Government is claiming that the tape recordings making rounds that President John Mahama has accused the people of the Ashanti Region of ingratitude is false and unfounded.<\/p>\n
In a statement signed by the Deputy Minister of Information & Media Relations, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the tape has been \u2018\u2019doctored\u2019\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019Having listened to the tape in question and also listened to the original tape, we can state without fear of contradiction that the purported tape which has formed the basis for unjustified vilification of the President by detractors is doctored.<\/p>\n
Nowhere in the President\u2019s speech did he accuse Ashantis or residents of Kumasi of ingratitude. He only referred to detractors who have made it their stock in trade never to acknowledge the good works of this government but resort to deliberate cynicism, unfounded pessimism and outright calumny to create the impression of a collapsed state,\u2019\u2019 the statement said.<\/p>\n
President Mahama has come under intense criticism for allegedly describing residents in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti region as \u201cunappreciative\u201d people who have failed to acknowledge the good works by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government.<\/p>\n
He was heard on a tape recording saying, ”no matter how nice the dance of the fowl is, it never impresses the hawk \u2013 when the fowl dances for the hawk, the hawk never finds it beautiful. Don\u2019t let this deter us because for you in Kumasi, even if we construct roads tarred with gold, you will still say we\u2019ve done nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the government is accusing detractors and political opponents of mischief.<\/p>\n
\u2018\u2019The mischievous elements behind the doctored tape cut out portions of this statement to make it appear as though the President said \u201c…. as for you people, even if we cover all the ground with gold in Kumasi, you will not appreciate it\u201d. This editing of the President\u2019s speech creates the impression that he has singled out the people of Kumasi for criticism when in fact it can be clearly determined from the original recording that the President was making reference to cynics in general. There was also no tribal or ethnic undertone to the statement as has been claimed by the purveyors of this mischief,\u2019\u2019 the statement said.<\/p>\n