An Open Letter to the GJA President

The President
Ghana Journalist Association
Accra, Ghana February 9, 2006.

Dear Madam,

PROTEST AGAINST THE NOMIATION OF MS JOYCE ARYEE AS THE CHAIRPERSON TO THE BEST JOURNALIST AWARD COMMITTEE.

I write to protest against the nomination of Ms Joyce Aryee, the Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines to chair the committee your outfit has setup to award deserving journalists in this country.

Madam, as a youth leader and an ardent advocate of the freedom of expression and of the Media in this country, I believe that the panel set to award journalist must be beyond reproach and any kind of doubt. It thus requires that people with any linkages that might impair the fairness of such an important committee cannot be a part of it.

Ms Aryee is renowned for her avowed position as a promoter of Surface Mining especially in this country, an area where some journalists have performed tremendously to avoid exploitation and abuse of human rights and property. It is worth recalling that Surface Mining has caused a lot of human life and human rights abuse; created conflicts; displaced communities; polluted water bodies; deprived communities of their sources of livelihood and a host of socio-economic as well as cultural problems that cannot be enumerated in this letter.

The Journalist?s effort to help solve these problems constitutes the barometer by which deserving journalists should be measured. It is therefore undoubtedly clear that someone whose core business and interest runs counter to the principles of sustainable development cannot be entrusted with the responsibility of chairing a committee that would give the highest ward to deserving outstanding individuals in the inking fraternity.

Youth for Action Ghana considers this as a paradox of asking the Hawk to assess the chicken; either no one would pass the test or the scheme will definitely be altered in favour of the Hawk?s interest. In this case, the latter is the most likely. The Youth of Ghana have a greater interest in ensuring that those who seek the protection of individual rights and social standards thereby safeguarding the future are recognized and rewarded to motivate them for further activity.

On the basis of the afore mentioned, Youth for Action Ghana strongly object to the choice of Ms Joyce Aryee as the chairperson of the Best Journalist Award Committee.

I hope our voice would not be trampled upon.

CC: All Media Houses.