Accra, March 17, Ghanadot/GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills,
on Tuesday, cautioned in tough language against acts of national
distraction and pledged to allow the law to deal with such acts
to the letter.
He remained resolute in his belief to be civil,
and observe the rule of law and due process but warned that no one should
take his respect for peaceful co-existence as weakness, timidity
and unwillingness or inability to enforce the law.
“I’ve instructed the law enforcement agencies to apply the law
to the letter,” President Mills said, as he addressed executives
of the Ghana Journalists Association and some senior media
practitioners, who paid a courtesy call on him at the Castle,
Osu, in Accra.
The GJA called on the President to assure him of the
co-operation of the media with Government to promote its better
Ghana agenda.
President Mills reminded Ghanaians that despite the dislike by
some people on his assumption to the office of the President,
his victory was the verdict of the electorate in the last
December general elections.
Ghanaians also installed the Government, and the win of the
ruling party also followed the tenets of democracy, which
Ghanaians must accept.
A section of Ghanaians must also not decide that they had the
divine right to rule the nation and expect the law to be twisted
in their favour.
President Mills, in reference to his days as lecturer and
Professor at the University of Ghana, where he managed the
University sports for 18 years during which two of the Halls
would not accept sport verdict, said he enjoyed heckling and
constructive criticisms for national growth and development.
He also made reference to his days in the lecture halls,
observing that some students he taught, including some on the
current media terrain, had been very intelligent and he took
their criticisms.
The President, however, in apparent reference to some media
practitioners and commentators that the work of the Transitional
Team was witch-hunting, said the Team was looking for
information in the advancement of national interests.
“Healthy criticism promotes development and growth, but when you
have a situation where people decide that they have a divine
right to rule, where the people decide that the law should be
twisted in their favour, I, Atta Mills, will not accept this.
All of us are equal.
We should all be equal before the law. The law should not favour
anybody. I will not go in for selective justice. I will want a
situation that allows us all to be law abiding,” President Mills
said.
The President said he was studying the report of the Transition
Team in an objective transparent and impartial manner and once
the study was over the law would take its full course.
He said it was only proper for public office holders who took an
oath in the national interest but had broken it to be held
accountable, adding that he would also live by the oath he swore
to protect and preserve the integrity of Ghana.
“People in public office must be prepared to be held responsible
for their period of stewardship,” President Mills said, and
called for the nation to rise above the things that divided the
nation and seek those that unified it.
Mr Ransford Tetteh, GJA President, said the GJA would resist any
temptation to sway the content of any media house in a
particular direction or to favour any particular interest group.
He commended Government on it decision to pass the Freedom of
Information Bill and the National Broadcasting Laws.
GNA
