Polls date is wrong
Register all firearms now
More observers to come down
First test-tube triplets delivered
I don't have even a dollar
Kwahu chiefs boycott NDC rally
US gov't on NDC groups in military
General Hamidu Warns Rawlings
Dan Lartey in a Fix
Develop Integrated Approach to
Fight Corruption-Obed
Polls date is wrong
The Daily Graphic reports that the Director of Research of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Tony Aidoo, has described the December 8, polls date set by the Electoral Commission (EC) for this year's presidential and parliamentary elections as unconstitutional.
"The current President was sworn into office on January 7, 1997. His term of office should, therefore, expire on January 6, 2001. Constitutionally, therefore, the forthcoming elections must be fixed on a date that falls within the time frame of September 5, 2000, and December 6, 2000. Any other date before or after this time frame would be contrary to the country's constitutional provisions. And December 8, 2000 is certainly outside the time frame", Dr Aidoo was quoted.
The submissions of Dr Aidoo, according to the paper, are based on Article 63 clause 2, Article 112 clause 4 and Article 113 clauses 1 and 2 of the 1992 Constitution.
His statement reportedly, was in reaction to an earlier one by Dr Kwadwo Afari Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission, carried on the front-page of the Daily Graphic on August 15, that this year's election date has already been constitutionally determined and cannot be changed.
He is said to have appealed to Dr Afari-Gyan to endeavour to be flexible and negotiable about the issue, which though technical, also has an important religious implications. December 8 is Friday, and falls within the Holy Month of Ramadan of Islam. The Muslim community will be worshipping on the day.
More/
Register all firearms now
The Daily Graphic also writes in another front-page that the government has directed all persons in possession of firearms, whether locally manufactured or imported, to register them with the police.
It says measures have also been put in place to ensure that all weapons in the hands of unauthorised persons are retrieved.
The directive was contained in a press statement issued on Thursday and signed by Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi, Minister responsible for National Security, on the report of the committee set up by the National Security Council in August last year to, among other things, inspect and take inventory of all private armouries and magazines.
The committee established that the procedure for the importation, storage, supervision and distribution of arms and ammunitions has been seriously abused, adding that proper records were not being kept by dealers.
GRi/
More observers to come down
Ghana will invite the international community to again monitor and observe the December 2000, elections. This time, Eastern European countries will be among the observer groups, says the Ghanaian Times.
President Jerry John Rawlings reportedly said when receiving letters of credence of the new Polish Ambassador to Ghana, Mr. Jan Padrewski and four others, that this is to offer them the opportunity to verify the elections and draw their own independent conclusions.
He said the government had made it a point to always invite the international community because it was committed to holding free and fair elections.
He stated that even though free and fair elections had always been held in Ghana since 1992, it was still necessary for the international community to know the truths for themselves.
More/
First test-tube triplets delivered
The first triplets conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in Ghana's medical history was delivered at the Tema Women's Hospital on Thursday, according to the Ghanaian Times.
The feat, involving a boy and two girls weighing 2.15kg, 1.87kg and 1.75kg, was achieved through an elective caesarian section, which lasted for 35 minutes.
The babies reportedly were delivered within three minutes and are said to be doing well. According to the Times, a team of five IVF experts, led by Dr Paul Owusu-Baah performed the operation.
The babies' mother according to Dr Owusu-Baah was given spinal anaesthesia to ensure that the babies were not suppressed.
GRi/
I don't have even a dollar
The Ghanaian Chronicle reports the President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, as having told a gathering of some 250 Ghanaians in Malabo in Equatorial Guinea last week that he had not stashed away funds from the public treasury in his quest to develop Ghana.
President Rawlings, addressing 'economic refugees, made up of cemetery sweepers, shoemakers and fishermen', said that he does not even have a single dollar in any foreign bank anywhere, neither had he used state money to build houses.
"The position that we occupy, excuse me, I have not used money to build houses, nor have I saved in any foreign bank. As I stand here, I don't have one dollar in any foreign bank," the paper quotes President Rawlings as saying.
The Chronicle continue that President Rawlings, in an emotional tone lamented that his Government had done the best they could but have in spite of that gone through unprecedented criticisms and condemnations at home, adding that never in the history of the country has anyone been vilified as he has.
He, according to the paper, expressed disappointment with the 'shallow memory of Ghanaians who forget easily the good work that he had done.
The President is said to have however admitted to some imperfections but blamed some of his own people.
GRi/
Kwahu chiefs boycott NDC rally
The Free Press says the days when politicians manipulated traditional rulers for their own gains seem to be gradually coming to a halt with some chiefs becoming aware of their non-partisan role as traditional leaders under the 4th Republican Constitution.
The paper says with a few months to the December presidential and parliamentary elections the NDC, through the District Chief Executives are using a campaign strategy whereby they drag chiefs from their palaces and order them to organise camouflaged durbars which in fact are political rallies in honour of their visiting bosses.
The paper says in an unprecedented courageous move to tell the governing NDC that enough is enough, the chiefs of Kwahu traditional area at a recent meeting at Mpraeso in the Eastern Region warned that they could not be taken for granted any longer.
The chiefs are said to have taken a firm decision not to allow themselves, "to be used and coerced by any political party or group of individuals for their political propaganda."
The chiefs were reportedly prompted to take the bold stand when they were informed by the District Chief Executive, Mr. Opoku Preko of an intended visit by the Vice-President and flagbearer for NDC in the 2000 elections, to the area and urged them to organise a durbar to welcome him.
The chiefs, the story says rejected the proposal saying they would rather welcome Professor John Evans Atta Mills as the Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana but not as a particular party's candidate.
GRi/
US gov't on NDC groups in military
The Dispatch writes that the United States government has, in an annual report on military expenditure to the U.S. Congress, seriously criticised pro-National Democratic Congress (NDC) political groupings within the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
According to the paper, the report on the Internet, also says that the government spent 56 million dollars on the military in 1998, explaining that 40.5 million dollars was recurrent expenditure and development/capital expenditure was 15.5 million dollars.
The paper says the report, on the military itself, stated that "The GAF is officially apolitical; however, groups with political affiliations do exist within the military, primarily associated with the ruling party. In addition, active duty officers routinely take secondments to political jobs."
The story contained that the 56 million dollar expenditure, which was 128.2 billion cedis at the time, now values at 347.2 billion, representing 0.73 per cent of the estimated GDP 7.695 billion cedis.
GRi/
General Hamidu Warns Rawlings
Lt. Gen. Joshua Hamidu, former Chief of Defence Staff, has warned President Rawlings not to attempt to destabilise the country again, since that will be collectively and fiercely resisted, reports the Weekend Statesman.
The General is reported as saying at a press conference in Accra last Wednesday that it would be an exercise in self-deceit and self-conceit for Rawlings to mistake the peace-loving people of Ghana for feckless cowards.
Gen. Hamidu said, after taking Ghana through 20 years of corrupt and inept rule, Rawlings should give a chance and not create the conditions for deployment of peacekeepers in Ghana.
He advised soldiers of the 64th battalion to see themselves as Ghanaians first, and refuse to allow themselves to be misused by one man and his family.
Weekend Statesman quotes Gen. Hamidu, who has been in exile for 20 years as saying, the most glaring legacy of the (P)NDC rule to Ghana has been that Ghanaians have been deceived and taken for a long ride to national destruction, deprivation and impoverishment.
GRi.../
Dan Lartey in a Fix
The Evening News
reports the flagbearer of the Great Consolidated Popular Party, Mr. Dan Lartey,
as being currently confronted with a heavy task of selecting his running mate.
According to the
paper, Mr. Dan Lartey says he has a number of qualified personalities in mind
to choose from but his problem is how to get a competent one.
In an interview with
the paper, the flagbearer said, the selection of a running mate would be made,
and that he is still consulting the National Executive Committee on the issue.
He is further reported as saying that unlike other political parties, gender,
ethnicity or regional balance is not problem, rather he wants a competent,
hardworking and dedicated person who would be able to play the role of
president in his absence.
The flagbearer
according to paper said he was mindful of the September 12 deadline, for the
filing of nominations of candidates at the Electoral Commission. He however
stated that he would ensure that names of both Presidential and parliamentary
candidates are filed before the deadline.
GRi.../
Develop Integrated
Approach to Fight Corruption-Obed
The Ghana Palaver
Reports Dr. Obed Asamoah, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General as stating
at a Meet the Press series, in Accra that the Government has put in place an
integrated approach to combat fraud and corruption.
He therefore asked
the public to help check the canker.
The fight against fraud and corruption
should not be left in the hands of Government and public institutions
alone...It is necessary that an integrated approach of combating fraud and
corruption be applied, he was quoted as saying.
The paper further
reports him as disclosing that the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), the Commission
on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Institute of Economic
Affairs and the World Bank have developed a comprehensive document on an
integrated approach to combating fraud and corruption dubbed An Action.
According to the Dr
Asamoah, the President has always supported anti-corruption drives and it was
for this reason that the issue of fighting corruption was included in the
Comprehensive Development Framework on Government for the 10th
Consultative Group Meeting on Ghana in November, last year.
He also said a new
body on corruption, the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC), has been
established, adding that the world Bank has pledged its support for it.
GRi.../