Comment: NDC ministers are cheapening themselves

It is widely accepted that contemporary good governance is strongly hinged on transparency and accountability, and as such, there should be nothing immoral with a ruling government creating an atmosphere to regularly open up to the populace on how their taxes are being used and or, explain government’s policies and programs.

Obviously, it is in this spirit that the Right to Information, which successive governments have played chess with, was born and it is also in the same light of delivering much transparent and accountable governance that the current administration through the Ministry of Information and Media Relations, apart from the periodic ‘Meet the Press’ series, instituted a daily media briefing at the FlagStaff House.

Indeed, the daily briefing at the seat of government and the periodic ‘Meet the Press’ series by themselves cannot be a panacea to solving the communication challenges of government, hence, it is the expectation that Ministers or their deputies intermittently, will grant radio and television interviews to proffer more explanations to some critical issues pertaining to their various outfit.

For the purposes of lifting the burden of media practitioners chasing Ministers even when they are in bed or at crucial meetings for interviews, Public Relations Officers and Communication Directorates were crafted for the various Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs), which are manned by well trained and competent officials who are paid from the taxpayers’ contributions.

Ordinarily, it is expected that issues relating to a specific MDA that the Ministry of Information and Media Relations, which is the chief information outfit of government is unable to clarify, the PR or Communication Directors at these MDAs should be the right persons to contact but, alas, the situation, particularly in the current government is totally different.

Ministers and their deputies have cheapened their high offices such that, they have reduced themselves to that of spokespersons for the various MDAs and on a daily basis are heard on radio and television energetically and hastily reacting to issues in the media if even they don’t have the facts, thereby ending up sometimes making a mockery of themselves and the government.

Inasmuch as it is welcoming news to hear an official of a particular Ministry, say, the Minister or deputy Minister on radio explain government position on issues in the country, some Ministers and deputy Ministers in the current government are brazenly abusing the phenomenon by constantly engaging in counter-productive radio/television interviews, sometimes at their own request.

The situation is as disturbing that, sometimes as early as six o’clock in the morning, you will hear a Minister or the deputy on radio reacting to issues that has to do with government or a particular Ministry. Sometimes the Minister’s voice clearly shows that he/she is still in bed and was awaken by the call to speak on radio or television.

And knowing some of the Ministers to be so much obsessed or excited to be heard on radio because they feel that is what portray them as hardworking, they are quick to welcome such media interviews, irrespective of the time or the fact that they may not be seized with the full facts of the matter on which they were called to speak on, thereby embarrassing the government by stating a position that in some instances turns out to be contrary to official government position.

This crave to be heard on radio at all times, thundering without recourse to what is being churned out, does not just demean the position of a Minister or deputy Minister, it also suggests that some of our Ministers or their deputies have found ‘love’ in radio interviews and sometimes, they even instruct producers of radio programs to call at will.

As stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with a Minister or the deputy reacting to issues on radio, in fact, it is even a mark showing how committed a government is in the area of transparency, but shouldn’t it be regulated and well-structured?

Sometimes, whiles a Minister is on one radio station early in the morning stating his/her view on a subject, his/her deputy or another minister is also on another radio station giving a contrary view to what his Minister or colleague is saying. This unfortunate act exposes the government to public odium and ridicule.

In any case, if one will ask, what is the duty of the various Public Relations outfits at all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies? What are the PROs and Communication Directors at the various MDA's paid to do? Isn’t it part of their duty to be doing much of the radio and television interviews whiles the Ministers and their Deputies focus on formulating government policies and making sure the President’s vision relating to their ministries are actualized?

It is becoming apparent that most of the PROs and Communication Directors at the Ministries are virtually on holidays in so far as their job is concerned; some of the Ministers have turned them into protocol officers and errand ‘boys’.

It is for good reasons that the Ministry of Information and Media Relations exist; that ministry is the official information outfit of the government and arguably, all media houses seeking clarification on issues must contact it or in cases were a media house needs an official position of a particular ministry, the PRO must be heard speaking not the Minister, except in rare cases?

But some of our ministers for purposes of ‘self-promotional gimmicks’ (apologies to Dr Charles Wereko Brobbey), have imposed on themselves official spokespersons for their Ministries, leaving officials at the PR outfit idling with virtually nothing to do aside busily engrossed in social media.