Has NDC Taken Over Newsfile On Joy F.M.?

From: Stephen A.Quaye, Toronto-Canada.

On a gray day September 24, 2011, I woke up and flipped on the internet radio on my computer to hear my used to be favorite program, News File.

As a freelance journalist now residing in Toronto-Canada, I used to love the way the current affairs program on the radio station discuss issues of what people in Ghana could say out loud to citizenry who are living in the diaspora to also know what is happening in the country.

Though it had been on the air waves for some years, I was only introduced to the program by my magic mentor Mr. A.C.Ohene way back in the early 90’s whiles practicing under his editorship at the chronicle office in Koforidua.

Issues like in-depth corruption and the strategies adopted by presidential candidates in the 2000 general elections campaign were discussed thoroughly which made me to understand what corruption was all about, the root cause of it, its effects and how to uproot.

Again the program discussed various presidential candidates’ campaign promises and the issue of corruption and they will deal with corruption when elected as president with inputs from academicians, economics and finance experts which informed my choice on which candidate to vote for

But for some time now when I run to the radio on my laptop computer to tune in to the show, I hear insults, heckles, shouting’s, unnecessary laughter as well as leveling of unfounded allegations either at co-panelists or innocent hard working Ghanaians both the living and the dead who’s records of statesmanship can never be erased.

I tried another station, then another station nothing was being aired that could draw my attention as to that of the News File program that I used to enjoy on Joy F.M. via the internet.

A very good friend of my whom I introduced to the radio station program to listen to current affairs when I landed in Toronto, Etobicoke City of Ontario province of Canada, called me to complain bitterly,” Stephen, the NDC propagandists have taken over the news file program outlawed solidarity, and put the clamps back on the media and speech. The Ghanaian experiment with liberalization was over”.

Within backs, I could hear the usual heckles of “please apologize to your co-panelist or walk out from the set from the host Samson Ladi Adeneyi to a panelist Gabby Asare-Okyere Drako who also insisted that he was not going to apologize”.

There I capped my chin and asked my self,” is that the news file that was feeding me with all the current affairs in Ghana that also educated me a lot on many issues before making inform choice or just a different program that the media house Joy F.M. has introduced?

Here, I recollected what my very good friend called to tell me,”NDC propagandist have taken over the airwaves” period. No but if that is not the case then tell me why every minister, party executive, DCE as well as ordinary party members have been hopping from one station to the other to make sure issues that are discussed for that day will have NDC side of propaganda also aired.

Even issues purely non political that are discussed on radio or television will never be aired if an NDC propaganda representative is not part of the panelists who will be discussing the issues so I ask myself, what sort of voice for the voiceless are the media providing.

Bad roads in the country are causing fatal accidents and deaths, high school fees are making the youth difficult to acquire knowledge and skills to make a better living for themselves, intermittent power outage is killing the industries that provides employment for the people, teachers are complaining of poor salary, doctors are complaining of allowances that have not been paid them over a year and these issues seems not important for discussion and finding solutions to them?

Fisher men are demonstrating against poor supply of premix fuel to power their canoes, taxi drivers are demonstrating of shortage of gas and other fuel supplements to enable them go about their daily transport business services people are dying on the Volta lake, soldiers are now turning into armed robbers with other security personnel also duping people and these issues seems not important for discussion?

For some of us Ghanaians who are now residing in the diaspora, we feel a big shame when people just get up and insult the white man for the woes our country finds itself in presently and I will tell you why.

In the developed countries, it is very difficult for you to see a minister always sitting in on a radio program struggling to defend indefensible issues or heckling opposition party members or better still panelists on issues.

The minister is a government appointee who formulate policies and carried out government policies whiles the deputy minister as well as his directors serving under him are experts in their fields of which the ministry covers and they are the ones who issue press statements, grant interviews and what have you.

Every 24 hours, they are on the ground making sure that the policies work to the perfection of the tax payer. Therefore if one sees the way once powerful radio station but now always interviewing ministers on issues that are not affecting the populace positively or negatively, your stomach churns.

For the past ten months NYEP workers have not been paid, teachers in Afram Plains were never paid for two years before they came out to complain, doctors according to Peace F.M. are also threatening to embark on nationwide strike from October 7, if their allowances from January 10 are not paid them as soon as possible.

All these threats of strikes, demonstrations and complaints are not being discussed but founders day which has nothing positively to do to the ordinary Ghanaian at present leaving a minister to also loosely insult a freedom fighter is unfortunate.

It is time Joy F.M. as well as other radio stations look out for experts in various fields of which issues are tabled for discussions are brought forward to educate the masses and not politicians who can not fix stupid but always come to sit on air and make unfounded allegations against dignified persons or insults least their ills are pointed out to them.

Like the presiding bishop of Ghana Methodist Church said, like Osaberima Boaten of Akwatia said, due to insults on the radio I have stopped listening to News File from far away Toronto-Canada via the internet as I used to wake up at dawn and flip my laptop to listen to the program before undertaking any activity of the day.

Until the Multi Media Company incorporated which Joy F.M. is part of convince me of clean up in their Joy F.M. News File program, my misconception will remain that the NDC Propagandist have high jacked the program therefore my laptop will not be flipped open during the program.

End.