Big clash AT Metro TV

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday June 15, 2010
John Abdulai Jinapor, spokesperson of Vice President John Mahama, yesterday threw all caution and decency to the wind when in a live television programme; he openly called a lady co-panelist “a whore, slut and prostitute.”

The Metro TV newspaper review programme hosted by Shamima Muslim had started well with Mr. Jinapor and his co-panelist, Ursula Owusu of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) congratulating the senior national team, the Black Stars, for walloping Serbia but the programme suddenly degenerated when the Vice President’s spokesperson made the comments.

He had made the comment in reaction to an earlier statement by Ursula that somebody within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had used only six months to build a house.

John Jinapor, who is said to have built a mansion in a record six months, felt Ursula was referring to him but Ursula insisted that the Vice President’s spokesperson was appropriating her comment to himself.

“Shamima, before I continue, I insist Madam Ursula substantiates the allegation that I built a house in six months before I continue,” Mr. Jinapor said.

“I have not mentioned anybody’s name. You have appropriated my comment as referring to you. Who the cap fits, let them wear it. Maybe the cap fits him,” Ursula replied.

Then Mr. Jinapor said “I made genuine money. I did not engage in prostitution to
build my house. I did not sell myself to politicians to build my house. I did not sit on people’s laps. Not to be girlfriend to politicians to build my house.”

The hostess then tried to stop the hot exchange of words between the two, saying “no, no, no this is degenerating!” but Mr. Jinapor continued “I did not go about rolling around politicians to make money, I can say for a fact.”

Ursula then shot back, “I certainly do not sell myself. It is the pro-NDC papers that are calling me a slut and a whore and now you are also calling me a slut, whore and a prostitute?

“I think the Vice President who has this man as his spokesperson should advise himself. If you can sit on a public platform like this one and talk like this, then the Vice President should advise himself.”

The sound engineer then switched off the microphones so viewers would not hear the words being bandied on the show, but when it was restored, Ursula was heard saying, “I did not mention anybody’s name but he appropriated it to himself.

“If he sits here and calls me a slut and a whore, it is in keeping with the character of the NDC. If you do not belong to them, you are labelled all sorts of names,” an emotional Ursula said. She stated that she was not surprised because other women of substance had suffered the same attacks.

Ursula warned women and the younger generation to be prepared for “these kinds of things”, especially when they do not belong to the NDC.

“I want you to know that is not going to stop me. I have chosen this path. I will continue on it until the end that is destined for me.”

She warned further: “If you will not stop the labelling of women politicians we will never get the kind of quality that we want to sanitize the system you people have made so filthy.”

Mr. Jinapor who stood by his comments also replied “I did not mention names either. What I said was that much as we know of people who built a house in six months, we are also aware of ladies who sat on people’s laps and through that they built houses. If you live in glass houses you do not throw stones.”

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