Where Were The Cameras?

By: Stephen A. Quaye

Since the biometric voter registration exercise took off in Ghana, I have been commending Ghanaians for making democracy thrive so long in the country particularly at a time where coup d’états have been going on in other African countries.

Then a friend sent me an email from Ghana to check the latest news on assaults on certain political personalities in certain constituencies by the NDC party hawks.

It was hard for me to believe that some people as he said went on rampage holding cutlasses, pick axe and what have you going after persons oppose to their party.

But when he invited me to take a look at photographs of NDC party goons, gangs or hoodlums holding cutlasses, broken bottles, pick axe and guns taking the streets of a section in Accra on Peace F.M. online website, I was shaken to the bones.

I felt my stomach grow queasy as I looked at the picture. The only question that came into my mind was where were the video cameras from the television stations that broadcast news to the whole wide world.

“Where were the state television news cameras that bring news to the doorstep of the tax professor at the castle, the seat of government to know and believe in what his boys were doing which dents his image as the Asomdwehene? What were the photojournalists as well as the editors doing at that time? Were they just following “solidarity” stories or “he said, she said” stories.

Leaving the real picturesque stories that can present the real situation on the ground to the authorities to take an action to salvage a situation that could lead to bloodshed was unfortunate on the side of our journalists.

This is not the first time vivid incidents of political assaults on innocent people have taken place and gone silent in the state media. It happened in Akwatia bye-election where certain NPP members were beaten by goons and hoodlums and no one took the matter up.

Atiwa bye election was the worse as NDC activists who have blood running through their veins and heart to feel sympathy for fellow human beings threw fellow feeling to the dogs and run party vehicles through a crowd of opposition party seriously injuring a number of them and no one has ever taken it up.

There was no way to feel sympathy for the DCE and the state media camera man who were chased by irate residents after they got charged by the assaults on them.

Was the state camera man supposing to enjoy jolly ride with the DCE or to work as a professional journalist by taking pictures of victims of assault and report on that?

Then this Odododiodoo one where a presidential staffer was alleged to have lead party goons holding cutlasses, sticks, and other dangerous tools chasing eligible voters from registering at centers and the state media cameras were no where to capture the scenes to show the president what his boy was doing.

Where are the cameras? Were they following the president on election campaigns in the Central Region whiles acts and other newsworthy events were taking place unrecorded?

Where are the cameras? Are they enjoying jolly ride with big suit wearing ministers, district chief executives, and party in power parliamentary candidates whiles hoodlums are chasing would be voters from registration centers in order to prevent them from getting the mandate to cast their ballots come December elections?

Where were the cameras when woman of dignity who is fighting for the right of our beloved mothers, sisters, aunties and wives in terms of getting more women in the law making house was attacked for her brevity.

In Canada, the cameras are like the eye of the eagle which captures scenes of good events as well as bad events and presents it to the people only for persons in power to take actions to affect people’s lives positively or resolve problems.

No but how could we know that certain peace officers discharged their duties unprofessionally during the G20 conference in Toronto? They were identified and are now being disciplined? The Cameras of Canada Broadcasting Corporation did excellent work.

But in Ghana the cameras of Ghanaian Times, Daily Graphic, Ghana News Agency and the state premier Ghana Television [GTV] of GBC, are either hiding or always enjoying jolly ride with ministers, DCEs as well as leaders of party in power.

By the way “Hi Five” to all able men and women of the inky fraternity of the Private News Papers and electronic media who did a yeoman’s job by not getting scared of these hoodlums and presented the true picture of assaults that characterized the biometric registration for all to see.

It is time Ghanaians rise up and ask a simple question for positive answer which is “where are the cameras?”

WE ALL NEED TO KNOW. End.