Three NDC constituencies breakaway
Hijack the NDC to where?-Obed asks
Korle-Bu bans sale of herbal drugs
A four- shuttle rail service to further boost the mass transport system was launched on Wednesday by the Ghana Railway Company Limited. It will operate between Accra and Nsawam conveying commuters and workers to and from communities along the route.
The rail service is to help workers to and from work on time and to avoid the day to day struggle with other passengers for vehicles, the Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport Mr. Agyemang- Manu said when he performed the official launching of the shuttle service and led journalists and top officials a maiden trip from the Accra main station to Amasaman on Wednesday evening.
The trip was to enable the Deputy Minister to have a feel of the coaches to be used by the commuters and it’s comfortability. The launch was patronized by commuters; mainly workers and market women who boarded the train for their journey back home from work. Some of the passengers whom the Times spoke with welcomed the system.
The shuttle starts at 5am and close at 8pm after making a total of four trips. During the journey, journalists discovered that squatters have encroached on lands along the rail line, erecting make-shift kiosks and wooden structures.
The most affected areas are the main station in Accra, Avenor junction, Alajo and Dome-Taifa. Briefing newsmen at Amasaman station, Mr. Manu said that the shuttle was in fulfilment of the government’s commitment to address the acute transportation problems faced by mainly urban dwellers wishing to get to their business centres on time.
The government, he said, was sourcing more funds to expand the shuttle service to other parts of the country. Mr. Manu announced that the Tema-Accra- Nsawam rail truck would soon be rehabilitated for service to resume next year.
The Managing Director, Mr. Samuel Barnes, said that 40 out of the corporation’s 154 coaches were currently in use while others were being rehabilitation.
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The scandalous behaviour of some as yet unidentified people in some towns near Sunyani, the Brong-Ahafo capital, is raising the hackles of schoolteachers in the area. They say they cannot continue supervising the removal of human excrement, when they should be teaching.
For a long time now there has been a spate of defecations in classrooms and school compounds, particularly at Abesim and Tanoso. It is happening everyday and it is increasing in frequency and volume, according to reports reaching The Statesman. The teachers are not at all amused; they say they are paid to teach children, not to clean up and will leave if the deliberate acts do not stop.
Among those who have condemned this scandalous behaviour is the local GNAT Secretary, Samson Aboyela. Says he: “Teachers go to school only to find human excreta at corners of their classrooms, sometimes inside pupils’ desk! This is an affront to the dignity of teachers and has the potential to lower their morale.”
The situation is even worse at Tanoso. The headmaster of the Methodist JSS, Kenneth Gyebi, told our reporter that not a single day passes without heaps of faeces being found either in one or more classrooms, or in the school’s compound
“About a couple of days ago I entered my office only to see the walls plastered with faeces,” he said. The perpetrators of these deeds do not stop at messing up; they have also been vandalising and stealing school property. The Headmaster of UC JSS, J. A. Okra, complained that he arrived at the school on December 6 to find that his office had been broken into, all cupboards forced open and a number of items, including dictionaries, textbooks, a wall clock, a radio set and tools worth over 1m cedis taken away.
He complained that there is no watchman in the school, even though he has made several appeals to the district education directorate.
Adu Mensah, the Headmaster of the local Model JSS, told The Statesman that vandals have destroyed cupboards in his school. He has now made an arrangement to send books and other items to the nearby SDA school for safe keeping every day.
Mensah accused the elders of the town of showing no concern about the situation, even though each nasty event is reported to them.
A number of the teachers have told The Statesman that they do not see how they can be working among people who have such a negative attitude towards teachers, their own children and siblings and education as a whole. “It is as if they are telling us to leave and they have chosen the most nasty way to do it!” he remarked.
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Three NDC constituencies breakaway
The crisis within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) appears to be deepening as preparations for the party’s congress gathers momentum.
The emergence of two fashions within the party (something unusual with the NDC) has sharply divided the ranks of party faithfuls. Things got worse yesterday when Victor Smith, personal aide to former President Rawlings openly accused Dr Obed Asamoah of using party resources to further his political ambitions.
But what is likely to fuel the crisis more than any other thing is the decision of three constituencies in the Greater Accra Region to form a sub-regional branch independent of the regional one.
An announcement to this effect is expected to be made on Saturday, ‘Evening News’ sources have confirmed. Already two meetings to plan strategies for the breakaway have been held. The constituencies involved are Ningo Prampram, Ada and Shai Osodoku.
Brains behind this move according to our sources, are those who failed to get their men elected to various positions at the recent Greater Accra Regional NDC Congress.
Joshua Alabi, former Minister and chairman of the region’s re-organisation committee got elected as the NDC regional chairman. He beat off a strong challenge form Eddie Palmer, a Rawlings loyalist.
Mr. Alabi, a lecturer at the Institute of Professional Studies, clearly not in the Rawlings camp had his nomination as parliamentary candidate for Krowor unduely delayed after the approval by all the constituency and branch executives during the 2000 elections.
He dismissed as false and dangerous, accusations by pro-Rawlings men that he bribed his way to get elected as the regional chairman. “Nobody offered me money at the congress. The delegates had their free will and voted for people they trust can deliver,” Mr. Alabi told “The Evening News”.
He said he was convinced that the delegates elected him as chairman as an endorsement of the efforts he personally put in during the re-organization exercise.
According to him the re-organisation was financed through voluntary contributions by members and personal sacrifices. “Even people had to make contributions before we could organize the recent regional congress, apart form the fees the candidates paid,” he explained.
He said he was not bothered by such ‘elements’ because his main aim was “to claim all the seats we donated to the NPP during the last elections”.
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Billions of cedis and millions of dollars of scarce foreign exchange have been flashed down the drains of Ghana Water Company Limited, literally.
Barely one week after Victor Selormey, former Deputy Minister of Finance booked a residential stay of at least eight years at the Nsawam Medium Security Prisons for malpractice involving $1.27 million of state money; Weekend Agenda can reveal widespread fraud and financial misapplication at the Ghana Water Company Limited in which billions of cedis and millions of dollars of foreign exchange components were lost to the state.
According to a forensic audit report sighted by this reporter, GWCL lost over 2 billion cedis in over-pricing deals on American khaki and suiting materials from a supplier that had been blacklisted by the company's own Board of Directors.
In a catalogue of financial abuses that would make the average hard-up Ghanaian's stomach churn in anguish, the auditors found that "excessive purchases coupled with violation of policies and over pricing caused huge financial loses to GWCL and exceptionally huge stock holding that could be used between 110 to 112 years. Fraudulent quotations and representation (importation) and gross professional misconduct caused inefficient and ineffective sourcing and evaluation of suppliers' quotations. Annual budgets were exceeded".
In a bizarre accounting process, the company which recently got the Public Utility and Regulatory Commission to increase water rates by 98 percent and are still asking for more, over-paid Western Castings Limited, a supplier of Iron Pipe Fittings, an amount of 323 million cedis. That is not all. "An advance mobilisation of 1.75 billion paid to the supplier was not deducted when a revised contract was computed. "The only reason officials offered for this strange development is that it was "a mistake".
According to the auditors, GWCL did not abrogate the arrangement when the supplier defaulted to meet the supply dates. "It went on to take deliveries and paid the supplier at exchange rates ruling on the supply dates. This resulted in huge payments for cast iron pipe fittings which were excessively purchased and are overstocked than normal requirements. "The audit report recommended efforts to recover the excess payment of 323 million cedis from the supplier.
The water company has spent a total of 2 billion cedsi and $763,000 on computerization of its services since the project started in 1996, according to the audit report. "Computer Hardware and Software as well as consulting fees were as far back as 1998. Yet as at September 2001, the Computerized Accounting and Financial Solomon IV as well as Commercial Billing systems were not functional."
The Headquarters of GWCL lost 3 billion cedis on orders placed with two suppliers for 30,000 water metres in overpricing deals. According to the audit report, the unit price of a metre purchased by head office was 55 percent more expensive than the same order placed by the Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area office (ATMA). "Whilst ATMA purchased a domestic metre for 180,000 cedis, the Head Office gave purchasing orders at over 280,000 cedis," and consequently lost 100,000 cedis on each of the 30,000 meters purchased.
"To justify procurements that were beyond their authority limits," stated the audit report, "management at the Head Office and ATMA, including the former Managing Director Charles Adjei, split purchases into several lots and approved of them. These were in violation of the procurement policies of GWCL and lacked the professionalism that the procurement function could bring to bear on such expensive purchases."
According to the findings of the audit report, inefficient stock planning and control caused frequent shortages of vital chemicals. "Consequently, panic purchases on the open market, which invariably result in overpricing, are made. Sufficient quantities of water treatment chemicals are not procured and stored."
Assigning reasons for the shortages, the report said: "stock shortages of water treatment chemicals was characterised by stealing and diversion." The auditors found that a supply of 32 drums of Bleaching Powder supplied by Eel Care Limited bore GCL indent numbers, case order numbers and Blue Cross Shipping marks on the containers. "Personnel of GCWL discovered that the 32 drums were materials previously purchased from Kamira Kemi that found their way on the open market and re-sold to GWCL."
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Like the proverbial three wise monkeys, the Malaysian management of Ghana Telecom (GT) have decided to see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil about the press conference organised by the Minister of Communications and Technology, Felix Owusu Adjapong, on Ghana Telecom (GT) at which he announced the Government’s decision not to renew the monopoly contract of the current GT management.
Attempts by Public Agenda to get their reaction to the press conference was met by stonewalling from GT's Malaysian Managing Director, Dato' Abdul Malak Mohamed.
After several attempts at dancing around the issue, the Public Relations outfit of Ghana Telecom told Public Agenda that their official position was not to comment on the issues that were raised at the press conference.
On Tuesday December 4, Minister of Communication, Felix Owusu-Adjapong held a press conference to tell the public about government's position a number of issues relating to Ghana Telecom. This was necessitated by some manoeuvres by the Malaysian management of Ghana Telecom apparently to put the government in bad light.
Owusu-Adjapong told the press that in February this year his Ministry began a series of discussions with the management of company to find answers to the numerous accusations being levelled continuously in the media.
The issues included dissatisfaction over the constitution of the company's board, (which did not reflect the company's shareholding position), the lack of strategic investment as envisaged under privatisation, the denial of Ghanaians in procurement matters in favour of external parties, the non-discharge of contractual obligations as specified in the license and speculation of capital flight and other revenue losses.
In July the Minister and the representatives of Telekom Malaysian met and had come to an agreement between the two parties should be re-negotiated to accommodate the following concern:
The minister brought the article to the notice of the Managing Director of Ghana Telecom, who apologized and indicated his principals had issued a rejoinder to the article in Malaysia.
The Malaysians did not stop at that, in the appointment of the negotiation teams, the decision was made to select three-member teams each to engage in boardroom-like negations. Amazing and to our surprise, Telekom Malaysia begun to change the composition of its team and subsequently sort approval to add a fourth person. This fourth person was later described to the Ghana Government negotiation team as a legal consultant and telecommunications based in Australia.
Aside that, the Malaysian team appeared on the 1st day of the negotiations with yet a local legal representation. As negotiations proceeded, it also became clear that Telekom Malaysia were not interested in discussing the TOR. Instead Telekom Malaysia insisted that the following must be taken as condition precedent to the discussion of the main TOR.
The conclusion of IFC loan of $100m for GT, the conclusion of Heads of Agreement in respect of the sale of 15% additional shears of GT for which an advance of $50m was paid to Ghana, extension of the Technical and Consultancy Services Agreement, exclusivity period extended and the over $64m penalty assessed by NCA against GT.
"All along government has kept its word that the negotiations with Telekom Malaysia over Ghana Telecom will be on confidentiality basis.
Unfortunately, our GT partners have broken faith, firstly, by the press release that appeared in Malaysia, secondly, by the manner they approached the negotiations, and finally and more importantly, by giving wrong information to our worker in the communication industry, which for the wisdom of the workers would have plunged this Country into necessary turmoil," Owusu Adjapong told the press.
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Hijack the NDC to where?-Obed asks
Dr Obed Yaw Asamoah, the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice has hit back at critics and asked, "Where am I hijacking the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to?"
Dr Asamoah who is also the Chairman of the Party's re-organization Committee, in an exclusive interview with 'Ghana Palaver' said, "I just want us to succeed".
He said "I am already a member of the Party, so even if I take the Chairmanship, where am I going to take it to, it is for the good Party as a whole and if I am doing something wrong as a Chairman, it is up to members of the Party to draw my attention to it".
"If I am trying to more or less use the Party to foster my personal interest, they should draw my attention to that and I have never really done that," Dr Asamoah said. He intimated, "I have always been a team player and have tried to really foster the interest of the Party".
As to whether there was a strain in his relationship with the former President, Dr Asamoah said, "I don't know, may be he has a problem, I don't have a problem with him, I have worked with him for almost two decades, I really don't see the difficulty. Is it that some people don't have the right to contest for positions in the Party?
He said about four weeks ago, he had an invitation from the former President for a meeting but at the time, it was not convenient for him to attend.
Asked why he wants to be Chairman of the NDC, he said it is because a lot of people have approached me to offer my services, these people including supporters of the Party believe I can help rejuvenate the Party and put it in a position for us to win power in 2004.
Dr Asamoah said, "The appeals are so many that I thought it will be selfish of me not o heed those calls, if indeed, I could be of service to the Party".
Responding to the question whether he has refused to release party funds, he said, the truth is that there is no money anywhere. "I know that people have the notion that some how there is some big chunk of money belonging to the Party sitting somewhere"
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The former Vic-President, Prof. John Evans Atta-Mills, arrives in Accra from Canada next Thursday to attend the next National Congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which takes place at Legon on December 28-29.
Prof. Mills, who was the flagbearer of the Party in the last elections, is now on a one-year contract as a Visiting Scholar at the University of British Colombia and a Senior Associate Professor at the Liu Centre for the study Global Issues, also at British Colombia.
Prior to his departure only last September for the academic assignment, Prof. Mills had indicated that he would be making frequent visits home to contribute his quota to the Party's reorganization efforts.
This will be the first of the promised trips by the former Vice-President, who is expected to make the trip back home through London.
Already, all appears set for the Congress, as the rest of the regional congresses are held tomorrow and relevant documents are put in order.
As expected, there is a building of a pre-Congress tension, as candidates lay claims for national positions, with the usual behind-the-scene campaign.
The key position to be contested for include the national chairmanship and those for the general secretary and national treasurer. The position of flagship is not on line at the Congress.
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`Workers at the Nungua site of the Dutch firm, Nicostan Duvan, who drank water from the buckets into which their expatriate supervisor allegedly defecated will undergo thorough medical examinations as part of the investigations into the matter.
“We are in the process of issuing them with medical forms to enable them to undergo the examination,” said Dr. K.K Manfo, Accra Regional Police commander. He said in an interview that in all, 28 workers at the site drank from the buckets which were soiled by the site supervisor, Kamaiel van Roussum.
Dr. Manfo explained that the results of the medical examination will be helpful to the prosecution. He said medical officers in contact with the police have indicated that diseases such as typhoid and cholera could be easily passed from an infected person’s stools to other people.
Asked if the suspect will also undergo medical examination to ascertain his health status, Dr. Manfo, that will be on the orders of the court. The commander said that the facilities for the medical examination are available at the Holy Trinity, 37 Military, Trust and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospatils “so we will quickly arrange with one of them to examine the workers.”
It will be recalled that a Madina Community Tribunal in Accra on Monday remanded van Roussum in custody for causing public nuisance.
The Dutchman was said to have defecated into buckets and refill them with water, after emptying them of his faeces, for his workers at the project site to drink. Them plea of van Roussum 38 was not taken. He will reappear before the tribunal again on December 17.
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Korle-Bu bans sale of herbal drugs
He said it is an irony that patients who come to consult physicians often purchase these drugs and prefer using them to the orthodox medicine prescribed for them at the hospital
Dr. Holdbrook-Smith described the trend as dangerous to the health of patients, since the use of herbal drugs alongside orthodox drugs can result in complication, adding that “the hospital cannot guarantee the efficacy and safety of that drug.”
According to him the hospital’s central OPD and the Gynaecology Department are often areas that patients are advised to use herbal preparations to cure ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, menstrual disorders and infertility.
Dr. Holdbrook- Smith said the directive is not an attempt to downplay the importance of herbal medicine in the health care delivery system, but to ensure the maintenance of standards, adding that Korle Bu is a teaching hospital and the administration of all medication on patients should be based on scientific analysis”.
He said it unfortunate that some herbal practitioners are not ready to co-operate with orthodox practitioners, especially with the treatment of chronic ailments which have been proven to have cure but can be managed to large extent.
The Chief Executive said some of the herbalists claim to have cure for ailments such as hypertension, asthma, and HIV/AIDS, but are not prepared to subject their preparations to clinical test.
“We are all eager for a cure for the many terminal diseases and would consider it a breakthrough if such treatments are made available, but we will not compromise the health of patients”, he stressed.
Dr Holdbrook-Smith stated that many herbalists have made claims of cure for HIV/AIDS and said the hospital is prepared to offer patients for clinical tests and challenged herbalists to offer their drugs for the necessary registration and clinical tests.
On claims by some herbalists that they had administered their drugs on HIV/AIDS patients and this has improved their health status, he said there are many ailments which have similar symptoms as HIV/AIDS.
“Malnutrition, chronic malaria, typhoid, worm infection and tuberculosis are some of the ailments that show symptoms such as those of HIV/AIDS and patients suffering from these diseases may be misrepresented as HIV positive”, Dr Holdbrook-Smith explained.
It has been established that some of the herbalists come to the hospital as early as 6am to carry out their transactions with the patients.
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