The editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kwaku Baako Jnr, has advised that context should be applied to the interpretation of comments made on political platforms.

His comments come as a reaction to calls by the NDC and others, for the police to arrest
new agric minister Bryan Acheampong over utterances he made at the NPP’s ‘Arise and Build’ Unity Walk in Kwahu.

According to him, there are modes of communication and they include choice of words, the use of body language among others which affects the interpretation of comments. As such, the comments by the agric minister are being miscommunicated and misrepresented to the public.

Recounting the speech by Bryan Acheampong on Accra based Peace FM, Kwaku Baako stressed, “I was looking for that, but it wasn’t there. It was missing because it wasn’t said. So, the context is important. There are various modes of communication, choice of words and body language and all that. We all cannot communicate the same way.” he said.

Whereas some level of propaganda is crucial for politics, the editor says it should proceed on substance and not the form.

“But the key point and especially when you are calling on the police to arrest, subsequent to that is investigation after that is a possible prosecution then the sanctions. And so, such calls should proceed on substance not the form when you want to deal with such issues. Unless of course it is within the realms of propaganda which is also part of politics.” He continued.

Kwaku Baako added on that it would have been problematic if the minister said the NPP was not going to hand over power regardless of the outcome announced by the Electoral Commission which he says would have been a ‘serious statement’ to make.

“For me, it’s of no moments, I would have been worried if He [Bryan] stressed that regardless of the outcome of the elections as declared by the mandatory body, EC, that we wont hand over…if he said that, then it would have been a serious statement to make.” he stressed.



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