In honour of Caleb Kudah

It is refreshing and heart-warming to hear Caleb Kudah read the news bulletin this week after his experience with National Security.

After his release and accounts of his encounter with the National Security later, some people raised legitimate concerns about the incident.

Firstly, they wondered why Caleb should endanger his own life by filming the National Security in the public interest.

Public interest

Others have questioned what the public interest is all about. Abraham Lincoln defined acting in public interest as doing “for a community of people, whatever they need to have, but cannot do at all, or cannot, so well do, for themselves in their separated and individual capacities”.

So, it is not out of place if Caleb tried to expose vehicles procured by the government and left on the premises of the National Security.

But “who determines what is of public interest?” The simple answer is the court, where disputes are resolved.

But others have sadly said that it serves Caleb and other journalists right when they looked on without speaking out, during the mayhem at the Ayawaso West Wougon bye-election and at Techiman in the 2020 Election.

What could the journalists have done apart from reporting, which they did anyway? We all need some education on what the actual roles of journalists are.

Generally, a journalist’s duty is to hold public officers accountable to the people by reporting events, asking relevant and probing questions, unravelling secrets if need be.

The power to prosecute any wrongdoing in our society is with the government.

Conduct

On the conduct of National Security operatives, some people have said that Caleb was even lucky for not having been shot outright.

Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be in the interest of any security setup to keep a potential culprit alive in order to gather more intelligence for their purpose?

Wouldn’t it be in their interest to keep evidence to prosecute a potential culprit? Why do you want to destroy such important evidence?

National Security, I think, believes that “their operations are above the law”. That view must be purged.

It is important citizens see journalists as allies, who do not have prosecutorial powers, but can keep those who have prosecutorial powers on their toes through their mandates.

The writer is a teacher: E-mail: emmanuelwodewole@yahoo.com