28 April 2008

The Honourable Minister

Ministry of Information and National Orientation

Accra

Dear Hon. Minister,

The Convention People’s Party (CPP) has noted with grave concern the menacing and unprofessional behaviour of the Minister of Trade, Industry, Presidential Special Initiatives and Private Sector Development, “Honourable” Joe Baidoo-Ansah, on the 24th April 2008 edition of Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana, towards the CPP’s spokesperson on the economy, Dr. Nii Moi Thompson, who was an invited guest on the programme.

We consider the minister’s public outburst on live television against Dr. Thompson who was discussing legitimate national issues as unwarranted, a threat to freedom of speech (the bedrock of our democracy) and an embarrassment to the public office that the Minister holds in the name of all Ghanaians. The Minister’s tantrums, which were broadcast to millions of viewers outside of Ghana as well, were all the more serious because he was not even an invited guest on the programme; he trespassed upon the set and in effect promoted lawlessness at the highest level of governance.

This unfortunate behaviour by our minister was at variance with the NPP government’s constant proclamations of “good governance” and the “rule of law.” We therefore call upon the minister to do the honourable thing and apologise to Dr. Thompson, Metro TV, the other two invited panellists (including an official of UNCTAD), and the people of Ghana for behaving in a manner that needlessly threatened and unsettled others while bringing Ghana’s good name into disrepute. If he fails to do that, we urge the President to terminate his appointment before he does an even greater harm to Ghana , possibly at an international forum, when it would be too late to salvage the image of the country.

For the record, it must be stated that the issues raised by Dr. Thompson, and which appeared to have angered the minister, are nothing new to Ghanaians or the world at large. Ghana ’s excessive dependence on donors for its budget and the recent controversy over the purchase of the presidential jets have been discussed extensively at home and abroad. Indeed, these discussions can easily be accessed on the internet.

In comparing the proposal to purchase the presidential jets to the fact that 63.0% of Ghana ’s 2008 agricultural budget will come from donors, Dr. Thompson was simply stating what the public already knows – at home and abroad. Indeed, the president himself has spoken time and again about the need for us to reduce our dependence on donors and set our priorities right. A nation that cannot feed itself cannot expect to be respected by anyone.

Lastly, we wish to condemn in no uncertain terms the government’s intimidation of Metro TV into not re-broadcasting Good Evening Ghana the following day – as the station always does. We view this as an unwarranted interference by the State in private media and a contravention of the 1992 constitution. If our democracy is to thrive, the government should refrain from such blatant intimidation and interference in media work.

Sincerely,

Ladi Nylander

Chairman and Leader

CC:

UNCTAD - Geneva

Office of the President

Council of State

Council of Elders, CPP

National Commission for Civic Education

National Media Commission

Management, Metro TV

All media houses