Gordon Asare-Bediako
National Communications Director hopeful of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gordon Asare-Bediako, has dismissed the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s newly unveiled “Strategic Recommendations for Countering Propaganda,” saying its evidence of a government in panic, arguing that a truly performing administration does not need communication “battle plans” to convince citizens.
In a direct rebuttal to Prof. Yaw Gyampo and one Evans Owusu, titled “Setting the Record Straight,” Asare-Bediako, a renowned Journalist and a UK Chartered Marketer said the memo laid bare the Mahama administration’s desperation. “Not because it exposes any opposition propaganda, but because it lays bare the panic of a government that has run out of excuses and is now desperately searching for a script to hide behind,” he wrote.
He took aim at the proposal for a “Rapid Response Communication Team,” stating: “You do not need a ‘Rapid Response Communication Team’ to defend a government that is working. Performance defends itself. When prices are stable, when jobs are plenty, when the Cedi is strong, and when the lights stay on, the people do not need press releases to tell them they are better off—they feel it in their lives and pockets.”
“The very fact that my former Lecturer Prof. Gyampo and Owusu are drawing up battle plans to ‘counter narratives’ tells you everything: this government is not losing the propaganda war, it is losing the reality war,” he concluded.
Asare-Bediako however quoted directly from the NDC memo to show the government’s own admission of communication failure. Prof. Gyampo and Mr. Owusu wrote: “Failure to promptly counter misinformation or unsubstantiated allegations may create an erroneous perception that the Government is underperforming when evidence suggests otherwise.” He argued that this line confirms the administration’s fear that the public is not buying its narrative.
He also cited the authors’ call for a disciplined response: “The most effective response is not insults or counter-propaganda, but a disciplined, evidence-based and legally conscious communication strategy that reassures Ghanaians that government remains accountable, transparent and focused on delivering results.”
“You cannot replace stable prices and jobs with infographics and short videos,” Gordon added.
He concluded by saying the NPP would continue to demand measurable outcomes, not memos. “Ghanaians deserve a government that delivers results, not one that delivers excuses,” he stated.