Annan receives Nobel Prize on Monday
Let’s have genuine reconciliation – Wereko Ampem
Seventy per
cent cases at CHRAJ are labour issues
CPP will capture the Presidency in 2004
Annan receives Nobel Prize Monday
Ghanaian born United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, will today receive the Centenary Nobel Peace Prize award for his meritorious effort to achieve “a more peaceful world” at a ceremony in the Norwegian capital, Oslo.
Annan, 63, the world’s topmost civil servant, and the body that the heads are joint winners of the coveted prize. The Nobel Peace Prize was named after Swedish philanthropist and inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel.
He will collect a medal and traditional certificates at the Oslo Twin-tower City Hall in the full glare of a galaxy of distinguished laureates.
Mr Annan and the UN will share the prize worth $946,200 equally. In the hall to witness Mr Annan’s glorious, moment will be some heads of State, including Ghana’s President John Agyekum Kufuor, who has described him as “an eminent statesman and an accomplished peace marker”.
The Nobel Peace Prize Committee is on record as having said that the UN, under Annan, has worked for human rights and to defuse global conflicts.
The committee submitted that Annan has brought a new life into the global organisation. Again, he has worked relentlessly, even in the face of new challenges such as HIV/AIDS and international terrorism, and brought about efficient use of the UN’s modest resources.
It also acknowledged that Annan has devoted virtually all his working life to achieve the goals of the UN. World leaders do nto dispute that the committee made a wise choice. The congratulatory messages from many of the world leaders, including Britain’s Tony Blair, which greeted the announcement of the award to Annan and the UN, attest to the fact that the right choice had been made. France’s Jacques Chirac described Annan as an embodiment of peace and reconciliation.
The list of former winners expected to attend looks like a “Who is Who” of recent world conflicts, with names like Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama, Lech Walesa, David Trimble and John Hume, figuring among people who have said they will attend.
Mikhail Gorbachev has cancelled, and it is clear that both Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat will have problems attending he celebrations.
One former winner who cannot attend, but will be very much missed is the Burmese activist, Aung San Suu Kyi, currently under house arrest by the Myanmar military regime.
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Let’s have genuine reconciliation – Wereko Ampem
The Gyaasehene of Akuapem and Chief of Amanokrom, Nana Wereko Ampem, has added his voice to calls for a genuine reconciliation in the country.
Nana Wereko Ampem said reconciliation is only justified when negative forces of attrition have destabilised the component parts of the nation’s body politics resulting in the need to re-establish peace and stability.
The Gyaasehene was speaking at the centenary celebration of the Osu Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Accra, on the theme ‘Hold fast unto the Great Commission’.
He said the numerous social and political tensions, which have the tendency of tearing society apart are negative forces of destruction which undermine the very foundations of society.
Nana Wereko, who chaired the function, reminded the congregation that however negative the pressures there may be, they should not forget of other positive forces which operate to absorb and minimize the shocks of disintegration.
He said one of such forces is Christianity, which has contributed tremendously to the development of the nation. He said Christians in general and Presbyterians in particular, have everything to be proud of because of the immense contribution, which the church has made towards the development of Ghana.
On her part, the minister of state at the office of the President, Ms Elizabeth Ohene, who was the guest-of-honour, said education holds the key to progress and the solution to many of the problems that the country faces.
She said churches in Ghana has always been linked with education and that Presbyterian schools are easily distinguished by the behaviour of their students and the orderly nature of their campuses.
She noted that ‘Presbyterianism’ evokes images of strict discipline, hard work and the dislike for ostentation, which has been constructive and crucial to the development of Ghana. Ms Ohene asked the congregation to be guided by the virtues of Christianity in their everyday lives.
The second minister in charge of the Osu Presbyterian Church, Rev Adjei Mantey, said that as part of the centenary celebrations, the church will embark on evangelism to win more souls to the church. He said they will also donate to the orphanages and some selected hospitals.
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Government borrowing from the central bank is to be limited to 10 per cent of total revenue. This forms part of proposals contained in the Bank of Ghana Bill currently before the Finance Committee of Parliament. Mrs Grace Coleman, a Deputy Finance Minister, who disclosed this, said the proposal to legislate the limit to government borrowing is to ensure fiscal discipline and put the macro economic fundamentals of the country on a right footing.
She was speaking at a three-day workshop organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) for members of the Finance Committee to discuss the bill, which is aimed at reviewing the existing BOG Law at Akosombo.
Mrs Coleman said the review of the law has become necessary in view of the inconsistencies in the existing law vis-a-vis the 1992 Constitution and assert the independence of the Central Bank as a result of the weaknesses inherent in the present law.
She cited, for instance, that while the Constitution mandated the central bank to be operationally independent, the BOG Law, PNDCL 291, maintained a dependent central bank, allowing for frequent controls and consultation on such matters as money supply and prices, exchange rate, appointment of directors, among others.
Another inconsistency is the fact that while the 1992 Constitution stipulates that tenure of the governor shall be four years, the existing law gives the tenure as five years.
The bill also seeks to limit the situations in which the BOG must consult and seek approval from government by making the BOG operationally independent but with limited governmental control and accountable to Parliament in the area of foreign exchange receipts and payment. It will also insulate the bank from political influence.
The board will also now approve the form, design, denominations, weight and composition of currency notes and coins instead of the Minister of Finance. This will be consistent with Article 183 of the Constitution, which stipulates that BOG is the authority to issue the currency of Ghana.
Mrs Coleman said the regulatory and legal framework governing the operations of BOG were not revised in tandem with changing trends in the financial sector, thus further rendering the central bank ineffective.
“And so, as government engaged in excessive borrowing, the bank had no legal instrument to deal with the problem,” she said, adding that the existing law also allowed the bank to guarantee external loans to “any person in Ghana”. Some of the private guarantees were abused, she said.
Mrs Coleman noted that the government inherited an economy characterised by high interest rates, a high rate of inflation, a constantly depreciating cedi against major foreign currencies and excessive government borrowing.
According to her, although many reasons can be assigned for this, one major contributory factor was the fact that the BOG lacked the independence and legal authority to deal with the many issues that arose over price stabilisation and monetary policy, without interference from government.
The deputy minister said the bill is, therefore, intended to address the problems and strengthen the bank for the overall good of the country.
She said the bill will, among others, refocus and redefine the objectives and functions of the central bank, harmonise the inconsistencies between the Bank of Ghana Law 1992 (PNDCL 291) and the 1992 Constitution, strengthen the legal and regulatory framework to ensure true independence of the bank and improve efficiency of operation and address weaknesses identified in the operations of the bank and the existing law.
Mrs Coleman commended the IEA for sponsoring the workshop and urged the institute to continue with its good initiatives.
A Deputy Governor of the BOG, Mr L. Van Lare Dosoo, said the bill has included the formulation and implementation of monetary policy, regulation of payment and settlement systems as part of the functions of a modern central bank.
He pointed out that such functions are part of the core pre-conditions for the achievement of price stability. He said the creation of a Monetary Policy Committee and Audit Committee in the bill will enhance the formulation of critical monetary policies by the board while the audit committee will assist the board establish and monitor the BOG’s accounting policies and procedures.
GRi…/
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The Prisons
Administration has effected some changes in the command structure of the
Prisons Service to bring efficiency into it in line with the new direction the
service intends to move.
This was
contained in a release issued by the Service in Accra on Sunday. The release
stated that Mr J.K. Bebli, Deputy Director of Prisons in charge of Services at
the Headquarters, moves to Ankaful as the Central Regional Commander, Mr Ben
Quaye, Deputy Director in charge of Eastern Region, moves to Ho as Volta
Regional Commander while Mr Kofi Bansah, Deputy Director in charge of Volta
Region, moves to Nsawam Medium Security Prisons.
Ms Matilda
Baffour-Awuah, Deputy Director in charge of Inmates and Female Affairs at the
Headquarters, moves to Koforidua as the Eastern Regional Commander, Mr William
Kwadwo Asiedu, Deputy Director of Prisons in charge of Training and Research
Headquarters, moves to Sekondi as the Western Regional Commander and Commander
of Sekondi Central Prisons while Mr Osei Bonsu, Deputy Director of Prisons at
the Headquarters also moves to the James Camp Prison as the Commander.
The dates
of the appointments vary from December 6 to January 30, 2002.
Seventy
per cent cases at CHRAJ are labour issues
About 70
per cent of cases reported to the Commission for Human Rights and
Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) are labour related issues. The cases are largely
dominated by unlawful dismissal of employees, non-payment of End-of-Service
Benefit (ESB) and employers’ aversion to unionisation and collective
bargaining.
The
Director of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) responsible for Ghana
and Nigeria, Mr Cornelius Dzakpasu, said these when the leadership of the ILO
paid a courtesy call on the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Freddie
Blay, in Accra on Thursday.
The call
was to enable them to discuss matters of mutual interest and the Declaration on
Fundamental Principles and Rights of Work. Mr Dzakpasu observed that even
though Ghana was making efforts to consolidate human rights in order to
solidify its democratic principles, many problems tended to obstruct the
realization of the objectives of the declaration.
He said the
existing mechanism for the resolution of dispute could no longer facilitate
early settlement of industrial conflicts. “Because of that the ILO provided
assistance for the new Government and the social partners to review the draft
labour market environment, and the promotion of industrial peace and economic
growth” he stated.
The
reviewed draft labour bill, which has been approved by the relevant cabinet
sub-committee, according to Mr Dzakpasu, is presently before the full cabinet
prior to its presentation to parliament.
He hoped
that by April next year, the Bill would be passed into law for a proposed Technical
Control Programme, also by the ILO, to be launched.
Based on
the request of the Government of Ghana (GOG), ILO was determined to prepare a
technical cooperation programme report to facilitate the achievement of the
provisions of the declaration.
On his
part, Mr Freddie-Blay, pledged that work on the Bill would be done
expeditiously, immediately it gets to parliament to avert the numerous reports
being made to CHRAJ.
Commending the
ILO’s team in Ghana who could help in examining the bill, the First Deputy
Speaker of Parliament appealed to them not to relent in their effort but make
stride to ensure the security of the labour force.
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The Member
of Parliament for the Ga-North Constituency, Mr S.O. Darko, has said that the
success and failure of an election depends solely on the youth. He indicated
that the youth are the very people who are selected as electoral officials to
manage the electoral processes.
Mr Darko
made this remarks at the inaugural ceremony at the Ga-North Youth Wing of the
NPP at the weekend. He explained that since the youth play a sensitive role in
the electoral processes, other parties with mischievous intentions can easily
manipulate them to achieve their objectives.
He added
that if the Youth are not extremely determined they are likely to be swayed to
alter electoral results before even provisional results are made public.
Mr Darko
assured the youth especially the unemployed to remain calm since government is
working assiduously round the clock to fulfil all the electioneering promises.
He noted that the unemployment registration exercise embarked on recently is a
strategic mechanism devised to place everyone in a fitting job area of ability
at the appropriate time.
He debunked
the idea that the exercise is a political trick, which will not yield any
result. Mr Darko urged the youth to collaborate with other wings to work hard
to entrench the power at their disposal.
Speaking at
the inaugural ceremony the Ghana High Commissioner to India, Prof Mike Ocquaye
said government has created the enabling environment for everyone to exhibit
his talent. In this regard, he called on all the youth to embark on cottage
industry to make ends meet.
He said if
they work this way, it’s then that they will become partners in government, in
positive change, golden age of business and part of the President’s own
initiative.
He asked
the youth to come up with innovative ideas for consideration by the top
hierarchy. He urged the youth to be defenders of the fragile democracy and the
ideologies of NPP. He said the youth should be alert of any craft ploy of the
erstwhile NDC to topple the ruling government.
GRi…/
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The Ministry
of Local Government and Rural Development has forwarded the names of ten
District Chief Executives (DCEs) to the Attorney General to be prosecuted for
various offences against the State.
As at
Sunday, specific charges had not been preferred but sources at the AG’s Office
hinted that the ten could be facing charges of misapplication of funds,
embezzlement and criminal misuse of state resources involving billions of state
funds.
Those on
the list are Emmanuel Dwamena-Bekoe, former District Chief Executive of the
Auogyaman District Assembly now Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, Alhaji
Issah Abah, formerly of Saboba/Chereponi District Assembly and now MP of
Chereponi and Emmanuel Adu-Boateng the former Chief Executive of New Juaben
Municipal Assembly. Adu Boateng was also the NDC Chairman for Koforidua.
Others are
Alhaji Seidu Amidu of the Nanumba District Assembly, Collins Owusu-Appiah of
the Fanteakwa District Assembly, Col. Lord Sarfo of the Affram Plains District
Assembly, B.K. Nyame of the Nkwanta District Assembly, Thomas E. Kwesi of the
Jomoro District Assembly and O.S. Agyeman of the Adansi East District Assembly.
The names
of the ten were forwarded after an audit report by the Auditor General
initiated by the Ministry of local Government and Rural Development found
various levels of malfeasance against them.
The ten
former DCEs are not the only former high-ranking NDC operatives to come to
terms with some bad news related to their conduct whiles in office. Another six
out of 17 former DCEs cleared by the Auditor General to receive their
End-of-Service Benefits (ESB) have had their decision reversed as a result of
adverse findings against them.
According
to sources at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, the
decision to reverse their clearance followed fresh evidence of malfeasance
involving them in the administration of their various assemblies.
The
ministry had previously sent a memo to President John Kufuor clearing the 17 to
receive their ESBs. “This re-examination has revealed new concerns that ought
to be addressed or resolved before payment of their benefits could be
affected,” a source at the Ministry quoting the memo, told this paper.
Among the
DCEs affected by a freeze in the ESBs are Peter Anarfi Mensah of Ahafo Ano
North, Anthony Kusi of Ahafo Ano South, and Victoria Adzo Naza Gidiglo of
Akatsi and Nene Narh Dongoyoe Osabutey of Yilo Krobo.
According
to our sources, in the Ahafo Ano South, an amount of ¢34 million slated for
rural electrification and other purposes was diverted into election expenses.
The Dangbe West and the Jasikan District Assemblies spend ¢46.3 million and ¢60
million respectively, in building structures for the 31st December
Women’s Movement.
The
Nkoranza DCE spent over ¢30 million as drink gifts and another ¢29.9 million on
elections. In the Ahafo Ano North District, an amount of ¢450,000 was paid to a
contractor for a stadium project which is yet to take off.
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The
National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has turned the heat on the Ministry of
Education to come out with its position on students paying full fees in public
universities after the Public Agenda brought the practice to light a month ago.
“The Union
regrets that ever since the said issue cropped up, nothing official has been
heard from the Ministry apart from the verbal promises you have made in some
media houses to set up a committee to probe into the issue; even though the
Union informally drew your attention to this issue on the 1st of
October 2001 at a meeting in the Castle with the President,” NUGS wrote in a
letter to the Minister of Education, Professor Ameyaw-Ekumfi.
The letter
said NUGS wants to remind the Minister that some students from the University of
Ghana, University of Cape Coast and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology have been admitted on “Full fee paying basis” and NUGS will
therefore like the Ministry to state its official position on the said issue,
and what steps have been taken to prevent the reoccurrence of such a policy
come next academic year.
NUGS also
wants the Minister to furnish her with the government policy on cost sharing as
it stands now. The student leadership also stated in the letter that the
practice was unconstitutional.
“We wish to
alert you on the fact that this policy contravenes the letter and spirit of the
1992 Constitution which seeks to make education equally accessible to all,
particularly, article 25 which states in part that tertiary education shall be
made progressively free.
Indeed the
Union believes that this policy is subtly crafted to make education the
preserve of the rich at the expense of brilliant-but-needy-would-be
tertiary-education-students in the country,” the letter said.
Public
Agenda first published the story in its October 12 – 18, 2001 issue. The paper
brought to light that the University of Ghana was admitting some students on
their ability to pay rather than on merit.
Students
studying Medicine were paying a whopping ¢14.5 million per annum per student.
Those in the humanities were paying as high as ¢5.014 million in academic user
fees. It subsequently came to light that the Ministry of Education and the
National Council were not consulted before the University started implementing
that decision.
The
National Council for Tertiary Education after Public Agenda’s exposure
initiated an investigation and has submitted its findings to the Minister of
Education. When Public Agenda contacted the Minister of Education, Prof Ameyaw
Ekumfi last Thursday, he said he had scheduled a meeting with the student
leadership to thrash out the issue on Friday.
Prof
Ameyaw-Ekumfi said he would also meet with the Council to discuss its findings
and recommendations in the report submitted to him last week.
GRi…/
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Chronicle intelligence has learnt that the Special Investigation Task Force (SITF) has began investigation into a ¢5 billion scandal involving the purchase of unauthorised military vehicles by the Ex-Defence Minister in the run up to the December 2000 elections.
Already, Chronicle has gathered that the SITF has invited Mr Totobi Quakyi, Ex
-Minister for National Security in connection with the investigation and he is expected
to make an appearance on Monday. Mr Totobi Quakyi confirmed to the Chronicle last
Friday that he had been invited and in connection with the importation of the military
vehicles by the Ex-Defence Minister.
The SITF investigations into the importation of the unauthorised military vehicles
come four months after Chronicle exposed the deal.
A report of a Board of Enquiry instituted by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) into the
purchase of 30 Bedford vehicles and 15 Land Rovers in the run up to the December
elections indicted the former Minister for Defence, Lt. Col. E.K.T. Donkor, for
swerving the GAF to purchase the said vehicles.
The ages of the vehicles ranged between 15 and 28 years. The vehicles were impounded by the Customs Exercise and Preventive Services (CEPS) upon arrival at the Tema Harbour because they were over-aged.
It emerged that the former Defence Minister also violated the Ghana Armed Forces Procurement process. The vehicles did not also fall within the GAF specifications.
Chronicle reported in August this year that the arrival of the vehicles in the country
were planned to coincide with the December 2000 elections. According to intelligence reports, the clandestine importation of these vehicles into this country was part of a grand plan by some top hierarchy of the previous government to unleash terror on the electorate and destabilize the last elections.
According to intelligence reports, the said vehicles were used without number plates even though they were going to bear military colours.
Insiders told Chronicle in August this year that the former Minister for Defence, Lt. Col. E.K.T. Donkor, who was determined to meet the December deadline for the arrival of vehicles in the country shipped the consignment of vehicles at a ‘‘special cost’’. But luck eluded him as the shipping agent could not meet the December deadline.
By Armed Forces regulations, the former Minister for Defence has no powers to decide by himself to import vehicles for the Ghana Armed Forces because it does not fall under his jurisdiction.
Chronicle source within the Armed forces explained that the decision to purchase the vehicles if it was without ulterior motive should have begun from the Supply and Transport (S&T) Department.
From the S& T level the sources noted that the transaction should have been evaluated by the Armed Forces Procurement Department after which, it should have been scrutinized by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS). The above procedure was not followed by the Minister, who single-handedly handled the transaction.
“E.K.T. Donkor was not just an ordinary Minister; he was a former military officer. He knew that he was not supposed to do what he did but he has done it on several occasions and the time has come for him to face the consequences,” Chronicle sources said in June.
After several months of waiting Chronicle could not obtain an official response from the Armed Forces. It therefore made a protest call on the new Minister of Defence, Dr Addo Kufour, in August this year.
The affable Minister (Addo Kufour) declined to disclose the findings and recommendations of the Board of Enquiry because, according to him, he had forwarded it to the Attorney General for advice. “It is too early to comment on this report because it is too sensitive. It also borders on the man’s reputation so I have submitted the report to the A-G” the minister told Chronicle in August this year.
Another significant revelation involving the importation of the vehicles was that Lt. Col. E.K.T. Donkor allegedly hijacked the transaction from the original supplier and used his receipts/quotations to cover the cost of the deal.
Impeccable sources within the Armed Forces told Chronicle that after the Minister and the original supplier had completed arrangements regarding the supply of the vehicles, he (Minister) swerved the supplier and purchased the vehicles from an unknown source.
Upon his arrival in Ghana, the Ex-Minister allegedly presented the quotations/receipts he obtained from the original supplier to cover the transaction making it look as if it was the supplier who had sold the vehicles to the Ghana Armed Forces.
The initial supplier, whose name existed only on paper, was quoted to have told the board which investigated the scandal that he was himself looking for the Ex-Minister for causing financial loss to him as a result of expensive hotel bills.
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CPP will capture the Presidency in 2004
The Chairman of the Publicity Committee of the Convention People’s Party, Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has stated that the CPP will rise again and take its rightful position as the ruling party in 2004.
‘‘The CPP will rise again and take its rightful place in the struggle of the masses for Social Justice and Democracy.’’
Speaking at the consultative meeting of the Nkrumaists in Accra, he said the CPP is the only political vehicle, which is available to the masses in their bold confrontation with neo-colonialism and underdevelopment. He said the force of reaction, which planned the overthrow of the CPP and plotted to assassinate its leader have failed in their treacherous act.
“Every Ghanaian now knows that these forces are responsible for national retardation and the misery of the masses.” He called on the party members, activists and the entire citizenry to help rebuild the new CPP.
He said the CPP will lead the country to realise the aspirations of the masses for the
creation of a new social and political order founded on the principles of democracy.
On his part, Dr Adolf Lutterodt, Greater Accra Regional Chairman, called on members of the party to remain vigilant in the face of the negative propaganda being unleashed by the forces of reaction.
He said those who sought to destroy Nkrumah’s party, instead of continuing Osagyefo’s good deeds, destroyed the nation and gamble with its wealth and thus made us slaves of neo-colonialists.
GRi…/
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