Property owning
democracy is discriminatory - MPs
Media urged to
stop sycophancy
Property owning
democracy is discriminatory - MPs
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February
2001
Two opposition members of
parliament on Tuesday called on the President to reconsider his government's
stance to pursue a property owning democracy because it is partial,
discriminatory and negates fair and equitable participation of all citizens in
the decision making process of government.
Mr Kosi Kedem, NDC Hohoe South, and
Mr Benjamin Kunbuor, NDC Lawra-Nandom, made the appeal when they took turns in
Parliament to contribute to the debate on the President's sessional address.
While thanking the president for
his address, Mr Kedem said Ghana is practising parliamentary democracy to give
equal opportunities to everybody in all spheres of human endeavour and a
deviation from it by the NPP government would spell doom for the less
privileged.
He described property-owning
democracy as "a form oligarchy, which is elitist" and which will
scuttle the hopes and aspirations of the less endowed citizens of the country
and relegate them to servitude.
Mr. Kunbuor said the Northern part
of the country is at the bottom of national development because it was
discriminated against by the British during the colonial era due to the concept
of property owning democracy.
He said the north was denied a
representation on the legislative council until 1950 because there was nobody
there engaged in merchandising, which was synonymous with wealth and property
ownership.
Mr Kunbuor said James Bannerman,
who owned property, was the only one elected to the legislative council in the
colony in 1850, and advised the government to discard the concept because it is
basically dictatorial.
He said if the positive change the
NPP government is advocating is embodied in property owning democracy,
"then Ghanaians must expect an exciting period".
Mr Osei Aidoo, NPP Tema West,
interrupted Mr Kunbuor on a point of order and postulated that the president's
connotation of property owning democracy is allowing every Ghanaian to own
property without hindrance.
Mr. Kunbuor replied that property
owning democracy "is not a pedestrian term" and could not be
interpreted differently by anyone from what the concept means.
He said the phenomenon of property
owning democracy is obsolete and retrogressive and admonished the government to
rethink its position on it and allow parliamentary democracy to blossom.
GRi…/
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Media urged to
stop sycophancy
Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February
2001
The NPP MP for Asante Akim South,
Mr Alex Kwaku Korankye, on Tuesday urged the media, especially the state-owned
ones, to stop being sycophantic.
"A sycophantic media is an
enemy to democracy and for the country to achieve the positive change the NPP
government wants for the country, the media should have the moral courage to be
responsible."
Mr. Korankye, who was contributing
to a debate on President Kufuor's message on the state of the nation, said the
"butter and bread" journalism where the press flatters existing
government only to turn round to condemn it when it is out of power should now
belong to the past.
He said had the NPP not come into
power, the private press, which was critical of the previous government, would
have all been killed.
The MP said for democracy to
thrive, it needs the support of all members of the society, including Council of State members, the
clergy, chiefs and the press.
Mr Korankye urged all Ghanaians to
rally behind the NPP to bring about the desired positive change.
Mr. Dan Abodakpi, NDC-Keta, urged
the government to critically analyse the
Highly Indebted Poor Country
(HIPC) initiative in line with the reality before it adopts or rejects it.
He said the drive for making the
private sector the engine of growth should be borne in mind so that policy
decisions do not turn to be a boomerang that would cripple private business.
Mr. Abodakpi said the President's
reconciliation move should not be over-politicised and that all Ghanaians must
put their hands on deck in the reconstruction effort for the nation to move
forward.
He said the President exaggerated
the physical condition of the Castle by saying that it was not befitting for
occupancy by the presidency.
Ms Anna Nyamekye, NPP-Jaman,
described the President's address as concise and idiomatic, and urged those
condemning it to appreciate the use of Language, adding that it is not a lengthy speech that does the trick.
She said the speech was not
lengthy because the President did want anyone to collapse and to strain the
over-worked hospital staff.
Ms Nyamekye said the establishment
of a health insurance scheme would replace the cash and carry system to prevent
patients from paying up-front before they are treated.
Mr. Albert Abongo, NDC-Bongo,
urged the NPP government to strengthen the poverty alleviation initiative to
the district assemblies to ease unemployment and increase productivity among
the rural people.
He said unemployment is increasing
and it is a threat to democracy.
Mr. Solomon Sarfoh, NPP-Mampong,
regretted that the country has to always depend on outside financing for the
development of the road sector.
He said if the NPP had not come,
the NDC would have continued to make aid taking a ritual and would have
mortgaged the nation for road building.
This led to points of order from
Mr Steve Akorli and Edward Salia, NDC MPs for Ho-East and Jirapa respectively,
to protest that the member was misleading the House and that the country would
benefit from the Road Fund.
Mr. Joe Gidisu, NDC-North Tongu,
said the government in its pursuit of promoting the girl-child education should
be careful that in the near future a new ministry would not be established for
the boy-child.
He called for measures to bridge
the gap between rural and urban schools.
GRi…/
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Accra (Greater Accra) 28 February 2001
Dr. Matthew Kwaku Antwi, NPP-Atwima Kwanwoma, on Tuesday predicted the collapse of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), saying it is imminent.
"The collapse of the NDC is eminent. NDC is not popular, it only came to power by default," he said while contributing to the debate on President Kufuor's sessional address.
"If parliamentary elections were held today, the NDC will lose more than 40 seats. Now that the NDC has lost power, the Judiciary and Parliament will no longer be rubber stamps of the executive.
"The media, especially the private media, has been set free by the defeat of the NDC."
Mr. John Tia, NDC-Talensi, challenged the member's claim, saying that the NDC did not emerge accidentally and that it won two democratically organised elections.
He asked the member not to put the judiciary on trial since judges do not have the privilege of defending themselves in Parliament.
Dr Antwi said preparations being made to scrap the criminal libel law from the statute books attest to government's commitment to a free and responsible media.
The member lauded the President for sticking to his promise not to Witch-hunt anybody.
"In other words, there will be no Citizens Vetting Committees and no Kangaroo courts to trial people any how."
Dr Kofi Ampofo, NDC-South Dayi, criticised the President for not mentioning the energy sector since "it is the bloodstream of every economy".
He urged the President to re-examine his mass public transport idea since it has adverse national budgetary implications.
GRi…/
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