Security Agencies urged to respect Individual Rights

Vice President John Dramani Mahama, on Saturday called on the state security agencies to respect the rights of individuals they are investigating for alleged corruption and ensure that they did so within the strict parameters of the Constitution.

He made the call at the 14th Ghana Journalists Awards Night of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA). “I wish to call on the security agencies in the investigations into any allegations of corruption or abuse of office by public office holder, to exercise respect for the rights of the individual they are investigating and carry out their work within the strict parameters of the Constitution and the laws of the Republic,” he stressed.

The call came in the wake of recent incidence of alleged abuse of the rights of past government officials by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) in particular. The BNI recently seized the passport of former Foreign Minister, Mr. Akwasi Osei-Adjei on grounds of alleged corruption; but an Accra Fast Track High Court later ordered the BNI to return the travelling document to the former minister citing wrongful seizure.

The BNI had within the past seven months, since the National Democratic Congress came to power, prevented some former government officials and their families, particularly Mr. Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Information under the New Patriotic Party (NPP), from travelling outside the country until investigations into alleged corruption involving him was completed.

The former minister was detained on Thursday, August 13, at the BNI headquarters, which prompted sympathizers of the NPP to demonstrate in front of BNI premises leading to the alleged death of one person. Vice President Mahama noted that the government of President John Evans Atta Mills is committed to upholding the Constitution and thereby promoting respect for human rights and rule of law, and would therefore expect the security agencies to live by those tenets.

He also called on the political parties and other interested groups to exercise restraint and avoid obstructing the security agencies in the performance of their legitimate duties. Vice President Mahama said even though the 1992 Constitution had served the country well, there was the need for some amendments to portions of the supreme law of the land in order to stand the test of time.

“This is why government intends sometime early next year to convene a conference to examine our constitution and identify any parts of it that require review or amendment,” he said. He gave the assurance that the process would be open and transparent, and would involve all political stakeholders. The Vice President said any amendments necessary either to entrench or un-entrench clauses would be effected strictly in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Constitution.

Vice President Mahama said the Freedom of Information Bill was currently before Cabinet and would be laid before Parliament when the House return from recess to expedite action on its passage to give the media even more room to operate. “Government will do everything possible to uphold media freedom and assist the GJA to promote journalistic excellence,” he said.

He noted that with the current 60 newspapers and 150 radio stations across country, the media landscape remained inharmonious, which made it difficult to figure out a singular mission for the media. Vice President Mahama however urged the media to use their power responsibly and constructively, saying that journalists should promote the peace and the well-being of the nation.

He urged the media to stand by the people, justice and truth, and to be an instrument for propelling society forward. “We will never have a perfect media, but we can’t stop trying,” he noted. The Vice President asked the media to serve as a check on each other, saying that “while you shine the spotlight of accountability on our President, Police, customs officers, parliamentarians, the Judiciary etc, you must subject yourselves to the same measure”.

Ms. Anna Bossman, Acting Commissioner of Human Rights and Administrative Justice cautioned the media to guard against “media tyranny”, which she said was one extreme side of the freedom of the media. She noted that while stifling of media freedom is not the way to go under a democracy; media tyranny is equally a worrying development.

Ms. Bossman therefore called on journalists to use the power of the pen more responsibly to inspire, rather than to destroy, in order to earn the respect they deserve as the Fourth Estate of the realm. Ms. Zita Okaikoi, Minister of Information also urged journalists to be fair, objective and balanced in their reportage, saying:  “If you have one side of an issue and the source of the other side refuse to grant you an interview, that is not an excuse to publish a one-sided story.”

Mr. Ransford Tetteh, GJA President, said this year, Ghana placed 31st from last year’s 29th position of the 169 countries on the Press Freedom Index, coming only behind Namibia among African countries. He said this was a sign that press freedom was taking root in the country. The GJA Awards Night commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the association, on the theme: “Media-Promoting Dialogue, Mutual Understanding and National Unity.”

Mr. Kofi Akordor, a columnist and Features Editor of the Daily Graphic newspaper, was adjudged Journalist of the Year 2008. He and 19 others also won awards in competitive categories. Nine media houses won awards in the institutional category while five others took home the honorary awards. Two new GJA executives, Linda Asante Adjei, National Treasurer and Mr. Mathias Tibu, Public Affairs Executive, were sworn into office.