A Deputy Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Perry Okudjeto has stated that Deputy Information Minister, Baba Jamal cannot explain away his threats to staff of the Information Services Department (ISD) by citing similar comments allegedly 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�s 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.
According to Chronicle newspaper report of June 26 2008, Mr. Asamoah Boateng at a meeting of ISD staff and MMDCEs in Koforidua told them that the department was the mouthpiece for government and must at all times project the achievements of the NPP government or risk being fired.
But in a sharp response, Perry Okudjeto told Citi FM that even if Mr. Asamoah Boateng made such comments, he never directed the staff to lie or embellish facts.
Mr. Okudjeto said, �If you go back to what Asamoah Boateng is purported to have said he meant 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.�
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