[ 2014-09-01 ]

Otumfuo Talks Tough
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in his usual
fashion, minced no words when he engaged media
personnel on their role in the development of the
country over the weekend.

He also tasked the leadership of the country to do
more in order to alleviate the suffering of the
masses.

Taking the centre stage at the 19 th Ghana
Journalists Association (GJA) Awards ceremony in
Accra on Saturday, the Asantehene said excellence,
truth, and independence of the media was the
surest way of ensuring that Ghana would move
forward in her development agenda.

He said although the press did not derive its
mandate from the people, the foundation of its
authority was no less profound, as it was
encapsulated in the moral foundation of the
sanctity of truth.

For the Asantehene, the truth was the foundation
of journalism, adding that should it be
sacrificed, it would not only destroy the potency
of journalism, 'but I suggest to you that you will
crucify the media profession and endanger the
society.'

He also noted that striving for accountability
should not lead to vilification as it was with
some media organisations. He however called for
the accountability role of the media to be
executed with facts and not comments.

'It is a desirable exercise to hold people to
account for their actions and their judgment,
however that should be based upon facts,' the
Asantehene said.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu urged President John Mahama to
implement policies that would inure to the benefit
of the people, and tap the expertise of those who
could help take Ghana out of its present
challenges.

'Surely, this country has an accumulated body of
experts who have handled the economy from the
First to the Fourth Republic, participated in the
toughest negotiations with the international
financial community and seen us through the peaks
and troughs of the economy and we also have men
and women in business, banking and finance whose
insight the country can benefit from. Make the
most of the available expertise and the country
will be better off,' he told President Mahama.

He explained that the fact that Ghana might have
gone through harsher periods previously should not
be an excuse to inflict more pain on the people.

'The fact that we may have been through a similar
or even worse experience before can be no
comfort,' he said adding, 'What matters is to fix
the problem.

'The tendency to tinker with problems by a process
of shifting cultivation does not inspire
confidence. The solutions, I have to say, lie in
the bosom of one man and only he can provide the
answers. So I say unto the President of the
Republic in the seminal words of the Methodist
hymn: Master speak, thy servant heareth,' he
stressed.

'And let's hope we will not have to wait too long
for a response,' he emphasised.

Economic Development
The Asantehene said development was not about
infrastructure, but about products of policies
pursued by government.

He said provision of education, food, healthcare,
and jobs for the people were the true results of
sustainable development.

He also observed that one could not talk about
development without mentioning the country's
currency, adding that the Cedi was wobbling.

The Asantehene said the fall of the Cedi was so
crucial to the stability of the economy that it
needed to be moved from partisan politics to an
issue of higher national interest.

He thus called for the establishment of the right
institutional framework for protecting the Cedi in
the market place.

Education
The Asantehene, who has supported over 9000
students from primary through to tertiary
institutions, bemoaned the politics which was
being played with the country's educational
system.

He said the disorder in the educational system was
having an effect on students, citing the recent
results of the West African Senior School
Certificate Examination (WASSCE) as unacceptable.

'It is having an adverse effect and the victims
are our children,' he said.

Cholera
The Asantehene, while sympathising with countries
in the West African region that were grappling
with the Ebola virus, noted that the country was
facing a bigger challenge of cholera, which had
come about because of the failure of people to
observe the normal simple rules of hygiene.

He said the issue of sanitation should be tackled
on all fronts to ensure that as the country grows
it would improve on its sanitation.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said it was time for health
officials to put on their thinking caps and make
the issue of sanitation one of national concern.

'I suggest the need for a national emergency on
the issue to bring together local health
authority, education and traditional rulers to
find practical ways of keeping our nation from the
horrid hazard brought by insanitary condition,' he
noted.

Corruption
The Ashanti king bemoaned the level of corruption
in the country and said everybody knew that it was
from the President to the lay Ghanaian.

He however noted that it was a well-known
phenomenon which was becoming worse, to the extent
that the international world was concerned Ghana
might be heading to a stage of irredeemable
corruption.

He thus called for the need to tackle corruption
from all angles, to curtail the diminishing
international confidence in the country.

President John Dramani Mahama, in a speech read on
his behalf by the Minister of Communications, Dr
Edward Omane Boamah, applauded the media and the
award winners who had distinguished themselves,
for their efforts in ensuring social cohesion in
the country.

He encouraged the media to take the next step and
strive for excellence through engaging in more
investigative reporting and development
communication.

Mr Mahama however cautioned against the use of
social media to send false information that could
cause panic in the country.

Citing the recent Ebola scare, created by an
unknown person on one of the social media
platforms, Mr Mahama called for decorum in the use
of such platform.

Dr Affail Monney, the GJA President, pledged the
association's support to government in its
development efforts and offered a helping hand in
the fight against the recent cholera outbreak in
the Greater Accra Region.

GJA Awards
The GJA Awards ceremony this year witnessed
journalists who excelled in their work being
honoured.

Journalists from media houses including DAILY
GUIDE, Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, GTV, Joy FM,
Citi FM, TV Africa picked awards in various
categories, with Graphic's Mabel Aku Bannaseh
controversially being adjudged the overall
journalist of the year for her reports on politics
and in the courts.

A journalist from TV Africa, Stephen Nartey, had
four awards, but was ignored in favour of the
Graphic reporter for the coveted prize.

Source - Daily Guide

... go Back