The embattled editor of the New Punch newspaper, Baby Ansaba, has stated unequivocally that he was given a raw deal by the Kufuor-led administration despite the numerous sacrifices he made for them. Known in private life as Ato Sam, Mr Ansaba pointed out that his recent comment to denounce his unethical past was not solely triggered by his trip with President Mills to Trinidad and Tobago, but was influenced by multiple reasons. “I was not treated well [by the NPP]. The NPP cannot say anywhere that we did this, we did that for you…go and ask them… I am sitting on national TV go ask them - if he had anything from them -I didn’t get anything when people are getting cars, immovable properties and chattels.” He told a Metro TV programme, Good Evening Ghana, Thursday that he stuck his neck out during the era of the NPP government to defend its cause, even the indefensible, due to sheer “clear or unambiguous sympathy” he had for the party, but was not considered worthy to benefit from government’s largesse to party sympathizers and praise singers. Not only was his paper, the New Punch, starved with government adverts but government institutions also refused to subscribe to his paper, which the current government is doing. He however denied using his paper to push the NPP’s agenda because he was expecting some favours from them. He professed that the little stint he has had with Prof. Mills’ style of ruling has better shaped his perception about Ghana’s chief executive officer, and in addition to the trip, shaped his decision to apologize to President Mills about the untrue stories he ‘cooked’ to unpopularize his candidature in the run-up to the December 2008 elections. When asked whether President Mills is going to be an excellent leader, Baby Ansaba replied: “From what I have seen in his one year in office, I have seen him to be somebody who takes his time to take decisions. I see him to be somebody who is not predisposed to be chasing away the opponent just like that.” Baby Ansaba also tried to set the record straight that he had never stated that those false stories were instigated by the NPP or the former President Kufuor, and could not fathom why NPP fanatics “are angry and are daring me to come and name names”. He reiterated that instead of being demonized, he should rather be commended because “it shows courage for a man to admit to his faults”. “Between two presidents, one that was perceived to be your friend, you considered to be your friend, you were sympathetic to the cause of his party, [and yet] doesn’t consider you worthy to travel along with you, and yet he gives other journalists the opportunities to travel along with [him]. And the other one comes, you think that because of what you have done, even he will not even wish you well [but] he said my friend lets go along. Between the two who will you be tempted to show gratitude to? That is it! If I said that I am not being selfish.”, Meanwhile his self-confession has attracted strong criticism from the public and the opposition NPP in particular, necessitating the Ghana Journalists Association to refer his conduct to its ethics committee. Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana