Founder and President of the Atta Mills Institute, Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has accused President John Dramani Mahama of helping to nurture a political environment in which individuals who engage in insults and abusive political commentary have flourished.
Expressing concern about Ghana’s increasingly hostile social-media space on Kessben Maakye show in Accra, Anyidiho said the nature of communication on new media had become alarming and is threatening the country’s social fibre.
“What is happening in the new media is very scary,” Anyidoho said, arguing that the manner in which communication is being “spewed out” is destroying the moral fibre of society.
He maintained that political disagreements should not turn citizens into enemies and warned against allowing abusive behaviour to become an accepted feature of Ghanaian politics.
His criticism comes amid a national debate over President Mahama’s approach to hate speech and abusive content online. Meanwhile, the President has asked the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to facilitate a national conversation and develop a roadmap for addressing harmful online content while protecting freedom of expression.
Anyidoho, however, questioned whether institutional dialogue alone would address what he sees as the root of the problem. He argued that politicians and political actors must confront individuals within their own circles who engage in abusive commentary rather than merely condemning the wider phenomenon.
He specifically referenced US-based commentator Kevin Taylor, questioning what he sees as inconsistent responses to political insults. President Mahama recently said he had never met or spoken with Taylor and indicated that he would raise concerns about Taylor’s alleged insults through his father, whom the President knows.
Anyidoho further questioned the distinction between people who openly show their faces while making insulting comments and anonymous social-media users who engage in similar conduct.
President Mahama, during an engagement with Ghanaians in New York, said he personally does not mind being insulted but expressed concern about anonymous users who publish vile content. He also acknowledged that police arrests over some insults could go too far and called for Ghanaians to collectively determine how new media should be regulated.
Anyidoho argued that freedom of expression should not become an excuse to malign others or destroy reputations. He also rejected the argument that abusive political commentary is justified simply because opponents engage in similar conduct.
“If you can hire people to insult and malign others for your gain, then you must be ready for the repercussions,” he stated.
He also urged Ghanaians to take an active interest in governance rather than leaving national affairs entirely in the hands of political leaders.
“We must all be part of the governance of the country and not leave it for the government alone to think for us,” he said.
Anyidoho’s comments add to a wider political debate over how Ghana should tackle online abuse, misinformation and hate speech without undermining constitutionally protected political criticism and freedom of expression.
