Manasseh Calls For Ousting Of GJA President

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni, has called for the immediate removal of the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Roland Affail Monney over what he describes as leadership failure.

This comes after Mr. Monney stated in an interview that Citi FM journalist, Caleb Kudah, breached the Association’s code of ethics when he filmed some grounded MASLOC vehicles at the National Security premises, but later apologized over the comment.

“Unsurprisingly, my condemnation of the office invasion and physical brutalization was muted while my comments on Caleb’s ethical style was tilted and overly highlighted obviously to achieve certain sensational ends,” Monney told journalists in Accra at a press conference.

He added, “As a student of leadership, I have learned that a leader is not afraid to change course when confronted with fresh information which challenges earlier assumptions. I also take note of the righteous indignation and emotional overdrive over the issue.

“I therefore render my sincerest apology for any misimpression created that I was insensitive to the plight of the two journalists but excited about the excesses of the National Security operatives.”

Reacting to this on The Key Points on TV3 last Saturday, Manasseh said Mr. Affail Monney’s earlier remark is a betrayal of the principles of the Association and therefore, he does not fit to continue leading journalists in the country.

Manasseh  continued: “There is a history of Affail Monney always fighting against journalists then later comes out to apologize. Though I’ve forgiven him myself, I feel he’s not fit enough to continue his role. Mr. Monney chose the accounts of the Flagstaff House in an accident involving the presidential Press Corps which killed Ghanaian Times report, Samuel Nuamah.

“In an interview with me then, the GJA President said he was inclined to believe the narration of Chief of Staff Julius Debrah of the events. With the recent issues of Caleb, he goofed from the beginning – later came back to apologize. He refused to call management of the station to be abreast with information before granting that interview to place the journalist at the wrong side.”

He added, “The GJA has been advocating for unionization but I don’t know how far with that. But I even think if you have a union and the leaders are too weak or compromised, then its better you don’t have a union. I used to be a member of the GJA but it got to a time I realized the GJA wasn’t working in the interest of journalists so when you look at the current good standing members, I’m not part and I won’t be one until I see they have one front of good appetite for journalists. One of the current crises with regards to the association is leadership failure. The GJA, for instance, had to do an election last year and elect a new leadership. For whatever reason, they haven’t done it, so Affail Monney, who is still talking, his tenure expired last November and he had done the two terms. So he has no business even leading us but it is one of them. So, we have to address the leadership challenge at the GJA.”