Propaganda Secretariat has served NDC well - Horace Ankrah

A leading member of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Horace Ankrah has fended off criticism over the party's Propaganda portfolio.

Mr. Ankrah said the Propaganda Secretariat has served the NDC well, ensuring that since the country returned to constitutional democracy in 1992, the party has won more elections than any other party.

The NDC is the only political party with an office for Propaganda manned by a National Propaganda Secretary and supported by regional and constituency propaganda secretaries.

This has been criticized by opposition political parties and pro-democracy organizations who say the institutionalization of Propaganda by the NDC amounted to formalizing lying and spin-doctoring in the nation's politics.

But speaking to Joy News' Evans Mensah at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, venue for the NDC's delegates' congress to elect party leaders, Mr. Ankrah said the criticisms are misplaced.

The former UK/Ireland NDC Chairman said, “We do not necessarily lie or spin. Propaganda is not necessarily a bad thing.”

He conceded that lying and spinning are aspects of Propaganda but insisted that “Our propaganda machinery tries to let Ghanaians know what the government has done for the people.”

Confronted with a definition of Propaganda; “ information ,  ideas ,  opinions , or  images , often only giving one part  of an  argument , that are  broadcast ,  published , or in some other way  spread  with the  intention  of  influencing  people's opinions ; Mr. Ankrah said “I don't need to tell what the NPP is doing for you because they are doing nothing.”

“Since 1992, NDC has won more elections than any other political party and our Propaganda Secretariat has played a significant role in that,” he added.

A youth activist of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Faisal Ibrahim, in a Facebook post, said Mr. Ankrah and other members of the NDC should stop bragging about winning more elections.

He said by restating the fact that the NDC has won four out of the six Presidential elections since 1992, the governing party is conceding that it is to blame for the country's failure to solve its most basic problems.