<<Print>>

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has decided with immediate effect to boycott any political discussion programme on Metropolitan Entertainment Television (Metro TV) due to what the ruling party describes as unfair treatment meted out to them by management of the Accra-based commercial television network. According to the NDC, one of the members of the party�s Communication Team, Kojo Twum Boafo who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Free Zones Board (GFZB), was atypically prevented from representing the views of the NDC on the station�s flagship programme, �Good Morning Ghana�, on Thursday morning. Reason? That the NPP�s representative on the show, Gabby Otchere Darko, was not comfortable with the person of Kojo Twum Boafo as a co-panelist. Speaking to the issue in an interview with Suhini Alhassan on Radio Gold, Deputy Minister of Information, Samuel Okudjeto Ablakwa said the NDC can no longer put up with the blatant bias being exhibited by the management of Metro TV. According to him, he was only made aware of the decision by the television station not to welcome Mr Twum Boafo late last night. ��We have decided to boycott Metro TV�s �Good morning Ghana� programme because the humiliation Mr. Kojo Twum Boafo went through was not fair. How can this happen in a democratic dispensation like ours? The producer called and told me at 11:15pm yesterday (that they were changing the panel and Bernard Mornah will come instead), when it had already been agreed that Kojo Twum Boafo was going to represent us (NDC). The NPP cannot decide for government who should represent us. We have taken a decision that we will have nothing to do with Metro TV until further notice or (until) they apologise�,� Okudzeto Ablakwa said. He accused Metro TV of having developed the penchant of short-changing them. �This is not the first time; we have continuously been under the machination of Haruna Alhassan. Metro TV has given us a hell of a time and anytime we complain they will tell us that if we have any issue we should talk to Haruna. Talal Fattal (CEO of Metro) himself has had to apologize severally on behalf of Haruna. If it is a matter of quality, we can all discuss and come to a compromise and agreement. It is not a matter of quality of the person, it is a matter of unfairness for the producer to listen to NPP and decide who should come and who should not come�.,� the deputy Information Minister said.