An Academic and Media Expert, Prof Kwame Karikari says the media in Ghana owe a duty to the citizenry in deciding the next president to lead Ghana in the 2024 elections.
He asserts that especially for the two main opposition parties, the New Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who have had their turns in ruling the country for two terms each, citizens to him, are in a state of dilemma in whom to choose as their next president in the 2024 elections.
“…Of course, the party loyalists who vote for anything and anybody anytime, we shouldn’t worry about them. We should be worried about the middle ground, who decide whether they vote here or there,” he continued.
Prof. KariKari, also a board member of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) emphasized that the media has a major role in assisting voters in critically comprehending the issues at hand to ensure informed decision-making.
He explained that especially for the 2024 elections, choosing a leader for the country has become quite complex for many voters as both flagbearers’ capabilities have been tested before.
“If we take critical issues such as corruption, in the view of as many Ghanaians that I know, there is not much of a difference between the two parties when they are in governance; Corruption has been as equally bad here and as equally bad there… and the media have a responsibility in helping the electorate understand the issues much more critically to make the right decision, because whether or not it is the NDC or NPP candidate, this country must go on, and so the voters must make the right choice.”
Prof. Kwame Karikari made the call in an interview with the media on the sideline of a two-day Capacity Building to Enhance the Role of the Media in Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding and Democratic Consolidation in Ghana.
Meanwhile, Prof. Karikari commended Ghana’s strides in cultural advancements and ethnic and national integration.
He attributes this to two of the presidential candidates of the 2024 elections, Mr. John Mahama and His Excellency Dr. Bawumia both of Northern descent; a place which to him has people culturally, politically and socially marginalized for decades.
He said it requires the media to “provide us with a much more critical assessment of these two candidates so that we will know who better to choose from.”
Prof. Karikari further said Ghana’s adherence to the rule of law regarding electoral disputes is also commendable.
“Two times, there have been major controversies over the results of elections. We have gone to court and the courts have decided and the people contesting have accepted the court’s decisions on two occasions. And the country has moved forward. Nothing has stopped.”
Prof. Karikari therefore underscored the pivotal role of the media in reinforcing such principles to the citizenry, political leaders and activists in fostering a democratic society.
He emphasized the media must as part of their work “emphasize the whole question of the rule of law and it’s the media who must drum this in the heads of people, political party leaders, political party activists and so forth, that whatever the matter is, we must go the peaceful way in deciding whatever issue if we want to decide in the building of our democracy.”
The two-day Capacity Building Training Programme organized by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) and funded by the US Embassy in Ghana aims to train journalists and media organizations to spread messages of peace, reduce conflicts, and fight against mis/disinformation and mal-information, especially for the 2024 elections.
The training programme held on Tuesday, February 20 and 21 included selected Journalists from ATLFM in Cape Coast, JoyNews, Modern Ghana, Ghanaian Times, Radio Ada, and Bryte FM in Koforidua among others.
Source: Aba Aikins/ATLFMNEWS
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