The first court appearance of suspects in the Montie FM contempt debacle was characterized by a near breakdown of law and order when journalists performing their legitimate roles were profiled and assaulted.
While the action of supporters of the suspects and National Democratic Congress (NDC) was condemnable, it is yet to attract any statement from the Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA). This we find worrying, especially since it suggests that any media person who was injured in the course of the performance of their duties at the court would have to bear their own crosses.
If the GJA has not deemed the despicable action of the party-organized thugs worthy of condemnation, which other organization should? One of the roles of the GJA is to ensure the interests of its membership, but under the circumstances we are hard-pressed not to express misgivings.
Without such a statement of solidarity to victims of the crude conduct and a call on the law enforcement agency to do more than it did, what positive change should we expect on Monday when the suspects return to face the Supreme Court? A dangerous precedence is being set for future recurrence of this nonsense when cases of this nature are brought before courts.
It would appear that we have been left to our fate. We observed how the police sought to prevent the attackers from reaching their targets, but we think that was not good enough.
Arrests should have been made so the suspects would be dealt with according to law. No individual has the right to attack his fellow human being the way the hoodlums sought to do. Until action is taken by way of prosecution, the nonsense will continue until we are being told that under some circumstances such as politically-inclined ones, the police are unable to perform their duties.
The premises of a court, more so the Supreme Court, should be accorded an appreciable level of deference and so those responsible for organizing and bussing the male and female thugs to do what they did last Monday should bow their heads in shame.
We are more pained that political personalities who should exhibit worthy conduct for their supporters to emulate rather engage hoodlums to go and deliberately create confusion on the premises of the court, as witnessed last Monday.
Media practitioners play important functions in every democracy, yet this fact is lost on politicians behind the action under review. What happened last Monday was a familiar film. It is always screened at the behest of bad politicians who think such pranks are the only way to push their diabolic agenda to fruition.
We should all contribute towards remedying the ills of society because that is the only way we can ensure the growth of our country.
On Monday, law enforcement agents must show that they are on the ground and ready to enforce the law.