Culture of silence exists in Ghana – Vanderpuye

Odododiodio lawmaker, Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuye has said there is culture of silence in Ghana under the Akufo-Addo administration.

In his view, people are unable to express themselves freely without being insulted or attacked.

This situation, he said, smacks of the culture of silence comment that was recently made by businessman Sam Jonah.

The former Minister of Youth and Sports told Onua FM’s Yaa Titi Ocrah on the ‘Pae Mu Ka’ show on Monday June 14 that “The culture of silence really exist in Ghana and you don’t need anyone to say it. Today, you go on radio stations to speak and you are afraid for your life.

“Journalists have been beaten and attacked for doing their work. Caleb Kudah of Citi FM was attacked, what has happened to the killers of Ahmed Suale? A Graphic reported was also attacked recently so you don’t need anyone to tell you there is culture of silence in Ghana.”

He added “Today people who used to go to Sam Jonah to seek knowledge are now sitting on radio insulting him because he has said the obvious truth.”

A former AngloGold Ashanti boss, Sam Jonah KBE has insinuated that the country seems to be in a culture of silence.

At a Rotary Club function last weekend, Mr Sam Jonah said “What is baffling is that those who used to have voices on these things seem to have lost their voices. People speak on issues based on who is in power.

“Is our deafening silence suggesting that we are no longer concerned about issues that we complained about not too long ago, particularly when those issues persist….. The molestation of and in some cases assassination of journalists, murder of MPs, corruption, the harassment of anti-corruption agents.

“We have just finished another election, the 8th in the series since the beginning of our fourth Republican democratic experiment. As usual, the accolades came in from all corners of the world, and we took them with pride. What we failed to tell the world is that some people lost their lives in the course of the election.”

But some have disagreed with Sir Sam Jonah.

Anti-corruption campaigner and chair of the Civil Society Platform on Oil and Gas, Dr Steve Manteaw rejected the claims that Ghana is currently experiencing culture of silence.

“I personally don’t think we live under a culture of silence. I’ve always felt free to speak my mind, and gov’t has contested me whenever they disagreed. It’s the beauty of democracy,” Dr Manteaw said in a Facebook post.

A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, for his part, stated that “what I see now in Ghana is a Culture of Bizarre Intolerance but by a Special Class who believe they have the right to speak and squeal freely but others must be silent and not challenge the views of that Special Class”.