General News of Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Source: myjoyonline.com
Editor in Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper Kweku Baako Jnr has expressed doubts that the controversial leaked tape involving former Finance Minister has been doctored.
Having listened to the controversial tape over and over again, Kweku Baako said the tape does not sound like a doctored one.
“I do not find any gaps in what was recorded”, he said, adding, it will be difficult to defend or justify contents of Osafo Maafo’s leaked tape.
Kweku Baako Jnr although the contents of the tape seemed to be a party strategy which was being discussed; it was impossible to reconcile the pronouncements made on the tape with the former minister’s denial.
Speaking on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, he noted that this was not the first time pronouncements of such nature have been made by a political party official in the country, point out that the harsh criticisms were to be expected even if the comments were not meant for public consumption.
“Once things like these go out in the public domain you will suffer serious criticisms,” he said.
An audio recording of the former Finance Minister was leaked last week to the public under controversial circumstances.
Yaw Osafo Maafo or a voice similar to his was heard making some distasteful ethnocentric comments in the leaked audio.
He said among other things that he does not understand why only five regions out of ten should be endowed with the country’s wealth and yet persons who govern and control resources of the country are outside those regions.
However, Mr Maafo has denied making those specific comments.
He said, “the alleged tape purported to be [my] voice has been doctored, mischievously re-arranged and pieced together, using modern technology, to create a false impression.”
He further stated that the meeting at which he made some comments about the country’s economy “took place on 29th January, but this concoction has been mischievously released to coincide with and try to overshadow the recent successful “W?n Gbo” demonstration of 18th February”.
In an interview with the same radio station yesterday, Mr Maafo said he suspects that the person who leaked the tape was either a member of the New Patriotic Party because the meeting was made up of only people from the party or that a recording device was planted at the venue of the meeting.
Kweku Baako Jnr said the content of the tape is quite explosive.
He said even if the tape was original its contents should not have been made public because it had some ethnocentric dimensions which could be detrimental to the country.
Mr Baako condemned the unknown member of the party who recorded and leaked the tapes saying it was not good for the development of any political party.
He called for dispassionate discussions to be made on the issue in order to ensure that a similar thing does not repeat itself.
He also cautioned the media to take precautions when discussing the issue to prevent it being blown out of proportion.