It is no more astonishing; the ruling government has demonstrated in unequivocal terms that it does not believe in freedom of speech and the press. When they run wild maligning and destroying the reputation of others, then they tell us that we should respect free speech; but when it is the reverse (against them), they shamelessly hijack and seek to abbreviate the right of people to free speech. Let me be blunt here, the National Democratic Congress is becoming too intolerant to dissenting views, and that should be worrying to upholders of democracy in the country. You know what? If they were able to disgrace, denigrate, fire, and question the competence of an appointee of the government (Dr. Sekou Nkrumah) for telling the president and the whole of Ghana the truth about the tortoise pace of progress since the government was formed, then how should we expect them to be lenient to critics from without?

The import of their hawkish attitude to free speech, I think is to perpetuate their grip on power, and not to ensure the growth of the country. What are they talking about? That anybody with dissenting views should pipe down? Come on, they should understand that the people of Ghana, who were once blind can now see; we can see if a group of people is bent on derailing the successes and progress we have been making, especially since the turn of the century. I remember a meeting I had with some executives of Allianz Global Investors in October 2008 in Munich. One of them—in the strategic development department told me this “Freedom of speech and the media is very great in Ghana.” This was her impression after she had visited Ghana to assess the business climate. She continued, “My only problem is the high rate of illiteracy.” Now, Allianz has a hub in Ghana; all due to freedom of the media and speech. So we should not allow any group of persons to deny us this right and also scare investors away.

I have said before, and let me repeat, a change of government is not bad as some people think; in fact, it is very important—a sine qua non in promoting development in every nation that is willing to move forward and thinks about making the nation better for posterity. The government must be told that they do not have a business steering the affairs of the country if they continue to be hawkish, impatient, intolerant, and oppressive. This abracadabra must stop since Ghanaians deserve better. We do not want the culture of silence to be revisited. The PNDC era is now in oblivion, and we do not want memories of that era to haunt us.

How on God’s planet could the government haul Ato Kwamena Dadzie before the court for making statements to the effect that members of GREDA were issued with death threats to stay away from the housing project which the government has singlehandedly and mysteriously given to a Korean building company (STX). But, for the government’s quest to gag the media and free speech, a communiqué from the presidency or the information ministry rebutting this allegation would have been the preferred option.

The most worrying implications of this siege against freedom of speech and the media are very evident. Apart from its potential effect of driving investors away from the country, it succeeds in destroying the fundament of democracy in the country—which for a very long time has been the envy of the world. Democracy thrives on free speech and freedom of the media, and not the arbitrary use of one’s political muscle to deter people from venting.

During the Kufour’s administration, what didn’t key figures of the NDC and their mouthpieces say about the then officials? Didn’t Fiifi Kwetey, the then propaganda (lies) secretary, now the deputy minister of finance put on record that Ghana had depleted her gold reserve, which was a blatant lie? Was he hauled to any court of the land? When Kobby Achempong lied about the non-existing flamboyant property in president Kufour’s house, was he invited by the police? Even, when the NDC, without a shred of evidence accused ALL the 17 presidential aspirants of the New Patriotic Party as thieves, who dragged them to the courts?

Just recently, Mr. Kobby Achempong, one of the deputy ministers of this media unfriendly administration, on Good Morning Ghana—exhibiting the very height of arrogance accused the NPP of being “lunatic fringe thieves.” When prompted by the hostess of the program to retract that uncouth language, he did not. And nobody dragged him to court to substantiate that allegation. When people in position—meant to be role models, shoot their mouths off with such impunity, the signal they are sending across is very simple: we have got power.

My conclusion is very simple: we are all at risk as long as we keep on writing and speaking. In less than four months, we have witnessed this kind of development in the country in not less than three different times. It began with Nana Darkwa, who said that president Rawlings razed down his own house, then a presenter, who indicated that the president is sick, and now to Ato Kwamina Dadzie. The question then is who will be the next casualty or victim tomorrow? Maybe you or me; but this is just not right. We should stand up and resist all oppressive rules and the politics of intimidation and wanton arrest. I would quit with a quote from Johnny Cochran, the celebrated lawyer in the O.J. Simpson murder trial: "If you don't speak out, if you don't stand up, if you don't do what's right, this kind of conduct will continue on forever." God bless Ghana!!

Source: Kingsley Nyarko, PhD, Educational Psychologist, Accra (kingpong73@yahoo.com)