The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) believes government’s shutdown of some two radio stations –Radio Gold and Radio XYZ — has the tendency of undermining press freedom in the country.
Government through the National Communications Authority (NCA), on Thursday, closed down the two stations which have owners believed to be aligned to the opposition National Democratic Congress.
[contextly_sidebar id=”2ZtuHbG0u2SMudSoEyvk2CT647LBoz2Z”]The NCA explained that it took the action because the stations in question have been operating over the years without valid authorisations.
“GJA believes the action of the NCA has the tendency to undermine media freedom in Ghana as enshrined under Chapter 12 of the 1992 Constitution. We believe the framers of the 1992 Constitution had very good reasons to grant such elaborate freedoms to the media, although with responsibility. And nothing must be done to upstage the mindset of the constitutional framers,” GJA added in a statement.
The Association also urged the NCA to reverse the action and give the stations some time to make amends.
“In the light of the reasons cited above, the GJA calls on the NCA to immediately review its decision to close down the two Accra-based radio stations. We urge the NCA to give the two defaulting companies a lifeline to renew their authorization and operate”, the statement added.
Authorisation status of others
The GJA in the statement also asked the regulatory body to publish the authorization status of all other media outlets in the country in the interest of the public.
“The decision by the NCA to close down the two radio stations for operating without authorization suggests that all other broadcasting stations in the country have valid authorization to operate. Without casting doubt on such possibility, it would be prudent for the NCA to, in the interest of transparency, and in order to elevate its decision above reproach, publish the authorisation status of all broadcast operators in the country. The NCA may not be under any legal obligation to do so but it is enjoined by public interest to act in such manner.”
Radio Gold, Radio XYZ shutdown not politically motivated – Oppong Nkrumah
The Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah earlier denied claims that the shutdown of the two stations meant a political vendetta.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, the Minister said the exercise cuts across all users of electronic spectrum who are operating without the right authorization and not a specifically targeted user.
“I am very sure some persons would speculate that this exercise appears to be an action against the two radio stations that may appear to be unaligned to the current administration. But the brief I have is that, this exercise cuts across various user of spectrums who have been cautioned that they had been operating without authorization for some years now. And this exercise has been going on for a year now,” he said.