Audio Attachment:Listen to Yaw Boateng Gyan |
National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng-Gyan has hinted that its Communication Team members might be compelled by the party�s leadership to cease commenting on the 2012 election petition which is ongoing at the Supreme Court.
This is ostensibly to prevent its members from making contemptuous pronouncements on the case following the Supreme Court�s final warning and subsequent punishment meted out to Sammy Awuku, a Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic party (NPP).
According to the NDC�s National Organiser, Wednesday�s court decision to ban the NPP Communicator from witnessing proceedings in the courtroom, prompted him to have a brief meeting with the party�s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia.
�After Wednesday�s court proceedings, I called on the party�s General Secretary (Asiedu Nketia) to informed him that if its possible, we should call all our media analysts and talk to them on their choice of words,� he said.
To him, Sammy Awuku was only saved by the bell to have escaped 30 days jail sentence, thus there was the need to caution the party's communicators.
�We will send a strong warning out there. If you are an NDC member and do not take lessons from what happened to Sammy Awuku but you feel so big to make remarks that seek to undermine the authority of the court, and you are cited for contempt,�you will dance to your own tune. Because the NDC will not tolerate such behaviour, we are strongly advising them, (NDC communicators) as well as the NPP),� he warned.
An apologetic Sammy Awuku was only outlawed from attending the hearing of the Presidential Election Petition at the courtroom.
Sammy Awuku, who was subdued when he appeared before the panel, narrowly escaped being jailed after apologizing profusely and upon intervention from lead counsels for both the petitioners and respondents.
The judges gave the ruling after concession by Mr. Awuku that his comments on Peace FM criticising the final touchline warning were offensive.
Speaking in an interview with Tweneboah Koduah on Peace FM�s KOKROKOO, the NDC�s National Organiser however, suggested that radio stations should also be barred from holding discussions on the election petition hearing to avert any summoning.
�I wish host of talk shows on radio stations will also not bring up topics concerning the election petition hearing for discussion in any of their programmes. I think that will also help. Because if no one discusses the hearing (election petition), there will not be any contemptuous statement from any political analyst.
�� Justice Atuguba was really serious and the punishment to be meted out to the next person for contempt is likely to be worse than that of Sammy Awuku�s�Again if the judges are punishing the offenders, they (judges) should also punish host of radio talk-shows who bring up up the issue for discussion because there wouldn�t be any contempt if radio stations don�t table such issues for discussions,� he added.
Source: Ambrose Washman/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana
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