NCCE urged to refrain from partisan actions
The Political Editor of Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Kobby Asmah, has challenged officers and staff of the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE), to eschew actions that are partisan in nature.
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He said it was equally important for them to use their public platforms to educate the public about the values of the country, as well as their constitutional obligations and responsibilities instead of creating any impression that they were toeing the lines of a particular political party.
Reacting to a request by the NCCE officials from the Accra Metropolis that the GCGL should collaborate with them to erase the erroneous perception among the public that the NCCE was being used as an appendage of a particular political party in the country, Mr Asmah said the onus rested on the constitutional body to be circumspect in their actions and inaction on public platforms.
The NCCE officials had paid a working visit to the offices of the GCGL on Tuesday.
NCCE’s plea
It was Ms Rosemary Buahene, an official of the NCCE, who made the passionate appeal , saying, “the NCCE has been branded as a tool of a particular political party in Ghana, so we want to appeal to GCGL to support us educate the public to erase that erroneous perception.”
Reacting, Mr Asmah said “ if you want to move away from that public perception, you should educate your staff and officials who speak on public platforms to refrain from engaging in any form of partisan politics.”
He gave assurance of the preparedness of the GCGL to collaborate with the NCCE to move a common agenda that would make the country more democratic.
The Deputy Editor of the Daily Graphic, Mr K.K. Nkoom, the Editor of Junior Graphic, Mrs Mavis Kitcher, the Deputy Editor of The Mirror, Ms Victoria Odoi, and the Corporate Communications Co-ordinator of the GCGL, Mr Emmanuel A. Arthur, were the GCGL officials who interacted with the NCCE staff during their working visit as part of activities in the run-up to their constitutional week celebrations scheduled for next week.
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Constitutional week
Earlier , the Greater Accra Metropolitan Director of the NCCE, Mr Ebenezer Tetteh Wayo, had told the GCGL officials that their annual constitutional week celebration did not receive much publications from the country’s leading newspaper.
“We therefore want to engage the GCGL to educate the public about our educational programmes on civil rights and responsibilities,” he pleaded.
Other officials also appealed to the GCGL to sponsor their office by way of the supply of their products and also publicise their activities.
In response, Mr Nkoom assured them of the preparedness of GCGL to support the NCCE realise its objectives.
“There is no reason why the GCGL will not support you in your effort to educate the public on their rights and responsibilities,” he assured.
He said the mission of civic education was important for sustainable national development, and therefore urged them to make their programmes known to enhance positive interactions .
Corporate social responsibility
He said as part of the corporate social responsibility of the GCGL, the company had been offering scholarships to the children of staff and vendors across the country who gained admission to senior high schools.
He said the GCGL had also been undertaking annual health screening of members of communities in its catchment area with the view to providing good health, as well as supporting the needy in society to register with National Health Insurance Scheme. This, he said, enabled them to attend hospital regularly.
He said to ensure that students acquired the habit of reading, the GCGL had over the years been subsidising Junior Graphic, and said such contributions had helped to broaden the knowledge of students who read the paper.
Concern
He, however , expressed concern about the use of GCGL’s products on radio programmes across the country. He explained that instead of reading the headlines of the paper during newspaper review segments to induce the public to visit the newsstands and buy the products, radio presenters read details of stories published in the Daily Graphic and its sister papers.
GCGL ahead of others
Mrs Kitcher said the GCGL would continue to spearhead quality readership by publishing stories that promoted public interest.
Answering a question on what makes the brand unique, she said the quality of the products, coupled with the desire of management to seek the welfare of their staff put GCGL streets ahead of all media houses in the country.
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“I would not have continued working with the company for the past 30 years if management toys with my welfare. The company has supported me and other colleagues in different ways, so we are always motivated to offer the best to sustain the corporate image of GCGL,” she stated.