Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress, has sent a passionate call to journalists desirous of a future anchored on and devoid of nepotism, disillusionment, corruption, and brazen disregard for human dignity to partner with the party in its quest for electoral victory in the upcoming general elections.
He insisted that the call is not to support a political party but a “civil one meant to save the country and the region.”
“This country has been heading in the wrong direction for over seven years. Things are falling apart, nothing is working, and the government has betrayed the trust of this country. The only thing thriving today in Ghana is corruption, nepotism, arrogance of power, and insensitivity on the part of the leadership of this country,” he claimed to a group of journalists in the Western Region at a media soirée.
“There are many people who are suffering, who wake up today hopeless, not knowing where the next meal will come from. There is no hope, and disillusionment is at an all-time high. And so, if we sit down for the current climate to continue for four years more, I dare say that we may not have a country called Ghana by 2028.”
Mr Gyamfi observed that, as the largest opposition political party, the necessity is laid on it to lead an urgent process of change.
“And so, we have a mission as a political party, whose mission, is above all of us because the mission is about the soul of our dear country. We are on a mission to rescue and redeem our country.”
For this reason, Mr. Gyamfi indicated that the party will need “like-minded citizens, patriotic citizens, people who still have a conscience, people who have a love for country to join us” and stressed that the NDC sees journalists “as key agents, key partners in our quest to develop Ghana.”
So we need you. We need your esteemed platforms. For those who write, we need your pens, for the cameramen, we need your cameras, for producers here, we need your skills for us to tell the story of the Ghanaian.”
“We want to partner with you to make sure that we speak for the people of the Western Region, whose water bodies are being destroyed like there is no tomorrow as a result of galamsey, not galamsey being done by ordinary citizens, not galamsey being done by small scale miners but galamsey being done by government officials, apparatchiks of this ruling party, officials of the state destroying our forests… what water will the next generation inherit, what region, what country are they going to inherit?”
He reiterated that “so if you join this struggle, you are not joining a political party, you are supporting a cause for change in the leadership, management, and governance of this country, so your children and their children’s children can have a future.”
The National Communications Officer assured that the next NDC government will remember journalists who stood, to be counted when we needed them the most, and those who heeded the call of Ghanaians to save them.”
“Our sacrifices will not be in vain. I want to assure you, with the full blessings of our flag bearer, John Dramani Mahama, that there will be a place for the media in the next NDC Mahama government. He has already spoken about the governance advisory council, whose representation will include the media. We have also spoken about the media development fund, which we hope to establish and strengthen to support the media, particularly, in the area of career development.”
Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, Director of Legal for the Party, admonished journalists to guard against and resist the urge for misinformation, as “the work of the journalist is at the fore of our democracy.”
“We also strongly believe that our 24-hour economy proposals can be meaningful only with the support of you journalists, so once again, we are pleading with you to let us build a relationship anchored on mutual respect.”
The media soirée was for the NDC to formally renew its relationship with the media in the Western Region before, during, and after the election of 2024.
