POLLUTIVE ENUNCIATIONS

The constitution of the republic of Ghana guarantees the rights and freedoms of its citizens, and in essence, a reflection of this magnanimity is premised in the constitution of the republic of Ghana, specifically article twenty-one. It stipulates among others that “All persons shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media...” But unfortunately, this constitutional provision had been illogically elongated to encapsulate foul, irresponsible, and explosive expressions.


Irrefutably, we are conscious of the solid fact that our culture and indigenous ideals supplements the provision espoused in our constitution. For instance, it is highly disrespectful of a child to insult an elderly person. Nonetheless, the child is allowed to voice out his feelings and ideas on certain issues. But it seems this cultural element is gradually waning. Just recently, a social commentator at a Kumasi-based radio station called the President a chimpanzee. My heart bleeded with fear when I learnt that he is a teacher by profession. Looking at his irresponsible and unguarded comment vis-a-vis his occupation, I wondered the kind of knowledge he would be imparting to pupils/students he handles. Politics is not about vile disparaging remarks, character defamation, insults and prejudiced sentiments; rather it is about firm grasp of issues and understanding of the needs of the masses so as to come out with executable solutions. Succinctly put, politics is about how you use your head and not your heart. I therefore encourage the youth of this great country to condemn such misdemeanours and not emulate such stinking attitudes of such people.

To be candid, I feel extremely bad when I hear ferocious and unnecessary raucous arguments on our radio stations, where uncensored and scorching vocabularies cocooned in insults swing comfortably on our airwaves. How are we socializing our coming generation and what kind of trend are we establishing on our media? Let’s learn to cogently argue intellectually, factually, and responsibly.

Long live Ghana.