A day after a press conference by government to debunk allegations by the opposition New Patriotic Party that Baba Jamal, a Deputy Information Minister, attempted to bribe Journalists to do government�s bidding, a new audio recording has emerged to give the ongoing saga a new twist.
On the new tape, a voice resembling deputy Information Minister Baba Jamal�s is heard threatening staff of the Information Service Department (ISD) with dismissals if they did not toe the government line, warning "If you take negative public reactions, you give it to us secretly. If we hear you have leaked it to the public we would fire you and we would defend it.
"Yours is to make the government look good whatever the circumstance. If the government buys sheep and gives it as a gift, you are free to say it is a cow. The sheep, if the colour is black, you are free to say it is a white colourful cow, you are free to say that."
He was speaking to a group of workers at the ISD and the District Chief Executives during a meeting in Accra. Baba Jamal has since confirmed to Citi FM that the voice is his.
The speaker threatened that anyone who failed to propagate information or publications that would enhance the chances of the Mills-Mahama administration for the 2012 elections would be dismissed.
The male voice noted that the NDC is heading into a major election in 2012 and the staff of ISD must do all they can to portray the government in a good light.
"We are going into elections next year, so the Municipal and District Chief Executives, any ISD staff who is going against his ethics or mandate, let us see him quickly before he sees us out".
The deputy Information Minister has been battling accusations leveled by the opposition NPP that he (Baba Jamal) promised journalists in the Upper East region of a GH�160 monthly stipend, routed through their enrolment into the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), if they publish stories that brighten the chances of the NDC government.
Government has also denied the accusations and directed the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the National Security to open investigations into the alleged �bribe tape�.
In another development, the Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Journalists Association says its investigations into the bribery allegation has hit a snag and therefore wants the national GJA to take over the investigations.
All but two of the journalists named as beneficiaries by the NPP have denied being promised cash sums and other goodies by the government official.
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