He said he salute the former president for using his authority to polish the media and not to bruise.
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NCA brouhaha: Ablakwa applauds Kufuor for upholding press freedom
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Member of Parliament for North Tongu constituency, has congratulated former president John Agyekum Kufuor for upholding freedom of the press in the country.
John Agyekum Kufuor
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His comments come at the back of the National Media Commission's shut down of Accra-based Radio Gold and Radio XYZ on Thursday, May 9, 2019.
According to reports, the radio stations are owing the NCA which they have refused to pay.
They have also failed to renew their licenses, which reports indicate have expired since last year.
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At the time of the shutdown, Radio XYZ had started a live broadcast of a press conference organised and was being addressed by the Council of Elders of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the party's headquarters in Accra.
The NCA said the "Radio stations operating without valid authorisations as determined by the 2017 FM Broadcasting Audit are being shut down with immediate effect as enforcement action in view of the decision of the Electronic Communications Tribunal."
But the MP said Kufuor should be applauded for upholding media freedom during his administration.
In a Facebook post, Okudzeto Ablakwa wrote: "Kindly indulge me to salute and celebrate His Excellency Former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
Pulse Ghana
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"According to the NCA's chronology of Radio Gold's FM Frequency Authorisation; on 2nd October, 2000 - "The Company's Authorisation EXPIRED but company did not submit renewal application prior to its expiry."
"What the chronology further reveals is that the John Agyekum Kufuor led Government had every legal basis to in a similar fashion carry out a Gestapo-style shut down of Radio Gold during the eight years the NPP was in power, and which period Radio Gold was still an ardent critic of his Government, however, President John Agyekum Kufuor's Administration just like its successor Prof. Mills and President Mahama Administrations, refused to do what President Akufo-Addo's Administration has done.
"With great respect, it was the English born American poet, Anne Bradstreet in her 1650 poem titled: 'Meditations Divine and Moral' who wrote - "Authority without wisdom is like a heavy axe without an edge, fitter to bruise than polish."
"I absolutely concur with the GJA, GIBA, the Minority Leader in Parliament and many others that the NCA must publish the full status of all radio stations in Ghana if we are to believe that it's recent actions against Radio Gold and Radio XYZ are not political hatchet jobs.
"President Kufuor, as regards media freedoms - I salute you for using your authority to polish and not to bruise.
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"May that shining example of tolerance and true believe in press freedom inspire us to defeat the forces of tyranny, ironically, at a time your own party is at the helm of affairs."
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