I stand for press freedom - Speaker of Parliament

The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Mike Oquaye, has said he has a long-standing commitment to media freedom in Ghana, the reason he will do everything possible to ensure that press freedom is preserved.

He said since 1967, he had personally supported media freedom and contributed to the publication of articles that had helped to liberate the press during the culture of silence in the country.

The Speaker recounted with pride how he had assisted a late presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Professor Albert Adu Boahene, to write an article on press freedom that was published in the Ghanaian Times in 1967.

The Speaker’s reassurance was to correct an impression that Parliament was trying to gag parliamentary correspondents following his stern warning to journalists that they risked losing their accreditation to cover proceedings of the Legislature.

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Background

Prior to the commencement of deliberations on the President’s State of the Nation Address in Parliament last Wednesday, the Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, had drawn the attention of the Speaker to an occurrence in the House on February 25, 2020.

He had told the Speaker that the media withdrew from coverage of proceedings in the House to attend a private briefing by an individual legislator.
Addressing the concerns raised, the Speaker cautioned the media to be circumspect and place the interest of the House above those of individual parliamentarians.

He reminded the media that they were guests in the House who had been permitted and accredited by the Speaker and that any deviation from carrying out their responsibility of covering proceedings of the House could lead to they (press) having their accreditation withdrawn.

Assurance

Addressing Parliament before the start of debate on the President’s address yesterday, Prof. Oquaye assured Ghanaians that Parliament would do everything to develop and strengthen the capacity of members of the Parliamentary Press Corps to enable them to perform their duties professionally.

“Under my leadership, and with the cooperation of the Minority Leader and the Majority Leader, Parliament is revising its rules to allow the media to be stronger in covering business in Parliament and committee meetings as a whole.

“We are for them; they are our children. We must also help them and direct them to develop, and that is a national duty,” he added.

Explaining the warning he had issued last Wednesday, Prof. Oquaye said no group of people was beyond criticism and, therefore, urged the press to carry out their reportage professionally.

“Facts are sacred, comments are free, but report facts accurately,” he said.

He also reminded the press that they were always welcome as guests of Parliament and that the House would consistently do everything to assist them in the performance of their duties.

“Our democracy is young; let us learn and act responsibly to help develop it. Everyone who has been brought up in Ghana knows that such conduct in a chief’s palace will not be proper. So will it not be proper in the House of Parliament,” he said.