News:
August 8, 2011
It seems the call on politicians and other social commentators to eschew politics of insults in Ghana’s body politic have fallen on deaf ears, as politicians continue to heap insults on their political opponents.
Saturday 6th August 2011, was one day when decorum in political discourse was relegated to the background when Deputy Tourism Minister James Agyenim Boateng and the Head of the Communications Team of the New Patriotic Party Nana Akomeah turned a political discussion which should have been characterized by in-depth analysis into that of a battle of insults.
The two were part of a panel discussion on JOY FM’s News File Programme which discussed the tape that allegedly contains the voice of a deputy Information Minister Baba Jamal heard promising some journalists car and cash as reward for doing government’s request.
Government has been quick to dismiss the content of the tape describing it as an untruth however the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is confident that the tape is credible calling for a thorough investigation to unravel whose voice it is.
Nana Akomea in his opening remarks had called for a voice expert to confirm whose voice it was on that tape, but the Deputy Tourism Minister James Agyenim Boateng held a dissenting view that an expert was not needed.
“…You find a Member of Parliament, a Director of Communications of the opposition political party who holds a press conference, denigrates a deputy minister of information, runs him down, runs a whole government machinery down; makes serious allegations as wanting to bribe and corrupt journalist. He sits on a platform like this, you give him the opportunity to prove the very issues that he calls a press conference and speaks to, then he says that lets find an expert to establish the authenticity of the tape. What kind of shameful conduct is this?”
“This is ridiculous and you ought not be involved in something like this,” Agyenim Boateng said. “What is wrong with it?” Akomea asked.
“The point is that everybody who knows Baba Jamal and has heard his voice before will tell you; you don’t need to be a voice expert to tell that that is not Baba Jamal’s voice on that tape. And I think it betrays the intelligence of those who addressed that press conference to come up with something as ridiculous as that,” Boateng stated.
“I would not be insulted on this Programme,” he protested and asked for a retraction which the minister declined.
“Nana Akomea should be telling us when this meeting took place…” “There are simple, sensible, basic questions that ought to be asked as far as this tape is concerned,” he said, adding “I will not withdraw anything I have said in relation to this tape.”
“You are a stupid fool. If you will sit on this programme and call me unintelligent. You are a stupid fool and you are a minister,” Akomea protested harshly.
Meanwhile scores of Ghanaians have called on President J.E.A Mills to sanction Hon. James Agyenim Boateng while the NPP hierarchy also takes immediate steps to discipline Nana Akomea to serve as a deterrent to other politicians.
Story :Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh