The Minister of Communications, Ursula Owusu Ekufful, has rubbished as laughable claims that the sanctions slapped on some 131 FM stations by the National Communications Authority (NCA) for series of breaches are politically motivated.
The NCA last week sanctioned a total of 131 FM authorization holders found to have breached section 13 of the Electronic Communications act (2009), Act 775.
This followed the completion of a nationwide FM Spectrum Audit conducted this year to determine compliance of Authorization Holders with their Authorization conditions and to determine which FM stations were in operations or otherwise.
The move by the NCA has been criticized by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as an attempt to stifle media freedom, and that it was politically motivated.
In her reaction, however, Mrs Ekufful dismissed the claims as “noises” which are simply laughable.
“I think it is long overdue and we all should respect the laws, rules and regulations that we have decided to guide our conduct as a civilized emerging democracy and there are compromises that one has to make for the general good and so we agreed that we will curtail some of our freedom actions to enable us all get on quite well,” she told Morning Starr Host Francis Abban Wednesday October 4, 2017.
She continued: “It is the matter of applying our laws…and I think once we all start realizing this myth or fiction of applying our laws with a human face which has been the shield behind which people have hidden to commit all manner of atrocities against the state, and once we move beyond that and look in the mirror and see ourselves as we really are, acting illegally for a very long time. Because once we pull out the political card if it is the perceived station which favours your position; once they are touched, you would say they are being politically persecuted and if it is their government in power it means that they are untouchable beyond sanctions. They get away with wrongdoings. Then we are never going to get anywhere.”
“We will insist that the substantial portions of the sanctions that have already been imposed will be collected before we will even discuss the payment term. But for those whose authorizations have been revoked I suggest that they cease operating because as from today the NCA has been empowered to also go out there to physically close down those affected stations,” she said.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM
