Failing to learn from Mills & Mahama RAWLINGS` DARK DAYS ARE BACK… As NDC supporters beat journalists to pulp
While former President Jerry John Rawlings is calling for justice in the Issa Mobila case, after receiving an award for contributing immensely towards the development of the Brong-Ahafo Region, in Sunyani, at the BA@50 Prominent Citizens Award ceremony, supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have brutally assaulted some journalists.
The assault, which goes down as the worst in history, was carried out in the full glare of former President Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Kwasi Oppong Ababio, a Member of Council of State, Cecilia Johnson, Minister of Lands and Forestry, Alhaji Collins Dauda, and other high ranking state officials, as well as traditional authorities in the region.
None of these dignitaries restrained the irate NDC members, as they callously beat a GNA Reporter, Dennis Peprah, to pulp.
What is even more worrisome was the mob attack on the press corps immediately after the programme.
The Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Kwasi Oppong Ababio, who was a witness during the assault, when approached to restrain the supporters, retorted, “You can't instruct me.” 'Se mo anka nkwasia sem a, enka yen be bo mo,” meaning if you had not said stupid things, they wouldn't have beat you.
The affected journalists were, Ian Motey, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Larry Paa Kwasi Moses, Regional Secretary of the GJA, Dennis Peprah of the GNA, Kwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Daily Graphic, and Michael Boateng, The Chronicle.
Dennis Peprah, who was seriously beaten, was at the time of filing this report responding to treatment.
Paa Kwasi Moses of TV Africa, and Kwasi Ampratwum had their mobile phones and wristwatch snatched during the attack.
A taxi with registration number BA 944 Q, whose driver wanted to whisk Dennis Peprah away, had his windscreen smashed by the irate NDC supporters. The matter has been reported to the police.
The journalists, led by the Regional Executives of the GJA, had earlier decided to boycott the function after the organisers had failed to allocate a place for the media. According to them, since the beginning of activities marking the BA@50, the media in the region had been slighted by the organisers of the programme, but the journalists have endured the ill-treatments.
Unfortunately, a driver at the Regional Coordinating Council, Kwame Adu, had retorted that journalists within the region were “writing stupid things, and do not deserve to be given seats.”
This was after the GJA executives had inquired about their seats, because the organisers of the event had failed to allocate them seats.
These assaulted journalists, who have officially reported the attack to the Sunyani District Police Command, believe that the attack was planned by some top officials of the NDC, because the supporters kept heckling the journalists throughout the programme, urging them to report fairly, otherwise they would see red.
“If you like, this time go and report any bias now Jerry is around, and you will see, liars,” were the comments that were constantly coming out from the NDC supporters.
The assorted journalists are calling on the GJA to boycott all official functions of the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), Districts/Municipal Assemblies and the NDC, until the attackers are arrested and prosecuted.
The only visual evidence of the attack had been surrendered to the NDC by the Brong-Ahafo Metro TV camera man, Emmanuel Ankamah. Em
manuel Ankamah, who captured the whole incident on tape, was coerced to surrender the vital information to the NDC.
The GJA sees the move as an attempt to kill the matter, because the tape can easily be manipulated to the advantage of the attackers.
When contacted, Emmanuel Ankamah confirmed that one Mickey Charles, who was once on air claiming to be the Media Coordinator for the RCC, ordered for the tape, which he (Ankamah) surrendered, but was yet to go back for it, as the GJA was persistently pressurising him for the tape.
Meanwhile, the Brong Ahafo Regional Branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has strongly condemned the attack on its members at the BA@50 awards ceremony that took place on Saturday, December 12, 2009.
The GJA, in a statement, stated, “Saturday's brutal assault by NDC hoodlums on the Regional Chairman of thte GJA, Ian Motey, Secretary of the GJA, Larry Paa Kwesi Moses, Dennis Peprah of GNA, Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah, Regional Correspondent of Daily Graphic and the Regional Correspondent of The Chronicle, Michael Boateng, was unwarranted, and should be condemned under no uncertain terms.
“The GJA deems this uncivilised action by the NDC supporters, as an affront to press freedom and the rights of the media in the performance of their legitimate duties, as mandated by the 1992 Constitution.”
According to the Association, its investigations have revealed that the assault was orchestrated by a high-powered official of the NDC, and what made it more serious, was that the assault happened in the full glare of the ex-President and Founder of the NDC, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, a Member of the Council of State, Mrs. Cecilia Johnson, Ministers of State and Municipal and District Chief Executives.
Under the circumstances, the Brong Ahafo Regional GJA has resolved to boycott all official functions of the Regional Coordinating Council, the Municipal and District Assemblies and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) until the culprits are arrested and brought to book.
The GJA noted that it had identified some of the culprits, including drivers of the M/DCEs, but for security reasons it wants to withhold the names.
A report to this effect has been lodged with the Sunyani Municipal Police Command, where the names of the identified culprits would be given at the needed time.
It expressed dismay at the fact that none of the dignitaries present attempted to restrain their members as they callously beat Dennis Peprah into pulp, adding, “A minister of state on the dais, was overhead remarking, “the action was justifiable.”
The GJA stated that events after the assault, clearly show that instead of the RCC coming clean on the issue to facilitate its resolution, it was rather preparing the ground to deny that the incident occurred, as a Metro TV cameraman, by name Emmanuel Ankamah, who captured the whole scene, has been coerced into surrendering the tape to the RCC.
The Association could not understand why a taxi cab with a registration number BA 944 Q, whose driver wanted to whisk Mr. Peprah away, had its left side screen smashed by the irate mob, stressing that what was even more worrisome, was the mob attack on the press corps immediately after the programme. According to the GJA, the mob attack on the press corps happened in the presence of the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive, Kwasi Oppong Ababio, who, when approached to restrain the supporters retorted, “You can't instruct me.” 'Se mo anka nkwasia sem a enka ye be bo mo,” meaning if you had not said stupid things, they wouldn't have beaten you.
Other M/DCEs who, according to the GJA, witnessed the scene but did nothing during the attack, included Vincent Oppong Asamoah, Dormaa MCE, Mohammed Kwaku Doku, Asunafo North MCE, Kwasi Lampo, Sunyani Municipal National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) Coordinator, and a host of others.
The attackers snatched two expensive mobile phones and wristwatches from Mr. Ampratwum Mensah and Larry Paa Kwasi Moses respectively, while the wallet of Mr. Peprah and a reporters' note book were also forcefully taken.
The GJA recollected that earlier, the organisers failed to reserve a place for the media, and when their attention was drawn to that effect, their response was not encouraging to the extent that a driver of the RCC, Kwame Adu, who happened to be around, retorted, “You guys constantly write nonsense, that is why we did not reserve a place for you.”
Meanwhile, the GJA has learnt with disgust, a report on the incident purported to have been filed by an ice cream seller, Yaw Kokore Joshua for Peace/Hello FM.
“The said report contained falsehood, and the said Kokore Joshua was not on the scene and could be a figment of his own imagination,” stated the GJA.