MEMBERS OF GHANA'S MEDIA MAFIA MUST REDEEM THEMSELVES - BY BEING MORE HONEST THIS NEW ELECTION YEAR!

Apparently, a number of journalists and politicians in Ghana, have vowed to find a way to kill off my ghanapolitics google blog.

They are labouring under an illusion - and they will fail: just as that shameless spoiler-website, www.ghanapolitic.net has failed miserably to stop traffic from flowing to my wwwghanapolitics.blogspot.com google blog.


Their plans don't surprise me in the slightest. For exactly the same reasons, I am unable to publish my "Thoughts of a native" blog on www.ghanaweb.com - because some politicians did not like that blog's harsh criticisms of some individuals in the communications team of the present administration, anymore than their political opponents' did its harsh criticism of the perfidious Kufuor & Co., who used to rule Ghana, once upon a time. But it is Ghanaweb's loss, not mine - and in any case Ghanaweb isn't Google.

It is a sad fact that Ghana is a nation in which there is a dearth of professionals, prepared, on principle, to refuse to be part of anything detrimental to the well-being of our nation, in their work, and which also impacts negatively on the quality of life of ordinary people. That is why this is such a corrupt society - and individuals of integrity so few and far between.

The most egregious example of the unprincipled Ghanaian professional - actively working on behalf of the high net worth individuals engaged in round-the-clock elite-rip-off activities harmful to the national interest, which also impact negatively on the quality of life of ordinary people - must be the hacks-without-conscience who litter the media landscape in our homeland Ghana.

If only they would understand that in the digital world of the internet-dominant times we live in, Ghanaian journalists on the wrong side of history, in as far as guarding the national interest, working to ensure the protection of the freedoms of ordinary people and the sustenance of Ghanaian democracy are concerned, are easily and quickly identified, by the very nature of their work.

They may think they are frightfully clever at hiding their perfidy from ordinary people in Ghana - but the world constantly judges them through very clear lenses, alas.

And it is clear that instead of being watchdogs for the whole of Ghanaian society, they have elected to be the well-compensated guard-dogs, of the oligarchs, who perversely have turned Ghanaian democracy into a plutocracy - in their quest to ensure that their net worth rises to stratospheric heights: at lightening speed.

That is why, for example, an arrogant and oh-so-very-ordinary hack, who apparently is said to think hosts a world-class evening current affairs televison programme, was recently confronted by a Swiss film-maker - who demanded that the telecasting of his intellectual property, without prior permission, ceased being telecast immediately. World class?

It is also the selfsame reason why so many media houses in our country are deliberately inserting the words "Ghana politics" into the opening sentences of their oft badly-written online content, no matter how inappropriate. Poor sods.

(Take those pretentious Kokomlemle-poseurs for example, dear reader - who have also joined the insert-the-words-ghana-politics-into-your-first-sentence-brigade for google search.

Those poor souls are so in love with the sound of their own voices - on what is said to be the leading radio station in Accra (which also doubles as a TV company, one gathers): and whose mostly-pedestrian programmes are said to be targeted at our capital's share of Ghana's clever educated urban elites.

If they only knew how absurd, irritating and flat those inanities - many puerile barbs unfairly aimed at the present regime - which they think are witticisms, were, perhaps they would cease inflicting them on their early morning audience.

And as s a wag I know said of them: "They are the world of radio broadcasting's equivalent of the overdressed and narcissistic dandy - forever admiring himself in the mirror, alas. Poor sods.)

It is typical of these provincial minds that they delude themselves into thinking that somehow they bestride the globe. What hubris.

For daring to be critical of the perfidious Kufuor & Co., and Ambassador Kabral Blay-Amihere, chairperson of the National Media Commission (NMC) - said to be their godfathers, incidentally - as we speak, there is apparently a scheme afoot, on the part of this mafia of shameless rogue-journalists cum allies-of-perfidious-politicians, to find a way to ensure that whenever the word "ghanapolitics" is googled, their media outlets' online content, rather than my ghanapolitics blog, show up in all the top spots, in the search results. Amazing.

For those Ghanaian journalists and politicians who are part of this disgraceful example, of the fruitless game-of-losers, otherwise known as muzzle-a-free-thinker-by-remote-control, let me make a smallish point.

Surprising though it might be to them, there actually is a critical worldwide audience out there, judging them on a daily basis - and it is a far bigger space than the public space they have apparently succeed in controlling in Ghana.

They may be masters of the universe here - but if truth be told, this is nothing more than a backwater, in the digital world's scheme of things.

Alas, they may be successful at manipulating public opinion in Ghana, for the wealthy crooks in our political world, whom they are beholden to - but doubtless, they will soon discover, that it is indeed a tad more difficult to muzzle Kofi Thompson's ghanapolitics google blog.

I am a mere simple soul, who is tenacious by nature - and never gives up: no matter what the odds are. Far cleverer people than they, have tried, and failed, in what they seek to do, I'll have them know.

With respect, my humble advice to them, is: Let them redeem themselves this Ghanaian election year - by, for once, being honest and principled professionals working (in altruistic fashion!) for Mother Ghana, Ghanaian democracy, and all the people of Ghana, without exception. A word to the wise...

Tel (Powered by Tigo - the one mobile phone network that actually works!): + 233 (0) 27 745 3109.