I Beg To Differ Mr. Kufour; WikiLeaks Expos� Is Not Hearsay � Alhaji Bature

Managing Editor of the Al-Hajj newspaper, Alhaji Bature, has taken serious exception to former President John Agyekum Kufuor�s description of WikiLeaks reports as hearsay and mere gossips, and says he sharply disagrees with the former president�s comments on the leaked diplomatic cables. According to him, even though there might be some hearsay in the reports, about 75% of the reports are factual. Mr. Kufour reportedly damned the whistle blowing website, WikiLeaks recent expos� when he opined that the reports are mainly hearsay and mere gossips put together to tarnish the image of people adding �as a lawyer, I don�t believe in hearsay�. Contributing to discussions on Asempa FM�s Ekosii Sen political program, Alhaji Bature stated emphatically that it is imprudent on the part of anyone to classify the WikiLeaks expos� as such, stressing that �former President�s Kufuor�s description of WikiLeaks is deliberate�. �I disagree with former president Kufour that WikiLeaks is hearsay, it is not hearsay. Of course there is some hearsay in it but nearly 75% of the leaks are factual. It is raw material that has been gathered so for President Kufour to limit it to hearsay, for me I think it is a deliberate thing. They have indicated where there are hearsays and where they have drawn conclusions. Impressions and factual statements or records are also part of it so it not true that it is hearsay,� he objected. According to him, WikiLeaks reported that the Netherlands Ambassador to Ghana met with former President Rawlings and there is no contention about that, stressing that �the report that Rawlings has six children and his actions portray someone on drugs is debatable, but the author can be pardoned because it could be a typographical mistake or misinformation, yet it doesn�t negate the narration that there was a meeting�.