Former deputy Minister for Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has slammed Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni and other journalists lamenting over the so-called culture of silence that is said to be creeping back into Ghanaian society.
Manasseh Azure and some colleague journalists have expressed worry about the seeming intolerance of the Akufo-Addo administration to criticism.
Manasseh stoked the issue once again over the weekend in reaction to a lecture delivered by Sir Sam Jonah in which the senior citizen slammed Ghana for heading back to the old days of culture of silence.
However, in reaction to Manasseh’s claims, Felix Kwakye Ofosu enquired why journalists are acting surprised when they ignored all the warning signs and pushed the Akufo-Addo agenda with their bias.
According to Mr Kwakye Ofosu, the claim that journalists fear to criticize the Akufo-Addo administration because of fear is a non-starter.
In a post on Facebook, Felix wrote,
“I have heard a number of journalists say they are unable to take on the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration as they did the Mahama administration for fear they will be attacked.
No journalist worth his or her pen ought to speak this way.It is the business of journalists to hold governments to account even at the peril of their lives.
The rise to power of Akufo-Addo itself is steeped in the underperformance of sections of the media.Their complicity in the heist pulled over Ghanaians cannot be overemphasized.
When they chose to overlook the many red flags that foretold the disastrous government Akufo-Addo will form,how did they expect any thing different once he came to power?
When deliberately seeking to muffle NDC voices on their programs through biased and lopesided paneling, where one NDC guest would have to contend with three NPP panelists disguised as “neutrals” just so the NPP was positively projected,what were they looking forward to once Akufo-Addo held court in government?
When they ignored the ample warnings about his high-handedness and hounding of critics with the unleashing of violent militants on internal critics,how could they be surprised that in government,he doesn’t take kindly to criticism and scrutiny from journalists?
Can they genuinely be surprised that 8 Ghanaians were gunned down during the 2020 polls making it the bloodiest under the fourth republic?
If the man plucked feathers from a tortoise and they overlooked it,how can they expect that he will show mercy to a fowl?
When despite obvious evidence that Bawumia was dabbling in nonsensical economic propaganda especially with our public debt and cedi depreciation,they failed to fact-check him,what outcomes did they hope we would reap as a nation once he helmed the economic management team?
Can they be surprised that the economy is in it’s worst shape in four decades?
So rather than cite the current hostile climate as reason why they can’t hold this government to account,it should serve as motivation to do far more than before to tear down the very artifice they unwittingly helped to erect around Akufo-Addo which has ensured that he got power to do what he is doing to them currently”.
Source: GhanaFeed.Com