Last month, the Rt. Rev Stephen Richard Bosomtwi-Ayensu, the Methodist Bishop of Obuasi, received verbal bashing from government and NDC communicators. His offence was to express misgivings about the government’s management of the economy and to call on President Mahama and his ministers to do better.

This latest attack by the President’s appointees, party functionaries, sympathetic and rented journalists on citizens who express an opinion on the performance of government, however negative, is one too many.

What is surprising is that in the run-up to the 2012 elections, President Mahama cautioned government communicators to be civil in their language in responding to public criticisms. He asked that they engage in issue based discussions. Instead of communicators responding to criticism with rationale arguments in a tone of graciousness, we have rather seen a return to absurdity and rudeness.

In recent times, we have also heard some weird analysis by NDC communicators attributing the cause of the fast depreciating cedi to high rise buildings springing up in parts of Accra.

These two incidents bring up the long standing issue of whether the government and NDC have a communications strategy. And if there is, does the Ministry of Information, Presidency or party conduct periodic evaluations do ascertain whether the strategy is working.

The problem with government and NDC communications To begin with, there is no clear distinction between the government communications team and the NDC communications team. Who belongs where? What are their respective mandates?

There is the common occurrence of communicators publicly contradicting each other on an issue. There is also the bad tactics.

First, if an apolitical person or civil society group criticizes the government or NDC, verbally shoot that person with a hail of machine gun fire until he or she recoils into temporary or permanent hiding. Tag the person or group as doing the NPP’s bidding. In so doing, send a message to others; “don’t bring yourself.”

Second, if your political opponent points out your failures, defend yourself by referring to their past misdeeds.

Third, unleash loud mouths to comment on any issue, whether they understand it or not.

Fourth, if your political opponent talks nonsense, reply with double or triple nonsense.

Communicators forget that when an issue or criticism is made publicly, the primary audience for a response should be the general public who have heard one side of the story, and want to know the other side from government or the party. A response could either be a correction, clarification or spin. It could also be an explanation of what corrective actions government has taken or intends to take.

Verbally attacking the person or group that raised the issue does not clear away whatever confusion, mischief or bad image that have been created for government or the party. It rather conveys an image of arrogance, insensitivity and cluelessness in dealing with the nation’s problems for which President Mahama and NDC parliamentarians were elected.

Stop rubbing salt in our wounds

These are difficult social and economic times in Ghana. We see it, we hear it, we feel it, we smell it.

The cost of living is rising faster than incomes. The cost of doing business is also rising, putting a squeeze on profit margins, cash flows and threatening the survival of enterprises (and jobs) both big and small.

We continue to hear on radio and see on television the misery of the people of Adjei Kojo whose lives were shattered by the demolitions of their buildings.

The least government and NDC communicators can do is to stop insulting our sensibilities by assuming that by making noise on radio and television Ghanaians will forget or accept this government’s shortcomings.

Someone must restore sanity in government and NDC communications

Whose job is it to restore sanity in government and party communications? Is it Mahama Ayariga, the Minister of Information; Ben Dotse Malor, the Head of Communications at the Presidency; or the Director of Communications at NDC headquarters?

To that person, I propose the following.

First, be bold and weed out all the loud mouths on radio and television who equate noise making with communicating. Communicators who hear or see no wrong, and always defend the indefensible expose themselves to public ridicule. Their contribution to the image of government and the NDC is negative.

Look for a new crop of communicators cast in the decent, friendly and charming style of President Mahama and Mahama Ayariga. These should be people who will occasionally eat humble pie and concede that government got it wrong on an issue, or is underperforming in some area; and go on to explain what corrective actions government is taking.

Second, let communicators specialize as the NPP did during their time in office. Redeploy all the government communicators parading in Flagstaff to Ministries to become subject matter experts. Encourage party communicators to focus on specific sectors.

One of the few effective government communicators is Edward Bawa, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy. He is focused on the sector and abreast with its issues. You can be sure to get a sensible and meaningful response from him on questions relating to energy.

In the NPP’s second term, Kweku Kwarteng, now an Honorable MP, and then spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance was also a good communicator. He understood his sector and could effectively respond to issues on the economy be it in English or flawless Twi.

Third, beware of the so called senior journalists who speak on behalf government and the party. A good number of them have lost their credibility and standing with the general public. It is time to retire them.

Fourth, insist that all communicators do their homework before they speak. Too many of them, it appears, just wake up from bed, bath and drive to radio or television stations to participate in panel discussions without any research.

Fifth, carry out periodic evaluations of the effectiveness of government communications and individual communicators.

Sixth, look for good Twi (and other local language) speakers who can speak sensibly on the economy. The masses listen to radio especially the local language stations.

The bottom line however is that, no amount of reorganization or restructuring of government and party communications will cover up for a government that remains in first gear (or is it second gear now?).

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The Writer is a Management Consultant and a Member of the National Democratic Congress