Attack On UTV Was “Planned” And “Deliberate” – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has condemned an attack on the studios of Ghana’s Most watched private station, United Television (UTV) by hooligans from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). In a statement, the minority said the attack was “Planned and deliberate”. “We condemn the backward, primitive, uncivilised and violent disruption of the live television programme by the NPP thugs whose singular motivation was to visit mayhem and anarchy on the station as well as the show’s host and panellists.” A portion of the statement reads  The attack took place during a live broadcast of UTV's prime-time entertainment show, "United Showbiz" on Saturday. The hooligans stormed the studios, disrupted the program, and threatened to assault the host and her guests. Read below the minority’s statement  The Minority in Parliament has noted with concern a planned and deliberate violent attack on United TV (UTV) by hoodlums of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government during the station’s Saturday night entertainment show, United Showbiz. We condemn the backward, primitive, uncivilised and violent disruption of the life television programme by the NPP thugs whose singular motivation was to visit mayhem and anarchy on the station as well as the show’s host and panelists. It is a matter of public record that the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government has been unhappy with the UTV show for a while now and has officially written to the station to change the show’s editorial policy and turn it into another praise-singing programme for the government. Saturday night’s attack on UTV adds to the already very long list of NPP government- sponsored attacks on the media as part of its systematic clampdown on media freedom and free speech.

The Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government closed down many FM radio stations across the country for over three years because it perceived them to be critical of its abysmal performance in government. Increasingly, the Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government’s posture has been at variance with the inherent principle of free speech.

It is precisely because unpleasant speech is contemplated, that is why free speech is guaranteed in civilised democracies.

It is therefore unfortunate that the government tolerates only pleasant speech.

The purpose of free speech is defeated if it is limited to just the expression of pleasant speech. The government must be reminded that this is a constitutional democracy with media freedoms and free speech guaranteed.

It therefore cannot continue to bastardise these constitutional rights by harassing media organisations and media practitioners simply because the government does not like what is said or that its poor performance is subjected to public scrutiny and its sins exposed. We call on the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and other civil society groups to roundly condemn these NPP governments- sponsored thuggery and hold the government accountable for these shameful and backward attacks on the media by pro-government goons.