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GJA calls
for members’ united front
Cape Coast, May 29, Ghanadot/GNA- The General Secretary of
the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) Mr Bright Blewu on
Thursday called on members of the Association to keep a
united front to avoid being used by politicians for their
personal gains, particularly in this election year.
He said journalists play an important role in the nation’s
democracy and should therefore not allow individuals and
politicians to use them to derail
the nation’s democracy process.
Mr. Blewu said this when some executive members of the
Association visited the Central Region, to express their
sympathy and solidarity to two journalists, Mr Joe Okyere of
the Daily Graphic and Mr Phillip Baidoo of Ghana
Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) who were allegedly assaulted
by Mr Isaac Edumadze, MP in his residence at Ajumako last
Sunday.
He said following what they heard about the alleged assault
the GJA executives, decided to visit the region to hear from
the victims themselves what actually happened and necessary
action to take.
Mr Blewu said this was an election year, and that politics,
like football is passion, where people could easily target
the press and stressed that when such attacks occurred, the
GJA executive took it seriously and reacted appropriately.
“We had to react swiftly because it is a political year and
journalists will be covering political party rallies,
primaries and other political activities and can easily fall
prey to any politician, in fact the media is one of the
pillars of democracy and should therefore not be taken for
granted”.
He stressed that an attack on a journalist was an attack on
the media and that the GJA would not allow such to happen in
this election year.
Mr Blewu, in this regard called on journalists in the region
to appreciate the anguish, the two men went through and
endeavour to give them “emotional support” to enable them to
recover from the shock.
Mr. Kwesi Afriyie Badu, Chief Executive KAB Consult and a
legal advisor to the Association also expressed his sympathy
to the two journalists after each narrated their his side of
the story.
He said Mr Edumadze has found himself at the wrong side of
the law and that the case would be critically looked into,
adding that the Association would inform the Privileges
Committee of Parliament so as to have Mr Edumadze
investigated and that the State Attorney would also be
notified so that it would take up the issue from the Central
Region Police Command.
Mr George Ebo Sackey, Regional Chairman of the Association,
in his welcoming address commended the national executive
for the prompt response and also expressed his displeasure
about the incident, stressing, “if you touch a journalist
you have touched all journalists”.
“We will not allow politicians to use journalists for their
personal gains; journalists are there to advance the
nation’s democracy, help address the needs of the poor and
needy but not to make bullies popular.”
The former Central Regional Minister and Member of
Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam constituency, Mr Isaac
Edumadze, after losing the NPP primaries on Sunday May 26,
allegedly assaulted the Graphic Regional correspondent, Mr
Joe Okyere in his residence at Ajumako.
It is alleged that Mr Edumadze together with his macho men
held two reporters, Mr. Philip Baidoo, the Ghana
Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) correspondent and Mr. Okyere
in his residence at Ajumako for over an hour, most of which
time he assaulted Mr. Okyere, for alleged written bad things
about him (Edumadze).
GNA
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