Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin has sharply criticised the government following President John Dramani Mahama’s decision to grant clemency to 64 radio stations that were recently shut down over regulatory breaches.
The President had directed the Minister for Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation to collaborate with the National Communications Authority (NCA) to immediately restore the broadcast licenses of the affected stations, which included prominent outlets such as Asaase Radio and Wontumi FM.
The NCA had previously suspended the operations of the stations due to multiple infractions, citing non-compliance with broadcasting regulations. The move raised widespread concerns about media freedom and potential political overreach.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, June 12, Afenyo-Markin questioned the sincerity of the President’s intervention, suggesting it was a reactive move triggered by public outcry rather than a genuine commitment to media freedom.
He added that the Minority caucus remains skeptical of the government’s motives and stressed that “some of this belated actions for the purpose of optics will not help our democracy.”
He questioned: “Couldn’t this have been discussed in-house prior to this decision? These are things that are done for optics when the political system sees that there’s a backlash. It’s a very rich statement. We take this supposed clemency with a pinch of salt.”
