GRi Newsreel 02 - 11 - 99

Media must be responsible for change of its laws -Annan

Accra (Greater Accra), 2^nd November 99

Mr. Justice D. F Annan, Speaker of Parliament, on Monday urged media practitioners in West Africa to initiate and lobby for the enactment of laws that will make their operations free from governmental control.

He was opening a three-day conference on Media Law Reform in the sub -region, organised by the Media Foundation for West Africa.

Justice Annan said "too often citizens and society generally complain and fret about the state of the law, but do not seem to accept their responsibility to lobby or initiate action leading to law reform."

He said although parliament makes laws, it takes its cue from the public, adding, "the situation in which almost all new proposals or bills originate from the executive is not satisfactory. Interest groups have the political and social responsibility to come forward and lobby their members of parliament".

The Speaker said for the media to perform its role, "it must be free and independent of state control".

"Given the chequered history of the press, both private and state, in our various countries, freedom from state control or interference is a sine qua non to the development of a sustainable democracy.

"Freedom and independence, however, are just one side of the coin. On the other side are notions of responsibility and standards," the Speaker said.

Justice Annan said, this symbiotic arrangement demands that the strength of the other side of the coin must not be predicated on the weakness of the other, else the coin would not be legal tender.

He said freedom and independence could not in truth be open-ended privileges, which renew themselves only in the ashes of responsibilities and standards.

Justice Annan commended the Media Foundation for West Africa for organising the conference at a time when efforts are under way towards regional integration and co-operation in West Africa.

He said formation of such a foundation could complement the efforts of national media or press commissions or councils in their assigned roles of promoting freedom and independence of the media.

Justice Annan urged the conference to give attention to education on media responsibility, which as well goes with press freedom.

Mr. Kwame Karikari, Executive Director of the Foundation, said the resort to law courts to deal with media reports "is a useful means of undermining the courage of the media to exact from public officials accountability of their stewardship, which is a necessary process in strengthening democratic governance."

He said the conference aims at facilitating and promoting the work to reform laws, which are inimical to free speech and media freedom.

Mrs Janet Graham, Canadian High Commissioner in Ghana, observed that, "in the last five years there has been substantive progress on press freedom", adding that ethics in journalism call for responsibilities that go with press freedom.

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Workshop on marine debris outreach campaign ends in Accra

Accra (Greater Accra), 2^nd November 99

A Regional Workshop on Marine Debris Outreach Campaign for the Gulf of Guinea, to highlight certain vital aspects of marine pollution has ended in Accra.

The workshop was organised by Coast Watch, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) and sponsored by the ICU and UNIDO for NGOs form Ghana, Cameroon, Benin, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Togo.

Representatives from the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology, Works and Housing, Fisheries Department, Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), UNESCO, as well as the ICU and UNIDO attended.

Making a contribution at the seminar, Mr. Lee Ocran, Deputy Minister of Environment Science and Technology said environmental issues transcend political frontiers and it was therefore gratifying that most countries on the West Coast attended.

The importance of the marine and coastal zone in the sustainable development of these countries is attributable to the fact that more than half their populations live in coastal zones.

He said, ''our beaches with the exciting sunshine provide a haven for tourists from the developed world.''

The workshop formed part of the joint sub-regional 'Solid Waste Management Project/Gulf of Guinea Large Marine Ecosystem Project' aimed at fashioning out a programme to clean up beaches.

In this context, Mr. Ocran said, Ghana has gone further with respect to the development of an Integrated Coastal Area Management Plan, which is being finalised and will soon be submitted to the government for adoption.

The programme would focus and reinforce the attention of governments, decision-makers and the general public to the importance of oceans and marine environment as vital resources for sustainable development.

''The major objective of the joint efforts is to create awareness and obtain commitments from governments to take action, provide adequate resources and give priority to the coastal zones, oceans and seas," Mr Ocran added.

Ms Kathleen Harold, an environmental specialist of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, who was the principal speaker observed that 75 per cent of the debris that litter the beaches throughout the world originate from land.

"About 90 per cent of these are plastic or polythene based. They have been found to choke fish and other sea mammals and are gradually killing certain species of fish in the sea."

She urged the participants to go back to their various countries determined to save the sea for the present and future generations.

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Live in clean environment - Djangmah

New Abirem (Eastern Region), 2^nd November 99

Mr. Tei Djangmah, acting Birim North District Director of Health Services, has reiterated the need for people to live in clean environments and observe strict personal hygiene.

Mr. Djangmah told a forum on environmental awareness organised by the District Directorate, at New Abirem in the Eastern Region that this would prevent the outbreak of epidemics.

He emphasised that with the reported cases of cholera in some parts of the Ashanti Region, environmental health officers in the district have to be extra vigilant on the disposal of both liquid and solid wastes.

He asked community health nurses to intensify their health education campaigns and pleaded with environmental health unit staff to enforce strict compliance of the law that food vendors and drinking bar operators are medically examined periodically.

Mr. Emmanuel K. Brogya, medical assistant for the New Abirem Health Centre advised that any diarrhoea case accompanied with vomiting should be immediately reported to the nearest health centre.

Mr. Brogya advised people to eat their cooked food hot, cautioning that carrots, cabbage, tomatoes and lettuce should be properly washed before eating.

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Chieftaincy dispute deepens as Queenmother and Chief destool each other

Nkwantanang (Eastern Region), 2^nd November 99

The protracted chieftaincy dispute at Nkwantanang, near Kade in the Eastern Region, plunged into deeper crisis at the weekend as both the Queenmother and the chief slaughtered sheep to signify the destoolment of the other.

The Queenmother, Nana Ama Frimpomaa, slaughtered two sheep at Nkwantanang and Akim-Wenchi last week to destool the chief, Nana Adansi Akyem Omane, for an alleged misconduct.

Nana Omane, on the other hand, slaughtered a sheep in front of his palace at Nkwantanang and caused a gong-gong to be beaten at the weekend to announce the destoolment of the Queenmother on grounds of disloyalty.

There was a near gun battle between some supporters and armed military personnel alleged to have been hired by the Queenmother to prevent the chief from slaughtering his sheep.

The timely intervention of the Kade Divisional Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr. E.K. Addo, saved the situation.

ASP Addo reminded both security personnel of the need to ensure that peace was maintained in the town and warned both sides not to indulge in any argument with any of the two parties.

Barely three months ago, a reconciliation tree was planted in the town by the Chairman of the National Commission on Civic Education, Mr. Larry Bimi, to signify the end of the protracted chieftaincy dispute but the latest incident shows that that gesture has been futile.

Briefing the press later, Nana Omane said the decision of the kingmakers, Gyaase division and some heads of the royal Ekuana family to destool the Queenmother was in response to her "disloyalty and unacceptable customary and traditional conduct".

He said the Queenmother has no right to personally destool him in front of the Akim Wenchi chief, Osabarima Asare Bediako, adding that, ''even if I had faulted, a charge should be preferred against me and proper customary procedures followed to destool me at the Ofori Panin fie at Kyebi and not Akim Wenchi''.

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