EGLE Party endorses Mills-Obed ticket
Tamale Muslims want polls date changedBut a Muslim scholar disagrees
Anarchists won't have their way
Barclays, Africa Online in alliance
We could have executed J.J. - Hamidu
Soussoudis speaks out
The 'Black-hole' hotels rip-off (2)
Obed steals start
Akufo Addo, Kufuor in secret talks
EGLE Party endorses Mills-Obed ticket
The Daily Graphic reports that the EGLE Party, a partner in the Progressive Alliance with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Democratic Peoples' Party (DPP), at the weekend, proposed for the adoption of the Alliance an Atta Mills-Obed Asamoah ticket for the December 2000 general elections.
The partnership, according to the paper, follows the party's endorsement of the Vice-President, Prof. Mills as the Alliance's flagbearer and Dr Asamoah, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, as running mate for the impending elections, at the EGLE's Fourth National Delegates Conference in Accra.
Prof. Mills and Dr Asamoah, according to the party, posses between them sterling qualities that can achieve the emphatic victory needed by the Progressive Alliance in the December.
EGLE, founded by President Rawlings, has Owraku Amofa, Deputy Minister of Communications as chairman.
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Tamale Muslims want polls date changedBut a Muslim scholar disagrees
The Daily Graphic in another front-page story reports that a large number of Muslims in the Tamale Municipality last Friday thronged the Electoral Commission office to petition the mission to re-consider its decision not to change the scheduled date for this year's general elections, which falls on December 8.
Carrying placards and led by three of their leaders, they reportedly presented three separate petitions to the acting Northern Regional Director of the commission, Mr Adams Iddrisu.
According to the paper, the petitions contended that the first Friday of this year's Holy month of Ramadan falls on the election day, which is a special day of devotion to God.
In a related story however, Graphic reports that a Muslim scholar, Sheikh Abdul Aziz, has urged the Electoral Commission not to change the December 8 election date, claiming that any such attempt would be a great disservice to the Muslim community.
He is said to have indicated that the day, falling within the month of the Ramadan is something that Muslims would cherish and pray more to Allah for peace.
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Anarchists won't have their way
The Ghanaian Times reports President Jerry John Rawlings as cautioning at the weekend that anarchists would not be allowed to take the democratic dispensation of the country for granted.
The front-page story reports President Rawlings as saying during the fourth national delegates Congress of the EGLE Party in Accra that the country was at the crossroads and there was the need to consolidate the gains, peace, stability and development
Achieved so far.
According to the paper, the President made reference to inflammatory and deceptive remarks being made by some politicians and a section of the media in the run-up to the December elections and cautioned against such utterances.
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Barclays, Africa Online in alliance
The Ghanaian Times reports on its business page that Barclays Africa and Africa Online, the internet service investment of African Lakes Corporation plc, have announced the formation of an alliance to create a powerful link between financial services and the internet across sub-Saharan Africa.
The paper says the deal, announced in Nairobi, will initially focus on Kenya where a number of internet centres will be opened in September and October under common brand name to be announced later.
The two companies are said to have extensive Pan-Africa network and are leaders in their respective fields of finance and internet services. They have a combined representation in 12 countries across Africa including Ghana.
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We could have executed J.J. - Hamidu
The Dispatch writes that Lt.Gen. Joshua Hamidu (rtd), ex-Director of Military Intelligence and Chief of Defence Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces, has reacted angrily to a seven-page rejoinder by the Deputy Minister of Defence, Dr Tony Aidoo.
Gen. Hamidu, 63, in a reply to the NDC's Director of Research, reportedly told the paper on Friday that if the army had not behaved in a civilised manner in the aftermath of the failed May 15, 1979 coup, "we could have summarily executed Mr. Rawlings and all this hullabaluu would not have happened."
The former army general is also reported as replying to Dr Aidoo's allegation that he (Hamidu) insisted on the execution of Gen. (rtd) Akwasi Afrifa, saying, it was a lie.
"That is ridiculous. It is a lie. I had nothing to do with the executions. For three weeks after the June 4 event, questions were constantly raised about executing people. I always stood against it. Surprisingly, the only person who also stood against it was Rawlings. The young boys wanted blood and I used to tell 'you cannot resurrect the man once you've killed him. If you have any case against people, try them. Let everybody hear what they have done wrong against the country. And that even, they could not do." The Dispatch quoted him as saying.
Gen. Hamidu is also said to have denied that the NPP had a hand in the preparation of his press statement issued last week and refuted the submission that he was forcefully retired because of his incompetence.
"It would be sad for me to have risen up to the CDS if my professional competence was in question," he reportedly told the paper.
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Soussoudis speaks out
The Accra Mail says Mr. Michael Soussoudis, in an interview with the paper has indicated his stance on a number of issues, including his opposition to the NDC and Dr Obed Asamoah's possible candidacy as the Progressive Alliance's running mate.
Soussoudis, according to the paper, said he viewed himself as "one of the biggest opposition NDC has ever had", attributing the emergence of the Progressive Alliance to his resilience not to allow the NDC swallow the EAGLE Party.
"The Progressive Alliance came by because the NDC had wanted to absorb the EAGLE Party and I refused. I didn't have any choice, but the only thing I could do at the time was to go into an alliance with the NDC.
On Owraku Amofa being chairman of the EAGLE party, he said, He betrayed the ideals of the EAGLE, he crossed carpet. How can you be a chairman of a registered political party and run on NDC ticket? How can you go to NDC congress and not wear Progressive Alliance T shirt? You go in NDC T-shirt, so if you want to go, go to NDC.
Soussoudis said he is strongly opposed to Dr Obed Asamoah's nomination as a running mate, claiming he had been EAGLE's obstacle since its formation.
He said he has always enjoyed excellent relations with his cousin Flt. Lt. Rawlings but brandished those on the President bandwagon as 'traitors'
Soussoudis was also quoted as saying that he is a gun-enthusiast and thinks right minded Ghanaians should be allowed to keep personal weapons.
On the eight Ghanaians denaturalised in his stead, he said it was normal since they worked for that country by claiming to be CIA members.
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The 'Black-hole' hotels rip-off (2)
The Ghanaian Chronicle reports that a fierce row last year shattered the silence at the headquarters of SSNIT as the past Director General, Mr. Henry Dei, 60 clashed with architects that supervised the construction of Elmina Hotel, one of the three units in the Golden Beach Hotels deal now tagged as a pyramid of fraud.
The paper says the clash was the first pointer that opened a window to a scandal in which an investment of a shocking 50 billion cedis or more was allegedly made in the rehabilitation of the controversial Golden Beach Hotels.
The Chronicle says the row between Mr. Dei and Mr. Bernard Sam of Design Associates, centred on the mysterious payment of 10 billion cedis to a British construction firm, Taysec, for 'refurbishment' on works that were nearly or already completed.
Sam, the paper says, had quoted 3.1 billion cedis as what was needed to finish all works but the contract was terminated and re-awarded to Taysec of which Dei was a director, at 10 billion cedis.
Sam is said to have, in a letter to Dei, questioned the fairness in the behaviour of SSNIT in granting 2 million cedis mobilisation to Taysec contrary to what pertained to Ghanaian contractors that had handled the project.
"To award such contract to Taysec for 10 billion cedis and then pay 2 billion cedis mobilisation when meagre payments to Ghanaian contractors on the project were always delayed for over three months at a time, compels us to ask whether refusal to honour valuation certificates was not a ploy to frustrate the Ghanaian contractors into abandoning the project and then have an excuse to re-award the contract. When that failed you had to use your privileged position to terminate contracts legally entered into without the necessary notice. Whose interest were you protecting? Your interest as Director General of SSNIT or as a Director of Taysec the contractor? The Chronicle quoted the letter.
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Obed steals start
The head start made by supporters of Dr. Obed Asamoah in pushing him to the vice presidential slot of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has put other contenders into a very tight corner, says the Public Agenda.
The paper says with four weeks to go for the filing in of contenders with the Electoral Commission, only one other powerful name can put paid to all the work done so far by the Attorney-Generals enthusiastic supporters.
It mentions that person as the wife of the President, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings and leader of the 31st December Womens Movement. Her name is said to have come up originally as a contender to Prof. J. E. A. Mills for the presidential slot but she denied on many occasions she was contesting for the position.
According to the paper, the endorsement of Prof. Mills at the NDC congress, secured reportedly with Mills promise to the first couples to accept Dr. Asamoah as his running mate, put paid to the speculation.
However, during the last couple of months, Nana Konadu has matched Prof. Mills almost equally in a keen competition of commissioning school blocks and water reservoirs around the country. Is it just to help the NDC win the coming elections or it there more to it this is the question buzzing political active circles, the paper stated.
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Akufo Addo, Kufuor in secret talks
The Ghana Palaver says its scouts monitoring maneuverings in the NPP on vice presidential slot have released details of secret meeting between J. A. Kufuor flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party and Nana Akufo Addo held on August 6, 2000.
According to the paper, the two discussed the strategy to adopt for the possible nomination of the Akyem Abuakwa MP Akufo Addo, as the running mate for the NPP.
The paper says the meeting was arranged by the Akufo Addos supporters in the Eastern Region who have given an ultimatum that they will defect enbloc from the party if it fails to make Akufo Addo the running mate.
This, the paper reports was after the flagbearer had put in a request for financial support. Though Akufo Addo is said to have rejected the initial request, he later sent emissaries to the flagbearer, J. A. Kufour with one condition, give Akufo Addo the number two slot and get the financial support you so much desire, the paper said.
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