Letters
Sycophancy and press freedom
I read with sadness the December 23/30, 1985 issue of the Talking Drums about the revocation of the Catholic Standard from the Ghanaian newsstand on the instruction of the Ministry of Information. This is surely expected of the Rawlings' regime.How bitter it is to swallow the pill of truth. How sad it is to have a whole Ministry and government that is afraid of criticism.
That is exactly what the Rawlings' regime has done to the Ghanaian Press - turn the Ghanaian press into a supine goliath - with the full backing of the Ministry of Information. Now the Catholic Newspaper, The Standard has been banned for the simple "crime" that it usually publishes the truth. The only Ghanaian newspapers that did not distort news about Ghana were the Catholic Standard and the Free Press. The late Mr John Kugblenu, the editor of the latter died in mysterious circumstances shortly after his release from military custody. Who knows what fate awaits the editor of the Standard, Fr. Charles Palmer-Buckle?
To ban the Catholic Standard, one of the two papers worth reading, from the newsstand of Ghana is really to starve conscientious Ghanaians from reading. The Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian Times have always sung the tune of the regime in power either to ensure their survival, or to avoid the fate of John Kugblenu and the Catholic Standard. Where then lies the promise of the press houses to feed the news-hungry population news which is worth reading?
Truth has gone to the dogs, and in its stead lies reign supreme. But one should not lose sight of the fact that only the truth is worth publishing and the day is not far off when this would be achieved.
Chris Annor-Agyei, West Germany
"Certain Standards Indeed" rejoinder
The editorial comment of the People's Daily Graphic on the forced extinction of the Catholic Standard (Talking Drums 20/1/86) was tragic indeed.Is the Graphic unaware that "a large part of Ghana's reading public has been conditioned by an educational system founded on colonialism to regard "the unpalatable lies the propagandist Daily Graphic mouthpiece of the Rawlings- Tsikatsa murderous, dogmatic and tribal oriented regime has been up to since December 31st, 1981, as the gospel truth?"
The Standard wasn't the mouthpiece of the Catholic hierarchy. The universally acclaimed newspaper was not aimed at only Roman Catholic readership but ALL Ghanaians capable of distinguishing facts from fiction, truth from palpable lies - sensible Ghanaians dedicated to democratic rule and the inalienable right of citizens to be consulted on matters affecting their lives and very existence other than the mayhem Rawlings, the self-appointed 'saviour' has subjected 12 million Ghanaians to. Wasn't it journalistic arrogance for the Graphic to label sane and objective Ghanaians, as having "unquestioned minds?"
The Catholic Standard might have not been all that perfect. Yet, its record of impartiality, honesty and objectivity in reporting on events in Ghana since its inception, has been second to none. Its uncompromising stand against totalitarianism in Ghana has been acclaimed world-wide except the cohorts of Rawlings' dictatorial regime.
The Standard would have failed its readers had it reneged on commenting and questioning the propriety of the striping of 'bona fide' Ghanaians of their citizenship and birthright for the sake of Michael Soussoudis a cousin of Rawlings and a member of the 'tribe'. If by commenting on an explosive issue as that which has shocked and outraged the majority of Ghanaians the dictatorship would close down the Standard, so let it be.
By closing down the only avenue for Ghanaians to express their genuine dissatisfaction, Rawlings has done nothing other than hasten his demise. Surely, the Standard will reappear to outlive Rawlings, Tsikatsa and the sycophantic lot. The paper has survived all regimes of Ghana and Rawlings' would not be an exception. God bless Ghanaians and help us to be free from this tyranny.
Ko' Oppong, London
Ghana's brain-drain problem
The Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi who had ended his three-day state visit to Ghana sometime last year was reported by Talking Drums of December 23/30, 1985, as saying that Libya needs Ghanaian teachers and labour force. He went further to say that Libya has the money and Ghana has the raw materials so that they can utilise these factors for the mutual benefit of the two countries.What the Libyan leader was reported as saying has brought up the question of Ghana's present brain-drain problem.
The current brain-drain problem has had very serious effects on the nation which is yet to recover fully. The brain-drain began on a large scale in 1975 during the Acheampong regime when the economy of the nation began its downward slope and the worker's welfare appeared to no longer be its concern. Ghanaian teachers and other professionals trained with the taxpayers' money went to Nigeria in droves and thereby created damaging vacuum in the educational institutions throughout the country.
Ghanaian teachers who went to Nigeria helped immensely to raise the standard of education in the federation. It was even said that for the first time in the annals of Ghana's educational history, Nigeria's candidates recorded more passes in the June 1978, West African School Certificate examination than their Ghanaian counterparts.
The Ministry of Education should do all it can to prevent Ghanaian teachers and other professionals from going to Libya and other African countries, because the country needs them for rapid social and economic development.
K.S. Owusu-Appiah, West Germany
