Member of Parliament (MP) for Mpraeso, Davis Ansah Opoku has prayed Parliament to summon the Minister of Communications, Digital Technology, and Innovation, Sam George to clarify his ‘unlawful’ directive to the National Communications Authority (NCA) to shutdown six radio stations.
According to him, the minister’s directive undermines institutional independence, press freedom, and the rule of law.
Speaking on the floor of parliament on Tuesday, February 25, the Mpraeso lawmaker argued that the Communication Minister by issuing the directive to the NCA had operated outside his jurisdiction.
“The Minister does not possess the legal authority to direct the NCA’s regulatory or enforcement actions. Section 3(1) of the National Communications Authority Act, 2008 (Act 769) states: Except as otherwise provided in this Act, the Authority shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority in performing its functions,” he stated.
He condemned the directive as unlawful adding that it constitutes an assault on press freedom and the freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution.
Opoku stressed that the action of the minister is unconstitutional and could set a dangerous precedent for political interference in independent institutions, potentially extending beyond the NCA to the Electoral Commission, the Judiciary, and other democratic entities.
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