Rawlings: Stop "unproductive
speculation" of running mate
Voter ID for Central Region takes off October 31 -
EC
NDC would not condone corruption - Mills
Commission recommends removal of DCE
Technology and industry hold key to
development-Kludjeson
Accra
(Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
President
Jerry John Rawlings on Tuesday asked members of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC) to put an end to the "unproductive speculation" about
the presidential running-mate "as it only creates unnecessary antagonism.
"Let
me restate the convention which, as we all know, has been followed before and
which we have not changed. The identity of the Vice-Presidential candidate and
the time when this is announced is the prerogative of the flag-bearer, in
consultation with the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party."
President
Rawlings, who is founder and leader of the NDC, stated this when he launched
the Party's manifesto towards the December 2000 elections, the third since the
advent of constitutional rule in 1992.
The
seven-chapter, 76-page manifesto outlines the party's agenda for the 2000
elections and beyond, and also contains presidential and budget statements from
1990 to 2000.
The
campaign itself will be under the overall direction of the NEC, but Commodore
Steve Obimpeh (Rtd) has been selected as Campaign Manager of the flag-bearer,
Prof. John Atta Mills.
President
Rawlings said to cheers from a packed hall of NDC enthusiasts that it is time
to stop the indiscipline, which is setting members against each other for
personal or factional ambitions.
He
said it is of no use for members to complain about negative publications about
the party in the private media "when some of our own members provide the
ammunition for these attacks."
This
was in an apparent reference to those disagreeing with the selection of
parliamentary candidates who, rather than accept "collective
decisions", hold press conferences, write articles in the press,
demonstrate and insist that their favourite be accepted.
President
Rawlings advised selected candidates to recognise and make conciliatory
gestures towards their competitors within the party and "where possible
make them part of your campaign teams."
"Let
us all remember that it is only when the Party has won that we can find places
for any other candidates who may not have been selected."
In
a swipe at the opposition, whom, he said, campaign on the academic
qualifications of their leaders, he noted that voters saw through their tricks
and deception and voted for the Progressive Alliance in the last two elections.
He
said the manifesto is the most important weapon of the Progressive Alliance
"because we can never play down the development and welfare aspirations of
the people of Ghana like our political opponents do."
President
Rawlings stressed the need to avoid the duplication of effort and waste of
party resources, cautioning against the situation where groups and individuals
appear to be doing things in a "rather uncoordinated manner".
While
acknowledging that this year's elections would not be easy for any party, he
sent a goodwill message to members of the opposition and asked them to tell
their supporters to behave well and refrain from provocative actions.
He
said he would crack down on provocation that might lead to violence
"irrespective of whichever party that foments it. We would hit so
hard", he added.
Prof.
John Evans Atta Mills said the manifesto, that has the theme, "Ghana:
spreading the benefits of development", acknowledges lots of development
that have taken place under the PNDC and NDC rule.
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Agona Swedru (Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
The Electoral Commission will issue photo identification cards to
registered voters in the Central Region from October 31 to November 8, Mr.
Serebour Quaicoe, Agona District Electoral Officer, said at Agona Swedru on
Tuesday.
He was addressing a political forum organised by the Agona
District Secretariat of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for
representatives of political parties and opinion leaders in the area.
Mr. Quaicoe said even though the Electoral Commission (EC) had put
in place adequate measures to ensure smooth and orderly elections, it would
still require maximum support and co-operation from all.
Mr. Francis Amissah, Headmaster of Agona Swedru Secondary School,
debunked the notion that politicians are the major stakeholders in
politics.
He said the ordinary citizen ranks higher than the leadership of
any political party when it comes to elections because it is the vote of the
ordinary citizen that gives politicians the mandate to rule.
Ghanaians should therefore, not allow partisan politics to break
their front but see themselves as members of one strong and dynamic family
seeking to achieve a common goal.
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Tema
(Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
Recent
jail breaks at two police cells in Tema have led to serious concerns about the
ability of the police to keep suspected criminals away from society.
Last
year, 11 suspects awaiting trial escaped from the Tema Fishing Harbour police
cells after breaking through the asbestos roofs while a similar incident
occurred at the
Tema
Manhean police cells on the night of Thursday, August 3, during which six
suspects escaped.
A
police source said in the case of the Fishing Harbour, jailbreak, the suspects
climbed onto dustbins, removed the wooden ceilings and broke through roofing
sheets before scaling the walls with a rope believed to have been provided by
an accomplice outside.
While
the police were hunting the suspects, a second suspect escaped through the same
process, this time using blankets.
The
suspects who broke jail last Thursday are Kwabena Dawuda, Daniel Kodi, Mumuni
Kwabena, Tei Peter, Kwame Samuel and Emmanuel Fiagah.
The
source said one suspect in the Manhean cells who refused joining the escapees
was threatened with death.
The
policeman on duty heard an unusual noise but when he went to ascertain what was
going on, the escapees threw dry bat droppings into his eyes but he managed to
arrest arrested one of them.
When
contacted, Deputy Commissioner of Police Selwyn Mettle, Tema Regional Police
Commander, confirmed the story and said the police were investigating whether
there was any negligence on the part of the police personnel on duty.
He,
however, said there was the need to fortify the roofs of all police cells with
concrete to enhance security since criminals are getting more sophisticated by
the day.
Out
of the eight police cells in Tema, only the two Harbour Police Stations and
that of Ashaiman have concrete roof cells.
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NDC
would not condone corruption - Mills.
Tema
(Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
The
Vice-President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, said on Monday at Tema that
the NDC government would not condone corruption since it could destroy the
fabric of the nation.
He
said this is evident by the fact that the government has set up the Serious
Fraud Office (SFO) to fight corruption and stated that it does not interfere
with its work.
Prof.
Mills was speaking during the NDC's Greater Accra Regional Outreach Programme
for the Tema West Constituency during which Flight Lieutenant. Miltiades G.
Tackey, Technical Director of AFKO Group Limited, was introduced as the party's
parliamentary candidate for the December elections.
The
Vice-President, who had just returned from a tour of the northern regions, said
that the indications are that the NDC is still vibrant and urged supporters to
accommodate the criticisms of their political opponents.
"You
must also contribute to radio phone-in programmes from the FM stations, which
have been hi-jacked by the opposition to defend the party's programmes and
objectives as well as refute calculated lies that are peddled".
He
said that though the NDC is committed to winning the elections in December, it
would not do so at the expense of the peace and stability of the nation.
"Ghana's
political history indicates that anytime cocoa price falls, the government
encounters economic problems especially in such an election year, and things
become difficult since investors also adopt a wait and see attitude".
He
said however, that Ghana is still a better place to live in, in respect of the
economic situation since in neighbouring countries, fuel prices are twice or
thrice higher and civil servant have not been paid for sometime now.
Alhaji
Huudu Yahaya, General Secretary of the NDC, reminded supporters of the party
that the social, political and economic conditions in the country are not the
same as in 1996 adding that this calls for a change in strategies to sustain
the party.
He
urged them to work at the branch level to ensure victory in the elections
reminding them that 20 years as cadres was enough to give them such experience.
"We
came in not for pay but commitment and loyalty, therefore, let us not turn the
party into an enterprise", Mr. Yahaya said, adding that, "the food of
the opposition is our mistakes, let us not give them that food".
Ms
Sherry Ayittey, Deputy National Chairman of the NDC, said the government is
embarking on an expansion programme for the Tema Port and to improve the
tourism industry to create job for the unemployed youth.
She
therefore urged members to stand firm, rally behind the party and to vote
massively for it to enable the NDC to win the election to enable it to continue
with its laudable development programmes.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
The
Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on Tuesday
recommended to the President to terminate the appointment of Nene Osabutey IV,
District Chief Executive (DCE) for Yilo Krobo, for gross mismanagement of the
assembly's finances.
This
followed the Commission's adverse findings against the DCE following a number
of allegations levelled against him by the Krobo Youngsters Development
Foundation (KYDF).
It
cautioned members of the various district assemblies to guard against the
selection of their favourites to occupy key positions in the assemblies instead
of electing them.
This,
the Commission noted, will result in "conflicts of interest" and
consequently lead to financial losses to the assemblies, thus undermining
public confidence in the district assembly concept.
It
commended the efforts of the leadership of the foundation as well as those
members of the assembly who, in the face of stiff opposition from the majority
members, remained vigilant over the work of the assembly and exposed certain
malpractices.
In
December, 1997, the KYDF, not satisfied with the way certain contracts in the
district were awarded and executed, petitioned the CHRAJ to probe Nene Osabutey
and four other key members of the assembly, namely the District Co-ordinating
Director, Finance Officer, Budget Officer and the former Deputy Co-ordinating
Director, for mismanagement.
The
contracts in question involved the construction of a lorry park at Nkurakan,
the Boti Resort, the renovation of the DCE's residence, and an electrification
project (street lights).
The
others were a 16-seater KVIP at Akpege, a booster station, and the construction
of a six-classroomed block at Sawer in Somanya.
On
the execution of almost all these projects, the Commission discovered that the
DCE and the other officers "persistently flouted with impunity" laid
down procedures for the award of those contracts.
The
Commission found out that, apart from awarding contracts "dubiously",
there were excessive variations in almost all the contracts without reference
to the assembly.
The
DCE normally exceeded the assembly's approved estimates for those contracts
and, in some cases, sought approval from the assembly after heated
debates.
The
Commission noted, for example, that by handpicking and not electing members of
its Executive Committee, the assembly disregarded laid-down statutory
provisions, adding that, as required by law, it should have complied with them
by voting.
The
CHRAJ observed that the assembly did not have a Tender Board as claimed by the
DCE and, for that matter, awarded contracts without authorisation and approval
from the District Assembly.
Furthermore,
CHRAJ discovered that the board was not properly constituted and since most of
its "so-called" members were found out, to be related to the DCE,
there was always a "conflict of interest" in their duties.
For
example, it was not a mere coincidence that one Mr. Offei, believed to be a
nephew of the DCE, who held several key positions in the assembly as an
executive member, Chairman of the Tender Board, and a member of the Tender
Evaluation Committee, was awarded a number of contracts.
The
Commission also established that the numerous variations in the estimates of
most contracts resulted in the assembly's "excessive spending" on
those projects.
For
example, the CHRAJ detected that instead of the original approved sum of 110
million cedis for the Nkurakan Lorry Park project, the assembly ended up
spending a total of 130 million cedis on it.
On
the Boti Falls, the DCE admitted before the probe that even though approval was
given for the erection of eight summer huts at a total cost 49 million cedis,
the contractor completed only four of them and abandoned the project while
additional two were at the foundation level.
The
Commission learnt with surprise that, in spite of this, the contractor, who was
only halfway through the contract, was paid 46 million cedis out of the total
contract sum of 49 million cedis.
Mr.
Offei's company was selected to construct the six-classroomed block at Sawer
and, instead of 60 million cedis approved for the project, ended up collecting
70 million cedis.
On
this particular project, CHRAJ ordered that the DCE should either ensure that
Mr. Offei refunds the excess money paid to him, or he the DCE pays it back into
the assembly's coffers.
The
Commission made no adverse findings in respect of the streetlights project
because it learnt that work on it had been satisfactorily completed.
On
the DCE's residence, it was found that the assembly expressed grave concern
about extra expenditure of 19 million cedis on the project instead of the
approved figure of 31 million cedis, resulting in a heated debate in the house.
The
DCE could not provide the Commission with evidence on how the excess
expenditure on the project came about.
It
also came to light at the probe that instead of 270 million cedis approved by
the assembly for the construction of market stalls, the DCE succeeded in
disbursing a total of 388.2 million cedis on the project.
On
all the aforementioned projects, it came to the notice of CHRAJ that none of
the contractors signed any contract performance bonds so that, in case of
non-performance, he would either be made to refund monies paid to him or have his
contract revoked and terminated.
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Ejura/Mampong
loose crops to armyworms
Ejura
(Ashanti Region) 09 August 2000
Records
indicate that in the past two years, Ejura-Sekyedumasi and Sekyere West
Districts lost over two billion cedis in crops to armyworms and variegated
grasshoppers.
Mr.
Kofi Portuphy, National Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management
Organisation (NADMO), who disclosed this, said an additional 2 billion cedis
were lost to storage pests within the same period.
Mr.
Portuphy said several millions of cedis have been spent on procuring chemicals
to control the worms, noting that the situation could easily have been avoided
if the necessary early warning systems had been put in place.
The
National Co-ordinator noted that the Ejura and Mampong zones have large storage
facilities for grains, which contributes greatly to food security in the
country.
Mr.
Portuphy therefore appealed to collaborators of NADMO in all the relevant
sectors to assist in minimising the effects of the disasters and their
occurrence.
In
an address read for him, Mr. Samuel Nuamah-Donkor, Ashanti Regional Minister,
urged NADMO to intensify its efforts in educating farmers to adopt modern and
proper methods of farming to ward off such disasters.
He
further called on NADMO to mobilise the youth for training as volunteers, to
assist
in educating farmers on the prevention of pests and insects disasters.
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
Mr.
Prince Kofi Kludjeson, President of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI)
said on Tuesday that industry and technology is the key to the progress and
development of the country.
There
is therefore the urgent need to step up the two sectors if the nation is to
overcome the economic troubles now plaguing it, he said in a speech at the
media launch of the fifth Industrial and Technology Fair dubbed "INDUTECH
2001" in Accra.
The
fair under the theme: "Innovation, Quality and Price Competitiveness- the
Key to survival in the new global market," will be held in March next
year.
Mr.
Kludjeson said technology has become the driving-force of the economies of most
countries and Ghana needs to take a cue from them.
He
said a strategy must be adopted to transform the economy from reliance on a few
traditional exports such as cocoa and gold to the export of more value added
products to enable the country to achieve a high rate of economic growth.
Mr.
Theodore Kwame Gyau, Chairman of the Planning Committee of INDUTECH 2001 said
the success or failure of any government policy to support local industries
would depend on the innovative abilities of the manufacturing industry, the
affordability of locally produced goods and their price competitiveness abroad.
He
said the fair is focused on the importance of Ghanaian industries to gear up to
face the challenges and opportunities in the global world market.
Mr.
Gyau said over 600 companies are expected to participate in the fair as against
406 at the last one in 1997.
Participants
are from Europe, America, India and Iran. Others are Egypt, Nigeria, Benin,
Togo and other countries in the West African sub-region.
Efforts
are being made to get information on the fair to companies in countries where
GRi…/
NDC
launches manifesto/campaign
Accra
(Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
The
National Democratic Congress (NDC) was on Tuesday placed on the "war
path" after the launch of its manifesto and the 2000 Election campaign in
Accra as President Jerry John Rawlings whipped up the emotions of the rank and
file with his usual charismatic gestures and outbursts.
There
was spontaneous ovation from the packed hall after the President's address,
which went on for more than one hour, during which he criss-crossed themes such
as the opposition, the West and the need to maintain Party unity.
President
Rawlings said the 76-page manifesto in seven chapters, which is a
"political legacy" to his successor, Professor John Evans Atta Mills,
would give the party a credible campaign platform.
Prof.
Mills said the manifesto, with the theme, "Ghana: spreading the benefits
of development", means the time has come to expand the benefits of the
PNDC and NDC rule.
He
said even though the transition from the revolution to constitutional rule has
been problematic, the current "hard times are a test to us as
Ghanaians" and this calls for hard work.
Mr.
Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Planning and Regional Integration, said the ideals
summed up in the manifesto reflect the ideas of the rank and file from the
length and breadth of the country.
Apart
from past and future policies of the party, the manifesto contains various
Presidential and budget statements from 1990 to 2000.
Mr.
Ahwoi, who is also Chairman of the nine-member Manifesto Committee, said the
manifesto, which was approved by the party on May 30, will be translated into the
local languages for the ordinary Ghanaian to read and understand.
He
called on party members to own a copy and engage the opposition parties in
debates at all levels on the political programmes of the party for national
development and sustain the democratic principles.
"We
ask you to read the manifesto because at the end of our term you must judge us
by what we set out to do."
The
first nine copies were auctioned for 915 million cedis with Mr. John Kofi
Adams, a party activist offering 160 million cedis for a copy with the
inscription "Divine gift of June 4, J. J. Rawlings".
Others
who bought copies included, Nii Oseku Amasah Chief of Amasaman who offered 100
million cedis, Mr. Albert Botchwey, aspiring parliamentary candidate for
Ablekuma North (100 million cedis), Mr. Francis Kwadu of the Democratic Peoples
Party (120 million cedis) and Madam Adoley Allotey of the 31st December Women
Movement (90 million cedis).
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Accra
(Greater Accra) 09 August 2000
Mr.
Isaac Adjei-Mensah, Minister of Works and Housing, on Tuesday called for the
proper management of water resources to prevent their misuse, saying the
availability of good quality fresh water is rapidly declining.
"The
development aspirations of Ghana could be affected if these major challenges of
managing the water resources of the country on a sustainable basis are not
taken up seriously."
Mr.
Adjei-Mensah was opening a day's national workshop aimed at identifying and
prioritising problems associated with water resource management.
He
said the increasing demand for water use has produced corresponding amounts of
industrial and domestic effluent, agricultural and urban runoff and solid waste
which end up in rivers and pollute the environment and water resources in
particular.
Among
some of the problems facing water resource management are, flooding, high iron
and fluoride concentrations in ground water, water weeds and lack of a
comprehensive institutional legal framework.
Mr.
Adjei-Mensah noted that availability of water, especially potable water, is an
essential component of national welfare and productivity.
"Thus,
within the framework of Ghana's national development policy, there is an
objective to promote an efficient management system and environmentally sound
development of all water resources."
He
said the WRC has been charged with proposing comprehensive plans for the
utilisation, conservation, development and improvement of water resources.
The
Minister announced that the commission has already prepared a draft national
water policy, which will be discussed at two national forums for the southern
and northern sectors.
Professor
Clement Dorm-Adzobu, Chairman of the WRC, said in a speech read for him that
the workshop forms part of a study into water resource problems.
He
said the study would enable the commission to make specific priority-based
action plans for intervention.
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