Sanne Terlingen
A Dutch journalist, Sanne Terlingen who paid a short visit to Ghana and roamed around to solicit views on cases of drug smuggling has seriously dented the image of the country with her wild allegations, describing Ghana as a “narco state” or narcotic endemic country.
Her article which has been circulated in the Dutch media accused
politicians including ministers of state, ambassadors; judges, police
officers and other public office holders in Ghana as corrupt officials
who engage in the drug trade without backing her allegations with any
proof.
She has also made a derogatory claim against former President John Agyekum Kufuor as a drug trafficker, which has been considered as a defiant attack on the integrity of Ghana’s respected former president.
It is surprising to wonder what motives influenced the Dutch journalist to pursue such an agenda to tarnish the image of Ghana and its former president as well as some senior police officers, judges and politicians in the international media with such wild
allegations.
The police administration and National Security must be interested in this story, which sends negative message of the country to the international community by inviting the journalist to Ghana to help assist investigations into her allegations.
“This total disregard by some unprofessional journalists to apply basic ethics in the profession must stop. The unsubstantiated allegations were unnecessary and this exposes how some foreign journalists come to African to do lazy job just to claim fame in their home country,” said Ken Afedzi, a Ghanaian freelance journalist who condemned the story as lacking fairness in journalism.
He added: “I think former president Kufuor’s office must issue a statement to condemn this lady and her story or better still sue her for bringing his (Kufuor) name into disrepute.”
The unfortunate story published in the One World magazine, a media outlet fully subsidized by the Dutch government has the tendency to destroy the cordial diplomatic relations between Ghana and Holland for the past 300 years.
Some government spokespersons in Ghana who have read the story indicated their displeasure against the publication as baseless and unwarranted by a foreign journalist to destroy the country’s image.
“The Dutch government must investigate Sanne Terlingen (journalist) in order to find the basis for her hidden agenda to make these wicked allegations against Ghana,” government communications member demanded.
Name:
Henk Fleppensteijn
Email:
fleppensteijn@gmail.com
Dutch journalist Sanne Terlingen indicts ex-president Kufuor, others of drug trafficking
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