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Felix Kwakye Ofosu, spokesperson for President John Dramani Mahama and Minister of State for Government Communications, has dismissed allegations that the government is behind recent assaults on journalists.
His response follows strong criticism from the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Kwabena Dwumfour, who on Tuesday, February 18, condemned the Mahama administration over what he described as an “unprecedented” rise in attacks on journalists. Dwumfour revealed that since the start of President Mahama’s tenure, seven incidents had been recorded and expressed concern over the lack of accountability for the perpetrators.
Addressing the media in Accra on Wednesday, February 19, Kwakye Ofosu described the accusations as unfair and misleading. “It was claimed that seven journalists had been attacked and statements were made that sought to create the impression that there is some design by Mahama and his government to attack journalists. It is a most regrettable narrative. We do not think that it is fair to President Mahama, it is fair to the government, it is even fair to the GJA or even to the journalists who are reported to have been attacked,” he stated.
He revealed that he had spoken with the GJA president to understand the motivation behind the press conference and explore alternative ways to address concerns. “I sought to find out exactly what informed that press conference and why other alternative approaches were not adopted to discuss the matters with the view to seeking redress for those who might have been affected. After the conversation, we agreed that early next week there should be a direct interaction between my office and the GJA,” he explained.
Kwakye Ofosu also rejected claims that the government was targeting journalists due to dissatisfaction with their work. “The way that the press conference was addressed and the way that the matters were couched created the impression that some journalists had perhaps said or written something that the government was unhappy about and therefore the government was carrying out reprisals against them. But that is completely incorrect. It is not true and nothing of the sort has happened,” he affirmed.
He further defended President Mahama, insisting that the President values press freedom and would never condone attacks on journalists. “All of you are aware that President Mahama is an easy-going, down-to-earth, affable individual who relates well with all manner of people. He is a member of the GJA in good standing. Essentially, he is one of you and therefore he will be the last person to supervise a dispensation where journalists are attacked,” he stressed.
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