|
Prior vetting of television
panelists for knowledge of subject for show is essential -
Appiah Pinkrah
Accra, Nov 12, Ghanadot/GNA- Mr Kwabena Appiah-Pinkrah,
Member of Parliament (MP) for Akrofuom has advised producers
and hosts of television and radio programmes to check the
background of panellists before engaging them.
He contended that it was necessary to engage well-informed
persons on their programmes, to educate and enlighten their
listeners to avoid misinformation on topical issues of
national interest.
Mr Appiah-Pinkrah gave the suggestion in Accra, in an
interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on some of the
functions of an MP.
He agreed on the need for the MP to be in touch with his
constituents to know their concerns, but added that the work
of the MP was not only limited to visiting his constituency.
Mr Appiah-Pinkrah also reacted to a radio discussion on a
local FM station, during which a participant accused him of
not visiting the constituency and not being in touch with
his constituents.
He said as a lawmaker, the MP was both a representative of
his constituents and a delegate of his party and had to
garner his efforts to meet the needs of both at a middle
point.
The MP said satisfying the needs of constituents was not
based on individual wish, but rather group interest in
relation to the overall party objectives, policies and
principles.
He said the District Assemblies was an important tool that
had enhanced participation in governance at the grassroots
level, adding that some of the work that some constituents
expected of the MP was to be done at the District Assembly
level.
The MP challenged the panellist on the radio discussion
programme to verify if he was not discharging his duties
effectively as an MP.
Mr Appiah-Pinkrah, who is also a member of the Local
Government Committee in Parliament and Member of the
Standing Committee on Government Assurances, added that it
would be better to give credit to hardworking MPs rather
than give false unverifiable information about them on
radio.
"We should begin to educate our people on where the state
responsibility and that of the individual begin and end, not
rather make sweeping statements about an MP without seeking
his views and that of the people," the Akrofuom MP said.
Mr Appiah-Pinkrah said he had met party executives and youth
organisers and gone on an inspection tour of projects in the
constituency during the last recess.
He said he had supported the Constituency with 18,900 Ghana
Cedis of his share of the Common Fund towards the completion
of community initiated projects and bursaries to students
and pupils at all levels of education and a specific support
to Akrofuom Secondary Technical School.
He also said that he had created a special fund of 10,000
Ghana cedis for the Akrofuom Secondary Technical School to
be distributed to the best 20 in all subjects, for all the
three terms in a year.
He spoke of a number of development projects initiated,
which were also being pursued and at various stages of
completion in the constituency, stating that his number one
priority was education to develop the human resources to
work on the various opportunities in the area.
GNA
|
