Was Prez. Mahama’s METRO TV interview necessary? – Kwesi Pratt

• Posted on December 2, 2014December 2, 2014
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt has described as ‘needless’ the much publicized interview granted by the President on Metro TV’s Good Evening programme, last week.

Commenting on the importance of the interview on Accra-based Radio Gold, Mr. Pratt maintained that the interview would not have been necessary if the President had an effective communication team.

“I asked myself what was said in the interview which could not have been said by the Board chairman of GRIDCo, or the boss of VRA etc…?” he asked rhetorically.

President John Mahama last week granted an interview on Metro TV Good Evening Ghana programme where he used the opportunity to speak on current happenings in the country.

Issues addressed in the interview included the on-going drug case and issues affecting energy generation and distribution.

However, the President abstained from giving a timeline on the ending of the power crisis insisting that I have learnt my lessons and hence was restraining from further making promises on the energy crisis.

He qualified the interview as needless following his conclusion that the President unlike his other counterparts in other countries has since assumption of office not been speaking as an authority on issues.

“Now I asked myself, what was the purpose of the interview after watching the interview…yes it may show that the President may have been brilliant but was that the purpose of the interview…?” he asked.

The disclosure of the President that he would never give a deadline for the ending of the energy crisis, Mr. Pratt said is a confirmation of how bad the communication apparatus at the Presidency have been hence leading him to come public to clarify issues.

“What is it that has taken the President to the point where he is no longer able to make promises…the briefs he has been given have turned out not to be that correct, so he says that Dumsor-Dumsor will end this time and it doesn’t come to pass…,” he shouted on the station.

He stated that the confession of the President shows how his handlers have failed him and would continue to do so if he fails to change them.

To him, the President hurriedly coming to public on issues indicate how the various lines of communication at the presidency have collapsed and hence called on the President to ‘fortify’ himself since his handlers have never managed communication from the presidency well.