STOP THE SMEAR CAMPAIGN! BILINGUAL FREE PRESS.

On the front page of the Accra Daily Mail edition of December 14, 2005 read the banner headline: THE GROWING MEDIA MENACE authored by this writer. In the article, I drew attention to the enormous potential of the media to do both good and evil. The article went further to narrow down how destructive the media has been in war areas like Rwanda. “It is worth recalling that the Rwandan genocide which is frowned upon by the world became a reality by riding on the wings of media machines like Radio RTLM.”

For the past one month, Bilingual Free Press has embarked on a smear campaign against the office of National Security and the person of Hon. Francis Poku to the peril of Ghana and Ghanaians. We are all aware of the amount of the effort that has already gone into placing the Dagbon crisis where it is now. It is an issue whose ramifications can affect the entire nation. We know that some people benefited politically from it yet even such beneficiaries are unhappy of the mayhem that took place. I have not heard a single Ghanaian say that he/she is happy about the regrettable events that took place in Yendi and other areas in the Northern region. It did cost the taxpayer a lot that could have been channeled into building more schools for the area. It is therefore intriguing and mind boggling to appreciate a newspaper whose editor hails from this area to bring back Dagbon and harp an agenda to accuse Hon Francis Poku cheaply without substance. It is sad.

Alhaji A A Marzuq, creates the impression that the national security minister is against bringing lasting peace in Dagbon and further accuses the minister of using the so called Azoka Mafia to forment trouble in Dagbon. These are mere allegations that do not hold water. Infact, the concern in such articles is that they bother on national security and we expect that caution reigns supreme in this regard. What Biligual Free Press is doing amounts to bringing to not all the success achieved in Dagbon.

Security managers the world over are people who engage people of all walks of life. One funny thing Marzuq raises is the fact that two northern constables under Francis Poku have been unfairly treated which he interprets to mean a display of tribalism. Well, in Ghana today, everyone has the right to seek redress if they are ill treated. What point does Marzuq seek to score when he writes “he forcibly transferred the boys to an unknown location, and up to date, nobody knows their where about” This is the same as the people have been kidnapped. How can someone be transferred to a location that is not known? Is Mr Francis Poku the man in charge of transfers? These tales of Marzuq pose questions that beg of answers. What does he seek to achieve? Who is behind him? What is the motivation for his this campaign? Who are the nameless victims of Mr Poku and why is he afraid of mentioning them as a bold as he appears? Alhaji Marzuq must come clear on these issues or shut up.

In Ghana, we all fought for the repeal of the criminal libel law because we cherish freedom and individual liberties. The fundamental freedom we yearn for and are ready to die for must be extended to everyone including people in high places. We cannot under the guise of freedom of expression attack people like Mr Francis Poku without reason. As a concerned person, Mr Poku has handled security matters with greater care in this country where politics and politicians permeates all areas including national security issues. That is no mean an achievement considering the fact that this man has succeeded in demystifying national security and its boss. We certainly cannot forget the myth the surrounded the office of national security in a few years gone by?

I had the opportunity to be on the same high table with Mr Francis Poku at the Teachers Hall in Accra when we were both invited guests to a seminar by the Ghana Union of Professional Students (GUPS). Not only did he startle me with the content and style of presentation of his paper, I was amazed that the man himself will honour the invitation of a smaller unit under the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS). Infact a point he made which I keep referencing is that “the best security one can have is the security that is offered by the masses”. This point can better be appreciated if you consider the Venezuelan story where Hugo Chavez was reinstated as the president after a coup d’tat by the army because the people, the masses said so.

I believe that often times, people suffer unnecessarily in the hands of media people just because they have the freedom to operate today than before and also because their victims may not have the time to respond to the tales and conjectures. It is that important people of goodwill stand up in defense of good people when they come under unwarranted attack. If nobody will rise to put to shame liars and blackmailers, I will. As the leader of a youth group that seeks to build a youth force that will be the conscience of society, it is imperative to fight any kind of example that militates against the attainment of that aim.

I will advise Alhaji Marzuq, his Bilingual Free Press as well as people of their thinking to change their ways and pursue causes that will add to the progress of Ghana.

James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr Executive Director Youth for Action Ghana

James Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr

Executive Director

Youth for Action Ghana

P.O Box CT 1370

Accra, Ghana

Tel: +233 24 453 54 72

Email: bomfeh1@hotmail.com