British diplomat defends media in Ghana

The hard-to-control British Deputy High Commissioner in Ghana, Mr. Craig Murray, has stated that the opposition and the media have every right to ask questions about the Sahara oil deal, which has generated a lot of debate in the country because it is their duty to do so.

He has, therefore, asked the NPP government to stop criticizing the press and the opposition and instead subject itself to scrutiny since the contract at the centre of the dispute was not opened up for people to tender in their bid, as the case should have been.

"I think some of the people in government are finding it difficult to accept some of the knocks you have to take when you are there, hence their stand against the press on the issue but I personally believe journalists writing about the Sahara contract are not pursuing something that is unreasonable", he said in an apparent reference to Dr. Brobby's (government's energy adviser) claim.

Craig Murray, however, told his host, Philip Nyakpo, who interviewed him on Sky Power FM, a radio station based in Takoradi that he was not in the position to say whether the explanation given by the NPP government on the Sahara Oil Contract was satisfactory or not, saying that can only be determined by the people of Ghana and not him who is a foreign diplomat.

He further said though it is a fact that writings of some of the journalists in the country look somehow disheartening, he personally does not have any evidence that journalists have been paid to unduly criticize the government.

It is not done anywhere for the government to attack the media since that will surely be a losing battle. The NPP government cannot say it has media that are not backing it, he added.

Touching on the oil industry itself, the deputy high commissioner said in the developed countries, government does not set or determine fuel prices and therefore wondered why in this 21st century the government of Ghana should still be allowed to set or control fuel prices.

He suggested that the government distance itself from the importation of oil and allow petroleum companies operating in the country like Mobil, Elf among others to bring in their oil and sell it at competitive prices to the consuming public.

To ensure private participation in the economy, Murray said government must make available provisions like tax break and enough utilities to both foreign and local investors to spur them on to invest in the private sector of the economy.

He also suggested to the government to try and add value to its products like cocoa and timber in the form of processing before exporting them. According to him, the European Union (EU) has now removed all tariffs on manufactured goods exported from Ghana and the government must take advantage of this.

Murray also said another area the government must look at seriously is the tourism industry which could generate more foreign exchange for the country if the tourists come in.