No institution can force to be respected – Sulemana Braimah

The Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah has said no institution in the country can compel Ghanaians to respect it.

It comes on the back of the demand by the judicial council for media houses to remove all stories that are deemed insulting to judges from their system.

“In the light of the foregoing, we have our client’s instructions to demand, and we hereby so do that, as most responsible media institutions now do regarding incendiary and spiteful publications, you immediately. Pull or cause to be pulled down and cleared from your platforms, all statements and speeches which convey and/or insinuate hateful, spiteful, vengeful, and incendiary communication against Justices of our client especially those hearing the election petition,” the statement from the Judicial Service said.

It stressed: “Prevent the publication of such statements and speeches on your platforms, and forthwith exercise the highest level of discernment, discretion and responsibility insofar as the publication of statements and speeches regarding the administration of justice are concerned”.

Reacting to the statement, Mr. Braimah said the Judicial Council should have given examples of reports they view as offending to judges.

“What kind of statement will be deemed hateful and all these words that the letter put there because there were no examples of publications. If a media house thinks there’s something wrong with what the judiciary is doing, criticisms are in order but it shouldn’t be direct attacks on them.

“I think I must say no institution can force the masses to accord it with respect. As a country, we must be mindful of how we are taking our partisanship and not to undermine the institution that’s supposed to keep our democracy going,” he told Francis Abban on the Morning Starr.