My words are always twisted - Kennedy Agyapong

Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, NPP Member of Parliament for Assin North         Outspoken NPP Member of Parliament for Assin North, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong is upset at what he says are deliberate misinterpretation and negative twists of whatever he says in the media. According to him, he is not happy about what seems to be an attempt to always paint him black in the media because of comments he makes about issues and believes such practices will destroy the country. Speaking on Dwaso Nsem on Adom FM Tuesday, Mr. Agyapong who was very upset about media reports that he had condemned certain pastors as fake and that the Methodist Church was bogus, said it was not fair that statements he had made about certain bogus pastors had been taken out of context and had been blown out of proportion. On Friday, November 19, Mr Ohene Agyapong was a panellist on Adom FM’s Dwaso Nsem and was commenting on a part of the 2011 Budget presented by Minister of Finance, Dr Kwabena Duffour which implied that churches and mosques would be taxed when he stated that he agreed with that provision because a lot of the pastors in the country were involved in money-making ventures. He also stated that most of the pastors were fake and were destroying the country with their false prophecies and miracles especially the young pastors. He cited an example of a church service he attended with his mother where a pastor who used to be in the Methodist Church but has broken away was selling bottled water which he had blessed to the congregation. The story was published in the Bilingual Free Press. The claims attributed to Ken Agyapong also sparked outrage among religious bodies some of which have come out to condemn his comments. However, Kennedy Agyapong has said he was misrepresented by the Bilingual Free Press and other media outlets in their reportage, stating that he never said the Methodist Church was bogus and that it was rather the pastors. He said it is unfortunate how people or the media have reduced everything to politics especially between the NPP and the NDC, adding that it is a recipe for disaster for the country. He said he is not intimidated or daunted by the attempts to always skew his words negatively because he will always be honest, explaining that he believes it is the fact that he always says things as it is that makes him a target for the media. He cautioned the media against running stories that will not help the progress of the nation and also asked politicians to be truthful because they will be held accountable. Mr Agyapong did not spare the host of the show, Adakabre Frimpong Manso for what he said was his sensationalism, accusing him also of circulating copies of his voice to some radio stations and threatened that he would not speak on the station again. He however changed his mind after Adakabre denied circulating the voice. The host also explained that he had replayed the whole interview on-air for people to make their own judgment. Mr Agyapong maintained his claims that some pastors were destroying the country by preying on people’s ignorance and naivety and becoming rich in the process. Story by Linda Antwi/Adom FM