Tuesday,
January 21, 2014
In every country, there exists an
avenue like that, staffed by level-headed professionals—be they political
scientists, information and communication experts, or seasoned writers (could
be practising or retired journalists) who know the value of communication and
government-public interactions.
The President has his own Press
Secretary who does all the press work. We are even not talking about speech
writers. They work behind-the-scene and are recognized as such.
Now, let’s consider the status of
the Press Secretary. Almost all the leaders of Ghana, except the late Atta
Mills and the incumbent John Mahama, had Press Secretaries. Even Jerry Rawlings
had Press Secretaries who were available to manage information for the sake of
the Executive.
I remember very well in those
days when I was at the Osu Castle on a number of occasions to cover events for
the Ghana News Agency (whenever Divine Koblah, the resident Castle Correspondent,
or Bright Blewu, who occasionally took over, were out). Indeed, Elvis Aryeh,
who was Rawlings’ Press Secretary, would do all he could to facilitate the work
of the Castle Press Corps—and there was a strong bond which encouraged information
gathering and dissemination.
Of course, Kwasi Opoku Acheampong
(writer of the Daily Graphic’s column, “Shoes are Repairing Here”) had been the
Press Secretary too, but I didn’t get to work with him.
The communication of official
information from the Presidency was done by the Ministry of Information in a
well-coordinated manner as to leave no one in doubt on what Rawlings’
government was all about. Frequent changes were made in that portfolio but there
was no confusion regarding the management of information for the government’s
sake.
Even under the late General
Acheampong, the Ministry of Information did its work by ramming the objectionable
“Union Government” idea down the throats of Ghanaians. There was no confusion
in the management of information for the government’s sake.
Ex-President Kufuor retained the
position of Press Secretary, which ensured that information dissemination from
the Presidency went on unimpeded. There was much consistency in what went on.
That was the situation until
ex-President Mills took over and re-designated the information management apparatus
as “Communications Directorate at the Presidency”, putting into office Koku
Anyidoho, who would quickly turn himself into a potentate and reduce communications
work to a wordy warfare with political opponents. Not only that. He turned the
dagger on his own government’s functionaries and NDC functionaries too, making
the communication work of government a bizarre adventure in authorized hooliganism.
Take, for instance, how that
bulldozing changed the fate of Mahama Ayariga (who had been ex-President Mills’s
spokesman on the campaign trail and all the way to the seat of government). The
turf war between Anyidoho and him led to the latter’s re-posting to allow
Anyidoho the large territory of influence that he needed to operate like the
hippopotamus that he had turned himself into, goring anybody he suspected of “growing
wings” to threaten his status.
Information management became a
bull-fight in which the “babies with sharp teeth” (thanks to Rawlings’
qualification of them) took vantage points on the terrain to tear apart anybody
in sight in the mistaken belief that by so doing, they would be promoting the
government’s interests. They failed woefully. Information management to “sell”
a government isn’t done that way.
Come the turn of President Mahama
and rapid changes were made to the Communications Directorate, retaining the
shell and filling it with new wine. Nothing positive has happened to change the
dynamics. The government’s communication team is in disarray, each member
speaking with forked tongues—saying one thing and contradicting it in one
breath or creating room for other members of the team to reduce everything to
absurdity. It’s all a comical scenario of flip-flop, flim-flammery. Plop!!
In effect, lack of coordination
of efforts and inexperience have combined to detract from anything coming from the
government’s communication team. Everything has now ground to a screeching halt
and nothing seems to be working well. The impression is that the government is
confused.
Certainly, there is the mad rush
by the various functionaries at the Communications Directorate of the
Presidency and their counterparts at the Ministry of Information and Media
Relations to outdo each other in information mismanagement. It’s ridiculous
that the government should shackle itself with these two parallel institutions
and create conditions for needless contradictions.
Now, the major problem is the
calibre of people entrusted with such responsibilities. Obviously, they don’t
have the requisite professional qualification or academic grounding in
communication studies or public relations. They are where they are because of
the “job-for-the-boys” syndrome that our weak democracy has engendered. It’s
all about politically motivated appointments so that somebody can make ends
meet or campaign vigorously for the benefit of the party, not the country!!
Otherwise, what on earth will
justify the appointment of non-communication experts like Mahama Ayariga and
Murtala Mohammed to the Ministry of Information and Media Relations? Or all
those so-called Presidential Staffers at in the Communications Directorate at
the Presidency?
Clearly, the President needs to stand
firm to use his own credentials as a communications expert to build a strong
team to do his press work. Of course, he will need to rely on those who can use
diplomacy, not sharp tongues and misplaced youthful exuberance.
I urge President Mahama to use
the services of experienced people who can re-shape his communications
directorate and imbue it with the finesse that it needs to serve his government’s
purposes. Tact, diplomacy, and diligence matter most.
A namby-pamby communications
directorate filled with staff who configure themselves as “pit-bulls” will not work
in the interest of the government. Sadly enough, that has been the situation to
date!
I hope that the appointment of Mr.
Malor will lead to a complete rebuilding of the existing structure at the
Presidency so communication management can be improved for the government’s
good and, ultimately, to help improve governance for our country’s good.
It is not as if getting an
efficient communication team is all the President needs to retain public
goodwill or to claw back lost confidence in his ability to tackle the
challenges drawing back the country’s growth and development. The government
itself has the bounden duty to perform well so it will not waste its time and
resources beefing up a communication team to sell it.
By the time the dust settles, the
good thing should have sold itself to warrant its mandate being renewed at
Election 2016. The evidence of its performance is all it needs, not official horn-blowers
to tire themselves with their cacophonous renditions that will only irritate
the people all the more!
Communicating information on
government business is useful only if it supports the evidence that will
persuade the people of what the government has used their mandate to
accomplish.
I shall return…
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E-mail:
mjbokor@yahoo.com
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