If the National Democratic Congress (NDC) wants to command credible listeners in opposition, it has to change its message and messengers. There are some individuals in the party who are too dirty with grease to draw discerning listeners.

The first rule of politics is credibility and electorate will want to vote for a party or a candidate who has integrity, but the NDC doesn't have it. Truth is, however unbelievable the message is, so long as it is conveyed by a credible person, it will be believed.

This is why it is taught at political communications class that the messenger is as important as the message. Several people have transgressed this law to their own chagrin and the NDC appears to be paddling back into the same ditch.

If the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) will stay focus to deliver on its ambitious projects and highfalutin promises, there is the need for a credible, fact-based opposition to serve as a watch dog. That trustworthy opposition is currently non-existent and it’s one thing that has blighted the democratic credentials of the country.

Former President John Mahama cheapened governance in the country

One thing former President John Mahama did well while in government is that he cheapened governance. He made it possible for young people within the ages of 18 – 25 to believe they could govern the country better than he did. These youth were buoyed by the many bad judgments of the former President which include the reprieve of the jail terms of three NDC malcontents who threatened the Supreme Court.  He was ridiculed by citizens including members of his own party, but he misconstrued that to be praises.

He thought it was genuine, little did he know it was an adulterated adulation that he was basking in. He misjudged the praises he received which led to his humiliating defeat in the 2016 elections.

The three NDC malcontents who were pardoned by Mahama

The NDC hasn’t been the acclaimed peaceful party in the country after the stunning debacle. Party bickering is continuing feverishly as the leadership finds answers to the loss. But it appears the NDC needs reorganisation better than it needs answers to its defeat. It needs opposition sense and not propaganda and hunger screams.

If there’s anyone lesson the NDC can learn from the NPP, it is that the faces of defeat need to be buried without delay. The NPP since its loss in 2008 has changed the people who spoke for the party. Individuals who were linked to acts that could affect the fortunes of the party were dropped for people with credibility.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

Some individuals like former Asokwa MP, Maxwell Kofi Jumah who was instrumental during the days of former President Kufuor was muted when Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was elected flagbearer of the NPP. There are others who were also relegated to the backburner for persons of integrity to be showcased to Ghanaians. You are at liberty to link the changes to the Akyem and Ashanti struggle within the party and you won’t be wrong. But the truth is that, some communicators were replaced and the NDC could do same.

Former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has a tainted past

The NDC has so many people who have tainted their image that any message from them will be treated with the contempt. The list appears tall and tedious because of the party's penchant for vile propaganda. At the apex is former Deputy Education Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who is struggling to sound credible but has his wardrobe replete with parcels of insults and misinformation. He is deputised by former Transport Minister, Fifi Kwetey, who denigrated the word propaganda. He made it unpleasant for anyone to use the word in meaningful and reasonable public discourse. NDC Deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidohu, and National Organiser Kofi Adams also do not have any new message other than the one Ghanaians rejected at the polls.

Former Transport Minister, Fifi Kwetey assumed the title Commander-in-chief of NDC propaganda in 2008

NDC National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, has also become too unbelievable that one is drawn to count the number of times he will lie anytime he addresses the media. The list as I noted earlier is tall and the earlier the NDC change its front liners the better.

The party should also consider changing its message since it is unsound, incredulous that the ears of well-meaning Ghanaians will dismiss it. The gatlin gun attack of the NDC where it accuses Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Christian Council, Catholic Bishops Conference and Chief Imam of being silent on supposed bad acts of the NPP government is outmoded, outlandish and disingenious.

Ghanaians don’t need another lesson from vile propagandists with no credible reputation. They need credible and believable opposition and the NDC can’t offer that with its current posture. The smaller parties can't either.

===

Disclaimer: Views expressed here are the Author's and do not necessarily reflect the position of management of Multimedia or Myjoyonline.com. The writer Austin Brakopowers works as a journalist at Joy99.7FM and could be reached via Brakomen@outlook.com or www.brakopowers.com