MP Threatens Violence On Journalist

*....Kofi Ghana Goes Mad In Self-Solicited Interview*

Maxell Kofi Jumah, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa in the Ashanti Region, in his usual self has descended once again into the gutters, describing Ghanaian journalists as “useless and school dropouts”.

This comes in the wake of calls by Ghanaians, especially the Christian community and the Civil Society groups, that public discourse be conducted in a decorous manner, especially as the December elections approach.

The MP, who is in his last year as a legislature, heaped insults on journalists after his attempt to discuss with CitiFM news Parliamentary Correspondent, Richard Dela Sky, on falling standards in journalism.

According to Richard Sky, who spoke to Radio Gold last Thursday, the incident happened on the previous day at the Syndicate Block of Parliament, where he was advised by the people around not to bother to respond to the MP since that is his nature.

The ex-Kumasi Mayor got angered at Mr Sky for deciding when to grant him an interview. For this reason, instead of granting the self-solicited interview, Mr. Jumah ranted and raved, heaping insults on the reporter that he is dirty, poverty-stricken and a stupid-fool who cannot be compared to him, a father of four, who are university graduates.

The ex-Deputy Local Minister under ex-President Kufuor went on and on without response from Richard, who at the time was eating, and stated that some Ghanaian journalists were a group of ‘dirty illiterates’, inflicting their ignorance on the people.

The MP, who has a habit of spewing uncouth language at the least opportunity, said that unlike those “useless and stupid fools” who have not achieved anything in life, he from his days at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), where he served as President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), he even as student had a Mercedes Benz, and was chauffeured to school by a woman.

Mr. Jumah, who is counting his days in Parliament due to his defeat at the NPP Parliamentary by Cecilia Appiah-Agyei, insisted that he was better off than all the Ghanaian media men and women put together.

He directed Richard Sky to go and ask two leading members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. P.V. Obeng and former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, who would testify that he, was resourceful even as a student, if he (Sky) doubted him.

In Richard’s attempt to draw the MP’s attention to the fact that he had finished eating and that they could go somewhere and do the interview, Mr. Jumah who at this time could not be controlled shouted on Mr. Sky never to tap him whatsoever if he was not properly brought up by his parents.

“Don’t touch me on my shoulder if you haven’t been trained well, you fool. Am I your mate, what have you achieved in life to be tapping on my shoulder,” he said in both Twi and English.

According to him journalists should not use the luxury of microphones to think that they are all powerful, adding that what they hold is just a mere microphone not ‘machine gun or an AK47’ and so must not behave like small Gods.

When Richard asked if he said that journalists were fools, Mr. Jumah, who was his defeat last year in the NPP primaries, said that he was excited to have been defeated as it will afford him the chance to say whatever he wants to say because he will not be contesting for any elections, “yes, you are fools, some of you are fools.”

Richard who all this while had consoled himself with laughter was further warned by the MP to desist from going further to ask him questions otherwise he would slap him.

On Radio Gold, when he was asked whether if he had told the Dean of the Parliamentary Press Corps about the unfortunate incident, Mr. Sky responded in the negative, saying the time was not appropriate becuase they were preparing ahead of the President’s State of the Nation Address.