Graphic unveils coverage programme for political parties
The Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL) yesterday held a dialogue with registered political parties, during which the company outlined a number of activities aimed at ensuring peaceful, free and fair elections later this year.
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The programme formed part of the GCGL’s efforts at deepening the democratic processes and bringing the visions and programmes of the various parties to the electorate.
The move is also to ensure that the electorate are well informed on the parties’ positions on key national themes in order for the people to vote for parties on issues which, in their estimation, had the most bearing on their lives.
In all, 26 political parties were identified and invited, but invitation letters could be delivered to 17 of them. The offices of the remaining nine could not be located.
Again, out of the 17 that were invited, 11 honoured the invitation. They were the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), the National Democratic Party (NDP), the Progressive People’s Party (PPP), the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) and the United People’s Party (UPP).
The rest were the Ghana Freedom Party (GFP), the Convention People’s Party (CPP), the United Front Party (UFP), the Independent People’s Party (IPP), the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the People’s National Convention (PNC).
Activities
Outlining the programme of activities by the company, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafo, the Director of Newspapers at the GCGL, said just as it did in the 2012 elections, the company would hold town hall meetings for the political parties to tell the public and other electoral institutions what they were doing and what they would do to ensure peace and orderliness before, during and after the elections.
The first of such meetings, he said, would be held in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 for the three northern regions.
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The second one, he said, would be held in Sunyani on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 for the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions.
The third would take place in Koforidua on Wednesday, September 7, 2016 for the Eastern and Volta regions, while the fourth and final one would take place in Cape Coast for the Central and Greater Accra regions, he said.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo said the GCGL would engage with the political parties and their presidential candidates in a national forum on some thematic areas of national life on a date to be agreed with all the parties.
Representatives from political parties
He also said the company would have a one-on-one interaction with the candidates regarding their visions and plans for the country if they won the elections.
In-depth coverage of party activities
Talking about other activities planned by the company for the general election, he said the GCGL would also ensure that coverage was given for the launch of the campaigns of all the parties at the regional and national levels and entreated the parties to inform the company about those activities ahead of time.
“We will assign a reporter to every one of your candidates from the day they are confirmed by the EC till the day the results of the elections are announced,” he said, adding that the company would also publish excerpts from the manifestos of all the parties.
EC-certified parties
Explaining further, Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo said the prayer that there would not be many presidential candidates was because the company would have to attach a reporter to every presidential candidate, saying that the more presidential candidates there were, the more resources the company would have to expend.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo said in view of that, the company would deal with only candidates of political parties that had been certified by the EC.
Mr Kobby Asmah, Political Editor, interacting with Madam Akua Donkor, founder and leader of Ghana Freedom Party (GFP)
“We are committed to fulfilling our obligations as a state-owned media. We want to encourage the political parties to reach out to the electorate as much as possible,” he stressed.
Addressing the parties at the dialogue, he said the company had an obligation towards all registered political parties because it intended making its contribution to the way the country was governed.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafo said the GCGL was enjoined by constitutional provisions to promote freedom of expression and that as a state media, it was mandated to serve the interest of political parties, especially in an election year.
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That mandate, he said, involved the use of some sizeable resources, adding: “It is the reason we always pray that there will not be many presidential candidates.”
The Director of Communications of the CPP, Mr Kadri Abdul Rauf Issifu, commended the GCGL for the elaborate programme of activities.
He said the company had shown its leadership in the media landscape and pledged the support of all the parties towards the success of the programme.