Minority won’t shut up on Sahara contract
Dan Botwe stems looming trouble
Repeal of Criminal Libel law triumph for free
speech
'Suspect mentally ill'
Report dishonest judges
Reduce fuel prices now
We'll campaign against NPP
Tsatsu Tsikata for fast track court?
We will demonstrate if…
Police quiz six assembly staff
Tema bomb blast …Residents blame P(NDC)
Kwame Nkrumah was ahead of his time - Mazrui
Minister orders cut down on newspaper subscription
Police to pick Huudu Yahaya
The dilemma of a reggae artiste
- Rasta or Catholic?
Minority won’t shut up on Sahara contract
The Minority Spokesman on Mines and Energy, Hon. Abraham Kofi Asante,
says the recent statement by President Kufuor that he would not institute a
probe into the Sahara oil contract as being demanded by the Minority would not
stop them from commenting on the matter which is of interest to the State, The
Ghanaian Chronicle reports.
He says they would
continue to hammer on the issue till they get to the bottom of it because they
suspect the whole contract looks fishy, hence the President’s stance, knowing
very well that the probe will uncover the deal surrounding it to embarrass his
government.
Speaking at an NDC
parliamentary causcus press briefing in Takoradi last Tuesday, Hon. Asante said
they repeated it several times that the contract was not opened up to
competitive bidding notwithstanding the fact that it was not approved by
Parliament also.
According to him, the
government in its defence stated that the contract did not come to Parliament
for approval because the deal was between Sahara and Tema Oil Refinery (TOR)
which they (The NDC caucus) saw as a complete lie because documents they have
laid hands on reveal that the deal was struck between the Government of Ghana
and the Sahara Oil Company.
If the contract was between TOR and Sahara, then the chief
executive of TOR should have signed it on behalf of his company but not Kan
Dapaah, the sector minister, representing the government and people of Ghana, he
said.
More…/
Dan Botwe stems looming trouble
A timely intervention by the General Secretary of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP), Mr Dan Botwe, following a Chronicle publication last Friday saved
the ruling party from an embarrassing lawsuit at a Sekondi High Court by some
supporters of the party.
According to the Chronicle
that publication said the supporters threatened to go to court for an
injunction order to restrain the Western Regional Secretariat of the party from
going ahead with the Regional Delegates’ Congress scheduled to have come off
last Saturday, contending that the way and manner it was being organised
contravened the NPP’s constitution.
According to the
supporters, though the constitution of the party must select four delegates,
which include the constituency chairman, secretary and two floor members to the
congress, the regional secretaries reduced the figure to just two, citing lack
of funds as their reason for doing so.
The supporters further
contended that by limiting the number from four to two the regional secretariat
should admit that they have contravened the provisions of the party’s
constitution and that the lack of funds which they cited to back their decision
had no basis so far as the constitution is concerned.
They subsequently
petitioned the general secretary of the party for redress on the issue, which
yielded results.
GRi…/
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Repeal of Criminal Libel law triumph for free
speech
At its general meting in
Accra on Tuesday, "the members noted they followed and took note of the
discussions that went on the floor of Parliament and among ordinary Ghanaians
towards the repeal of the laws, especially the calls for the strengthening of
the NMC to enable it to discharge its responsibilities more efficiently and
effectively."
A statement issued in
Accra and signed by the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Mr Yaw
Boadu-Ayeboafoh, said the members consider the calls as a recognition of the
singular role the NMC could and is expected to play to promote media freedom
and responsibility.
It said they also see the
calls as indicative of the growing confidence and trust that the government,
Parliament and the general public have in the commission, as a constitutional
body vital for functional democracy.
More…/
'Suspect mentally ill'
A preliminary medical report submitted by the Komfo Anokye Teaching
Hospital on Thursday to the Ashanti New Town Tribunal on Evangelist Kwame who
destroyed parts of the Komfo Anokye statue at Bantama, indicates that the
accused is mentally ill.
According to The Graphic,
the report suggested that Sarfo should be taken to the Accra Psychiatric
Hospital for a more detailed examination since the Komfo Anokye Teaching
Hospital does not have adequate facilities to assess the accused.
The tribunal presided over
by Mr Samuel Kofi Achina, remanded Sarfo in prison custody to appear again on
August 14, 2001.
The tribunal directed that
during his remand the police should arrange for Sarfo to be fully examined at
the Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
The tribunal said since
the issue of ownership of the whisk is not in dispute, it would not be fatal to
the case of the prosecution if the court makes an order for restoration.
The tribunal noted that
the act of destroying the statue is sacrilegious and so there is the need to
make the order for restoration of the whisk so that repair work can commence.
The tribunal said it recognised that the statue need not stand defaced for very
long.
Sarfo, who hails from
Obuasi, is standing trial for causing damage to a public property. He has
pleaded not guilty to the charge. He is alleged to have been spotted at about 6
a.m. at the Komfo Anokye Roundabout on Monday, July 30, holding a Bible and a
hammer.
He was later seen on the
platform on which Komfo Anokye's statue is erected using the hammer to break
the lower left arm of the statue, which hold the whisk. His action attracted a
large crowd who prevented him from causing further damage to the statue.
He was later rescued from
the crowd by a mechanic of the Suame Magazine and later taken to the
Bantamahene's palace and handed over to the police.
GRi…/
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The government is not resisting the restoration of the End of Service
Benefits (ESB), Mrs. Cecilia Bannerman, Minister of Manpower Development and
Employment, has assured.
The Ghanaian Times reports
Mrs Bannerman as saying that the restoration of the ESB was an issue that all
the three social partners - the Government, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and
Ghana Employers Association (GEA) – deemed very important.
In an interview with the
paper in Accra on Tuesday on the government’s position on the restoration of
the ESB, Mrs. Bannerman said that the government was yet to discuss the issue
with the TUC and the GEA.
For now, she said, the
government is allowing consultations among the stakeholders after which the
issue would be taken up by the tripartite committee at its next meeting.
Meanwhile, a source at the
Central Management Board (CMB) is of the opinion that the ESB, which was frozen
to allow for the divestiture of some state owned enterprises, could be
reintroduced since the divestiture had generated enough revenue.
The call for the
restoration of the ESB has come up for debate in recent times after former
government functionaries were paid ex-gratia awards.
The TUC has since been
pressing for its restorations but other players, especially the GEA, is said to
be undermining the TUC’s efforts.
More…/
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Report dishonest judges
The Acting Chief Justice, Mr Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu, has urged
Ghanaians to report dishonest judges to him for the necessary disciplinary
action to be taken against them, according to an Evening News story.
"I wish to re-echo my
abhorrence to inefficiency, undue delay in the dispensation of justice and
intolerance to corruption in any form," Mr Justice Wiredu told a forum
organised in Accra to inform the public and stakeholders about the ongoing
automation reform and modernization of the judicial service.
The forum, to be known as
the Chief Justice's Public Forum, will be organized every quarter to provide
opportunity for the public and the leadership of the judicial service to
interact and deliberate on issues pertaining to the efficient dispensation of
justice programme.
He said the judicial
service had published guidelines on the delivery of judgements, administrative
directives and the grant of adjournment for judges and chairpersons of
tribunals. The guidelines, published with the assistance of the World Bank, are
part of internal control and disciplinary measures.
"As head of the
judiciary, my highest ambition is to build the highest level of excellence,
efficiency and faster administration of service, thus, eliminating any factor
or factors that contribute to corruption," he said.
On the performance of the
Fast Track Courts so far, Mr Wiredu said they have lived up to expectation
since they have been able to eliminate the usual delays involved in trial of
cases in the courts that are not yet computerized.
"I am indeed,
satisfied with the progress of work at the Fast Track Courts. And I believe
with the commitment of judges, lawyers and litigants who
practise in, or utilize the court, it can be confidently be asserted that we
are on the right path and our objective is not beyond human achievement."
GRi…/
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Reduce fuel prices now
The NDC Minority in Parliament has called for the immediate reduction
in fuel prices because the factor that existed in February that led to the
increases are irrelevant, writes The Ghanaian Voice.
According to a statement
issued by the Minority spokesman on energy and Mines, Hon. Abraham Kofi Asante
on behalf of the NDC, he said when petroleum prices were increased on February
23, this year a barrel of crude oil was selling for $28 and the exchange rate
was then between ˘7,000 to ˘8,000.
But now a barrel of crude
oil is going for $23.42 and exchanging for between ˘6,900 to ˘7,000.
The statement said that
with the new policy of fixing petroleum products in the ex-refinery price to
reflect changes in prices of these products as well as changes in the exchange
rate between the cedi and dollar, Ghanaians should be allowed to reap the full
benefit of the new oil price.
More…/
We'll campaign against NPP
Students in the Upper East Region have moved to campaign against the
NPP in the year 2004 election unless President Kufuor pardons their son Mallam
"Insha Allahu" Isa, writes the Voice.
The students made their
positions known at a press conference organized by the tertiary students in
Bolgatanga on Tuesday August 7.
According to the students
since Mallam Isa has promised to refund the money although he didn't steal it
and apologised, they thought that would mitigate the offense.
GRi…/
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Tsatsu Tsikata for fast track court?
The Crusading Guide says information reaching its office indicates that
the former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation
(GNPC), Mr Tsatsu Tsikata, might soon be arraigned before the Fast Track Court
over the loss of huge sums of money to the State.
A source close to the
office of the Attorney General hinted that Tsatsu Tsikata, the one time
described “financial wizard” by ex-President Rawlings would explain how the sum
of $47 million allegedly 'vanished' into oblivion' while he was heading the
GNPC.
This was apparently
confirmed by Mr Kan Dapaah, Minister of Energy during a press briefing on
Tuesday when he stated that the Government had commissioned a forensic audit into
the alleged financial malfeasance.
He gave the assurance that
action would be taken against him (Tsikata) when the Audit report comes out.
More…/
We will demonstrate if…
The Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students has stated in clear
words their intention to embark on a demonstration if negotiations with the
Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) fails.
Briefing the press last
Tuesday, Mr Boakye Asiamah, National President of the Ghana National Union of
Polytechnic Students (GNUPS), said the government had been insensitive and
lackadaisical in its approach to the legitimate demands of (POTAG).
He said, the government's
inability to resolve the impasse between it and POTAG had distorted the
academic calendar of the Polytechnics, delayed the graduation and admission of
students, and tainted the image of the Polytechnic Community in the eyes of the
general public.
The Union also condemned
the hypocritical attitude of the Conference of Polytechnic Principals (COPP)
and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) in assisting to finding
a lasting solution to the long-standing POTAG/Government impasse and urged the
government to see to a full and speedy implementation of the recommendation
contained in the Professor Kwami Committee report, which according to the
Union, was an embodiment of solutions to the problems bedeviling the
Polytechnics.
GRi…/
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Police quiz six assembly staff
The Times says six employees of the Asante Akim North District assembly
are helping the Konongo Police in their investigations into a fraudulent deal
resulting in the loss of millions of cedis to the Assembly.
It is alleged that the
police have so far discovered ˘22.1 million as having gone into the pockets of
the suspects, but indications are that it could shoot up astronomically after
investigations.
The suspects are Kennedy
Agyarbeng, Accounts Assistant; Ernest Boateng, Revenue Collector; Peter Addai,
Chief Personnel Officer; T.K. Mensah, Principal Local Government Inspector;
Monica Agyei, Revenue Collector and Mercy Frimpong, accounts assistant.
The Konongo Divisional
Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) S.Y. Amponsah, told the
Times on Wednesday that that Mrs. Victoria Affum, the now District Finance
Officer and Miss Alice Aniwaah, Accountant, both of the assembly on July 25,
reported to the police that four general cash receipt books of the assembly
were missing.
Preliminary investigations
led to the arrest of Agyarbeng, who said the books were given to him by the
outgoing District Finance Officer, Mr Appiah Agyei, to be handed over to his
successor (Mrs. Affum).
Agyarbeng failed to hand
over the books and rather fraudulently issued some of them to cover monies
collected from landlords, timber contractors and others as rates meant for the
assembly.
One of the books was said
to have been issued by Boateng for the same purpose.
Boateng, during interrogation,
alleged that monies running into millions of cedis bagged from the deal were
shared by him and officers of the Assembly and named Addai, Mensah, Monica and
Mercy as the beneficiaries.
GRi…/
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Tema bomb blast …Residents blame P(NDC)
Residents of Tema Community Five residential area where there was a
bomb blast last Saturday, are blaming the erstwhile P(NDC) government led by
Jerry John Rawlings for putting Commandos there.
According to The Daily
Guide, the residents say most of the commandos who stayed around the area
during the PNDC revolutionary era were always armed and therefore were of the
firm belief that some of the commandos might have planted the bomb there.
A resident, Mr Kwabena
Sey, believed that the explosives might have been buried in the soil by some of
the commandos who lived in the vicinity in the eighties during the revolution.
He expressed fears that several
of such explosives might have been buried in the area. A centenarian, Kwadwo
Adu, was however of the firm belief that the bombs might have been buried long
time before the houses were built in the area but many residents that the paper
spoke to rejected such claims.
The Guide carries that on
Saturday July 28, 2001 afternoon, a bomb blasted at a Community Five residence,
shattered louver blades and caused cracks in nearby buildings.
Preliminary investigations
led to the discovery of a one-foot long and four-inch diameter cast-iron
resting at the compound of the next house.
GRi…/
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Kwame Nkrumah was ahead of his time - Mazrui
Professor Ali A. Mazrui, a distinguished African scholar and historian,
has described the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah as a great African who was ahead of his
time.
“Kwame Nkrumah was a great
African but not a great Ghanaian: He was ahead of his time but in advancing
Africa, he neglected the needs of the Ghanaian people and left them more
restricted than he found,” quotes Prof Mazrui in The Ghanaian Democrat.
Professor Ali Mazrui, made
this observation in his speech to mark the 8th
Dubois-Padmore-Nkrumah Pan African lectures held at the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial
Centre for Pan African Culture, Accra.
Speaking on the theme:
Pan-Africanism in the Era of Globalisation”, he pointed out that it takes more
than Nkrumah and Gaddafi to change the African continent adding that Africans
need a lot more commitment continent-wise to be able to achieve that objective.
According to Prof Mazrui,
even though President Mandela is universally acknowledged and admired by all
African leaders, Nkrumah still remains the most globally sought after because
his vision was beyond his contemporaries.
GRi…/
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Minister orders cut down on newspaper subscription
The Independent writes that the Minister of Manpower Development, Mrs.
Cecilia Bannerman, has on assumption of duty ordered a drastic cut in her
ministry’s subscription to newspapers, with the view of cutting down on the
government expenditure.
As such, the Ministry of
Manpower Development and Employment, which hitherto subscribed to twenty-three
issues of both the ‘Daily Graphic’ and ‘The Ghanaian Times’ daily, now
subscribes to only two issues of the Graphic and three issues of the Times
daily. The only private paper that the ministry currently subscribes to is a
copy of the Ghanaian Chronicle daily.
Investigations conducted
by the Independent revealed that this directive, which came into force
somewhere in June this year, is however proving to be detrimental to the public
relations outfit, as monitoring has virtually been made impossible.
More…/
Police to pick Huudu Yahaya
The embarrassing stand-off between the police and Alhaji Huudu Yahaya,
the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) may be over in
a few hours as the police consider the last option of arresting him.
As was reported by the
Independent last Tuesday, the police gave the NDC scribe up till last Monday to
return the Benz car in his possession to be handed over to the rightful
owner-one, Fred Oware.
The NDC General Secretary
in an undertaking last Wednesday promised to return the car to the owner
through the police.
But with the current
development, police sources hinted that Alhaji Huudu Yahaya could be picked up
by Friday if he still fails to hand in the vehicle.
Inquires by the paper at
the Police Headquarters on Thursday showed that Alhaji Huudu Yayaha had not
only reneged on his promise to the police, he is also nowhere to be found.
The Costumes Exercise and Preventive Service is demanding the return of
the car which it sold to Alhaji Yahaya late last year.
GRi…/
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The dilemma of a reggae artiste
- Rasta or Catholic?
When ‘music monk’ Shasha Marley decided to pursue a career in music
over a decade ago, he chose reggae as the medium through which he would express
himself.
With one album already out
and a new one just about to be released, Shasha Marley has to make a definite
decision whether he would want to remain a catholic or change faith to
Rastafarian, says Graphic Showbiz.
On his new album is a song
titled Queen of Queens, which is creating a lot of controversy. This song,
Marley says, he sings in praise of Holy Mary. He performed it at shows a few
times and Rastafarians are calling it blasphemous and a departure from what
rastafari stands for.
Recently on a programme
hosted by Praim I of Radio Gold, there were some Rastafarians on the panel
breathing fire and brimstone and calling for something to be done to stop
Shasha from denigrating the name of God and King Selassie.
They argued that reggae
arose out of the chanting of psalms to the praise of the one who sits on the
throne of King David. And since that person is King Selassie any reggae music
sung not in his honour but in another person’s honour is tantamount to
idolatry.
When this reporter
contacted President Kex, who was on the said radio programme and is one of the
people calling for Marley to end his blasphemy, he confirmed the story, but
said they did not really have a problem with Shasha. “He made a song and used Burning spear’s tune and in this song he
was singing praise to Holy Mary. And as far as we rasta people are concerned
that was singing praise to the catholic faith which is totally against
rastafari”. He contended that burning spear is a very respected raggae group in
the rasta community and so it was wrong to use their tune which had spiritual
meaning to sing someone else’s praise.
It is not only the new
song that has brought problems to Shasha. His representation of a catholic monk
of the Franciscan order by the wearing of a cassock and hood is also loathed by
Rastafarians. “All the things he wear are a Vatican representation and I don’t
see how he can say he is catholic and a Rastafarian at the same time”, said
President Kex.
GRi…/
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A 30-year old vulcaniser, and father of two, Dumenu Mensah, alias
Macho, was found 'hanged in his uncompleted three bedroom house at 'Low Cost', a
suburb of Hohoe in the Volta region.
The P&P says its
information revealed that "Macho" probably committed this gruesome
act, because of his growing fear of serving a longer jail sentence, after being
remanded in custody at the Ho Central Prisons for two weeks for pulling his
neighbours manhood and causing him extensive pain during a fight last year.
According to his close friend and co-worker Kobla, alias "Azanman," ever since he returned from remand, he had been entertaining the fear that he would be serving a longer term, if judgement was passed on the case. His co-worker noted that the deceased always recalled the bitter and difficult experience that he had during his time in remand, and he greatly feared going back.
Kobla indicated that he
was with the deceased the night before he died, and he even wrote a letter for
him to his sister in Kumasi.
The contents centred on his pending court case and the financial
difficulties he was facing, therefore he was pleading with his sister to help
him. All this while, Kobla said there was nothing to show that
"Macho" was hatching such a diabolic plan.
Amidst tears, his new wife
Akua Okyere, who is about four months pregnant, said during the past week, the
husband was very depressed and was saying very strange things.
GRi…/
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