Atulbabisi Day-care Centre at standstill

Vice-presidency is creation of Constitution - Dr Quashigah

Parents of rape victims asked not to accept compensation

Abingya appointed Acting Minister of Mines and Energy

Asabigi calls for change of attitude towards disabled

Photographers asked to use camera for social causes

Ghana Oil Company denies adulterating fuel

Gov’t urged to grant waiver to Media Houses

Let us rededicate ourselves to a multicultural world -Annan

Increase poverty alleviation Fund - government told

Rawlings leaves for ECOWAS summit in Lome

Assembly rehabilitates feeder roads

Bolgatanga (Upper East), 8^th December 99

The Bolgatanga District Assembly has been called upon to see to the immediate completion of the Atulbabisi Day-care Centre, in Bolgatanga.

Funds were given to the assembly for the building in 1996 by the European Union (EU) through its Micro-Projects Management Unit, but the project is still not completed.

Mr. Richard Asimah, a concerned citizen of Atulbabisi, in Bolgatanga, said this when he met with the press to express his concern about the uncompleted school building.

Mr. Asimah explained that he was moved by the plight of little children usually left in the care of older siblings or house helps and thought that a day care centre would be a better place for them.

He said he started the school in 1995 in a wooden structure and later applied for assistance from the EU to put up a better structure for the children.

"Right now, the children are at the mercy of the strong harmattan winds as there are no windows to prevent dust from being blown into the classroom", Mr. Asimah added.

He also expressed concern at the slow pace of work on the Bolgatanga Central Market being carried out under the World Bank Urban Three Projects.

He said many traders who were dislodged from the market have still not been able to find suitable places.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 9 Dec. ’99

Dr Kofi Quashigah, a senior lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, on Wednesday said the office of Vice-President owes its existence to the Constitution and not to the Presidency.

He said even though the Vice-President is designated by the presidential candidate before elections, he is nevertheless, elected by the electorate, quoting Article 60 (2) of the Constitution to buttress his assertion.

Dr Quashigah was leading a round-table discussion on the "Vice-President (Succession) Bill, 1999", which, among other things, seeks to provide for the appointment and removal of the Vice-President in certain cases.

A memorandum accompanying the two-clause bill explained that the Constitution is silent on the appointment to the office of Vice-President, where the incumbent dies, resigns or is removed from office.

The Constitution also does not stipulate what should happen when the Vice-President joins a party in opposition to the President.

The bill, therefore, seeks to fill these loopholes, using the residual powers of Parliament in Article 298 of the Constitution.

The legislature is mandated to provide for matters to be dealt with where there is no provision or by necessary implication in the Constitution, to deal with them.

While most of the participants at the forum did not find any fault with clause one of the bill, which provides for the succession of the Vice-President, they found clause two, which deals with the vacation of office of the Vice-President, very controversial.

Clause one states in part that ''subject to Article 60 (2) of the Constitution, the President shall designate a successor to the office of the Vice-President for the unexpired term if the incumbent dies, resigns or is removed from office".

Clause Two, among other things, states: "If the Vice-President conducts himself in a manner likely to or in such a manner as to bring him into direct conflict with the President, he shall be deemed to have resigned his office".

Dr Quashigah said the Vice-President exists and is in office not at the will and pleasure of the President but by virtue of the Constitution.

He saw the bill as a proposed amendment or alteration of certain matters of Chapter Eight of the Constitution, saying the chapter is an entrenched provision and must be amended or altered in consonance with Chapter 25 of Article 290 of the Constitution.

He said the purported exercise of the powers of Parliament under Article 298 of the Constitution, is made subject to the provisions of Chapter 25 of the Constitution.

Dr Quashigah, therefore, said Article 290 (Chapter 25) amendment procedure requires a referendum.

"A constitutionally proper amendment or alteration as is being proposed in the bill, must go through the referendum process".

Dr Quashigah said that Clause 2 (2) of the bill raises some important constitutional questions.

He asked: "who determines that the conduct of the Vice-President is likely to or is such as to bring him into direct conflict with the President.

Again, he wanted to know whether it would be the President, the Legislature or the court, for instance, that would effect the removal from office in case the Vice-President does not consider himself as having resigned.

He questioned whether the letter and spirit of the Constitution permit the degree of subjection of the Vice-President to the 'whims and caprices' of the President as Clause 2 (2) seeks to imply.

Attempting to find answers to the questions, Dr Quashigah said it would almost invariably be the President who would determine the existence of a conduct that is likely to bring about the conflict.

He said in the absence of a clear indication, the answer to the second question follows from the first, that it would be the President himself who would likely enforce his decision.

He acknowledged that the executive authority of the country is vested in the President under Article 58 (1), but pointed out that with certain exceptions and restrictions, the President has authority for the government of the Ghana.

Nevertheless, he said, the Constitution considers the government as an entity different from, and wider than the President.

"Executive power, though vested in the President, is made subject to other provisions of the Constitution", he added.

Some of the contributors said since a Vice-President, who has become President as a result of the death, resignation or removal of the incumbent, can appoint a Vice-President, it stands to reason that the sitting President can also appoint a Vice-President when he dies, resigns or is removed from office.

Other contributors urged the legislature to resist any attempt to create a condition that would make it easier for the President to remove the Vice-President.

While a contributor noted that Clause 2 (2) of the bill attempts to make the Vice-President a mere appendage to the President another wondered whether it would be in the interest of the nation in a situation where there is a conflict between the President and the Vice-President.

Mr Justice V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe, a former Judge of the Superior Court of Judicature and former Electoral Commissioner chaired the function.

He commended the National Democratic Institute (NDI), sponsors of the forum and invited views on the bill from the public to enable the country to have a consensus on the legislation.

"We all have a stake in the matter. The issues raised in the bill are not for the legislators alone".

Participants included Members of Parliament and representatives from political parties, the government, academia, civil society, media, donor and diplomatic communities.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 9 Nov. ’99

Mrs. Dorcas Coker- Appiah, a member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) on Wednesday advised parents of rape victims not to accept compensation from rapists but to seek redress from the law courts.

"If we do not expose the perpetrators, they will continue with their deeds," Mrs Coker-Appiah said at a seminar on "Violence against Women."

It was organised by the Allied Women Group of the Mount Olivet Methodist Church at Dansoman in collaboration with Women in Law and Development (WILDAF) in Accra.

The seminar aims at educating and building consensus among women to protect themselves from all forms of violence.

She said most parents and families refuse to report rape cases because they do not want to tarnish their image.

Mrs Coker-Appiah noted that women and children, who keep mute over rape issues or report it very late make the work of law enforcing officers difficult and complicated since the evidence must have been destroyed.

"Some of these children and women who are raped go through a long time of trauma which could jeopardise their future."

Mrs Coker-Appiah, who is also the National co-ordinator of WILDAF, said records of reported rape cases indicate that the rapist either lives within the same community or is a family relation.

She said rapists should be given the needed education adding, "if we do not do anything about it, the practice will continue."

Ms Lucy Osei, Executive Secretary of WILDAF, noted that domestic violence against women is mainly the result of alcoholism and drug abuse.

Ms Osei appealed to Members of Parliament and the assembly members to encourage the formation of community watchdog committees to patrol the streets to protect life and property in Dansoman.

Ms Theresa Amerley Tagoe, MP for the area, who chaired the function, said most of the problems "in our communities are due to lack of communication on the part of parents".

She urged parents to have time for their wards so that they will be able to come out with issues affecting them.

Ms Tagoe advised the participants to make good use of institutions such as FIDA, Women and Juvenile Unit of the Police Service and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice when the need arises.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 9 Dec. ’99

President Jerry John Rawlings on Wednesday appointed Mr. Simon Abingya, a Deputy Minister and Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga, to act as the Minister of Mines and Energy.

A release signed by the Secretary to the President, Mr. J. L. M. Amissah said Mr Abingya would act pending the appointment of a substantive Minister.

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Tamale (Northern Region) 9 Dec. ’99

Mr. San Nasamu Asabigi, Deputy Northern Regional Minister, said on Wednesday that the government is committed to a policy of reintegrating disabled persons into the society to make them assets rather than liabilities.

The Government has, therefore, taken measures to improve facilities in all schools for the disabled to enable them to acquire and improve on their skills, the Deputy Minister said at a public forum in Tamale to mark "International Day for People with Disabilities".

It was on the theme "Disability, a visible human right" and aimed at sensitising the public about the plight of the disabled.

Mr. Asabigi said in designing public structures, care should be taken to recognise the peculiar needs of the disabled and called for a change of attitude towards the disabled and they should also be treated with respect and dignity.

Mr. Justice Seidu Mumuni, Vice President of the Organisation of People with Disability (OPWD), expressed regret that "issues about the disabled are not treated with so much concern as those about women and children".

Other speakers at the forum appealed to the public to desist from using derogatory names against the disabled.

They commended Action on Disability and Development, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) concerned with the plight of the disabled, for its untiring efforts to integrate people with physical disabilities into society.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 9 Dec. ’99

Mr. Kofi Sekyiamah, Director of the Information Services Department, on Wednesday called on photographers to use the camera to win support for social causes such as the fight against poverty, homelessness, AIDS, refugee crises and environmental degradation.

He said "your pictures have moved people to respond to crisis situations in times of famine, war and floods".

Mr Sekyiamah was speaking at the congress of the Ghana Union of Professional Photographers (GUPP) in Accra.

The congress, on the theme "Challenges of the Photo Industry in Ghana - Its impact as a partner in national building in the next millennium" was attended by more than 300 delegates.

Photography, just like the written word is a permanent way of recording vivid events and activities going on in the country.

"The reliance on images for knowledge has become even more significant in this visual age where the mass media has gradually converted our world of reading into viewing".

Mrs Felicia Abban, Ghana's first woman professional photographer and the National Chairperson of GUPP, said the photo industry in Ghana has seen dramatic changes since its introduction to the then Gold Coast.

She said the changes had reflected on equipment and training for photographers with technology playing more roles by taking over some of the traditional human roles.

The union was formed 12 years ago with a total membership of 1,080, "this has dropped to only 30 due to problems facing it", Mr Dan Jim Selassie, General Secretary of GUPP said.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 9 Dec. ’99

The Management of Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) on Thursday denied that a fuel station at Abofu, near Achimota, which allegedly adulterated kerosene with diesel, belongs to it.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by Mr Yaw Agyemang-Duah, Acting Managing Director, said GOIL has no station at Abofu.

"This is clearly evident from the colours at the station which did not reflect the GOIL colours and an interview with the dealers would have confirmed that the station is under some other oil company."

The statement said GOIL management has for sometime now withdrawn from the sponsorship of a number of resell outlets it sponsored in the past.

Most of these have been closed down or are operating under other oil companies.

Police on Tuesday ordered the closure of a diesel-dispensing pump at Achimota filling station, which the police said belong to Ghana Oil Company (GOIL) distributor, Alhaji Issah Mohammed

This followed preliminary investigations by a team from the Ministry of Mines and Energy which indicated that there had been adulteration of diesel with kerosene.

It said it has noted with embarrassment news items on alleged adulteration of diesel with Kerosene at the Achimota taxi park GOIL station.

"Management regrets any actions which might have been taken by the dealer, attendants and/or others", which lead the team to make the observations carried in the media.

It said it is investigating allegations of adulteration at some Goil stations and would take action against those found guilty.

Meanwhile, it has directed its stations to stop the sale of gasoline (petrol) and gasoline (diesel) to those who visit them to buy these products in jerrycans and drums.

The statement said management supports the work being done to thwart the actions of people who make it almost impossible for those in need of kerosene to get the product.

The management cautioned its customers to be ware of some of these stations that claim to be GOIL outlets.

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Tamale (Northern Region) 9 Dec. ’99

The government has been called upon to grant media houses duty waivers on equipment they import, to make their services more affordable to the people.

A resolution issued at the end of a two-day workshop at Tamale on "the role of the media in the promotion and protection of human rights", also called for freedom to information and asked that criminal libel and the other obnoxious laws in the status books should be abolished.

. It was organised by Amnesty International, Ghana.

The participants included media practitioners, trade unionists and police officers.

It called on media houses to create human rights desks in order to monitor and report on human right issues effectively.

The resolution condemned a number of "pervasive and degrading" human rights violations against women in the Northern region including ostracising aged women to witch camps, wife battering and "wife pensioning" by some Muslim husbands to enable them marry more wives.

It called on the Ministry of Education to include human rights education in the school curriculum to imbue human rights culture in Ghanaians from infancy.

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Accra (Greater Accra) 9 Dec. ’99

Mr. Kofi Annan, UN Secretary-General, has urged the world to rededicate itself to the ideals of a multicultural world where all races and ethnic groups coexist peacefully.

In a statement to mark Human Rights Day which falls tomorrow, Friday, December 10, Mr. Annan said such an ideal can be achieved, adding that diversity and tolerance makes every nation and every people better, stronger and richer in human spirit.

He said although the century has seen real progress towards human rights and equality for all, regardless of race or ethnicity, more work has to be done.

Mr. Annan noted that racism, discrimination, bigotry and intolerance have been at the root of the greatest crimes and bloodiest wars of this century and urged the world to renew efforts to defeat racism in all its forms.

"For every man or woman able to live without fear of persecution, too many people have been murdered for no other reason than that they were born into a particular group."

Mr. Annan said the scars of the past decade - Rwanda, Bosnia, Kosovo - remind the world of how racism can destroy the very fabric of humanity.

"As we cross into the new century, let us do our part to advance understanding and defeat racism by embracing diversity, by teaching tolerance and by treating every human being with the dignity he or she deserves."

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Cape Coast (Central Region), 9^th December 99

The Central Regional Youth Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Kwaku Agyensam, has appealed to the government to increase the Poverty Alleviation Fund to 50 per cent of the common fund.

Mr. Agyensam said the present 20 per cent, is inadequate to make any meaningful impact on efforts to improve the lives of the people.

He made the suggestion at a seminar organised for constituency youth organisers at Cape Coast at which they discussed government’s policies and programmes and mapped out strategies for next year's electioneering campaign.

Mr. Agyensam deplored the attitude of some beneficiaries of the fund who have refused to pay it back and said they should erase the misconception that the loans are gifts to enable others to benefit from it.

"Our attitudes to loans from the government must change for the better if we want improvements in life".

He asked the youth to take advantage of facilitates provided by the Intermediate Technology Transfer Unit (ITTU), Youth In Agriculture, Village Infrastructure Project and the Poverty Alleviation Fund to better their lot.

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Accra (Greater Accra), 9^th December 99

President Jerry John Rawlings left Accra on Thursday for Lome, Togo, to attend the 22nd Ordinary Session of ECOWAS Heads of State Summit.

He was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. James Victor Gbeho, and Mr. Victor Selormey, Deputy Minister of Finance.

Other members of the delegation are Mr. Dan Abodakpi, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas, a Deputy Minister of Education, and Mr. Osei Kumah, Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana.

Mr. Joseph Laryea, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, told newsmen that the two-day summit is expected, for the first time in so many years, to be dominated by economic and financial issues because of the progress of peace and democratic reforms in former conflict torn member-states such as Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau and Niger.

The summit, which was preceded by the Council of Ministers meeting and that of the ECOWAS Foreign Ministers, will examine the report of the Executive Secretary.

It is also expected to focus on the acceleration of the integration process to create a more viable market and foster institutional capacity for co-operation in the sub-region.

Mr. Laryea said the summit will examine the financial situation of ECOWAS, including the ECOWAS Fund, non-payment of contributions and sanctions against defaulters.

It is expected to reaffirm its commitment to jointly implement the ECOWAS energy programme and encourage increased private sector involvement in the development of energy production facilities.

The summit, which begins on Thursday, will review the security situations in the sub-region with the view to consolidating the peace processes and democratic reforms in former conflict ridden countries.

Other issues to be discussed include ECOWAS moratorium on the importation, exportation and manufacture of light weapons and small arms, a political dialogue between ECOWAS and EU to widen the scope of co-operation in matters of conflict resolution.

The climax of the summit, according to the deputy minister, will be the election of a new Chairman for the ECOWAS.

President Rawlings and his entourage were seen off by Vice-President John Atta Mills, Inspector General of Police Peter Nanfuri, Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Ben Akafia and some Ministers of state.

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Breman Asikuma,(Central Region) 9^th December 99

The Asikuma -Odoben-Brakwa District Assembly has spent 15 million cedis to rehabilitate a number of feeder roads to facilitate farmers bringing their produce to marketing centres.

Mr. Kweku Addai, the District Chief Executive, named some of the roads as Toboase-Ewusikwa, Toboase-Ohurubo, Eduman-Ohiada, Gyamera-Akwawase, Gyamera-Patukyere, Edumanu-Kofi and Ninsin-Otabilkrom.

He said the assembly also reconditioned a bridge at 13 million cedis at Ekumfi, a suburb of Asikuma.

Mr. Addai said the assembly has spent four million cedis to procure electricity poles to help complete electrification projects at Breman Womanso and Breman Amoanda.

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