Call for radical reforms
‘We’re committed to widespread coverage’
Anaesthetic
overdose kills boy
Drunk
driver blocks Presidential convoy
Otabil's
chilling message to MPs
Finance
Minister bows to pressure
Euro raises
demand for dollars
Tema Oil Refinery blows ¢53bn on ghost projects
Reconciliation law in doubt!
“We need you,” “we want you”-the crowd yell at J.J Rawlings
Call for radical reforms
Representatives of the business community have called for radical reforms to make business thrive towards the realisation of the Golden Age of Business.
The representatives are Mr Sam Jonah, Chief Executive of Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC); Nana Yeboah Kodie Asare, President of Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) and Mr Paul Pepera, Deputy Chairman of PHC Motors.
At a national workshop at Elmina for defining policy direction and strategies to usher in the Golden Age of Business, they stressed the need for complete re-orientation through education and retraining of public service officials on their relationship with the private sector.
Mr Jonah submitted that unless that is done, policy formulation and implementation will continue to hamper smooth business operations and cost of doing business will continue to be high. He contended that Ghana has everything to make the country an investment destination of choice but added that the window of opportunity will not stay forever.
“Significant achievements have been made in the first year of the government because of stability, lower inflation, and interest rates, which are all good for the private sector and must be sustained,” he stressed.
The CEO suggested that the mineral resources sector should be revived through realistic laws and noted that a number of mining firms have left Ghana because they perceive laws in other countries as better than what prevail in the country. On agriculture, Mr Jonah argued that since most Ghanaians spend the chunk of their incomes on food, the sector must be taken seriously.
“It is a shame that it took 11 months to negotiate for 1,500 hectares of land. The creation of land banks must be implemented, even though the issue of land is a sensitive one,” he said.
To avoid some of the frustrations in the tourism sector, he said, it should be possible to make shops of artifacts at the Elmina Castle, for instance, to draw the Africans there.
Mr Jonah appealed to the government not to allow the opportunity in the Information Technology to slip by because other countries, such as India and those of South East-Asia have gained a lot from it.
He called for aggressive marketing strategies because events, especially after September 11, and the Afghanistan crisis, have made investible funds nomadic and it would need a bold action to capture investments. To do this, he said, Ghana needs safe and friendly environment, while we shirk viciousness and vindictiveness.
When the PEF President took his turn, he also decried the ineptitude of the civil servants and suggested that they need to change their attitude to business people. Nana Asare did not understand why it should take one year for any exporter to get his drawback. “Very often, files are missing and the frustrations become unbearable,” he said.
He agreed with the sentiments expressed by Mr Jonah and said civil servants should bear in mind that the government has 35 per cent in every business profit, which is used to keep the country going. They should, therefore, not impose the activities of the business community.
He recalled the harsh macroeconomic environment that the country went through and said now that business people are able to plan, it is a good sign that with determination, the country could realise its objective.
Nana Asare suggested that the private sector could be supported, especially potentially viable firms in agriculture, fisheries and manufacturing. He contended that foreign investors always want to know how the private sector is performing and it is important that those who will be able to make it are given every assistance to create jobs and wealth.
On his part, Mr Pepera, whose company has been in business for over 40 years and employs 2000 people, said there should be zero tolerance for the ineptitude of the civil service.
He did not agree with Mr Jonah that unfriendly attitude of civil servants stems from low incomes. He submitted that so long as they have accepted the appointment, they should be able to give of their best. “What is the justification for delaying the clearance of goods when the factory is crying for raw materials?”, he questioned.
He, therefore, called for a radical change in attitudes because there have been enough tolerance and it cannot go on forever.
More…/
‘We’re committed to widespread coverage’
The Africa Media Group, which provides broadcasting services under the trademark "TV Africa", has stated that it remains committed to its long-standing aspiration to achieve a widespread, nationwide telecast of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2002) tournament in Ghana.
This was contained in a press release the group issued in reaction to a story in the Daily Graphic of January 17, in which it was reported that Metropolitan Entertainment Television (Metro TV) had filed a suit against it.
According to the story, Metro TV had filed the suit at the Fast Track High Court, seeking an order of perpetual injunction to restrain TV Africa from going ahead to re-allocate the re-broadcast of the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2002) and World Cup (Korea/Japan 2002) to Ghana Television. Full text of the press release is hereby published:
“The attention of the Africa Media Group (AMG) of the Republic of Mauritius, which provides broadcasting services under the trademark of “TV Africa”, has been drawn to an article in the Daily Graphic of January 17, 2002. The said article makes reference to a civil action instituted in the High Court of Ghana against TV Africa and two other parties by Metro TV. It further informs that Metro TV seeks to restrain TV Africa from allowing GTV to broadcast the entire CAN 2002 Football Tournament.
To date, the Africa Media Group (AMG) has not been served with any court processes emanating from its Head Office in South Africa, and does not have or maintain any agents or agency in Ghana.
Having had the opportunity of reading in full the article, which appeared on page three of the Daily Graphic of January 17, 2002, however, the company wishes to inform its viewers and the public at large in Ghana as follows:
The Africa Media Group has at all material times carried on its transcontinental programming and transmission signals for broadcast into Ghana in an entirely lawful manner, and without any infringement on the rights of any of its partners, former-partners (including Metro TV) or any other industry competitors.
The Africa Media Group has maintained and will continue in the Republic of Ghana, and to the rest of the African continent, a firm commitment to the provision of the top quality, free-to-air transmission of all current sporting events, which are of interest and importance to its viewers all over the African continent.
To this end, and through substantial foreign investment into Ghana and around the continent, AMG has to its credit the transmission of the English Premier Football League 2000, UEFA EURO 2000 and many other tournaments, which are dear to the hearts of its viewers.
In the light of the above and in the lawful and entirely fair discharge of its business interests in the Republic of Ghana, the Directors of the Africa Media Group, and the company at large wish to assure its Ghanaian viewers that it remains fully committed to its longstanding aspiration to achieve a widespread, nationwide telecast of the CAN 2002 Football Tournament in Ghana.
In a related development, the Police have cautioned the management of Metro TV to refrain from the rebroadcast of CAN 2002 taking place in Mali.
This followed a formal complaint lodged on Sunday at the Nima Police Station by the Solicitors of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). According to a police source, the solicitors of GBC lodged the complaint on Sunday after it had been detected that Metro TV was re-broadcasting the Mali/Liberia match, which it said violates the copyright laws of the country.
The police advised the management of Metro TV to desist from the practice until the determination of the suit it has filed against TV Africa for unilaterally abrogating an agreement between the two organisations.
At a meeting with officials of Metro TV and GTV at the Nima Police Station on Sunday, Metro TV agreed not to show the matches until the court has pronounced on the matter.
The Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Dr K.K. Manfo, confirmed that discussions took place at the Nima Police Station.
GRi…/
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Anaesthetic
overdose kills boy
An
eight-year-old boy has died at the Maamobi Polyclinic in Accra, from an
overdose of anaesthetics. A post-moterm report issued by the Korle Bu Teaching
Hospital described the cause of death as "Anaesthetic death". The
boy, Devine Owusu, also known as Joe, had been sent to the polyclinic by his
mother on January 4, for circumcision.
Talking to
the "Times" on Friday, Madam Mercy Osae, the grief-stricken mother,
accused the doctor of negligence. She said that when the child was not getting
back to consciousness after the circumcision, she became worried.
But the
doctor who performed the surgery and prescribed the anaesthetic, Dr Doris
Arhin, told her not to worry because he would "wake up in a few minutes."
Madam Osae said that she saw foam coming out of the mouth of the boy, and after
a few minutes, he stretched and she knew he was dead.
At that
stage, the nurse on duty asked her to get out of the room while she went to
call the doctor. According to Madam Osae, the doctor and the nurse spent some
minutes with the boy in the surgical room, and then rushed him into the
recovery ward and put him on oxygen.
After a
while, the doctor came out and asked her to wait for a letter to take the child
to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The woman said that when she went in to look
at her son, she was certain that he was dead so she confronted the nurses who
only asked her to quickly dress him up to be taken to Korle Bu Hospital.
An
ambulance was provided for the journey. When they got to Korle-Bu, the woman
said that the nurses took the boy's temperature, but nothing was recorded. The
boy was rushed into the Children's Ward where a doctor applied his stethoscope
on him and, not getting any positive response, asked the nurses what happened
to the boy.
The boy was
later put on a stretcher and one of the nurses confirmed that he was dead. When
Dr Arhin was contacted on telephone, she claimed that the boy was breathing
before they left for Korle-Bu.
She said
she had been in professional practice since 1989 and that was the first time
such an incident had happened. She expressed regret at the incident.
More…/
Drunk
driver blocks Presidential convoy
A drunken
driver of a 38-seater Benz was arrested at the weekend when he drove and
blocked the Presidential convoy on its way to Elmina.
The driver,
Ekwow Kakraba, ignored the sound of the siren to stop at a location near
Saltpond Junction on the Accra-Cape Coast road. He drove at top speed past
another vehicle, which had stopped and came face-to-face with the convoy.
In the
process, Kakraba nearly knocked down one of the presidential dispatch riders
with his Benz bus, which blocked the view of the motorcade. The dispatch rider
veered off the road to escape death.
After
causing the stir, Kakraba whose vehicle was fully loaded with passengers, tried
to escape, he again ignored instructions from security personnel to stop and
sped off. But the bus was pursued and stopped a little distance away.
When Kakraba
came out of the bus, he smelled of alcohol. He was handed over to the Anomabu
Police nearby. A source at the police station told the 'Times' that charges
would be preferred against Kakraba after test had been conducted to check the
alcohol level in him.
It is
recalled that such reckless driving had led to the untimely death of some
presidential dispatch riders in the past two years. The latest victim was
Police Sergeant E.K. Owusu, who was crushed to death by a pick-up in Accra,
last year, while ahead of the presidential convoy.
GRi…/
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Otabil's
chilling message to MPs
The
Chancellor of Central University, Pastor of the International Central Gospel
Church, Rev Dr Mensah Anamoa Otabil, the man seen by many as the 'Rabbi to the
Nation', on Sunday rustled a few feathers when he spoke some bitter Bible-based
home truths on the challenges of leadership and the temptations and vulnerabilities
of today's men in positions of authority.
In a
special admonition to men who are today holding positions of trust and power,
he challenged them in a sermon to Members of Parliament on the issue of power,
saying that the true man is not the one who flaunts his position and power to
assert his manhood, but the one who is upright, honest to his wife and a source
of pride to his children for the choices that he makes when confronted with
opportunities and temptations.
"If
you cannot be faithful in little things, you cannot be faithful in big
things…", he said quoting from the Bible.
Drawing on
the temptation of Jesus Christ in Matthew Chapter 4, Pastor Otabil cautioned
that enormous temptations would come to the MPs and public office holders as
leaders and representatives of the people of Ghana, but they should seek an
anchor in prayer and the truth in the Word of God.
"You
would be tempted very very severely," he said, adding that those who
buckle down would yield consequences that would bring reproach to their
families. Those who withstand would reap rewards."
He noted
that pressures would come from family members, enemies, friends, liars,
hypocrites who, like flies, would be drawn to the newfound power and influence
that they as new leaders would wield.
He
counseled that it is God's unchanging principles that must be the shield for
the leadership because there will be daily temptations from Satan urging them
to bow to him in the privacy of the Mountaintop where Jesus was himself tempted
in private.
Otabil
noted that any lifestyle that makes one lie, cheat, be dishonest and falsify
truth in order to escape the consequences and responsibilities of the truth
"would extend to your public life".
Then he
dropped the first of a series of truth bombs that clearly cheered the womenfolk
but drew considerable throat-clearing from the men. "If you cannot be
truthful to the wife you sleep with in the same room, how can the nation trust
that you will be truthful to them?" "Ei, what is this man bringing
now", whined a top figure when confronted with the pastor's charged
sermon, moments after his 25-minute message.
Continuing,
Pastor Otabil observed that people look for different things in the word of
God, with some seeking divine guidance in it while others look for loopholes to
dodge in. "Isn't it interesting that sometimes people quote sections of an
authoritative material not to affirm its ideals truth but to exploit it to personal
advantage."
"We
quote the Bible, the constitution, the law, not because we believe in them, but
because we believe that at this time this serves my interest. We could become
selective; truth becomes relative and when that happens we abandon ourselves to
subjective choices and decisions and when we do it the line between good and
bad, evil and righteousness becomes blurred and obscured" he said, adding
that as leaders we should live by principles that are eternal and not personal.
On the same
theme, he pushed the issue of morality and character to breaking point, still
steeped in scripture on the temptation of Jesus Christ. "I want to
challenge you that when you are alone on your mountain in that hotel room, in
the boardroom, your penthouse, at that conference destination far outside the
country, you do not fall, you do not take a little bow in that obscure place,
in that little bow, you would have submitted your life to a compromise and a
lie.
The issue
of values and morality along with the popular word integrity should be true
guiding principles as leadership comes with responsibilities." "Yes",
he answered to a rhetorical question on whether one's private life has anything
to do with his public life. "If we are immoral in private, it would impact
in our public life. You cannot be a liar in private and truth teller in
public."
He warned
against allowing the young girls, say university girls, to blackmail them
because of possible indiscretions that may force them to take advantage of
positions or "resources available to us to solve a personal problem,
because those personal choices bring about public dilemmas. Let's be true men
to our children and to those who trust us."
Significantly,
he told the bipartisan gathering of MPs that what is right must be right to the
minority and to the majority and that it was important that the principle of
"what you don't like to be done to you, you shouldn't do to your
neighbour" be ingrained on their minds "because minority becomes
majority and majority becomes minority in the cycle of life."
Opportunities
to massage the truth to present to the media so as to present a good image of
one's self must be eschewed, he charged all public office holders.
Both minority
and majority members of Parliament, Hon Alban Bagbin and Papa Owusu Ankomah,
were present. So too were the Speaker Mr Ala Adjetey, his first deputy, Hon
Freddie Blay, and several public office holders among MPs.
GRi…/
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Finance
Minister bows to pressure
The Finance
Minister, Yaw Osafo Marfo, has been compelled to withdraw the second hand
vehicle importation bill, which sought to increase the age limit of imported
second hand vehicles from 10 to 22 years.
The bill,
entitled the Customs Excise and Preventive Service Management Amendment, (Act
2001), had received a lot of opposition from a number of lobby groups. These
groups include a coalition of automobile dealers and other concerned
environmental groups and agencies.
Even before
the withdrawal of the bill, the Parliamentary select committee working on the
bill had received a 35-page memorandum that ought to dissuade parliament from
passing it. This memorandum covered a gauntlet of relevant of relevant issues
ranging from government's tax revenues on secondhand car imports to the
relationship between relatively older cars and environmental pollution, road
safety and fuel use efficiency and resultant national fuel import bill.
The
argument against extending maximum age helped steer already heated opposition
in parliament. The result is that the Executive opted to withdraw the bill and
reconsider its structuring.
The reluctance
of parliament and a cross section of interested pressure groups to accept the
law seems to mirror the views of the urban public. Members of the public that
HSJ spoke to were of the view that these very old vehicles would not be very
safe. Also, they would have very high maintenance costs, which might be pushed
to commuters. The environment would also suffer, due to air pollution.
In the
absence of any convincing argument by Minister for Finance to the contrary, he
had no alternative than to withdraw the bill.
But the
question to ask is what are these environmental agencies and groups doing about
the very old, rickety vehicles on our roads that cause a worse nuisance than
perhaps some home-used vehicles that are over 22 years.
More…/
Euro
raises demand for dollars
The
introduction of the euro into the Ghanaian forex bureau market has raised the
demands for US dollars. This, according to the forex bureau operators, is due
to the fact that there is not enough euro to meet the demand for it. In lieu of
the euro therefore, people buy the US dollars.
Speaking to
the HSJ, Joseph Andy Adjetey, the manager of First African Forex Bureau,
allayed fears by a section of the public that the excessive demands for dollars
might make the operators of forex bureaux raise the exchange rate of the
dollar. He said even though the demand for the dollar is excessive,
fortunately, there are enough dollars in the system to meet the high demand.
According
to Adjetey, they have completely stopped dealing in currencies such as Deutche
marks and guilders. This is in spite of the fact that these currencies have not
been totally phased out in Germany, Holland and the rest of European countries
where these currencies are used.
He
explained that even the banks no longer accept these currencies, so that if
they should continue to accept them, they would find them difficult to dispose
of. Currently, one euro is changed for about 6,500 dollars.
According
to Alhaji Ibrahim Futa of the Pan African Forex Bureau, members of the Forex
Bureau Operators Association (GAFORB) had already been conscientised about the
imminent phasing out of the 12 European national currencies.
As a
result, they were longer buying large amounts of those currencies as far back
as September last year. So by this year when the euro came into effect, Forex
Bureaux no more had large amounts of those currencies.
Alhaji
Futa, who is also the publicity committee chairman of GAFORB said forex bureaux
have been classified in small zones, to make for easy dissemination of
information.
Thus, every
Monday, the exchange rates are communicated to all zonal heads, who in turn
communicated them to all forex bureaux in their chatchment area. He also
corroborated Adjetey's assertion that the introduction of the euro has put
excessive pressure on the dollar.
He however,
said that while the forex bureaux have put a lid on the rate of the dollar, the
banks charge much higher rates. He therefore accused the banks of being the
cause of the depreciation of the cedi.
GRi…/
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Tema Oil Refinery blows ¢53bn on ghost projects
At time the government is saving money from the fall in the world price of crude oil to settle the ¢2.3 trillion indebtedness of the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), more sordid financial dealings have been unearthed by the forensic audit into the affairs of the company under the previous regime of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Over ¢53 billion was siphoned-off or spent on ghost projects by some officials of the refinery with the collaboration of some companies, a draft report of the forensic audit reveals.
The report, sighted by Public Agenda names the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the refinery, W.S. Park and another official, J.S. Aidoo, as the main culprits responsible for the financial malfeasance that involved the unauthorised award of contracts and the overestimation of contract sums.
The Black Star Development Company, WESPRO, GHANED Gh. Limited, Johnston Pipes-UK, and UBS are also cited by the report for actively contributing to the scam. They are to be held responsible as such.
The report recommends the prosecution of the named officials and the retrieval of the embezzled sums from them and the companies involved, depending on the degree and nature of the impropriety involved.
In the procurement of a steam boiler plant for TOR for instance, the report said the contract was awarded by the then CEO without tender and the authorisation of the refinery’s Board. A delay in the delivery, installation and commissioning of the plant led to further financial losses.
A sum of $1,001,712 (about ¢7.2 billion) was also paid to an uncompetitive bidder for the construction of storage tanks with the approval of Parker. A loss of £942,333 was also incurred when glass reinforced pipes that were purchased for TOR were found to be defective yet the final payment was made to the supplier before the pipes were certified.
UBS was also awarded a hedging contract by Parker and Aidoo to the tune of ¢9,537,530,000 without the authorisation of the Board. These new revelations by the forensic audit report add to the gloomy picture of the financial rot uncovered to have occurred at the TOR in the Jerry Rawlings-led government.
Upon the assumption of office last year, the Kufuor administration discovered the refinery was buried in debt to the tune of 2.3 trillion cedis- the result of many years of mismanaging at the refinery. TOR was also found to be in a bad shape with some of its equipment in a terrible state of repair. Government has so far spent about $200 million on the restoration of the equipment.
GRi…/
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Reconciliation law in doubt!
Parliament has moved in quickly to avert a potential embarrassment that would have put the credibility of the House on the line.
The “Ghanaian Voice” has stumbled on the fact that the Marshall of Parliament, Colonel Lamptey, has been asked to investigate how The Register of Attendance of members vanished on December 20th 2001.
That was the Day the NPP rail-roaded the partisan Reconciliation Bill through Parliament. The Bill as at present has been signed by the President into law. The Bill was carried through by a voice vote, which we gathered did not form a quorum for passing the Bill.
The Reconciliation bill generated heat and storm not only in Parliament but outside. At a point the NDC minority walked out of Parliament and asked Nana Akufo Addo the Attorney General to apologise for the insulting language he used against them when presenting the Bill.
On the eve of the resolution of the Bill, the NDC members of Parliament again walked out leaving the NPP to have their day. But it is alleged that members of Parliament present could not meet the statutory figure to approve the final Bill.
The bone of contention of the Reconciliation Bill was that the minority wanted the time frame to be shifted to 1957 in line with consensus which had been reached by the various for a but the Ghanaian Voice gathered that it was a cabinet agenda to limit the time to the rule of Ex-President Rawlings.
The Law as it stands now is meant to satisfy the wishes of the political agenda of the NPP government.
If it is established and confirmed that, that particular roll call of the Reconciliation Bill has vanished it would be the first time in the political history of this country that a Register of Attendance has disappeared.
More…/
“We need you,” “we want you”-the crowd yell at J.J
Rawlings
Ex-President Flt. Lt J.J. Rawlings could be described as an ex-President of this country but the magic, the favour and the attraction which his charisma carries since he bounced unto the political scene in this country in 1979 and December 31st 1981 and his eight-year Presidency from 1992 to 2000 is still alive and kicking.
When he last year went to Kumasi and had a meeting with NDC party-faithfuls, he relieved the toast of the Asantehemaa Nana Afua kobi II who beckoningly invited him to sit by her side. “Come and sit by me, my son”
This scene at the Asantehemaa’s Palace at Manhyia was not organised and when word got round that Rawlings was in town the whole Manhyia area was turned up-side down as Joshua Hamidu’s security men were seen digging and kicking their heels to control the crowd that had stampeded the area to catch a glimpse of ex-President.
It must be noted that the National Security, in spite of all the advantages at their disposal did not know that the man they fear most and consider to be a thorn in their flesh was going to visit Kumasi.
It was like the reception the ex-President received at the funeral of the Chief Imam at Accra Newtown which forced the security agencies to stop President JAK from attending the same function in order to avoid embarrassment.
But what happened at the Fast Track court in Accra last Friday January 18th 2002 surprised his own party-faithfuls and NPP sceptists who could not believe their eyes and their ears.
The Fast Tract Court was expected to open its doors at 10:30 a.m. but the ex-President and his Chief of Staff, Mr Victor Smith, got to the court at 9.30 a.m. and parked their Ford 4 x 4 wheel drive vehicle and waited for the court doors to be opened. Whiling away his time he chose to inspect some of the projects in relation to the courts which were initiated by his government.
And when the doors were opened at 10:15 am he stepped out of his car and went into the court room and engaged in a tete-a-tetes with Kwame Preprah, former Minister of Finance, Mr Ibrahim Adam former Minister of Agriculture, Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief of Staff, Dr Sipa Yankey, former Director of EPZ and Dr Dapaah former Director of the Ministry of Agriculture.
He stood on his feet until Judge Kwame Afreh was ushered in and when the criers shouted “Court-Rise” as a respect to the incoming Judge ex-President Rawlings was already standing at ease on his feet.
After Judge Afreh had sat down, he acknowledged the presence of Flt. Lt. Rawlings who had earlier accepted to sit at the back-bench after he had politely turned down an offer to sit on the front row. The people burst out in cheers as some of the people in the court dashed out to spread the good word that Fl. Lt. Rawlings was in town.
After sitting through the whole 45 minutes of exchanges between council and accused and when the ex-President stepped out, the crowd was uncontrollable as people rushed to catch a glimpse of the man whose government set up the Fast Track Court which is now trying his own ministers.
He posed a security threat as he was hemmed in among the crowd jostling to rub shoulders with him and were shouting, “Here is the man’, “We miss you”, “Obarima nie”, “this is the brave man”, said a middle aged woman.
“In fact I had never set an eye on Rawlings face to face until today, but the moment I saw him I liked him, he is handsome, charming and well-mannered” said a Rawlings critic. The crowd was so uncontrollable as people blocked the entrance to his car.
In an interview, he said it was his administration and government policies, which were on trial. He said that he had come to the court to see for himself the NPP government’s type of the 'due process of the law'. He zoomed off with the people chasing his car.
GRi…/
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