Prosecution of top officials positive
Annan's ascent to the Pantheon of greatness
NDC urged to merge
affiliated bodies
Prosecution of top officials positive
The Commissioner of Human Rights and
Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Emile Short, has said the prosecution of
ministers and top public officials of both the past and present is a positive
development.
He said government’s efforts to develop a code
of conduct for executive and employees and the establishment of an office of
accountability within the Office of the President send signal to “all of us
holding public office that we shall be held accountable for the way we managed
the taxpayer’s money.
Mr Short said this when he addressed a ceremony
to mark Human Rights Day in Accra on Monday. It was under the theme
“Consolidating Democracy Trough the Advancement of Women and Children’s
Rights.’
He, however, reminded the government that the
successful fight against corruption requires collaboration between government
and key public and non-governmental organizations as well as the adoption of
concrete anti-corruption measures to tackle the root causes of corruption in a
holistic and comprehensive manner.
“The immediate challenge is for government to
join hands with others to implement the Action Plan to promote the fight
against corruption. It is only through cooperation and networking among
government, civil society organizations, religions bodies, the media and the
general public that the fight against corruption will be won,” he said.
He commended the proposed Protected Interest
Disclosure Bill as a potential weapon in arresting endemic corruption in the
country.
Mr Short expressed the hope that the bill would
remove the veil of secrecy surrounding information, which should be in the
public domain.
On the convention on Rights of the Child, the
commissioner called on the government to enforce the legislative enactment
criminalizing female genital mutilation and all forms of customary servitude. Mr
Short suggested the imposition of more non-custodial sentences as a means of
reducing congestion in the prisons.
The Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs,
Mrs Gladys Asmah, called on the Attorney General’s Department to empower state
attorneys to handle defilement cases, to ensure that the rights of the child
are protected at all times.
She decried the attitude of some parents and
guardians who collect monies from perpetrators of rape and defilement for an
out-of-court settlement of such cases. Mrs Asmah called for the establishment
of Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) of the Police Service in all districts in the
country.
More…/
The Director-General of the Prisons Service, Mr
Richard Kuuire, has stated that he has not acted contrary to the laid down
regulations by transferring 27 senior officers in the service.
He said the transfers are routine
administrative procedures that the Director-General is mandated by service
regulations to carry out to strengthen the efficiency of the service. The
Director-General, therefore, described as unfortunate agitations by a section
of those affected by the transfers to cause confusion in the service.
Mr Kuuire was speaking in an interview in Accra
on Monday in reaction to a report in an Accra weekly that tension is mounting
in the Prisons Service as a result of the mass transfers for which seven Deputy
Directors are reported to have petitioned President J.A. Kufuor for redress.
The Prisons boss said his office made the
transfers following administrative instructions from the Ministry of the
Interior to strengthen the service to enable it to deliver more efficiently.
Mr Kuuire said he did not, therefore,
understand why the officers affected by the transfers should attempt to incite
other colleagues to join them to cause confusion in the service, when they know
very well that six Deputy Directors who are serving in the regions are more
senior to some of the Deputy Directors at the headquarters in Accra. These
senior Deputy Directors, he said, are serving in the Eastern, Volta, Greater
Accra, Central, Western and Ashanti regions.
Mr Kuuire emphasized that the threat by the
affected officers to incite strike action would not succeed, because the
regional directors have assured him of their unflinching support to bring
sanity into the hierarchy of the service.
“I don’t see why they should complain of
transfers when their seniors are already out there in the field working hard,
despite the limitations, to make the best out of the situation,” he said.
Mr Kuuire said, “the service cannot continue to
have the best of its human resource at the headquarters while there are
numerous problems at the grassroots level which need to be tackled.”
He declared that the transfers are command
appointments aimed at strengthening the regional offices. The Director-General
said certain sections of the service are not performing well, hence the need to
restructure the various sections to bring them in line with the government’s
objective of making the service more proactive.
“We have not had a frontal attack on issues
like reformation, we have not developed the capacity for anger management,
alcohol management, sex offending behaviour of prisoners, cognition skills and
the general offending behaviour of prisoners,” he said.
Asked about what action will be taken against
those protesting against heir transfers, Mr Kuuire said “I will attempt to talk
to them to understand that the Prisons Service is highly disciplined, and they
as members of the top brass should use laid down procedures in resolving
whatever grievances they may have, instead of resorting to actions that will
create confusion and division in the service.”
Mr Kuuire assured the public that the country’s
prisons are secure, and that there is no immediate threat of a strike action.
More…/
Parliament has pledged to put in place the
necessary legal and regulatory framework that will make corruption a hazardous
venture, particularly to people in responsible positions.
The Majority Leader in Parliament, Papa
Owusu-Ankomah, who made the pledge, said when such rules are enacted,
corruption among both public office holders and society at large will be
reduced to the barest minimum.
He was speaking after a walk organized by the
Ghana Integrity Initiative to bring public office holders together to form a
common position on corruption in the country.
The two-hour walk, which started at the Holy
Gardens, Circle, and ended at the forecourt of Parliament House, was on the
theme "Declare for Integrity; Walk with your conscience."
Notable personalities who joined in the walk
were Mr Owusu-Ankomah, Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader in Parliament; Mrs
Gifty Afenyi-Dadzie, President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA); Mr
Larry Bimi, Chairman of National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE); Reverend
Dr Robert Aboagye-Mensah, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana;
some members of the Council of State, students and members of the general
public.
Amidst brass band music, the walk, which began
with less than 200 people, gradually gathered momentum with more people joining
in as they read flyers and posters given to them by the organizers of the walk.
Mr Owusu-Ankomah said corruption is on the rise
because punitive actions are hardly taken against those who engage in it. He
called on society to be each other's watchdog in the fight against corruption,
adding that, "corruption has eaten too deep into our moral fibre and it
must be stopped".
He said the declaration of zero-tolerance for
corruption by the government should chart the path for all to be intolerant to
practices that are a hindrance to the growth of society.
Mr Bimi stressed the need for the older ones in
society to educate the youth about the devastation effects of corruption in the
country. He said some 25 years ago, a similar walk was organized to create
awareness and expressed the hope that this time round, the message will go
deeper in the minds of people to sop being corrupt.
Mrs Afenyi-Dadzie said the media is yet to wage
a vigorous war against corruption in society. She said the media as the
watchdog of society will not relent in its efforts at exposing corrupt
practices in the society.
Mr Brian Sapati, acting Executive Director of
the Serious Fraud Office, who also joined in the walk, said the message should
not be confined to only those who joined in the walk but made accessible to
people from all walks of life.
He also stressed the need for the youth to be
educated more about the effects of corruption so that they do not engaged in
such a practice when they grow to assume responsible positions in society.
Reverend Dr Aboagye-Mensah said Ghanaians must
fight corruption with their heart and mind and called for God's blessings in
that direction.
Mr Yaw Asamoah, Executive Secretary of Ghana
Integrity Initiative, who spoke to the press, said the initiative has lined up
a number of activities including durbars, roundtable conferences to sensitize
the public on corruption and its effects.
GRi…/
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The Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Kofi
Konadu Apraku, has stated that the government is breaking away from tradition
of incoming governments seeing everything wrong in the programmes, policies and
projects of previous governments.
“This tradition in the past has made us neglect
and frustrate programmes which would have otherwise benefited the country a
great deal.”
The Minister said this on Monday at the opening
of the first Ghana Industrial and Commercial Estate Limited (GICEL) Trade
Exposition 2001 at Weija, near Accra. The ceremony also marked the formal
commissioning of the GICEL.
Dr Apraku noted that the tradition of
neglecting old projects, “only make us to turn round to initiate a similar one
at a general cost.” He assured that the government would continue all projects
initiated by previous governments “but where there is the need to fine-tune and
smoothen rough edges, we shall not hesitate to do so.”
To prove government’s commitment to continue
good and viable projects initiated by the previous governments, Dr Apraku said
that his ministry had set up a committee to assess GICEL with the view to
correcting all anomalies and make it play its role in the socio-economic lives
of Ghanaians.
Dr Apraku stated that the government has
initiated tax incentive package for small and medium-scale enterprises to
encourage them to produce more to feed the local market.
In a speech read on his behalf, the
vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, disclosed that the government would by the
end of next month remove the police barrier at Weija near the Kokrobite
junction to help reduce traffic congestion on Kasoa-Mallam Road.
More…/
The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ernest
Owusu-Poku, has stated that the Police should not consider the government
decision on the May 9 Accra Sports Stadium disaster as victimization of the
Policemen involved but the action be viewed as pursuing the rule of law in
pursuit of the truth.
“It was not anybody’s intention to cause harm but
our action led to the death of many Ghanaians,” he said adding, “after the
throwing of one or two tear gases, the aim could have been achieved but we
overreacted.”
Mr Owusu-Poku was addressing officers and men
of the Northern Regional Police Command at Tamale during his maiden visit to
the region. He said the police need to accept the decision in good faith
stressing that it was one of the risks they had to meet in their day-to-day
work.
The IGP said the use of force must be lawfully
desirable and achievable and cautioned “there is no need using force if a
suspect does not resist arrest.”
The IGP told the Police that in defending
themselves in times of an attack, they should not take the law into their
hands. The Police have rights like any citizen and one of them is the right to
survive.
The IGP warned members of the public who resort
to vandalizing police stations to desist from such acts since the police would
not sit down but defend themselves and the law would support them.
On study leave, Mr Owusu-Poku said that in view
of their low numerical strength, only 37 could be allowed to go for further
studies. He said more Policemen were needed to fight crime so they could not
release the 101 personnel who applied for study leave. He said no police
personnel had been withdrawn from study leave as reported by some newspapers.
On Peacekeeping operations, the IGP explained
that the selection of personnel was the prerogative of the UN and was done
through examination. The IGP advised police personnel to avoid illegal arrests,
unlawful detention of suspects, involvement in civil cases, land and
chieftaincy disputes, as well as bribery and corruption.
GRi…/
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Annan's ascent to the Pantheon of greatness
By Kofi Coomson
President
Kufour was on Monday beside himself with pride and joy like a parent witnessing
his ward collect a clutch of prizes at a school speech and prize-giving day as
Ghana's most famous son, Mr Kofi Annan, mounted the rostrum at the hometown of
Alfred Nobel to receive the most illustrious prize in the world-the Noble Peace
Prize.
The solemnity of the event and the sheer
importance of it sent goose pimples round the small number of Ghanaians who
witnessed the event live from their hotel rooms and the lone journalist from
Ghana present with this reporter to cover the event, Mr Yaw Owusu-Addo.
Mrs Nane Annan, wife of this preeminent
international public servant, who probably more than anyone else in the room
had reason to be proud and happy, watched the event closely sandwiched between
President Kufuor and his wife, Mrs Theresa Kufuor, with Mr Hackman Owusu
Agyemang, Minister of Foreign Affairs, all standing out in their eye catching
kente apparel in a packed sea of dark suits.
With Kufuor representing all of Ghana as
primary cheer-leader, the audience of the powerful and famous were treated to
an overflowing of superlatives by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel
Committee, Mr Gunnar Berge, before inviting him to deliver the Nobel Peace
Prize address:
"The only one of the UN's six
Secretaries-General who can be compared to Annan in personal force and
historical importance is Dag Hammarskjold, the UN's second Secretary-General,
the recipient of Nobel Peace Prize in 1961."
Probably more significant is the fulsome
recognition from probably a more (even possibly cynical) independent member of
the very overly critical reporter/interviewer from CNN, Jonathan Mann, later on
in the evening's live interview to the world from Oslo's City hall, an event
which was equally packed.
"You are the most famous person in the
world that no one knows about, do you do it deliberately…?" a reference to
the famous Annan cool.
Said a dread-locked national of Guinea Bissau,
Domingos Sankar, who managed to get into the heavily guarded and restricted
hail: "It's the first time that an African has achieved this award, and I
decided to come in here and share in the joy," he erupted with clenched
fist, obvious of the two others Desmond Tutu, Albert Luthuli and the Madiba.
Twenty four other peace laureates were present
for the impressive ceremony, including Lech Walesa, the Dalai Lama, David
Thimble except the Madibe, Nelson Mandela, and de Klerk.
The Nobel award comes with a princely sum of
$940,000.00. Mr. Annan's acceptance speech and lecture was a command
performance, and true to type, there was no waffle, no ice-breakers, but a
tough serious rallying paean to human rights, poverty eradication, HIV aids,
conflict resolution, humanitarian efforts, peace and the renewed mission of a
rekindled United Nations energized by the honour and new-found respect and
credibility that this son of Ghana has personally brought to bear.
Other Ghanaians who flew in to witness the
event and celebrate Annan's award included Mr. Sam Jonah, a member of the UN's
global committee on investment and Chief Executive of AGC and Mr Nick
Amarteifio, business and member of the Board of the Bank of Ghana.
"We have entered the third millennium
through a gate of fire. If today, after the horror of September 11, we see
better, and we see further-we will realize that humanity is indivisible,"
he began, going on to pay tribute to Dag Hammarksjold, whom he regarded as his
model, and then the late South African freedom fighter, Albert Luthuli, 1960
Nobel laureate, the first African to receive the award.
He expressed disappointment that a prize for
peace has become a rarity when most nations have built monuments or memorials
to war, bronze salutations to heroic battles, archways of triumph, "but
Peace has no parade, no pantheon of victory."
Continuing on the theme of shared humanity, Mr
Annan, 63, observed that, "the idea that there is no answer to the world's
ills, or one solution to humanity's needs, has done untold harm throughout
history-especially in the last century. Today, however, even amidst continuing
ethnic conflict around the world, there is a growing understanding that human
diversity is both the reality that makes dialogue necessary, and the very basis
for that dialogue."
More…/
The Greater Accra regional delegates' congress
of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) held at the Tema Vocational School
last Saturday witnessed some excitement and drama, as members tasted democracy
for the first time, after the humiliating defeat in the 2000 elections.
It is also the fact that it was the first time
members had internal democratic franchise to elect their regional executive.
The atmosphere on the compound and the
auditorium where the congress was held was peaceful. There was humour,
handshakes and sing-songs of the NDC slogans. However, conspicuously absent
were Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, General Secretary, Mr. Harry Sawyer, considered as
one of the pillars behind NDC, and Madam Faustina Nelson, Vice-Chairperson.
Candidates and supporters lobbied for votes and
Hon. E.T. Mensah, MP for Ningo Prampram, who led his constituency to wrestle
some positions at the regional level, spearheaded his team.
Voting started briskly at about 2:30 pm and
ended uninterrupted at about 4:00 pm, when the Electoral Commission (EC)
representative, Mrs Lawrencia Kpatakpa, and her team and the agents of the
candidates began counting the votes. It was at this juncture that the drama
galore began to unfold.
As counting was going on, E.T. Mensah became
very uncomfortable and quickly vanished into thin air when he realized his
constituency had failed to win any of the positions they contested.
But that was not the end, Mr. Eddie Palmer,
vice-regional chairman for eight years, also evaporated when he detected that
Mr. Joshua Alabi, former Greater Accra Regional Minister, had beaten him by a
wide margin.
The EC representative, Mrs Kpatakpa, who
announced the results, stated that Mr. Joshua Alabi ascends the regional
chairmanship by beating Mr. Edie Palmer. The position of the first vice went to
Mr. Tackie, who polled 78 votes to beat Mr. Abayate, 58 votes while the second
vice went to Alhaji Mohammed Abu.
Nii Djammah Vanderpuye collected 124 votes to
beat Ernest Adanor, 31, for the regional secretary and Theophilus Ado Mills
became the deputy secretary. Other positions were regional organizer, which was
taken by Nikoi Addison, Alhajia Cash Amatu Kassim, deputy treasurer, Rev. Fred
Adjetey Larbi, propaganda secretary.
Messrs Sheikh Yaya Kundor, deputy regional
organizer, Alhaji Insah Bashiru, deputy propaganda secretary were elected unopposed.
Earlier in a welcome address, Dr. J.B.
Quartey-Papafio, regional chairman, told members that the exercise was to
review the performance of the party in the region and take new resolutions.
He stated that the NDC lost the 2000 elections,
but that was no indication of the imminent demise of the NDC. Our party is very
much alive, the party is on a sound foundation and while in government in
partnership with the people of this country managed to achieve considerable
successes in maintaining peace and unity and considerable infrastructural
development.
Dr. Quartey-Papafio stated that the NDC remains
intact in spite of the usual stresses and strains that occur in any vibrant
democratic organ, adding "our party has a divine duty to organize itself
into a strong organ of the multi-party democratic party and we need not talk
democracy but to practice it at all levels of the party".
He urged the party faithful to recognise that
the party as an organ, which enables members to serve the community rather than
a means for personal gain.
Nii Djanmah Vanderpuye, secretary in his
report, stated "our never to be forgotten defeat in the last general
elections continues to stare our members in the face as most of them have
started warming themselves up for the uphill task of taking power in 2004.
He stated that the rancour and acrimony that
characterised the period before, during and after the election and selection of
the presidential candidate, running mate and parliamentary candidates did not
help NDC during the elections.
According to Vanderpuye, other contributing
factors to NDC’s defeat include the
inability to organize branch auditing and reorganization, there was no proper
identification and selection of party agents, no proper coordination between
the numerous affiliate groups and the mainstream party at all levels and
improper handling and distribution of logistics both financial and material.
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The
flagbearer of the People’s National Convention (PNC) in the 2000 General
Elections, Dr Edward Mahama, has noted that there is positive change only at
the Osu Castle (the seat of the government) and not in Ghana as a whole.
According
to him, it is a blatant lie for the Government to claim that its policy of
Positive Change is reflecting in the life of the average Ghanaian. Dr Mahama
submitted that the stability of the cedi against the United States of America
(USA) dollar and the reduction of inflation could not be the yardstick to claim
that the living standards of Ghanaians have improved.
The
PNC leader made this observation in an interview with The Crusading Guide at
the party’s Head Office in Accra last week. He maintained that over the past 11
months, Ghanaians have continued to live under economic hardships because their
pockets are still dry.
Dr
Mahama conceded that there is ‘Positive Change’ in the sense of the NPP kicking
the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government of Jerry John Rawlings out of
power and the abolition of the Criminal Libel Law to ensure freedom of
expression.
He
urged the Government to adopt pragmatic measures to revamp the ailing economy
so that Ghanaians can enjoy better life. On the debate on the National
Reconciliation Bill, he advised the President to grant constitutional amnesty
to the victims of all military regimes as a first step to the process of
reconciling all Ghanaians.
GRi…/
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Mr
Modestus Ahiable, Member of Parliament for Ketu North was at the weekend
elected unopposed as the Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress
(NDC) at a regional conference held in the Volta Region.
Other
regional executives who took their seats unopposed were Mr J.Y. Dabu, First
Vice Chairman, Mr Francis Granyaglo, Secretary, Mr Alfred Deletstu, Deputy
Secretary, Hajia Hawa Amidu, Deputy propaganda Secretary and Mr Steve Akorli,
MP for Ho East.
Elected
regional executives were Mr J.R.K. Yaokuma-Adanu, Second Vice Chairman, Mr
Michael Gamor, Organiser, Madam Evelyn Goni, Deputy Organiser, Mr Nicholas
Fatu, Propaganda Secretary and Madam Malwine Alorsey, Deputy Treasurer.
Messrs Anthony Klutse,
William Attipoe and Maxwell Owusu-Siaw were elected Regional Youth Organiser,
First and
Second Deputy Youth
Organisers respectively, while Madam Mercy Kuadey, Madam Jessie Ekumabu and
Madam Grace
Zakli were elected Regional
First and Second Deputy Women Organisers respectively.
They were sworn in by the
Chairman of the National Re-organisation Committee, Dr Obed Asamoah. The
election was
supervised
by the Regional Electoral Commission.
In his acceptance speech, Mr
Ahiable, who is also the chairman of the Volta Parliamentary caucus, advised
party faithfuls to
close
their ranks before they could be assured of a resounding victory in the 2004
general election.
He cautioned that, there
were deliberate attempts by the government to remove civil servants in the
Volta Region trained by
the previous government,
which would slow down development in the region as this could create hardships.
He wondered why
the Social Relief Funds were
being disbursed at the party’s secretariat rather than through the
Banks.
He asked party members to
support their MPs in the constituencies in all their endeavours. Mr Ahiable
stressed on the aim to
lay a solid foundation by
2003 with assistance from immediate past executives before 2004. Since there
were attempts by the
new
government to throw NDC faithfuls out of job with the restructuring of the
National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) and dissolution of the
National Mobilisation Programme (NMP).
Mr J.K. Nunyie, the
immediate past regional chairman, expressed the past executives’ appreciation
for the support in steering
the affairs of the party and
commended the MPs for their relentless effort in unifying the members.
He hoped that the new
executive will strengthen its arm against the difficulties that the former
regime went through. There were
solidarity messages from
Egle party and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).
More…/
NDC urged to merge
affiliated bodies
The Eastern Regional branch of the National Democratic Party has proposed that all affiliated bodies within the NDC should be made to join the main stream of the party to ensure effective planning and management. It named the Veranda Boys and Girls, the Atta Mills Brotherhood, the Atta Mills Fan Club, the Nkrumahist Brigade as some of them.
This
was contained in a communique issued after the sixth regional delegates
conference of the party in Koforidua at the weekend.
It
proposed that the position of leader and founder should be separated, saying
that the “founder” position must be a permanent position for Ex-President
Rawlings and the “Leader” to the Presidential Candidate. It said, when an
election is lost, the leadership position should go to the chairman of the
party.
The
party proposed that all parliamentary candidates must be elected by their
constituencies and that no attempt must be made to impose a candidate on any
constituency. It said that the work of the consultative committee must be
purely advisory and the composition must be made up of experienced people.
It
suggested that no member of the National Executive Committee (NEC) and anybody
holding an executive position must be a member of the consultative assembly;
declaring that the party’s constitution must be adhered to vigorously and must
reign supreme.
Presenting
the party’s annual report, the regional secretary, Mr William Agyekum said that
one negative factor which militated strongly against the party and supped its
energies both financial and material was intra-party conflict among party
members. “They were usually high and bitter,” he said.
He
mentioned areas where such conflicts existed as Odumase-Krobo, Yilo,
Asuogyaman, Suhum and Afram Plains where the conflict were almost permanent. Mr
Agyekum hinted that during the party’s preparation for the 2000 elections, the
party witnessed increased agitation and in- fighting in the Upper West Akim,
Akwatia, Lower West Akim, Kade, Suhum, Abuakwa Central, Akropong and New Juaben
North.
“These
feuds were so serious that party work was negatively affected leading to our
poor performance in the 2000 elections. He said a simple issue that could have
been solved lasted for weeks and months.
Mr
Agyekum said that difficult economic conditions and the desire for change and
internal party problems to a large extent accounted for the NDC’s defeat while
the selection for the parliamentary candidates became the waterloo for the
party.
“There
were major disagreements which led to serious organisational lapses; and some
party members even refused to work for the party”. Such people Mr Agyekum
disclosed encouraged and supported independent candidates against the party
candidates.
He
said logistics distribution was defective and started very late while the
selection of presidential candidate and vice also accounted for some of the
problems. According to Mr Agyekum 120,000 persons who voted for the NDC in
Eastern Region in 1996 did not vote for it in the 2000 elections.
“The
NDC for the first time finds itself in opposition. Much as it is a difficult period
for the party, it is good for democracy” he said, declaring that the lessons
learnt in opposition would definitely guide them to correct the defects that
accounted for the party’s defeat.
He
said the most important and happy news, however, is that the party is growing
stronger and stronger and most Ghanaians are becoming aware of what the NDC
stood for and its capabilities as far as governance is concerned.
GRi…/
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