Veteran Broadcaster, Tommy Annan-Forson, has expressed worry over failure by presenters and broadcasters to respect the aged in society, especially the President.
The trend, he described as surprising, is because people are mistaking democracy for free speech and they are getting away with it.
“It surprises me that people are able to get away with a lot of things without being chastised by either Parliament or the government or some organisation. People are getting away with too many things. It’s tremendous and so I get a little surprised that people take democracy as Freedom of Speech and therefore they veer off course, shout insults at people who are older enough to be their fathers or grandfathers.”
Speaking on GTV’s Breakfast Show, the man known as the ‘King of Country Music and The Godfather of Radio’ stated that everyone is fallible.
“Look, let’s be factual here, the President of this country is the father of the land. The world has changed, but for me, I think that as much as the President would do things that might be wrong in the eyes of some people, he might do things that might be right in the eyes of others.”
Ghana adopted a constitution in which the right to free speech was forever enshrined in 1992. The 1992 constitution declares in no equivocal terms that all persons shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression, which shall include freedom of the press and other media.
But Tommy Annan-Forson on Friday, November 5, said there is a need to give respect to age because microphones and cameras have the power to change society.
“I think there is a need to have people respect age. In as much as he is running the country, he is not perfect. No President has ever been perfect. I am not perfect, nobody is, people make mistakes and we will continue to make mistakes. And so let’s give respect to age, especially because people don’t realise the power they have when they are behind the microphone or in front of the camera. You have enormous power to change society, make people believe who they are, what they can achieve, how far they can go, and the kind of people they would meet.”
Click to watch full interview
