Military shaving of suspects is normal-Nana Konadu says
The Daily Graphic / The Ghanaian Times
Govt has no objection / We've no objections
Date for polls: UGM to petition Supreme Court
277 evacuated from Kaduna
Victims of torture cry out
Pastor declared PNG
Donors want NDC to lose in December - Rawlings
Nasara for Kufour
Military shaving of suspects is normal-Nana Konadu says
The Public Agenda carries a report on the interview granted Joy FM by Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings last Friday, in which she confirmed that the military routinely carries arrests and brutalities.
According to the paper, she was responding to allegations made by Selassie Djentuh, a former boyfriend of Ezanetor Rawlings, in his claim for political asylum in Britain.
Selassie reportedly said soldiers arrested him on January 15 at his mother’s estate at Mariville off Spintex Road in Accra and while being sent to the castle, he was “hit several times by one of the soldiers with the butt of his rifle while others slapped and kicked me.”
At the castle, he was again beaten and “shaved with an old rusty blade and after with a broken bottle.” He also said he was told the President had ordered for his hair to be brought to him.” However, he did not know whether the hair was sent to the President.
The paper reports that, when Nana Konadu was asked whether she knew about the abduction or arrest of Selassie to the castle, she did not find anything wrong with that. She replied: “No, I did not know about it. I heard it subsequently.” On the question of brutalisation and shaving of Selassie’s hair, Nana Konadu’s reply implied that the castle contains an army barracks and that shaving of the hair is routine punishment for those arrested by soldiers.
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The Daily Graphic / The Ghanaian Times
Govt has no objection / We've no objections
The Daily Graphic and 'The Ghanaian Times' have their lead stories focused on the address by President Jerry John Rawlings at the 70th anniversary of the St Augustine's College at Cape Coast on Saturday.
He is reported by the papers as saying that the government has no objection to any religious mission wishing to take back and run its schools so long as it is done within the statutory regulations governing private schools. President Rawlings therefore called on the Ministry of Education to reopen discussions on proposals submitted by some religious bodies wishing to exercise a greater degree of autonomy over the running of schools established by them.
He however stated that for as long as government is expected to pay staff, provide books and materials and shoulder other financial burden of such schools it can not hand over managerial autonomy.
President Rawlings, according to the papers urged the bodies to establish polytechnics and vocational/technical institutions to supplement government's efforts at catering for students who do not qualify for university but have the potential to develop productive skills, which are needed for the growth of the economy.
The President is reported by the papers as having stated that it was the government's commitment to education and human resource development that led to the establishment of the Ghana Education Trust Fund and the district education fund to ensure quality education, and accessibility to all.
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Date for polls: UGM to petition Supreme Court
The United Ghana Movement (UGM), will on Monday petition the Supreme Court to determine a proper date for the conduct of the next general elections, reports the Daily Graphic.
The party, according to the paper, said since the Electoral Commission (EC) attributed its recent change of date for the elections to constitutional considerations, it is the Supreme Court that has the legal powers to interpret the constitution and, therefore, the right to determine such a date.
Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey, flagbearer of the party, told the paper that the action of EC is only meant to set the stage for somebody to hold the whole electoral process to ransom in the near future.
"Articles 63 (2) a & b and 112(4) of the 1992 Constitution regulate the fixing of dates for presidential and parliamentary elections respectively." The paper said.
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277 evacuated from Kaduna
The Ghanaian Times in another front-page story says about 277 Ghanaians caught up in the religious crisis in the Kaduna State of Nigerian, were on Friday evacuated home.
Their return was made possible by the government, which provided funds to enable them to be transported.
Religious clashes in February and May in the Northern Nigerian state is said to have left about 500 Ghanaians displaced, stranded, traumatised and rendered economically impotent.
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Victims of torture cry out
The Ghanaian Chronicle writes on its front-page that a torture victim of unauthorised Police Station being operated by the 64 Infantry Regiment in Burma Camp has poured out his painful ordeal during his 16 days of detention in a "torture chamber".
The victim, Dr Paul Poku, a 42-year old Ghanaian naturalised in the US, according to the paper, claims he was tortured and constantly brutalised for 16 days, when he was thrown into the dungeons of the illegal police station last month.
"I was tortured beyond belief, during my detention. I was slapped continuously until some whitish fluid started dropping from my ears. I was also refused medical treatment. Anytime I was called for interrogations, I was brutally assaulted," Dr Poku had stated.
Chronicle says Dr Poku's admission of the existence and operation of a torture chamber in the guise of an unauthorised Police Station, established by the 64 Regiment, comes at a time when the Deputy Minister of Defence, Dr Tony Aidoo, expressed doubts about its existence and challenged victims to come public with their claims.
The story continues that Dr Poku, in an interview with the paper stated that he was bundled by the six armed soldiers led by one Sergeant Quartey, at 5.20 am to the Gondar Barracks where he was detained and subjected to the brutal assaults.
H said on one occasion, “a robot looking PSS and another sergeant with northern features, supported by two soldiers, gave me four heavy slaps in front of the Lt. Col. Larry Gbevlo Lartey, Commanding officer of the 64 Infantry Regiment, when he was made to face the “Sanhedrin” chaired by him.
"He recalled that he was forced to kneel down and raise his hands for several hours before his illegal judge, and that anytime he brought his hands down due to tiredness, he was booted and slapped like a class one boy by a group of soldiers", the paper said.
Mr Farouk Seidu, lawyer for Dr Poku is reported to have confirmed the story when contacted and said his client had been arrested by the 64 Infantry soldiers due to a squabble between him and his ex-wife, one Rose Ampene, a resident of UK, over financial disagreements.
Poku, according to the Chronicle, was making his case public to debunk the reaction of the Deputy Minister of Defence.
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Pastor declared PNG
The Accra Mail says the chiefs, Asafo Company and Youth Association of Gomoa Asempanyin in the Central Region have declared a Pastor of Jesus Saves Ministry at Kasoa persona non grata and warned him to close down his church.
Rev. Felix Bentil, who has established a branch of his church in the town, is reportedly accused of using the pulpit to incite the congregation against the chiefs and the Asafo Company.
"He has launched unceasing attacks on our cultural practises, condemning them as fetish and barbaric", state the chiefs.
Rev. Bentil, they said, does not allow the members of his church to take part in communal labour and warned that his activities could lead to violent clash between the members of the church and the Asafo company.
They said the regular open-air services conducted by him "were not meant to preach the word of God but to hurl insults on the chiefs, Asafo Company and other religious groups."
The chiefs and the Asafo group are said to have therefore petitioned the Gomoa District Security Council and the police but a meeting that was arranged to have the issues resolved was on two occasions dishonoured by Rev Bentil.
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Donors want NDC to lose in December - Rawlings
The Dispatch writes in its banner story that President Jerry John Rawlings last Thursday, accused some unnamed donor countries of trying to create economic difficulties for Ghana, as a way of making his ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) unpopular in the forthcoming elections.
The President, Dispatch says, looked agitated and at times angry on the Ghana Television and TV3 news broadcasts of the out-going Japanese Ambassador, Mr. Shosshu Ito during a courtesy call on him.
“Thee are some of us who are beginning to feel that this is clearly designed to create a difficult economic situation in our country as a way of affecting the elections that are ahead of us. This is unnecessary. It's unfair and I don’t believe it is right", he is quoted as stating in a reaction to countries, which he thinks, have pressurised the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank to delay the release of badly needed funds to the country.
The President, the story says, obviously had some information on how Japan pushed for Ghana to be helped as well as those who were against her at the crucial August 21 meeting of the IMF.
He gave the impression that those donor countries that were holding back funds did so possibly, against him personally.
"My time is up, Rawlings is leaving. My wife too has said she is not interested, so don't create problems by deliberately holding back funds", he further stated.
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NPP’s Vice Presidential Race - Akufo Addo is the man
The reason, according to the paper, is that he will bring a lot of dynamism for the youth, charisma and straight-off-the cuff rhetorics to lift the NPP ticket, which is now suffering from hic-cups.
According to the paper, Nana Akufo Addo has the added advantage of being the spokesman for the defunct alliance for change AFC, which rocked the country in 1995 when it organised a countrywide demonstrations to blunt the implementation of VAT.
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The NPP newspaper carries a report on the new date for the presidential and parliamentary elections, which is now coming off on December 7 instead of December 8.
It described the new date as the best birthday package for the NPP flag bearer, Mr. J.A. Kufour who would be celebrating his 62nd birthday the next day. It would be NASARA, which means victory according to Islam, the paper added.
The joy of the new date, as reported by the paper, is premised on the fact that on the Election Day, Ghanaians will go to the polls to cast their ballots, signifying the purchase of the birthday gift for Mr. Kufour, which will be presented through a positive declaration the next day, which is December 8, his birthday.
Many Moslem leaders said that the fact that Mr. Kufour’s birthday falls on the same day that the Islamic faith will be celebrating a very holy day confirms his victory that day.
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$180,000 vehicle for Kufuor
The Ghana Palaver reports on its front-page that some individuals suspected to be in league with the US Mafia have ordered a special campaign vehicle for the use of Mr. J.A. Kufuor, the NPP Presidential candidate for the December elections.
"The bullet proof vehicle, expected to arrive in Tema sometime in September is equipped with sophisticated gadgets and is said to provide comfort of the highest order", the paper said.
Cost of vehicle is reported to be about US $180,000, (1.2 billion cedis).
Mr. Kufuor, is said to have placed an order for five more of such vehicles to be brought in January 2001 for his use and that of a few close cronies in an assurance word to the suppliers that he would have assumed office by then as President of Ghana.
Palaver says its story was confirmed by sources at the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service at Tema and that Mr. Kufuor has already sent emissaries to the port to find out how much tax he would be expected to pay to clear the vehicle.
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