British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Jonathan Benjamin
THE British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Jon Benjamin, has stated that the Commission will not render any apologies for correcting false information put out by the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) in the wake of the arrest of Nayele Ametefeh at the Heathrow International Airport in London on November 10, this year.
“And to those who accused us of interfering in the internal affairs [of Ghana] by issuing a statement about the case, our only statement, I might add then, I am sorry to tell them that we have every right publicly to correct an equally public, prior, erroneous claim about our involvement in this case.
“That is precisely one of the things that diplomatic missions are there for. We would not expect the Ghana High Commission in London to stay silent in the face of false information about Ghana in the UK. We would certainly not accuse the Ghana High Commission of supposed “interference” for making such a correction, and do not accept that allegation against us in this case,” he stated.
IMANI anniversary
Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 10th anniversary of IMANI Ghana, a policy think tank, last Thursday, Mr Benjamin explained that it was the commission’s responsibility to correct whatever “erroneous information” that had been put out about the United Kingdom, and he did just that.
He, therefore, expressed concern about the deliberate attempt to drag the British government into the internal politics of Ghana over the Nayele Ametefeh cocaine saga.
“We have, we do now and we always will work happily with whichever government and leadership Ghanaian democracy produces at any given moment. So, if anyone wants to claim that we are siding with one party or another, they will get short shrift from us. We aren’t and we won’t. Please don’t pray us in aid for domestic party political point-scoring – that is simply not a game we are getting involved in,” he said.
Nayele’s arrest
Following the arrest of Nayele Ametefeh, alias Ruby Adu-Gyamfi, in London on November 10, 2014, NACOB issued a statement claiming that it collaborated with the British authorities leading to the arrest.
However, the Minister of Communications, Dr Edward Omane-Boamah, stated that the claims by NACOB were untrue, pointing out that “we discount the claims until NACOB provides the evidence that it collaborated with the British intelligence”.
Soon after that, the British High Commission also issued a statement denying the NACOB claim.
Mr Benjamin told the audience that although NACOB had played a role under the Operation Westbridge project to arrest some suspected drug dealers in the past, it played no role in the arrest of Nayele Ametefeh.
Diplomatic passport
The High Commissioner refuted claims that Nayele Ametefeh was carrying a Ghanaian diplomatic passport.
“I honestly don’t know where that claim came from in the first place. It didn’t come from us. It wasn’t true at the start and, therefore, it still isn’t true now. The repetition of an incorrect rumour, whether by an Austrian newspaper or anyone else, doesn’t turn an untruth into a truth. I hope that is clear,” he stated.
Corruption
Mr Benjamin stated that corruption was a major hindrance to any country’s economic development, “thwarting efforts to alleviate poverty, not least as it has a disproportionate impact on the poor and disadvantaged who literally can’t afford to take part in this illicit game.
“They thereby lose access to public goods and services they have a legitimate right to. In some senses, corruption is therefore, not just stealing, it can also amount to the rich stealing from the poor,” he said.
He called for severe sanctions of persons caught indulging in corruptible acts as “proper sanctions can have a huge deterrent effect”.
Journalists’ ‘soli’
Turning his attention to journalists, he congratulated the Ghanaian media on their impressive and improving record, and commitment to uncovering alleged corruption and wrongdoing.
He, however, questioned the integrity of journalists who insisted on receiving payment in the form of the infamous ‘soli’ before covering or publishing stories.
‘Soli’ (short for solidarity) is the practice by which journalists who cover programmes and events are given money, apparently to “cover the cost of travel to the event”.
Mr Benjamin suggested that covering news was the job of a journalist and that if salaries were insufficient, that should be a problem for the journalists and their employers and not for the general public.
He accused journalists of being quick to point out the corruption being perpetrated by public or private individuals and institutions, but failing to look within themselves.
“If those journalists who pride themselves on reporting corruption in others then ask for unofficial payment for themselves, isn’t that a touch hypocritical?” he quizzed.
According to him, an event or story was either intrinsically newsworthy or isn’t and that once someone paid for it, it was advertising and not journalism.
Mr Benjamin challenged the media to “surprise” him by reporting his comments on the lack of probity by some of their own colleague journalists.
“At the very least,” he stated emphatically, “you know now that you will never receive any ‘soli’ from the British High Commission”.
Turn down
Mr Benjamin said attempts were made by some persons to stop him from honouring the IMANI invitation following the drug scandal but he resisted.
“I don’t run away at the first sign of trouble or leave people in the lurch. The fact is that this invitation was extended to me and I accepted it long before this story. Having made such a commitment, I honour it. I keep my word rather than letting down the people I give it to,” he said.
Source: Daily Graphic
