I would have dismissed this as one of those propagandist brouhaha that find their way unto the net but for the source and medium from which we have been availed with the said article. Ghanaweb started from really humble beginnings and with our support ahs become a one-stop shop for information about and of the country Ghana.
Nana Akufo-Addo, immediate past Attorney General and presently Foreign Minister is a household name in Ghana, what with his socio-political antecedents firmly enmeshed in the Danquah-Busia tradition. He it was who pushed for the removal of the notorious criminal libel law that hang like an albatross over the ‘neck’ of the Ghanaian (private initially) media. He can thus be described as a staunch defender of press freedom and for that matter, freedom of expression. So what has made Nana Addo pour scorn or attribute to Ghanaweb some of the unfavourable comments against his government?
As an avid reader of Ghanaweb material, I am inclined to believe that the Minister has either been quoted out of context or made a sweeping statement without emphasizing the specifics of what he was trying to address. Put differently, it does seem Nana was not blaming Ghanaweb as a whole but more importantly the sort of ‘garbage’ that finds its way unto these interesting links. SIL is the prime suspect in this instance. Frankly speaking, the forum is a source of entertainment, information, some level of education and outright nonsense, all in the name of free expression. It is delight that till this day, Francis Akoto has never found it expedient or prudent to censure some of the vile material that gets posted on these pages. Let us face it; some of the postings are downright criminal for they impugn, malign, assassinate and besmirch the character and reputations of people who ironically have little or not time to even browse sites due to their official an! d other engagements. Thus, if someone writes that ‘Kufuor has given his wife a pair of diamond bracelets’ and the ordinary reader cannot separate the chaff from the wheat, it is Ghana that gets ridiculed for the simple reason that like it or not, he is the elected President of the Republic thus any ridicule unleashed on him is indirectly against the fortunes and intelligence of Ghanaians. They detract from the real issues.
Many a Ghanaian has had to explain issues to non-citizens based on the misrepresentations made by full-blooded Ghanaians all across the globe. It may have been such encounters that the honourable Foreign Minister was trying to put across. Let us be blunt and face it: many of us residing outside point to the abysmal conditions back home to justify our continued presence in foreign lands and yet we claim in the same breath that Ghana is a haven of tranquility and peace. If we keep contradicting ourselves along these lines, how on earth would the investor find it worthwhile to put his/her hard earned funds into our “abysmal conditions”? One can surely empathize with the minister for bemoaning this attitude, which makes it a notch more difficult to induce investors to take a really good interest in Ghana.
I would have dismissed this as one of those propagandist brouhaha that find their way unto the net but for the source and medium from which we have been availed with the said article. Ghanaweb started from really humble beginnings and with our support ahs become a one-stop shop for information about and of the country Ghana.
Nana Akufo-Addo, immediate past Attorney General and presently Foreign Minister is a household name in Ghana, what with his socio-political antecedents firmly enmeshed in the Danquah-Busia tradition. He it was who pushed for the removal of the notorious criminal libel law that hang like an albatross over the ‘neck’ of the Ghanaian (private initially) media. He can thus be described as a staunch defender of press freedom and for that matter, freedom of expression. So what has made Nana Addo pour scorn or attribute to Ghanaweb some of the unfavourable comments against his government?
As an avid reader of Ghanaweb material, I am inclined to believe that the Minister has either been quoted out of context or made a sweeping statement without emphasizing the specifics of what he was trying to address. Put differently, it does seem Nana was not blaming Ghanaweb as a whole but more importantly the sort of ‘garbage’ that finds its way unto these interesting links. SIL is the prime suspect in this instance. Frankly speaking, the forum is a source of entertainment, information, some level of education and outright nonsense, all in the name of free expression. It is delight that till this day, Francis Akoto has never found it expedient or prudent to censure some of the vile material that gets posted on these pages. Let us face it; some of the postings are downright criminal for they impugn, malign, assassinate and besmirch the character and reputations of people who ironically have little or not time to even browse sites due to their official an! d other engagements. Thus, if someone writes that ‘Kufuor has given his wife a pair of diamond bracelets’ and the ordinary reader cannot separate the chaff from the wheat, it is Ghana that gets ridiculed for the simple reason that like it or not, he is the elected President of the Republic thus any ridicule unleashed on him is indirectly against the fortunes and intelligence of Ghanaians. They detract from the real issues.
Many a Ghanaian has had to explain issues to non-citizens based on the misrepresentations made by full-blooded Ghanaians all across the globe. It may have been such encounters that the honourable Foreign Minister was trying to put across. Let us be blunt and face it: many of us residing outside point to the abysmal conditions back home to justify our continued presence in foreign lands and yet we claim in the same breath that Ghana is a haven of tranquility and peace. If we keep contradicting ourselves along these lines, how on earth would the investor find it worthwhile to put his/her hard earned funds into our “abysmal conditions”? One can surely empathize with the minister for bemoaning this attitude, which makes it a notch more difficult to induce investors to take a really good interest in Ghana. Notwithstanding the above, it is also the case that Ghanaweb has been in the forefront of efforts to attract investment and to promote the good image of Ghana. The very fact that all this ‘garbage’ finds way unto the site speaks volumes of the level of freedom and independence the media enjoys in Ghana. Ghanaweb has carried stories from the likes of Kofi Ellison to John Mahama and features from far and near so that it defies logic for the Minister’s statements to be taken at face value. No wonder the poll conducted so far on the issue has returned an emphatic “NO” to the minister’s statements. It all boils down then to clarification of issues. Without doubt, Ghanaweb is indeed more of a contributor towards the lofty ideals espoused by His Excellency J.A Kufuor than the wreaker of havoc that the misunderstood statement of the Honourable Foreign Minister seems to portray
It is prudent to be humble when you make the grade
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