Broadcast journalist with Tobinco Media Group, Bernard Lav, has cautioned media practitioners to exercise restraint and professionalism in reporting on the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II–led Bawku peace mediation report presented to President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday.
Speaking on Atinka TV’s Ghana Nie morning show, Bernard Lav urged his colleague journalists to be careful in treating stories arising from the report, stressing that media commentary at this stage must support reconciliation and not undermine the fragile peace process.
“We must all support the peace efforts,” he said, adding that anyone who has nothing to contribute towards peace should remain silent.
Bernard Lav said he was impressed by how the Asantehene personally read out the key findings of the mediation report to the President, noting that the approach helped to remove partisan political interpretations from the process.
According to him, Otumfuo’s handling of the presentation demonstrated neutrality and authority, reinforcing public confidence in the report and its intent to promote peace rather than deepen divisions.
He described the mediation as a reconciliation exercise, emphasising that the outcome should not be framed in terms of winners and losers. “Reconciliation is all we want,” he stressed.
Bernard Lav also praised what he described as the firm and decisive posture adopted by the Asantehene during the process, saying it underscored the seriousness of the mediation and the need for all stakeholders to respect its outcome.
He commended Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, President John Dramani Mahama and former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for their respective roles in facilitating the mediation, and urged Ghanaians to rally behind the peace process.
The Asantehene presented the final mediation report to President Mahama at the Presidency on Tuesday, assuring that the exercise was purely mediation and not arbitration, and that all parties had willingly subjected themselves to the process.
President Mahama, after receiving the report, assured that government would study the document and announce its definitive position within 24 hours, as part of efforts to consolidate peace and reconciliation.
The presentation of the report marks a key moment in the peace process, with expectations now focused on how its recommendations will be implemented to sustain calm and promote unity.
Ghana |Atinkaonline.com|Ebenezer Madugu