Activists, supporters and officials of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) made majority of indecent expressions recorded during weeks seven and eight monitoring of language use on radio, the Media Foundation for West Africa on Friday said.
Twenty one out of the total 28 indecent expressions recorded were made by NDC officials and supporters, a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency has said.
The project is funded by STAR-Ghana.
The Foundation said twelve persons belonging to the NDC made the 21 indecent expressions with 11 of those being made by members of FONKAR, a faction in the NDC that supports former First lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.
The Foundation said Mr. Owusu Bempah, Operations Director of FONKAR made 25 per cent of all the indecent expressions.
Two persons, it said, Mr. Chris Dugan of “FONKAR” and Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover, Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party, were again found to have used indecent expressions.
“Since the beginning of April 2012, the MFWA has been monitoring language use of specific programmes on 31 selected radio stations across the country,” the statement said.
“The aim of the project is to promote issue-based and decent language campaigning in Ghana’s 2012 elections.
“It is also to expose politicians and activist who use indecent expressions and name the radio stations on which such expressions were made.”
The Foundation said for the fourth time in a row, Oman FM recorded the highest number of indecent expressions.
It said most of the indecent expressions were recorded during morning, evening and night political discussion programmes.
On insulting and offensive comments, the foundation’s statistics showed that Mr. Ernest Owusu-Bempah, a member of FONKAR, made two offensive comments and Nii Kwartei Titus-Glover made an offensive comment during Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme on May 17.
It cited Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, Deputy Minister of Energy, for using offensive comments during Citi FM’s Big Issue programme aired on May 19; Mr Dugan on May 17, during Classic FM’s Kanawu programme; and Mr Samuel Nartey George, an activist of the NDC during UNIIQ FM’s Morning Newspaper Review programme on May 17.
Others are Maame Afua, an activist of the NPP and Mr. Kwame Tawiah, NDC Spokesperson for Mr. Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the businessman in the judgement debt controversy, in an interview during the Evening News broadcast on Peace FM on May 23.
Mr. Owusu-Bempah was also faulted for gender specific insult, in an interview during Adom FM’s Evening News broadcast on May 24; while he was also cited for unsubstantiated allegations or accusations, which happened on two occasions during Oman FM’s National Agenda programme on May 17.
Mr. Owusu-Bempah was on hand again during Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme on May 17; as well as Nii Titus-Glover on the same programme and Mr. Ishmael Butler, an activist of the NDC during Kessben FM’s Maakye programme on May 15.
Others are Mr. Samuel Pyne, an activist of the NPP on Kessben FM’s Maakye programme on May 15; Mr. Solomon Nkansah, an activist of the NDC during The Punch programme on Kessben FM on May 19; and Mr. David Osei, an activist of the NPP on Angel FM’s Platform programme on May 16.
The statement said other activists who made gender specific insults were, Maame Afua during Oman FM’s National Agenda programme on May 21; Mr. Dugan during Oman FM’s Boiling Point programme on May 22; Mr. Saani Abacha, an activist of the NDC during Radio Upper West’s Common Course programme on May 21 and Mr. Richard Quashigah, National Propaganda Secretary of the NDC in an interview on Peace FM’s Evening News on May 23.
On innuendoes, it cited Mr. Dugan during Classic FM’s Kanawu programme on May 17; Mr. Kofi Adams, Spokesman of former President Jerry John Rawlings on May 22 during a Newspaper Review programme on Radio Gold, and on provocative remarks, cited Mr. Peter Otukunor, an activist of the NDC during UNIIQ FM’s morning newspaper review programme on May 18.
On prejudice and bigotry, the Foundation cited Mr. Abacha on May 21 on Radio Upper West, during the Common Course programme; and on divisive comment cited Gilbert, an NDC activist during Space FM’s morning flight programme on May 24.
It said Boiling Point and National Agenda political discussion programmes on Oman FM in particular were the main political discussion programmes on which significant numbers of the unacceptable expressions were recorded.
The main subject matter around which most of the indecent expressions were made was the internal wrangling within the NDC.
The Foundation said all the 28 indecent expressions were recorded on 13 radio stations and about 40% of the indecent expressions recorded were captured on Oman FM.
"This makes Oman FM the only radio station among the 31 stations being monitored under the project, on which majority of the indecent expressions have been recorded for four consecutive weeks from April 29 to May 26,” the statement said.
The aim of the project is to promote issues-based and decent language campaigning in Election 2012 and also expose politicians and activists who use indecent expressions, and name the radio stations on which such expressions are made.**
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