A regular panelist on Jirapa FM’s “Morning Show” and other allied talk shows of the station, Paul Dakurah, had bemoaned the gullibility of the average Ghanaian especially radio patrons when it comes to reaction to news items.
He says it is more disturbing when news items are sensational, wired and is likely to encourage rumour, gossip and cheap talk which is not in anyway helpful in nation building and development.
“We wake up to a news item, example fire has razed down an important public building, everyone is talking about it and phoning in with important inputs as to what should be done to help or prevent future occurrences. In two hours time for example the finance Minister’s girlfriend is seen with a boyfriend holding a hundred thousand cedis, there there the all important ‘fire business” ends there, every station is talking about the finance minister’s girlfriend and her boyfriends and the hundred thousand cedis. That’s how cheap we can be” he exemplified.
According to Mr. Dakurah, we seem not to have a sense of purpose, ‘always moving with the wind’ and that matters of great importance are almost always inconclusive with people who would have committed infractions let off the hook because of the lack of interest in ongoing cases or people are more interested in ‘juicy’ stories.
He turned his attention to statutory state institutions such as the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC), the Public Accounts Committee of the Parliament of Ghana and the Auditor General’s Department which he says seem to be limited in just providing sensational exciting news yet doing nothing about it.
Mr. Dakurah asserted that if these public institutions were powered to take punitive and correctional measures against people who have fallen out of line of duty, most of the indiscipline we see in society will be brought to its he nearest minimum.
He explained that the perception out there is that, it will be out of place for a public official not to help himself to public funds and that we as citizens go to these officials for financial and other help, not questioning or caring where the money is coming from.
He wondered why an individual will go to jail for four years for stealing a bunch of plantain whilst a public official who embezzles close to a million cedis is sent home with just a dismissal.
“What has happened to all those investigative reports gathered by Anass, Awuni and their colleagues and indeed those who have lost their lives trying to expose the rot in society. Are red-handed people not roaming around in town enjoying their loot” he asked.
Mr. Dakurah is of the belief that a lot more can be done especially given the political will and improving on our civic duties and responsibilities and that the average Ghanaian worker’s ‘take home pay’ should at least be seen to be taking him home.
