Mobile telephony company, Airtel Ghana, in a rather surprise move has suspended Corporate Affairs Manager of the company, Kwame Gyan, for daring to criticize the John Mahama administration on his personal facebook page, bringing back memories of days when the culture of silence was in full force under the then PNDC dictatorship.
Airtel’s action followed days of pressure from the government in power, using among things, its now infamous ‘Rented Press’ for Airtel to sack the employee who had on a few occasion criticized the government, like many others, on its incompetent management of the affairs of state.
According to insiders at Airtel, calls from leading members of the NDC at the Flag Staff House and in the party were made to Airtel headquarters in India and also to South Africa for the former Citi FM journalist to be dismissed for his growing criticisms of the government.
It is these calls that eventually resulted in the suspension of the manager for a month without pay and a caution from the company not to engage in further critique of the government or its action.
News of the suspension was met with disgust on social media, with many on facebook and twitter likening the Airtel action to actions which were common in the days of the culture of silence and calling for a boycott of the network by all Ghanaians who cherish their democracy and free speech.