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Kwakye Ofosu Defends Free Speech Amid Presidential Insults Row

“Even if you do not like the shape of the head of the president, it is fine. We are hard-nosed politicians and we have practiced this for many years, so we are very accustomed to being abused on a daily basis,” Minister for Government Communications and Presidential Spokesperson Felix Ofosu Kwakye has stated, defending free speech at the 30th Ghana Journalists Association Media Awards.

Speaking at the launch of the 30th GJA Awards, monitored by #gbcnews and #GJAAwards, Kwakye Ofosu stressed that while citizens have every right to criticise political leaders, threats to harm them or their families are not protected by freedom of expression. He said government can live with insults and unpleasant criticism but cannot tolerate criminal threats.

“Nobody has been arrested for insulting President Mahama. President Mahama or his government is not concerned about criticism. We do not fear criticism,” Kwakye Ofosu emphasized in a Joy FM interview. “All of us are hard-nosed politicians who have been in this game for decades. So we understand fully that people will always have their say. It is not everything they say that will be pleasant, but we can live with it.”

He however drew a clear line between legitimate criticism and criminal conduct. “Even if you don’t like a President, it is fine. But if you say that you are going to poison the President and the children and his wife, there is no reason in this world that we would tolerate it. That is not free speech. That is a threat on the life of an individual,” he said. He cited the case of senior nursing officer Salomey Awiti Baffoe, allegedly linked to Ghana Jollof TikTok account, saying investigations showed close linkage and spreading incendiary content.

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Kwakye Ofosu also condemned mistreatment of journalists, saying media practitioners must be able to work without fear. “We condemn any form of mistreatment of journalists. Journalists who are doing their work should not have their lives put in danger,” he said. He warned that social media is being used to foment trouble in conflict areas and that Africa is littered with examples of how speech led to genocide. “It will be derelict on the part of law enforcement to sit and not do anything,” he added.

The Minister assured that under President John Dramani Mahama, government will not curb free speech. “Under no circumstances will the government of President John Dramani Mahama curb free speech. You are free to criticise government, even harshly. People say it freely, and nothing will happen to you,” he concluded at the GJA Awards launch covered by GBC News.

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Author: Stella Sunu • Published on Howedey.com

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