Afia Pokuaa, popularly referred to as Vim Lady

A journalist with an Accra-based privately run TV station, UTV, says the culture of silence in Ghana now is executed with insults and invectives rained on people who hold contrary political and social views to the abusers.

Afia Pokuaa, popularly referred to as Vim Lady, said on her TV programme over the weekend that the trend has forced people to refrain from public commentary even on matters of national interest.

GhanaWeb monitored comments she made on the show, Critical Issues, which included a personal experience of how ruling New Patritoc Party activists turned on her after she made a post on the erratic power supply system – popularly known as ‘dumsor’.

“People say there is no culture of silence? When I posted on Facebook about dumsor - that my lights were out, NPP footsoldiers abused me for a whole week.

“For a week I was abused as though it was untrue that my lights had been off. As I speak, I have fixed an inverter and have sworn never to speak about dumsor again. Water (situation), I won’t talk.

“If my lights are off, it is not a problem. I’d rather be silent. Me, a nobody and I am being insulted, of course, even Sam Jonah was not spared,” she added.

The subject of the return of the culture of silence was rekindled by Sam Jonah KBE weeks back when he delivered a speech touching different aspects of national life and what Ghana needed to do or not do to secure the present and future generations.

The speech titled “Down The Up Escalator” received mixed reviews with as much praise as critique on the airwaves and social media.

Vim Lady further disclosed that influential people were refusing public commentary which signalled a prevalence of the culture of silence unlike years back in the Rawlings era when people were rounded up.

“You invite knowledgeable Ghanaians to come unto your program to help educate the general public on critical issues but they refuse the invitation. If you ask why they say NDC and NPP footsoldiers will attack you. We have abused people till nobody wants to serve Ghana.

“We will eventually have to deal with the worse of both the NPP and NDC,” she added.