NPP: Baba Jamal Can't Hide Behind Asamoah Boateng

A Deputy Director of Communications of the NPP, Perry Okudjeto has said deputy Information minister Baba Jamal cannot explain away his threats to staff of the Information Services Department (ISD) by citing similar comments purported to have been made by former Information minister Steven Asamoah Boateng. In an official statement on Wednesday August 10, Mr. Jamal conceded his directive to ISD staff during a meeting to exaggerate government achievements, though the directive was only meant as a harmless joke. In his defence however, he cited a similar threat issued by the NPP�s Stephen Asamoah Boateng in 2008 to ISD staff if they undermined Government's efforts. According to a Chronicle newspaper report of June 26 2008, Mr. Asamoah Boateng told a meeting of ISD staff and MMDCEs in Koforidua that the department was the mouth piece for Governments development agenda and must therefore at all times project the achievements of the then NPP Government or risk being fired. But in a sharp response, Perry Okudjeto insisted on Citi FM's Eyewitness News of August 10 that even if Mr. Asamoah Boateng made such comments, he never directed the staff to lie or embellish facts. Mr. Okudjeto said, �If Mr. Asamoah Boateng is purported to have said that, he must have said it in a certain context, and even if you go back to what Asamoah Boateng is purported to have said, he says that you should propagate government policy and development projects, he did not say that you should turn a sheep into a cow and embellish facts so there are two different scenarios here.�