Reversing A Trend

President John Evans Atta Mills

Men of goodwill in the country have had cause to make plaintive remarks about the level of bad language or even vituperation by persons who hold important positions in either government or even close to the president.

The political turf features such amount of offensive expressions that for new arrivals into the country, they can bet the country is on the precipice just waiting for a spark to start an inferno.

Sincere Ghanaians can almost immediately point at the source of the insults and poor posturing by persons who are employed to manage the image of the president.

The President's men, including pro-NDC newspapers, have a bad testimonial in this regard. Unfortunately, President Mills, in all his remarks about the negative trend, has rarely pointed fingers at his backyard. In fact, he himself has enjoyed hurling innuendos in his remarks. 'Look at me very well, do I look like a cat hunter'?

It was heartwarming therefore to learn about the decision by the ruling government to pull the brakes on the incessant insult spree and to reverse the lack of genteelness in the conduct of the president's image managers and perhaps imbibe in NDC serial callers some sense of decorum.

We are keeping our eyes open on this subject and hope that the decision is one which would be implemented by all means.

This is only a prayer and hope because, honestly, many Ghanaians are taking this with a pinch of salt. In spite of this trepidation, we are pleased that somebody has discovered the importance of good manners and decorum, especially by those who work for the presidency.

It can only be imagined the damage this uncouthness has cost us in the area of bringing up our children. With the plethora of radio stations across the country and the proliferation of the new occupation of serial calling, these children are sometimes compelled to listen to these filthy remarks on air.

There have been instances when some curious kids have posed questions about the insults.

For us, it is not enough to come out in the media with such announcements without enforcements mechanisms. We would like to see action on the part of those behind the mask towards cleaning our political environment and ridding it of insults and the many verbal aberrations.

We must rededicate ourselves to the development of democracy and growth of our country by shunning the unnecessary polemics on air and on the pages of newspapers.

Our president, it has been observed, has never descended on his men who have been noted for such misconduct. Many instances have reared their ugly heads to warrant such intervention from the president but he has always avoided saying a thing. His spokesperson, Koku Anyidoho, surprised his compatriots when he said his boss was in approval of some insults he had hurled earlier.

The Kobby Acheampongs, Hannah Bisiws and others have on many occasions fouled the political atmosphere with outrageous remarks about their compatriots on the other side of the political divide, yet they have gone scot-free without a wink from the president.

We hesitate to state that perhaps this is nothing but a PR stunt in an election year. Making a party look good can bolster its chances when this is underlined by a purity of heart. Better late than never, provided the party seeks decency to be a permanent feature of its visage.