press to which TRUTH is unkown and whose MAIN OCCUPATION is the fabrication and propaganda of IRESPONSIBLE and LIBELOUS information is a very serious liability to any democratic country. Dishonest media houses are liabilities to this country and NOT assets, and this is very shameful. We have gone through such a mess right from 1992 – 2001 when it surprisingly changed to an attack on the NDC then in opposition instead of putting the then ruling NPP government on its toes from 2001 – 2008. Ex-President Kufuor was described as media friendly and as such a common friend because he could divert a colossal amount of ¢15 billion old Ghana cedis meant for the recovery (TOR) debts to be shared to Ghanaian journalists for them to praise his corrupt government of the NPP to the High Heavens, while condemning Ex-President Rawlings by describing him that he is the Common Enemy because he refused to bribe journalists or buy them to champion his cause from 1992 – 2001, How sad. Those journalists ate at the wrong sides of their month because the money was a forbidden fruit since it belongs to the people of Ghana and could not be stolen by Ex-President Kufour simply because he was the President of Ghana.

Some journalists who were unquestionable principled courageus and unrelentingly opposed to abuses of political power and corruption between 1992 – 2001 and won the admiration of thousands of Ghanaians including this writer, were in an entirely DIFFERENT LEAGUE with the then ruling NPP government, they became professional boot lickers, and saw themselves as an integral part of that government and were to sycophantically prepared to openly defend the official actions and an-actions of the NPP government from 2001 – 2008 by completely throwing their professional ethics and integrity to the wind.

However, Ghanaians did not know the reason for such an about turn until the “Enquirer Newspaper” revealed that the Ex-president instructed the then minister of Information, Hon. Stephen Asamoah Boateng to divert ¢15 billion cedis meant for the TOR debt to be paid to these brilliant no-nonsense journalists to shut their months and prying eyes as well as their sniffing noses and it was done. See the “Enquirer” page 4, Wednesday 17th – Thursday February 18 2010 for the full true story. After the payment of these billions of cedis to those journalists, Ms. Gifty Anti’s GTV announced to Ghanaians that the nation was in a “political off season” leaving only NPP members to discuss political issues on radio and TV in Ghana. Then came Mr. Document, who traveled more than 10 times to Belgium, U.S.A., South Africa, Lybia, Cuba, U.K. Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Russia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and finally to the MOON via U.S.A to search in the banks of all the above named countries for the so-called billions of cedis and dollars allegedly stolen by Ex-president Rawlings and his wife during their 19years rule. THE RESULTS: Mr. Document returned with EMPTY HANDS with empty evidence and the NPP became furious and decided to put Rawlings’ wife before court only for Ghanaians to boot out the bogus and tribal government of the NPP out of power in December 2008/January 2009 general elections and the RUN-OFF. The NDC must also put Mr. Document before court for causing financial loss to the state. Immediately the EC blow general elections, Ex-President Kufour cowardly stopped the prosecution of Tsikata and removed all the traps he put in place to destroy the NDC and finally eliminate Rawlings from Ghana politics.

So instead of Ghana boasting of having best brains from the INKY FRATERNITY, we have been cursed with a very STINKY FRATERNITY in this country. Instead of having the “Fourth Estate” of the Realm, we are again cursed by God with a Fake Estate of Realm where most journalists could be bought like bags of maize by a very corrupt tribal government like the then NPP gov’t – 2001 – 2008. I am calling on the media to remove these worn out ways of doing things before they all collapse finally. The few Honest Journalist must NOT copy or follow the bad stomach journalists that are dishonest and bias in their reportage at all.

ALUTA CONTINUA

Clement Sangaparee

Obuasi

Email: clement sang@yahoo.com

Distribution

All Media Houses

Accra