My Radio;My Voice And Right To Development

Take Away My Radio And You Take Away My Voice And Right To Development

The plea for an egalitarian society remains a mirage so long as the people have no voice and an opportunity to voice out issues that affect them directly.The voice of the people indeed is the voice of God and is sine qua non for the development of any meaningful society.

In all wisdom and ensuing from the above, the introduction of the district assembly concept was not born out of emotions but in careful furtherance and realisation of the need to give the people a voice in the administration of their own affairs . It's to consolidate our democracy and emphasize the participatory approach to development.After all, democracy and power belongs to the people.

Arguably,the various assemblies agonized with several shortcomings have not over the years adequately represented the real and felt needs and voices of the people as much as patented parochialism.

It's therfore natural to have other pronounced avenues of representing the voices of the people in the governance of local affairs as a means of expanding participatory democracy sprung up in communities.
One of such weighty avenues has being COMMUNITY RADIO.

Community radio is a third model of radio limited by guarantee that serve geographic communities and communities of interest.
They are owned, operated and influenced by the communities of interest they serve.And by nature and legal limitations are nonprofit, nonsectarian and focus on providing individuals,groups and communities a unique community space to tell their own stories, share experiences and collaborate to further community development.It's also a major avenue for preserving our rich cultural heritage.

My inflated and buoyant spirited communism was wherefore deflated and turned into a sentimental melancholy when I learned with regret that the only community radio station (Radio For Peace and Development-95.1mhz) serving as a voice to the marginalised in Damongo has suspended its operations out of a necessary evil "We've being put on prepaid metering system".And the question remains, are we taking the real development avenue of the people away from them?

It's insightful to note that as per the revenue generation code of the station, the little revenue that the station can generate is just little enough and can only be adequate for sustenance of the station with communal support.As stated, the station is the property of the community.
Is it conclusive thereupon that as a people (community) we have not been able to sustain our own? Could the station be exempted from such a metering system in the interim on consensus?Should this be a concern to every well meaning member of the community?What can we as a people do to keep the station running so our voices can be alive?

Well, I'm just a concerned member of my community who is highly convinced that the fall of the radio station is the fall of the community at large.
It's an onslaught on participatory democracy, and a crucifixion of the voices of those that matter most in development, "the people".And it's a way of taking the development of the people away from them.

I'm worried though alone, I don't have the power.But together I know we've the power to get the station working again for the larger interest.
May God bless us all.

NB.I stand with the people (community) and the views above represent my personal views and not the that of the radio station.
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By ANANPANSAH, B ABRAHAM
A Community Radio Youth Advocate
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