Kwame Gyan
March 28, 2012
How many times have I not spoken about government’s rather lazy, inmature and totally haphazard communication machinery? The brouhaha surrounding the so-called boycott by †нє government of Joy FM and all her affiliate stations was in my humble opinion absolutely laughable.
It was sad to see James Agyenim Boateng put his face and voice to that bogus announcement. You know James used to work for Radio Gold, a station which is well known and accepted to be an NDC station? The funny thing is that Joy FM seems to have been perceived as being biased based on where the politician standsa at any given time. During my time at Joy FM in 2007 we did receive such tags but I can say for a fact that there was no policy whatsoever from where I stood as a broadcast journalist to suggest that we had to be biased towards the NPP which was in power or the NDC then in opposition.
Unlike Radio Gold and to a large extent Oman FM who have made it clear they are owned and biased to the two main parties, Joy FM and the others in their families,have largely remained neutral and to the course of the ‘news’. It beats me why government will start nagging at this point. The straw that broke the camel’s back seems to have been the Bobie Ansah incidence. I have listened to the dude a few times and I have sincerely wondered how he got to be on the Multimedia Media platform.
I hold the belief that controversies general sell when it comes to show business and the media and Bobie Ansah seems to be raking in his fair share of it. But it was apparently obvious his leanings were towards the NDC. Its unfortunate the management of the station had to wait for matters to get thus far before taking action on Bobie Ansah. Having said this though, seriously speaking which government seeking re-election and having serious credibility issues bordering on Woyome-gate, corruption, incompetence,and the possible absence of the charismatic Rawlings from campaign platforms,will decide to boycott the platforms that will give the government some of the media they need to (in the words of the NDC) continue with their propaganda?
I have heard lawyers say the action was unconstitutional. I am not a lawyer and so I won’t attempt giving legal reasons why Fritz Baffoe and his team all messed up. I do know though, that it seems the communications people of the government seem to be enjoying the messes they create. If for nothing at all, the quick U-turn gives an indication of an ill-thought out decision. And I ask myself, how many more of these ill-thought out decisions with repercussions on our international image should we expect from this team of communication experts who seem to enjoy the thrill of goofing?
I don’t know.
My piece of mind.
Honestly it beats the crap out of me why and how people placed in positions of responsibility and sustained by the commonwealth of the nation will prefer to insult the sensebility and intelligence of the nation by propagating and encouraging elevated stupidity garnished with warped idiocy so brazenly you begin to wonder if they are not monsterous aliens in human clothing. Honestly KG its insultively disgusting the way and manner these gooffy morons spew thrash in our face every single time they open their stinking trap. DAMN!
Interesting piece from an angle of both confessed unknown and opinion.
However, it must be clear that the govt communication team did not say they boycotted Multimedia merely because they were biased and they made the point that there are media houses that are biased openly towards them but they don’t find the need to boycott them. So it’s important to relate to the specific reasons for the boycott. The point was made for Multimedia to state it’s position clearly on where their political leaning is vis a vis the fact that many news reports have been falsely presented by them without any corrections even after protests. So it’s a simple matter. Govt said state your leaning clearly, whether you are to the left or right or centre, so it’d know how to deal with you and this is some good challenge for Multimedia to have taken up and dealt with sincerely instead of running to BBC and whining and then turn around and whip up some illusions about so called ‘international image’.
Is it not interesting that many who are talking about the Bobie Ansah guy are not fighting for his right as a journalist? why was he removed from his programme? what wrong did he do? was he removed merely because someone feels uncomfortable with him? and what did he do that someone like Ato Kwamena didn’t do worse with his concert presentations? I personally have a problem with the presentations of Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and I also wonder how he got to be there after more balanced people like Tommy and Kormla. So why are we not having the so called champions of press freedom fighting for Bobbie Ansah, to at least find out what he did wrong to merit being removed?
As for the lawyers who say this boycott was or is unconstitutional they should show us where in the constitution it’s stated that boycott equals interference etc as stated in the constitution.
And again on the international image thing, who defines our international image? if joyfm as a representative of BBC runs to BBC to complain about this issue instead of subjecting themselves to the proposed means of resolving the issue then who is to blame for even needlessly raising this matter outside the walls of Ghana?
Must we Politicise everything we do? Why should one’s political leaning define how a govt should deal or relate with him or her? Though you raised valid points, you presentation smacks of loopsided sentiment. l dont mean to take this personal nor am i a partisian politician, but i bet my last dime our inner being yells at us whenever we err, so we all know whats what.
@Isaac Sunday,
Today is Wednesday and your first comment is nothing but a damnation of govt’s position without a shred of basis. So is that also politicisation (of something) from you?
now, why shouldn’t one’s political leaning determine how a govt deals with that person? if govt knows that no matter what Multimedia would not bother about reporting the truth because they are against the govt for example then would that not inform govt not to waste the taxpayer’s money pleading with Multimedia to make corrections? on the other hand, if Multimedia puts it clear that they are for fairness then would that not inform govt to continue pursuing truth from Multimedia?
If my presentation smacks of lopsided sentiment, then I wonder what yours smacks of. and let me say I love your language.
now, when people ask, ‘must we politicise’ everything? what do they mean by that? we are talking about govt and everything about it is political. I don’t need to politicise govt for you to see we are dealing with a political matter and it’s not as if there’re some sacred issues that can be removed from politics and on the other hand are we saying politics is so bad when we question issues being related to from political angles.
In any case, what makes your position some divine position whilst mine, as you suggest, is only a politicisation? you state a position against that of govt and I state a position in favour of govt and mine is politicisation but yours is gospel because yours is against govt?
may the forces guide our path.
@novisi
You know i love it when issues are discussed on the basis of its merit either pro or con and your second text leans towards that, so i’d like to say……..THANKS. Now that being said, i’d like to state that i am not pro NPP or NDC nor any other Political group whatsoever, all am saying is that issues be handled with concientious pragmatism giving room for all concerned to either concur or differ not minding if they are leaning towards one political clan or the other rather than disenfrachising…..
……alienating or boycotting them. Now like u said, the govt has its reasons, but then govt is not for a certain set of people nor against a certain set of people (of course NPP could have done likewise if they are in power) but for all, hence the need for it to be above board. Majority of the people dont even give a rat’s tail about who is in govt provided the commonwealth is judiciously channel’d to their well being hence am vehemently opposed to all these brick bats and mud slinging going on amongst…
….our so called political leaders. And pls Bro, do not put words in my mouth nor quote me out of context cos i never posit that my views are divine, am just saying it as i see it (apologises KG). Now reason why i said our text smacks of lopsided sentiments is b’cos of ur reference to the fact that u got some stone to grind with Kodjo’s presentations and how Tommy and Kormla are on a more terrestral realm than him. That my friend is begging the issue and in my book its sentimental. Maybe u said that to….
…..buttress ur point, but u laced it with a heavy dose of ur political belief hence my question, “must we politicise everything?”. But dont get me wrong though cos its ur legal right to express ur political views just as every other person out there, but victimising others for doing same is crappy crap in my opinion. REMINDER………We all know whats what. Our political leaning not withstanding. Again, THANKS for this interllectual intercourse. Am most humbled. Thanks again.