General News of Saturday, 20 April 2013
Source: citifmonline
The Executive Director of the West African Network for Peace-building (WANEP), Emmanuel Bombande has asked the media to disregard the analysis made by leaders of the two main political parties about the ongoing Election Petition case, if it will undermine national stability, unity and capacity of coexistence.
“If the analysis whether legally or politically were to result in a vile outcome in which our national stability and capacity of co-existence as a nation peacefully becomes undermined, then all of us as a people, nation and political parties would have lost.”
According to Mr. Bombande, the media have an important and fundamental role to play. “… It is about appealing to our political leaders, particularly the General Secretaries who are the Chief Executives of the political parties to exercise restraint and responsibility because of [the] nation’s peace and stability.”
“I think the fundamental right to speak must always be upheld but whatever they speak must be informed by the national interest regardless of which political party or perspective they belong to.”
The General Secretaries of NDC and NPP, Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah and Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie respectively have fought off calls for a media blacklist amidst growing concerns that their comments on the ongoing Supreme Court hearing of the election petition are contemptuous.
But the two General Secretaries have hit back at critics calling for them to be blacklisted by the media.
Mr Nketia in an interview with Citi News said nobody can stop him from speaking about the case.
“I am a party, I represent NDC so why do you say the matter I am a party to, I should not talk about. It tells you the frustration of the NPP that their lies are being exposed.”
Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie on his part insisted he does not twist proceedings for any political gains, especially as a lawyer himself.