One of the weaknesses of the Kufuor administration is how feebly it milks its achievements and successes. This has now become proverbial. The trouble is that the administration has a tendency to dilute its messages by putting them out either in multiples, or mixing up good news with bad. And, of course, when bad news meets good news in any self-respecting newsroom, bad news triumphs and good news gets spiked. A couple of years back, the government announced a substantial increase in the farmgate price of cocoa for farmers. I can't tell you the figures off the top of my head but it was a decent sum, and I reported it for Reuters who lapped it. Reuters loves anything cocoa. Well, the story received very little airplay at home, because the announcement coincided with a major fuel price increase. Bad news, page one (with additional mileage on Kokrokoo). Good news, page 37 and half, lower left corner somewhere. Even the happy farmers weren't allowed the opportunity to tell their story. Good news lost out. Last December, the President re-opened the Accra-Tema railway. Now, that was definitely a brilliant story because a) that rail route had been dead for years and, b) it would make such a big difference for commuters along the Accra-Tema corridor, in terms of convenience and travel cost. However, he inaugurated it on Friday, December 21. It was the last working day for most newspapers ahead of Christmas. A couple of papers picked up the story on Saturday, and that was the end. It lost the mileage it deserved. There are, I believe, many people in the capital today who don't know about the revived rail service. Last Thursday, the President delivered his State of the Nation Address. It was an opportunity to concentrate minds on his message. Just a day or two ahead of the event, however, he snatched the wind from his own sail with the controversial re-nomination of Dr. Richard Anane to his old job. The merits or demerits of the decision aside, the re-nomination was poorly timed. If parliament calls him in for vetting next week, he might well share the front pages with George Bush. Even the lizard which tumbled from the high iroko tree knew how to spin its painful belly-flop as an act of courage and skill, and to praise himself accordingly in front of a captive audience (of proverb-writers). Credit: Kwaku Sakyi Addo (Visit Kwaku’s Website) Source: The Spectator