IGP's proposal 'horribly unfortunate' - Nana Akomea

efua

May 28, 2016 11:48 PM

The Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea has charged the Ghana Police Service to invest resources in the acquisition of modern technology which will help them identify and track persons who will abuse social media during the election period.

This, he said is more “forward looking” than the Inspector General of Police’s (IGP) proposal to ban social media on election day.

IGP John Kudalor announced that the Police are considering a ban on social media to ensure order on the social media platforms on Novmeber 7.

His announcement has received criticisms from some Ghanaians and groups including the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA).

Contributing to a panel discussion on the issue on Joy FM, Nana Akomea said should the IGP insist on banning social media, he will risk becoming the “worst IGP in our history.”

He acknowledged that there are problems with social media usage in the country.

However, he maintained that banning it altogether is not the way to go.

“Are we going to shut down radio stations because some of them give inaccurate information…? But the solution should not be a ban. You will be throwing away the baby with the bath water. You will be taking our democracy down to the level of Uganda and Zimbabwe…” he remarked.

He argued that “Ghana has gone way ahead of that and so don’t seek to drag us back. If we are not careful, it could play into a certain thinking that government is not interested in transparent elections because the free flow of information, the instant reportage that we get from the media about what is happening in our polling stations across the country for which the radio stations have played their part so well which has enhanced transparency and democracy.”

“Social media has come to complement what the media is doing so any talk about banning them risks taking us back. It’s horribly unfortunate,” he added.

efua