Petrol prices to go up this month
NPP calls for investigation /… But NDC sees no wrongdoing
Limits to be set on ministers’ benefits
Come Home – Kufuor invites Ghanaians abroad
MPs Ex-Gratia not yet paid
Kufuor’s right moves
The Daily Graphic / Ghana Palaver
Row over new SSS fees / Knockout fees in schools
Peoples President Kufuor
Ato Dadzie ordered rush and cheap valuation
Petrol prices to go up this month
The failure of the previous government to increase fuel prices, for political reasons, has ballooned the nations debts in the oil industry to 2.4 trillion cedis and growing by the day in what is threatening to national economic stability.
The story, carried by The Ghanaian Chronicle said President Kufuor’s administration on Thursday gave broad hints that it was going to take immediate steps to stop the haemorrhaging by raising fuel price within weeks.
Sources within the transitional team told the paper that the mess they were now discovering is beyond their wildest expectation and required immediate and radical surgery before gangrene sets in and brings the whole house down.
The Minister of Finance-designate Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo reviewed the situation and conceded that the situation is serious enough to trouble the financial order in the medium to long term.
Dr Charles Wereko Brobby, a member of the Transition team working on the energy sector explained that the government has virtually no workable option because of the magnitude of the problem.
He repeated the widely known position that the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is operating far below cost; ‘under-covering’ and thus simply piling up debts.
Mr Kan Dapaah, the former Shadow Minister for Energy, revealed that the Transition team had been shocked by the realisation that contrary to what the law stated, (petroleum prices must not be subsidised) the previous government had been in breach of what they themselves were preaching; that there was full cost recovery in petroleum supplies as far back as 1997.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
NPP calls for investigation /… But NDC sees no wrongdoing
The Evening News reports that the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr Dan Botwe has called for full-scale investigations into allegations of former Ministers of State acquiring their saloon cars at very reduced prices, saying the allegations should not be glossed over if found to be true.
Speaking to the paper in an interview he said the Chief of Staff must issue a directive in line with recommendations of the investigations to ensure that the right thing was done.
The General Secretary said the NPP would not act on mere allegations to victimise people like its predecessors did when they were in government but will base its decisions on issues, such as the one under consideration will be based on the outcome of thorough investigations.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Limits to be set on ministers’ benefits
The Dispatch says it thinks President John Agyekum Kufuor’s uttering in his inaugural address that, “we shall also cut our coat according to the size of our cloth…” should begin by first trimming the emoluments for specified state functionaries, especially for Ministers of State and Regional Ministers.
It said although the past government yielded to public opinion in its later life and introduced some checks on Ministers’ level of expenditure in the areas of fuel and telephone usage, they were shrouded in secrecy.
It said the Kufuor’s administration in its avowed aim to be transparent, should let the public know the limits for telephone and fuel charges for the various categories of top public officials. The number of vehicles accessible to each ministers, should also be made public.
It said there is also the need to pool all cross country vehicles in the capital for Ministers and top public officials who will be travelling out of Accra to draw from.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Come Home – Kufuor invites Ghanaians abroad
The Weekend Statesman says President Kufuor has urged Ghanaians living abroad to come home and assist in the process of national regeneration and construction.
Addressing separate meetings with the NPP branch members in North America and UK at the State House, he urged those who will decide to stay abroad to use whatever connections they have to ensure investment into the country.
He said as residents of their chosen countries, they are well placed to impart some of the advanced ideas they have picked up, to help their country back home.
He encouraged them to promote joint ventures in Ghana in order to provide wealth for themselves and the country and generate jobs for the youth.
President Kufuor referred to the substantial contributions of Ghanaians abroad and expressed concern over the continued disenfranchisement, adding that, “there is no need to disenfranchise Ghanaians simply because they live outside the country.
He promised to ensure the implementation of the dual nationality, which had long ago been sanctioned by parliament but remains unresolved to date.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
MPs Ex-Gratia not yet paid
The Ghanaian Times reports Mr Rex Owusu-Ansah, Clerk of Parliament, as having disclosed that no ex-gratia awards have been given to any of the Members of Parliament yet.
He said the package is still under consideration and some proposals have also been made for other requests.
He said MPs, whose basic salary was 1.001 million cedis, would receive that amount for four months of the year, for the number of years they had served (i.e., 1.001M x 4 months x number of years served).
He explained that no waiver with regard to the loans for the MPs cars had been received by his office, adding that those occupying houses acquired for them by Parliament as duty posts have three months to vacate them.
Mr Owusu Ansah however disclosed that his office had been asked to hold on until a decision was taken on the houses.
A decision was taken three years ago, according to him, that those houses should be duty post houses and would therefore belong to Parliament, but his office was aware that some MPs had applied for the houses to be sold to them. “If that is granted, then Parliament would have to look for money to house the new members who are coming to the House,” he said.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Kufuor’s right moves
The Guide says the President’s nominees to Ministerial appointments have been described as the right moves by political analysts. Callers to phone-in programmes on various radio stations according to the paper intimated that so far the selections fall within the expectations of Ghanaians.
The major surprise however, has been the nomination of Major Courage Quarshigah to the Ministry of Agriculture and Dr Addo Kufuor, the President’s brother and MP for Manhyia as Minister of Defence.
Callers said so far there seems to be a regional balance in the appointments made in the selection so far.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Row over new SSS fees / Knockout fees in schools
The Daily Graphic and the Ghana Palaver write on the fees that parents are being asked to pay as their wards seek enrolment into Senior Secondary Schools.
According to the Graphic there seems to be controversy over admission fees and other charges as well as the mode of payment as being demanded by the schools for new entrants this year.
Whereas the Ministry of Education’s newly fees and charges per student sum up to about 700,000 cedis a term, the majority of schools, especially the “first class” ones, are charging anything between 1 million and 1.5 million cedis.
Even more disturbing is the fact that the directive by the ministry asking heads of institutions, to allow parents and guardians to pay by instalments has been flatly flouted by the headmasters and headmistresses as they insist on the payment of deposits.
A number of parents and guardians run the risk of their wards losing enrolment as they have no ready money to meet the deadline, consequently they have appealed to the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the sector ministry to resolve the contradictions and issue appropriate instructions to the schools to allow prospective students to pay by instalments.
The Palaver on its part says given the cost of enrolment, a parent with two wards must be facing deposits of about 3 million cedis in addition to numerous demands required from fresh students.
It said the admission, following the installation of a New Government, whose party has promised the reduction of fees, has come as an anti-climax to the jubilation over the Positive Change, expected to permeate in all aspects of life in Ghana, come January 7.
Out of the anxiety, the Ghana Education Service (GES) is said to have promised a programme under which students, who cannot gain admission to schools of their choice will be “assisted” to enter other secondary schools.
More…/
Supreme Court rules on Tuesday
The Graphic says the Supreme Court will next Tuesday determine whether or not to recount the ballot papers of the Bawku Central Constituency in the December 7 parliamentary election.
This followed a motion of certiorari filed by Madam Hawa Yakubu, NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency, praying the court to quash the Bolgatanga High Court’s order for a re-count.
After the Electoral Commission (EC) had declared the results, Hajia Fati Seidu, NDC parliamentary candidate, filed a petition at the High Court challenging them and Mr Justice Gilbert Mensah Quaye, who presided, ordered the re-count and collation of the ballot papers in the presence of two agents each of the two political parties.
At the High Court sitting on Tuesday, Madam Yakubu’s motion compelled Mr Quaye to adjourn the case indefinitely, explaining that since the Supreme Court was more superior he, had no option than to adjourn the case indefinitely until he received directives from the Supreme Court.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Peoples President Kufuor
The NPP News says for most Ghanaians, the days between December 28, 2000 and January 7, 2001 was to celebrate the real Independence even though March 6, 1957 is over four decades old.
It said never in the history of Ghana have the people been so relieved as to let themselves go in such explosion of joy or demonstrate a sense of pride over a decision such as the one they expressed through the ballot box on December 7, and December 28.
A brand new era had dawned with the decisive vote for positive change and the NPP presidential candidate, John Agyekum Kufuor, had been transformed into a popularly elected President J.A. Kufuor.
Ghanaians, according to the paper, went to bed on the day of Mr Kufuor’s swearing-in still singing “aba mu awie”, in praise of God for his abundant mercies.
It said, “to the masses who went to bed with this excitement, their confidence in the President and the NPP to deliver was based on the fact that, the odds notwithstanding, they had delivered one thing – the promise of possibility.”
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com
Ato Dadzie ordered rush and cheap valuation
The Free Press says it has gathered that the source of the authority note directing all former NDC political appointees to undertake the controversial sale and transfer of official cars in their custody was single-handedly prepared and signed by the former Chief of Staff of the Office of the President, Nana Ato Dadzie.
Acting in the name of the Joint Transitional Team, the letter dated January 4, 2001 directed all appointees to note that the arrangement was to be completed by Saturday, January 6, 2001, a day before the new NPP government took office.
According to Nana Dadzie’s letter, the Joint Transitional Team had approved the sale to each of the political appointees, one of the official saloon cars in their custody. Those who qualified under the direcive include Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Regional Ministers, Deputy Regional Ministers and all presidential Staffers.
It asked the appointees to send their vehicles to the Flagstaff house, Accra for valuation by one F.K. Allotey and directed also that the cost of the vehicles was to be paid into the Chief of Staff – Presidency Account No. 2, Ghana Commercial Bank, Osu branch.
It however directed that vehicles other than the one sold to the sitting user, are to be returned to the official pool or the source of allocation by January 5, 2001.
GRi…/
Send your comments to news@ghanareview.com