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By Isaac Ato MENSAH
\nAccra \u2013 16 January, 2019<\/p>\n
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Nana Appiah Mensah, aka NAM 1 has operated a Ponzi scheme and is in trouble together with his employees.<\/p>\n
What is there to defend about this shameful unethical conduct?<\/p>\n
\u2018He who defends everything defends nothing,\u2019 said Frederick the Great (FREDERIKUS).<\/p>\n
Long before Frederikus, philosophical enquiries into all matters which the human mind can ponder have been debated and sound ethical judgements given.<\/p>\n
But here we are in Ghana, playing political football or spinning the subject of legal and ethical breaches into obfuscation.<\/p>\n
When are we going to join the league of nations that are serious; nations where when a company deceives the public, it feels a moral impulsion to return clients\u2019 monies or replace a product or face the full rigours of the law?<\/p>\n
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This article is not directed at NAM 1 nor his employees at Menzgold; it is directed at the political parties who trivialize and muddy the serious matters which their respective political administrations incompetently failed to address.<\/p>\n
There are so many messages flying about on social media for and against NAM 1.<\/p>\n
A not insignificant number of these are sponsored by politicians to discredit each other, no doubt.<\/p>\n
Our politicians do that all the time; that is their stock in trade, but ethical voices have to speak up and be counted.<\/p>\n
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Where is the Institute of Public Relations Ghana (IPR-Ghana) in all of this?<\/p>\n
Is political communication their concern; is it practised by their members or not?<\/p>\n
We live in a country where IPR-GHANA has successfully lobbied against individual non-members being employed or awarded contracts by corporate Ghana.<\/p>\n
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They have rightly succeeded in getting corporate members into their fold who demand membership of IPR as part criteria for employment into PR roles.<\/p>\n
What is the rationale behind that? Is it not to prevent unprofessional and unethical practice?<\/p>\n
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So why do they dodge and hide when issues of serious national interest such as this fool\u2019s gold matter that has plagued this nation for months?<\/p>\n
It used to be the case that in times like this, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) will speak.<\/p>\n
When they started dodging due to political influence the public called on them to speak.<\/p>\n
Then the National Peace Council (NPC) provided an alternative moral voice.<\/p>\n
Oh, there was the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) too, sometimes hot and sometimes cold.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, there is is silence; no official position from these groups to inform the public.<\/p>\n
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Whatever rankings we give to these groups, IPR-GHANA has yet to solidify its relevance as a moral voice on political communication in Ghana.<\/p>\n
Maybe it is time to call on IPR-GHANA to give the public some answers.<\/p>\n
Yes, IPR-Ghana is a private organisation, BUT it has corporate members some of which were established with the tax payer\u2019s money.<\/p>\n
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And when these corporate members advertise for PR positions, they add membership of IPR-Ghana as a requirement.<\/p>\n
Is it not high time IPR-GHANA showed some “corporate responsibility” over this Menzgold spin doctoring matter?<\/p>\n We can offer them some suggestions;<\/p>\n First, identify and reprimand all political parties spinning this Menzgold scandal to their advantage.<\/p>\n Second, any IPR member working with these political parties should be summoned to an IPR public relations forum to submit position papers and answer questions.<\/p>\n Third, such IPR fora to espouse sound PR principles should be held monthly.<\/p>\n Fourth, suspend the membership of all members who promoted Menzgold in any form.<\/p>\n Fifth, publish clear guidelines on the practice of political communication in Ghana.<\/p>\n Sixth, tell the nation clearly if any of its ethical guidelines aka Code of Athens has been breached by its members in the political parties acting overtly or covertly.<\/p>\n Seventh, investigate these breaches and make the reports public.<\/p>\n Eighth, ditto all the above for the Ghana banking scandal.<\/p>\n That should provide a useful and meaningful work schedule for the IPR over the next several weeks.<\/p>\n A thorough execution and the public sharing of the results will certainly brand the IPR as a professional institution with an enlightening and public spirited agenda. Not so?<\/p>\n And of course, we are ready to offer our expertise to uplift the quality of our public discourse.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Feedback; ato@writersghana.com.<\/p>\n Writers and Shakespeares Ghana Limited exists to be a moral and intellectual guide to the best practice of PR and integrated communications around the world, beginning with Ghana.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"\"](\"https:\/\/writersghana.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/images-44.jpg\")