Organisers of LG Miss Ghana pageant apologise to Minister

Accra, July 19, GNA - Organisers of LG Miss Ghana Pageant 2005 have apologised to Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamaptey, Minister of Tourism, for their "misrepresentation" of him in last week's event.

"We write to express our sincere apology for our misrepresentation of your good self in our event brochure for Miss Ghana 2005," Ms Shirley Frimpong Manso, Managing Director of Sparrow Production, said in a letter to the Minister dated July 18.

"We take full responsibility for this unfortunate occurrence and we wish to plead with you to treat us as a mother would a child," it said. The letter read: "Sparrow Productions and the Miss Ghana organisation need you to be supportive of our event and our organisation. We are grateful for your cooperation in the past and we are counting on that support to help make the nation's pageant a success story."

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey on Monday denied sending a message that was in the brochure and demanded an unqualified apology from the organisers.

"The Minister wishes to protest in the strongest possible terms this false attribution, which in simple language is forgery," a statement signed by Mr Ferdinand Ayim, Special Assistant to the Minister, said in Accra on Monday.

"The Minister did not send any message to the organisers of the said event and is shocked to find the use of the statement purported to have emanated from him complete with his photograph."