The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper West Region will go down into history as the political party in Ghana that treats the media with contempt and inhumane.
The indifferent and inhumane attitude of the NDC in the region towards the media in the Upper West Region was evident and choking when the Former President John Dramani Mahama visited the region on his 'thank you' tour.
One could not fathom why a “socialist” party as the NDC prides itself would be so cruel to the people it seeks to govern.
The maxim theory of equity has it that “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands”; but that is the disease of the NDC, particularly in the Upper West Region.
The attack on the media and the cruel treatment of its actors by the NDC in the region is on the sharp rise, while reports, yet to be independently verified by the author, indicates that the party's top leadership in the region is apportioning blame to each other for the maltreatment. Is that not hypocrisy?
Vividly, some alleged thugs of the NDC in the region invaded the studios of Radio Waa, a Wa based radio station, on the evening of Wednesday, August 25, 2021, to attack the hosts of the late afternoon show (Yelkaabahi) for making a statement which some sections of the NDC deemed unfavourable to them.
But for the timely intervention of the Police, the end result would have been bizarre.
It is on the sharp contrast when former President Mahama acknowledged the power of the media to send his “Thank you” message to the people of the region during his visit but maltreated the media team that moved with him from dawn to dust.
One would have thought that, requiring the services of the media during the tour, the party would have provided, at least, water for the media during the tour, but that never happened.
However, reports indicated that throughout the tour with the former President, John Dramani Mahama from about 7000 HURS to about 2000, the media team was neither offered water nor food. How could NDC in the Upper West Region be this callous to the Media?
Calls to the Communications Officer, Proper Puo-Ire by the media for a bag of sachet water to quench thirst went unanswered.
No explanation was given to the media personnel that toured with the former president who has the intention of becoming a president again, why they toured on “dry fasting”.
The indifferent, inhumane, hypocritical and contemptuous treatment by the NDC in the Upper West Region against the media had winded in the “dark”, but could not stay in the “dark” any longer, but was exposed during the president’s visit to the region.
The leaders of the NDC in the region led by the Chairman of the party Mr Abdul Nasir Saani also known as Chairman Bunas and the Communication Officer, Mr Prosper Puo-Ire, have constantly attacked the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on grounds of media freedom while they dance to the similar tune.
Recommendations
Moving forward, it would be prudent that the party takes steps to smoothen the existing friction between the party in the region and the media.
It must be stated unequivocally that no political party can operate without the media, it would be tantamount to playing football in the dark, or communicating in sign language in the dark, no results will be achieved.
The media will continue to play its neutral role in holding authorities accountable while serving the public with diligence.
Credit: P. Y Stingo
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