The Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) is an umbrella of well-trained journalists who represent their various media houses and report from the corridors of Parliament.
They give a pictorial representation of what happens on the floor of the House.
It is therefore pathetic and foolhardy on the part of Parliament led by its Director of Media Relations to grossly undermine and visibly disrespect the Corps.
Without the Parliamentary Press corps, Ghanaians and all beyond the walls of the nation will be deprived of the antics, the chorus, the debates, the bantering, and the contributions of the Members of the House.
The Press Corps acts or serves as a link between the House and the Public.
Parliament organizes its annual post-budget workshop where the House invites some renowned economists, consultants, and professionals to share their perspectives with the members on the nitty-gritty of the budget.
This year’s workshop was held in the chamber of the House after the two political parties, the New Patriotic Party and its main rival, the National Democratic Congress in the House as usual displayed their partisan postures as to the venue for the workshop.
The workshop was finally settled in the chamber of the Parliament.
Members of the Press Corps were invited to give coverage. Most of them reported to the venue around 8 am on that Saturday as stated in the invitation to them.
Amazingly, when the Members of the House and staff were being fed, the members of the corps were left unfed and unattended to.
The Director of Media Relations and his Deputy were gallivanting and munching their food without showing any show of affection or concern for the plight of the maltreated journalists.
Interestingly, they needed the energy to work but the journalists didn’t need the energy to work.
This is discrimination which is against the spirit and the letter of the( grund norm) of the country.
I know the current Speaker has been very loving, caring, and helpful: to the plight of the journalists. He is truly a father to the corps.
The corps will always be grateful to his leadership.
I am calling on the Director of Media Relations to make matters affecting the corps his major concern.
No institution can achieve its objectives with the public without the media.
The treatment suffered by the members of the corps over the weekend at the workshop was appalling, disgusting, disrespectful, and insulting to the dignity of members.
I hope and pray that this uncouth behavior on the part of the Director of Media Relations and his staff will not be repeated.
Press Corps is a solid and integral arm of the Parliament and it must be given the reverence it deserves.
I hope that this treatment as described supra will be halted and dustbined.
Parliamentary Press Corps deserves better.
Source: Ahmed Osumanu Halid
The Servant and a member of the Parliamentary Press Corps
