Are Journalists, A Class Set Apart?

Citi FM’s Caleb Kudah went hunting for trouble when he stepped into a security zone and started taking pictures without authorization. And of course he did encounter trouble. Accordingly, he was arrested and manhandled by four security details who in my opinion in performing their duty overstepped their bounds by torturing the suspect.

Some decades ago, a friend of mine and I went to the Marine Drive area between the Osu Castle and the Independence Square and she started taking pictures of the beautiful scenery. Suddenly appearing from nowhere was a jeep full of fully armed and battle ready soldiers. That was during the early years of the PNDC era and being approached by soldiers in such a manner could give notification that your life was going to be over soon.

The leader of the troop took custody of the camera and humbly invited us to join them to the Castle. We got there in peace and in one piece and was hoping for the worse when the leader spelt out the Riot Act to us. We had violated the rules which were, we had entered into a security zone and was taking pictures. Those days the cameras used films and we watched on as he got the reel out and destroyed the film. He could not be bothered if we had taken other valuable pictures at places where photographing was allowed. My friend slowly wept in disappointment. We were asked to go and “seen around no more.”

Not a slap nor even harsh words were directed to us. That fine officer acted professionally especially when he immediately knew we had no ulterior motives behind our actions. And that was during the trigger happy, blood thirsty days of a revolution that set Ghana back.

One cool night in London I drove into a security zone within the Buckingham Palace area and I was promptly signalled by the flashing of headlights instructing me to vamoose, which I quickly did. And one day in Monrovia, Liberia, I was walking down Camp Johnson road and kept staring at the Executive Mansion (Presidential Villa) when someone told me I must have been a stranger in Liberia since it was an offense to keep looking at the mansion. It was during Doe’s reign.

Basically in every country, there are security zones where you do not go messing about for any intruder who gets caught is dealt with accordingly. The question is why was my friend Betty and I not given identification hair-cuts or tortured as a way of punishment when we were caught and briefly detained by soldiers in an era where human life counted for nothing in the eyes of the revolutionary? And why was Caleb Kudah manhandled when he also went illegally taking pictures, in a more decent regime of constitutional era?

By all means we need to condemn any such maltreatment as it was established to have taken place. Caleb should certainly be the last of such cases if we are to profess that we live in a constitutional era where the rule of law holds supreme.

News broke with a statement from National Security that four security details made up of one senior army officer and three police officers were found culpable of harassing the journalist. And since they broke the rules of their code of conduct they were discharged from duty at the National Security.

Social media later came out that the army officer, Lt Col Frank Agyeman who was supposed to have reported to the Chief of Defence Staff for further investigation and appropriate action, was rather elevated and appointed commanding officer of the 64 Battalion. Some people expressed disgust at this, probably expecting that the military officer would have been stripped off his ranks and disgraced out of the Armed Forces. Here, Caleb Kudah was regarded a hero worth honouring by all.

The issue is, he committed an offence which was punishable. One cannot just go to any security zone and violate the rules or laws there and expect to be regarded a hero worth adoring.

Caleb Kudah must be punished for what he did and despite the fact that he had already been dealt with by the four officers, which was wrong anyway, the old school method of punishment must be applied on him. That is, you get caned for wrong doing at school and when you get home your parents punish you again.

Is it because Caleb Kudah is a journalist that is why he must be left free? Are we as a country setting journalists apart as the untouchables? What is becoming of this country, anyway? Are we introducing journalistic dictatorship, where the journalist does no wrong?

The other day investigative journalist, Anas Amereyaw Anas, allegedly caught some judges on tape receiving bribes. Promptly the then Chief Justice had them removed from office without giving them a hearing in any court of competent jurisdiction. Is this justice? Now our justices of the Supreme Court do not want to offend journalists. So who are above the law? I feel ashamed for this our country.

In some countries Caleb would have been shot on sight when found intruding in security zones. In Ghana, this cannot happen and even as it is very wrong for the security officers to manhandle him, Caleb must be punished all the same for violating security laws.

What if his intention was to gather security information and sell them to interested people who need them for destructive intentions in the country? He must be investigated and made to suffer his actions accordingly. We need to build a lawful society if we must survive as a nation. Unfortunately, most of the time, Ghanaians prefer to solve problems by only cutting the leaves instead of uprooting the plant. So someone does something serious and because he or she is rightly or wrongly punished we rise to condemn the reactions to their actions. In the end we allow the wrong doers to walk away freely and wrongfully punish those who intend to die for this country.

Hon Daniel Dugan

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.

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