Former Deputy Chief of Staff Alex Segbefia says the recent jailing of Ken Kuranchie and Stephen Atubiga has engendered sanity on the media airwaves.
“…I doff my hat to all the members of the panel of the Supreme Court [for jailing Ken Kuranchie and Stephen Atubiga]”, Mr. Segbefia told Radio XYZ’s news analysis programme on Saturday July 6, 2013, adding that: “No sooner had these sentences been handed out than the airwaves became almost completely clean”.
According to him “…one of the biggest problems facing our democracy has been the filth that has pervaded our airwaves”.
“It’s a good day for Ghana…it’s unfortunate for the people involved but it’s definitely a milestone and we should all learn to benefit from it”, he urged.
Mr. Kuranchie, Managing Editor of the Daily Searchlight Newspaper was sentenced to 10 days in prison for criminal contempt.
His paper, had, in a front page commentary, justified the description of the nine-member panel hearing the election petition as “hypocritical and selective”.
The publication also questioned the basis of the Bench’s invitation and reprimand of the main opposition New Patriotic Party’s Deputy Communication Director Sammy Awuku for making those charges against the Court.
He was sentenced on Tuesday and has been shuffled between Nsawam, Ho Central and Ketekrachi prisons.
Fellow Contemnor Stephen Atubiga who is a member of the governing National Democratic Congress’ Communication team was given a milder punishment for showing abject remorse both outside and before the Court.
He has since vowed to mount a campaign toward sanitising the airwaves and courting public respect for the Judiciary.
Mr. Segbefia says he hopes the Court’s exercise of its contempt powers will not be a “nine-day wonder”.
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