CAMPAIGN FOR DECENCY
ACTING DIRECTOR-GENERAL’S SPEECH

Respected colleagues;
Thank you for honouring this invitation.

Our presence here this morning is indicative of our concern for the state of political discourse in our country; and our resolve to institute some responsible controls of our own accord.

Our assembly here today will send a message to ourselves both electronic and print media leadership and the nation that it is about time we moved beyond the proverbial ‘peace we enjoy’, to a state of decency and socio-political responsibility.

Respected colleagues, our National Pledge commits us “to hold in high esteem Our Heritage, won for us through the blood and toil of Our Fathers”. I’m quite sure you will agree with me that the heritage we behold now, especially in our deliberations on the course of our nation, isn’t one that Our Fathers and our generation can be proud of.

Concerns have been expressed from all quarters; but we merely pick them up and pass them on, instead of stepping up to the plate to take responsibility.

We’ve been swift to duck the bullet of blame with the lame claim that politicians are suppliers of what we pipe to the public; accepting a meager responsibility of what roles we play, therein.

Some respected gatherings have been held, and I am sure will continue to be held as the election year approaches, to explore ways around this canker.

However, our assembly here is to have an open conversation about the roles we play in all this, and what we ourselves, without direction from anyone, can muster to bring some decency in our national discourse; whiles keeping the discourse as exciting as possible.

What shapes our integrity mustn’t be legal instruments on defamation. What shapes our integrity must move beyond Codes of Ethics. What shapes our integrity must be our inbuilt unbiased sense of judgement and burning quest “to be faithful and loyal to Ghana our motherland”.

With developments in the communication community today, we have become a combination of gong-gong beaters, linguists, and town criers; and to a large extent, central elders in the community.
We are not just the fourth Estate, we are the central Estate. It’s about time we suspended playing spectators and started steering the direction of our nation on a rail of decency.

On the occasion of the 76th Anniversary of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, this is the Corporation’s appeal to us all that henceforth let us all champion the campaign for decency on our airwaves and in our print media.

Thank you very much .