General News of Friday, 29 March 2002

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Alleged plot against journalists is a storm in a tea cup- Mumuni

The minority spokesman on legal and constitutional affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni says the alleged sinister threat to harass and possibly eliminate certain journalists and social commentators is a storm in a teacup and a political gimmick to take people’s minds off the NPP government’s blunders in the case of Tsatsu Tsikata vs. the Republic.

“Really, it is a matter we need to get more information on to ensure what is really happening. I believe that it’s a storm in a teacup, certainly, it is a storm in a teacup, I don’t think there is something to it, it is one of those political gimmicks, I believe on the part of this government,” he pointed out.

“Yes, really they want to turn away attention from this Supreme Court thing,” he added, in an interview with the Dean of Faculty of Arts, Professor Kwesi Yankah on a Radio Universe current affairs programme, “Alumni hour.”

Mumuni who is also MP for Kumbungu reiterated that freedom of expression is paramount in Ghana’s democracy, adding that “if it is really credible that any such threats had been issued, then we should go to the bottom of the matter and we should not rest until we have looked for whoever is involved.”

“If they are criminal offences they (plotters) should be prosecuted clearly, we cannot countenance this sort of situation,” the MP for Kumbungu said.

The NDC strongman said he was surprised that though there were serious allegations and statements made against ex-president Rawlings during his time, it never resulted in threats to eliminate journalists.

“Even more serious allegations, more serious statements against president Rawlings were made, screaming headlines, ‘Rawlings is mad and… but there were no threats to eliminate journalists,” Mumuni submitted.