“There is a deliberate attempt to hijack Ghana’s democracy” – Afia Pokuaa
Anchor and Programs Director with Despite Media, Afia Pokuaa, has averred “there is a deliberate attempt to hijack democracy” in Ghana.
Vim Lady, as she is popularly known, indicated the act is an attempt politicians are seeking to achieve by breaking the third arm of government – the Judiciary and the defacto fourth realm, the Media.
She explains these two institutions are the truest implementers of the “checks and balances” on politicians who mostly constitute the Executive and Legislative arms of government.
The media, she explained, is mostly accused of bribery allegations and aligning to a political faction, which puts the credibility of their reportage in doubt.
The award winning journalist was speaking on Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana, Thursday, February 18, 2021, closely monitored by Ghanas Online.
Her comments stemmed from issues that became topical before the Appointments Committee of Parliament during the vetting of nominees for various portfolios under President Akufo-Addo’s government.
Substantiating her claims, she explained politicians always accuse the media without providing any evidence for proof. This she believes is a deliberate means to dilute the credibility of the media to make nonsense of publications meant to scrutinise their activities to put them on track.
“Why are they branding media people without evidence? Anyways, they give the monies to journalists so why don’t they name and shame? They do that because they don’t want you to expose their deficits and incompetence,” she stated.
She added the agenda is the reason politicians are scrambling for frequencies to own media houses to control content.
This according to her has proliferated media houses, altering output, where “content is driving followers more than value.”
The Broadcasting Bill, which seeks to check some of these lapses she noted, may never see the light of day since those responsible for passing the bill would be the very people it will affect.
Vim Lady suspected some unforeseen hands may control content of media houses even if the broadcasting bill comes to bear – scrutinising and controlling ownership of broadcast transmission.
Meanwhile, lawyer and host of JoyNews’ Newsfile, Samson Lardy Anyenini, speaking on the same show asserted it’s not against the law for a media station to own up and declare it’s alliance with a particular caucus’s agenda.
His stance emanated from the neutrality suspicion of some media houses due to the unforeseen hands that control them in the event of the broadcasting bill being implemented.
“It is not wrong to come out to declare where you belong. But if you hide behind neutrality and operate biasedly, that’s bad,” he noted.
The duo, were speaking on “petition, vetting and politics” with Paul Adom Otchere.
