The Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) says fundamental rights of Ghanaians are at risk with the decision by government to manage the digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform.
Government has served notice it will set up a new company under its supervision to manage the DTT platform. The government will also appoint the Chief Executive Officer and members of the board of the company.
However, GIBA believes the action by government is dangerous to the media environment.
“The framers of the constitution thought it wise to put State Owned Media under the National Media Commission (NMC) to ensure the national interest is protected. If the management of the DTT platform is put under government control, it means the fundamental rights of the people we’ve been protecting all these years will no more be protected. We do not know what interest the Communication Ministry has in this whole DTT platform and its management. If we allow the government to control the DTT platform, it means the management will change every time there is a change in government and that is and won’t be healthy ,” President of GIBA told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr Wednesday.
He added GIBA may go to court to seek clarification on the matter.
Meanwhile, the National Media Commission (NMC) has petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the Speaker of Parliament to intervene and prevail on the Ministry of Communications to review its decision and draft documents on the formation of a company to manage Ghana’s digital terrestrial television (DTT) platform.
According to the NMC, the ministry’s decision and the relevant draft document, if implemented the way they were now, would violate Article 168 of the 1992 Constitution, which vests the commission with the power to appoint the members of the boards and the chief executive officers (CEOs) of state-owned media organisations, in consultation with the President.
Addressing the media in Accra Tuesday, the Chairman of the NMC, Nana Kwasi Gyan-Apenteng, said allowing the yet-to-be-formed Central Digital Transformation Company Limited (CDTL) to manage the DTT platform “is a wrong move and a violation of the Constitution”.
“Throughout the discussions and negotiations to this point, the understanding had been that a special entity would be set up to manage it and key stakeholders would be represented on the board of the entity.
“The question and the point of the NMC’s current anxiety revolves around the creation and management of that single entity. We are especially concerned about the mode of appointing its board and CEO,” Nana Gyan-Apenteng said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com
