Mr James Agyenim-Boateng on Thursday denied that he insulted taxi drivers while on a radio programme discussing the cabinet reshuffle effected by President John Evans Atta Mills.
In a statement released in Accra, he wrote: “My attention has been drawn to publications claiming that I insulted taxi drivers when I appeared on a radio programme on Joy FM on Wednesday.
“For the records, I did not insult nor make any derogatory remark about taxi drivers. My comments, which were in response to attacks on some top government officials by a member of the opposition, have been misconstrued and deliberately taken out of context.
“My interview with Joy FM is still available at the station and I encourage the radio station to play the full extent of that interaction back for the public to appreciate the context within which I spoke.”
The radio station quoted Mr Agyenim-Boateng as saying: “When it comes to the men, the personnel and all of that we have them and… indeed, in this administration, I’m yet to hear somebody point to somebody who they will call a taxi driver taking a ministerial position.”
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described the comments as insulting and is asking for a retraction and an apology because the remark seeks to demean taxi drivers.