‘GJA’s award to Anas not wrong’ – Executives

The Ashanti, Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Upper East and Upper West Regional Executives of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) have defended their National President, Affail Monney following allegations that he unilaterally picked investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas as the Best Journalist of the Year 2015.

The Western and Central Regional branches of the GJA on Tuesday accused Affail Monney of acts which they say are inimical to the progress of the Association.

They claimed Anas had not applied for the coveted award and his name had also not come up as one of the persons to be given the award.

But the four regional GJA executives say the position of their counterparts in the Western and Central Regions should be condemned by all.

Speaking to Citi News the Brong Ahafo Regional President of the GJA, Larry Paa Kwesi Moses said they stand by their President.

“They are accusing the president that he unilaterally took a decision and awarded Anas the journalist of the year which is not true. When it comes to the awarding of the journalist of the year, what happens is that it is the sole prerogative of the national executives, the regional executives don't have hand in that and it binds on us.”

“It is not the selection committee that determines who becomes the best journalist of the year. The best journalist and the best promising journalist is a sole prerogative of the national executives, they can go out of the nomination and pick somebody to become the national journalist of the year,” he added.

Anas' award celebrates unethical journalism – Dery 

Lawyer for dismissed High Court Judge, Justice Paul Uter Dery, told Citi News his client will soon take an action against the GJA, for presenting Anas and award for his work on the judiciary which implicated Justice Dery and over thirty others in a massive bribery and corruption piece.

The lawyer, Nii Kpakpo Addo, told Citi News the award rather celebrates unethical journalism .

Below is the full statement from the four GJA regional executives

EASTERN, BRONG AHAFO,UPPER EAST, UPPER WEST AND ASHANTI REGIONAL GJA CONDEMNS COLLEAGUES IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL REGION OVER ATTACK ON 21STGJA AWARDS

We members of the Ghana Journalists Association in the Eastern, Brong Ahafo. Ashanti, Upper East, Upper West and the Northern Region wish to call our colleagues in the Western and Central region to order and plead with them to allow sanity and decorum prevail in the GJA.

We wish to state that, even though the GJA is an Association and as such every member can express his views freely, our colleagues must exhibit maturity when touching on matters that affect the credibility of the Association and its flagship event.

It is interesting to note that in the last but one paragraph of the statement issued by our colleagues in the Western and Central regions, they quoted a Nigerian proverb that says, ' in the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.'

We want to question whether their single action of venting their concern in the public sphere was to build bridges or build dams in their perceived crisis situation.

It is worth indicating here that, the regional executives of the Western and Central regions were part of an Emergency Meeting held a day before the 21st awards night but didn't raise any of the issues raised in their statement during the meeting.

The attitude of colleague journalists throwing mud at leadership of the Association every year after the flagship event to award hard working journalists in the country must cease.

We the undersigned regional executives want to state that:

1. The Journalist of the year award goes to the journalist whose work made an exceptional impact and caused change in society

2. That Anas Aremeyaw Anas's investigation in the judiciary made a greater impact in the judiciary and influence a total cleansing leading to the dismissal of some judges from the judiciary.

3. That, it is not automatic that the journalist who win more awards become the journalist of the year.

4. We wish to reiterate that Anas did not breach any code of ethics of the GJA in his judicial corruption expose'.

Signed:
Maxwell Kudekor, Eastern Regional Secretary
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin