Oman FM’s ‘Boiling Point’ worse than Montie – Adu Asare

Presidential staffer Kojo Adu Asare has said he finds it hypocritical on the part of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) over their “uncharitable stance” on the Montie FM incident.

He said the NPP does worse things on pro-Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition station Oman FM.

“The posture of the NPP is nauseating to say the least. They do worse things on Oman FM. It’s outrageous the sort of things that are said on that programme called ‘Boiling Point’ or whatever,” Mr Asare said on Accra-based TV3’s New Day programme.

“That programme has been created to just insult, denigrate and malign the NDC and anybody else who shares a dissenting view with the NPP. You remember it was on that programme that Sir John said those nasty things about the Supreme Court judges that got him into trouble? And guess what it is owned by Kennedy Agyapong.

“So let’s not focus only on Montie FM, but also all other stations or presenters at radio stations who have said some really nasty things about prominent persons in our society and criticize them as well or possibly bring them to book. Weren’t we in this country when Kojo Yankson of Joy FM said that the president is an armed robber? What happened to him? We are told he’s been suspended. Interestingly, the station which Kojo Yankson said this outrageous matter on is today riding on the moral high horse and saying what Montie FM is doing amounts to the lowest ebb of journalistic practice,” he added.

The former Adenta MP was reacting to calls by the opposition for Montie FM to be shut down and its management punished for allowing abusive language to be used on the station. The call follows statements by two panelists, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn, during a current affairs programme on the radio station, who threatened to “finish” the Supreme Court and High Court judges if they made any judgment against the Electoral Commission in the ongoing court case challenging the validity of the voters’ register.

The two commentators are said to have been angered by the court’s orders for the EC to submit all the names of persons who registered with NHIS cards prior to the 2012 elections last week.

The management of the station has described the incident as unfortunate and has gone ahead to ban the two panelists until further notice. It came barely a day after the Supreme Court cited the owners of the station, the host, and the two panelists for contempt. The radio station, in a statement signed by its General Manager, Mutala Mohammed, also apologized to the Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court over the seemingly incendiary comments.

Mr Asare has commended the station and the culprits for apologizing to the Supreme Court judges. He, however, urged the party followers not to leave them in the cold because of one unfortunate incident.

“Montie FM is owned by one of our own. The station has been sympathetic to our course. The station was not set up to denigrate people. It was set up to serve as a mouth piece for our party’s grassroot supporters to also get the opportunity to contribute to national discourse. So if today something untoward has happened this is not the time for us to disown them and treat them like the black sheep. We all know Montie has also done some fantastic things also, which the public can attest to. They have apologized and it is our hope that our learned Justices will show some mercy and accept the apology and mitigate whatever punitive measures they have for them,” he said.

Alistair Nelson, one of the panelists, has since apologized for his comment, whereas the other, Godwin Ako Gunn, has denied being part of the radio programme during which the comments were made.