The Member of Parliament for Gushegu, Hassan Tampuli, has likened the Minister of Communications, Digital Technologies, and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, to Idi Amin.
The lawmaker says the decision by the minister to direct the National Communications Authority (NCA) to shut down some seven radio stations was draconian and an act of authoritarianism.
Commenting on the issue before the House on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, he said it looks like we have an Idi Amin in the making, but the House will not allow that to happen.
In his argument, the NPP stated that “Mr. Speaker, it looks like we have an Idi Amin in the making. This House will not watch for an Idi Amin to emerge at the Ministry of Communication, and we are sending a signal to the Minister of Communication to relax. The exuberance is too much,” he declared.
His remarks drew a quick intervention from the Majority Leader Mahama Ayariga, who opined that describing the Minister as Idi Amin was unfortunate.
He said, “Mr. Speaker, I like Idi Amin; he is a nice guy. But where Idi Amin is painted as a dictator, and then a minister of state is likened to Idi Amin, it becomes an inappropriate referral of the minister. You can make your point without alleging that an Idi Amin is emerging at the Ministry of Communication.”
The NPP MP responded, claiming that the Majority Leader was putting words in his mouth and that he had not mentioned a dictator.
“The leader of the House is the one who is putting words in my mouth. I never mentioned a dictator. I said Iddi Amin probably because of their body size… I haven’t said he (Nartey George) is a dictator.”
Murtala Mohammed, the Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology, expressed concerns regarding the matter, stating that the Gushegu MP’s remarks constituted body shaming of the Minister of Communication, and requested that he retract his statement and apologise.
He enquired of the MP how he would react if he were described as being as short as former President Akufo-Addo.
Mr. Mohammed subsequently withdrew his statement, indicating that if the NPP felt offended, he would retract his comments.
Following several exchanges, the Gushegu MP ultimately withdrew his commentary.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
