Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas
Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas touched the appropriate chords when he cautioned the Ghanaian media against hate speeches which as he noted can foment trouble and trigger violence.
As the political parties heighten their campaign activities, the tendency for some of them to pass unguarded utterances, some of them hate in nature, is becoming noticeable.
Some media practitioners especially broadcasters as observed by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) President Roland Affail Monney appear to relish the hate speeches uttered by some politicians as they urge them on with their irresponsible ‘more fire’ push.
There are consequences to such irresponsible speeches which have the tendency to foment trouble and trigger violence as the UN Secretary General’s Representative for West Africa observed.
Why would a radio station presenter decide not to stop a politician from continuing to pass remarks which can only inflame passions in a highly polarised country? It is unfathomable why politicians who make such remarks and the radio presenters who air them fail to understand the consequences of such behaviour. At a time when the country is close to holding an election in which the stakes are high, we can only condemn such tendencies.
It is the responsibility of those manning such consoles to be on top of their assignments by denying perpetrators of hate speeches the oxygen to disseminate their toxic language.
Language, when not managed properly, can throw a country into avoidable turmoil as some countries have witnessed already. While it is easy to trigger violence; it is difficult to stop it.
As the December 7 date draws near, the desperation of some politicians who have access to a number of radio stations pushes them to make comments some of which should not be countenanced in any civilised society.
In countries which have learnt their lessons from such irresponsible language, nobody wants to venture near such intemperate outbursts.
We have never endured the consequences of ethnocentric strife occasioned by hate speeches and pray never to do so now or in the future. The import of the admonition of Dr. Chambas and the GJA President can hardly be appreciated by naïve journalists who take more delight in muddying the waters than promoting peace and stability of the country.
Although the role of the media in democracies cannot be marginalised, the irresponsible conduct of some practitioners alongside bad politicians who think like them is a cause for concern.
It is our hope that the many admonitions from various interest groups including the latest from the UN Secretary General’s, our own Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas would trigger a change in our course.
With the world watching us, we shall come out once more triumphant especially since many are now beginning to snub the hate speeches from desperate politicians, oxygenated by some media persons who could not care a hoot about a country they claim to love.