Don't abuse freedom of speech - Oboshie

Accra, Aug. 16, GNA - Media personnel have been advised not to abuse the environment of the freedom of speech and expression created by the Government.

They must therefore endeavour to reach out to state officials for their reactions and government positions on issues raised in newspapers and airwaves.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs. Oboshie Sai-Cofie, made the appeal in an interview on one of her weekly media walkabout which is gradually being institutionalized. She said should any media house encounter difficulties in getting through to a Minister, or any state official for any reaction or comment on news items, they should not hesitate to call on her Ministry for assistance.

A statement issued in Accra by the Ministry said this week's tour, which began from Peace 104.3 Fm, saw the Minister visiting T.V Africa, the Pedestrian shopping Mall @ Circle, Citi 97.3 Fm, Hot 93.9 Fm, and Happy 98.9 Fm.

She was accompanied by the Deputy, Mr Frank Agyekum, Mrs. Catherine Afeku, Government Spokesperson on Infrastructure and some officers and staff of the Ministry.

She congratulated the workers and management of Peace Fm, especially the Kokrokoo Morning Show crew, on their achievement as the most listened to Fm station in Ghana. Mr. Agyekum pledged the commitment and support of the ministry for media activities.

He called for peaceful co-existence among the listeners of radio programmes, even in the midst of divergent opinions. This is because leaders and front-liners of the various parties were themselves not at loggerheads with each other, but their healthy and interactive exchanges were all in the spirit of democracy. At T.V Africa, Mrs. Sai Cofie lauded the owners, management, and staff of the station for Africanizing everything about them and assured them of government's support.

The statement said the entourage was disappointed when they reached the pedestrian shopping mall at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and found that most of the stalls were deserted, after all the money sunk into the project with the hawkers back on the streets.

"This looked much unbelievable and disheartening because all the stalls, as confirmed by the traders, have been allocated," the statement said.

Some of the traders led by their chairman, Mr. Desmond Donkor, and their women's organizer, Ms. Perpetual Asante, noted that they were yearning for the commissioning of the market. They pledged their commitment to collaborate with the AMA task force to ensure that the streets were rid of hawkers so that the market was well patronized.

They called on the authorities to prosecute all who would be arrested in the exercise and appealed for sheds F, G and H to be opened.

They also asked the AMA to adopt an open-door and friendly policy in dealing with them.

Mrs Sai-Cofie appealed to the traders to go back to the market, saying that their continuous use of the market would make the streets unattractive to buyers and sales would boom. She assured the traders that she will take up their concerns to the AMA for appropriate redress.

At Hot 93.9 Fm, the Minister entreated journalists to feed listeners with factual information. She advised D.J's to be selective with the type and content of music played on the airwaves.