Tension is building up within the rank and file of journalists in this country which, if not handled properly, can cause disaffection among members of this noble profession and create confusion in the operation of journalism in Ghana.

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), which is the umbrella body of journalists in this country is embroiled in confusion due to the reluctance ofthe current executives led by Mr. Roland Affail Monney, whose mandate expired more than a year ago to step down to pave the way for fresh election of a new executives to steer the affairs of the association.  As a result of this intransigent posture, tension is building up gradually,which if not managed properly, will make the association to lose the respect accorded to it by Ghanaians and society in general.

PROTRACTED DISPUTE WITHIN THE GJA AND COURT ACTION

The association has for the past one year, been confronted with a protracted dispute over a lawful and competent leadership to steer its affairs and as a result, a deep-seated division among members has been created with corresponding fury and anxiety.

The mandate of the old executives expired during the latter part of 2020 and due to the Corona Virus pandemic which hit the entire world including Ghana, it affected the association’s programme to organise an election to elect new national and regional executives to take over from the old executives.  In May 2021, the GJA announcement of the opening of nominations for various positions in the association, attracted a suit from one of its members called Ms Caroline Boateng.  She had sought a High Court injunction challenging the processes of holding the elections, saying the mandate of Affail Monney’s administration expired in November 2020 and, therefore, their continued stay in office was illegitimate.

SETTING UP ELECTION COMMITTEE WAS ILLEGITIMATE

The plaintiff argued that, because the administration’s stay in office was illegitimate, the move by the highest organ, the GJA National Council, to set up the Election Committee to carry out the election for a new executive was illegitimate.  According to Ms. Boateng, Affail Monney who was the first of the three defendants in the suit, ought to have set up an interim committee to oversee the affairs of the association after expiration of his tenure in 2020.  The plaintiff further accused the defendants of neglecting their duties for supposed personal benefit of ensuring that they influenced the next election.  But the GJA executives argued that they were doing exactly what the laws required by undertaking the processes to elect new executives and that the plaintiff’s suit was only interfering in their work.

The plaintiff had prayed the court for an action against the election process and also replacement of the council with an interim committee to oversee the election.  Ms. Boateng wanted the court to bring together Mrs. Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, Madam Ajoa Yeboa Afari, Mr. Ransford Tetteh and Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere to constitute the interim committee to oversee the next elections.

CONTESTANTS FOR THE PRESIDENT OF GJA

Three personalities, namely Mr. David Agbenu, Editor of the Ghanaian Times, Mr. Gayheart Edem Mensah, a media consultant and Mr. Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, of the Atinka Media Village, have filed their nominations to contest the GJA presidential slot.  Other members have also filed their nominations for various positions within the association.

OUT OF COURT SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTE

Under the auspices of the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru 11, the case was settled out of court with the agreement that both parties would ensure that the elections were held on or before October 3, 2021.  It is instructive to know that more than a year on, the elections had not been held, thus creating a lot of anxiety and tension among members and the contestants in general.  The contestants are complaining that the voter’s register is overblown with non- registered members of the association and unless a systematic audit is carried out to clean the register, the election cannot be held.  This unfortunate situation has allowed the Affail Monney-led executive to continue to hold itself in office, thus creating problems for members.

RECENT SEMINAR TO DISCUSS THE WAY FORWARD

At a seminar attended by veteran journalists in Accra recently to discuss the way forward, it was agreed in a communique that, an Interim Management Committee (IMC), comprising senior members of the association be constituted to assist the constitutionally mandated committees of the GJA to develop a road map that would lead the association out of the current crisis and ensure the conduct of a credible election for new national and regional executives.  It was further agreed that the IMC, in conjunction with the Elections Committee and the Elections Dispute Adjudicating committee of the GJA, should develop modalities for the cleaning up of the voter’s register and rid it of all suspicious names before the elections were held.

The forum theme, “The GJA yesterday, today and tomorrow-Repositioning for the next Phase” agreed that pending the establishment of the AGM, the immediate past president of the association Affail Monney and his executives must desist from holding themselves out as president and executives of the association, particularly when their tenure had elapsed since November 2020.

SELFISH AND MEDIOCRE LEADERS OF GJA

It is important to note that the GJA in the past had been a strong, vibrant and potent organisation that stood for interest and welfare of journalists.  That was as a result of competent and well- groomed and talented senior journalists who served as leaders of the association.  Now, we have a category of leaders who have placed personal welfare above the interest of members and that has been the woes of the association presently.  They continue to align themselves with the government of the day, thus selling their conscience for peanuts and, therefore, can be influenced easily to follow the path of the government in power.  For instance, it was a bit surprising to hear that the embattled president has nominated himself to serve on the National Media Commission without the express knowledge of the entire members of the GJA.  Besides, unilateral decisions are taken without the knowledge of members.  These came to light at the recent seminar for senior retired members of the association in Accra.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GJA

This article will not be complete if I fail to give a brief background about the emergence of the association and those who sacrificed and laid down their lives towards its formation.We are told the GJA was established on August 1949, at a time when politics in the then British colony of the Gold Coast was at its peak and the minds of many media practitioners and ordinary citizens were filled with events of the nationalist struggle.  A number of the nationalist leaders including Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Dr. J.B. Danquah, were journalists who used the power of the pen to propagate their ideas and vision of the independence for the then Gold Coast.

At the time of its formation, it was called Africa Press and was set up to provide indigenous media practitioners with an alternative to the colonial press.  Those who were at the forefront of its formation were, Messrs Martin Therson-Coffie, Eric Adjorlolo, G.A. Hassen, Cecil Forde, Henry Ofori (Carl Mutt), Carl Reindolf and Regina Addae.   The name of the association was later changed to Association of Ghanaian Journalists and Writers. For want of space, I would have gone deeper into the background of its formation.

HIGH PROFILE PAST EXECUTIVES OF THE GJA

Let me emphasise that with time, a number of high profile journalists some of whom had passed on to glory, had managed and steered the affairs of this noble and great institution with distinction.  They included Messrs D.A. Dentu, Kwame Gyewu-Kyem, T.B. Ottie, Sam Arthur, Ambassador Kabral Blay- Amihere, Mrs Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, Ms. Ajoa Yeboah-Afari and Mr. Ransford Tetteh.

These noble personalities including those who have died, deserved a lot of commendation for their immense sacrifice and perseverance and, therefore, we should not allow their efforts to be in vain.  All that we need to ask ourselves is, “For now, who watches the watchman?”

It appears that all is not lost and we need to wake up from our slumber and move the association on the right path and to its former glories.  The journalism profession is a noble one and practitioners must be seen to be fighting for the down-trodden and to hold governments in check but not to chase ill-gotten wealth and also play into the hands of governments.  The question we need to ask ourselves now is, “Who watches the watchman?”

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