NDC Will Campaign On Issues - Quashigah

In the wake of the increasing disturbing phenomenon of abusive political language, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has decided to focus its campaign for the 2012 elections on issues comparing their track record with that of their opponents.

'Our efforts to ensure negative free campaign does not necessarily mean we will not scrutinise or criticise our opponent's political record and personal character. Character, because even the Bible says a man's gift will bring him before kings but what will maintain him before kings is character', Mr Richard Quarshigah, the NDC Propaganda Secretary has assured.

Addressing constituency propaganda secretaries in the Greater Accra region in Accra on Saturday, he further assured the electorate that 'what we will not do or engage in is unsubstantiated personal attacks, name calling or disseminate misleading or false information about our opponents'.

The 27 constituency propaganda secretaries were taken to the Local Government Studies campuses in Adenta to be schooled about the need to focus the NDC's campaign on issues and how to get feed back from the people to be included in policy formation and those that needed urgent attention were addressed.

Mr Quashigah said the NDC upon sober reflection was convinced that the use of unsubstantiated attacks and insults which were the stock in trade of their opponents would not win the needed votes to retain power 'more so when we cannot match our political competitors when it comes to outright fabrications and political insult.'

He added that the NDC was aware that the NPP's campaign was becoming desperately gloomy and they would want to continue to employ a strategy of falsehood to try to undermine President JEA Mills credibility because they believe that going on the attack with with smear campaign was the most effective strategy to neutralize genuine and constructive attacks from the NDC.

He told the constituency propaganda secretaries that genuine propagandist must be a true artist, a master of the popular soul, using it as an instrument to express genuine political will, adding that good propaganda did not need to lie and should also fear the truth.

Mr Quashigah noted that there was every indication that the Ghanaians voter had become more savvy such that intemperate language and combative modes did not work any more because insulting or abusive political campaigns have reached their saturation points and that voter tend to distrust not only politics of fabrication but also adversarial politics.

Opening the two-day workshop, the Chairman for the programme, Mr Jacob Akron urged the NDC members to up their game and realise that the media terrain was not favourable to NDC.

According to him, most of the media houses, journalists and hosts of radio and TV programmes were hostile towards the NDC but favouring the NPP adding that 'with TV stations, 80 per cent of hosts are inclined towards the NPP', adding that they ask the NDC panel members probing questions and did not even allow them to answer.