Women mark one-day sit-down strike against serial killings
Mills begins a week's visit to China
Annan urges trial for S.Leone rebel Sankoh
Three Ashaiman groups petition against Aheto
Accra (Greater Accra) 10 July 2000
Hundreds of women on Monday
carried out a peaceful sit-down demonstration at the Police Headquarters in
Accra to put pressure on the government and the security agencies to take more
pragmatic action to deal with suspected serial killings of women in the
nation’s capital.
Clad in mourning cloths and red
bands, the women chanted dirges, war songs and wailed as they milled along the
main road in front of the Police Headquarters, causing a slowdown of traffic on
the Ring Road.
They held placards some of which
read: "Stop killing or no vote", "Wake up, Okaija or War",
and "If the killings don't stop, no vote for any party".
The women said they would follow
this with a sit-down strike in their homes, offices and marketplaces.
"We will not cook, work,
participate in any kind of activity for the day. Without food, the men will
join us in our fight against these heinous killings."
They stated that if the mystery
surrounding these killings was not unravelled, and the perpetrators brought to
book on time, they would back their action with fasting and prayers to seek the
face of God on the issue.
The women called on the government
to supply them with protective gadgets, like "pepper sprays" to scare
off their attackers.
The women have also threatened to
hold their votes in the December 7, general elections if the government did not
solve the mystery killings before December 6.
Mr Peter Nanfuri, Inspector
General of Police (IGP), commended the women for their courage and initiative
and reiterated the call on them to be more cautious as they go about their
daily activities.
He said the police have already
arrested a lot of suspects in connection with the murders but have not been
able to prosecute them due to lack of evidence from the public.
Mr Nanfuri also called on the
women to be patient and have trust in the police, saying they should not fear
but rather co-operate with them to come out with more in-depth findings.
"We are there to protect you
as you are already aware, and we are doing everything possible to arrest and
prosecute the culprits."
The IGP said the police have
mounted a campaign in the media on how women could protect themselves against
suspicious characters.
Madam Theresa Tagoe, MP for
Ablekuma South, lamented that the president took a long time before commenting
on the murders, which started about three years ago.
She said it is unfortunate that
the police at times reveal the identity of informants and asked them to desist
from that practice.
GRi../
Gomoa Nkoransa (Central Region) 10
July 2000
Nana Abobo Egyir III, Sanahene of
Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Area, has called for the amendment of the clause in
the constitution, which enjoins the President to appoint majority of Ministers
from Parliament.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency
at Gomoa Nkoransa in the Central Region on Friday, he pointed out that the
clause is retarding work of Parliament.
Nana Abobo Egyir, who is also the
chief of the town, said the work of Parliamentarians should be regarded as
full-time just like that of the Minister of State.
"Combining the two jobs puts
stress on the holder, which affects efficiency," he said adding that the
person doubling as a Minister and an MP will do one very well at the expense of
the other.
"How do we expect say the
Upper East Regional Minister who is an MP to combine effectively his work in
the region with that of his constituency and parliament," he asked.
Nana Abobo Egyir said that it is
no wonder that the voice of some MPs are not heard in Parliament because they do
not have time to prepare for debates.
"The world is moving very
fast and we need to up-date some of our laws to march with time," he said
adding that, we need people who will devote their time for legislation.
GRi./
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 10 July 2000
A member of the National Media Commission (NMC) on Saturday enjoined the media to resist the temptation to endorse candidates in the forthcoming general election.
Mr Cyril Acolatse said it would be unethical and unfair for the media, both the state and independent media, to project one candidate at the expense of others before the electorate decide at the polls.
He was delivering a paper on "Towards Balanced Political Reporting" at a day's seminar on "Election Reporting" held for journalists and party activists in the Brong Ahafo Region at Sunyani.
Funded by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the seminar is being held nation-wide as part of efforts by the NMC, Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Electoral
Commission (EC) to ensure that the media discharge their duties with fairness and equity in the run-up to the elections.
Mr Acolatse urged the media to help in the consolidation of the country's fledgling democracy by refraining from activities that would compromise their integrity, neutrality and fairness.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 10 July 2000
President Jerry John Rawlings on Sunday said the unexplained murders of women in parts of Accra is an affront to the strenuous efforts the government has made in the past 15 years to promote the wellbeing of women.
He said one of the things even foreigners in Ghana are quick to notice is the freedom and security under which Ghanaians, particularly women, can be found going about their duties even in the dead of the night.
In a press briefing in Accra, President Rawlings said the government is determined to do whatever is necessary to maintain this enviable characteristic of the Ghanaian society.
"As government continues in the effort to make tourism the leading foreign exchange earner and a destination for foreign direct investment, there is the need to continue to maintain an atmosphere of peace and security for all Ghanaians and visitors."
He noted that the recent measures announced by the National Security Council is an indication of the urgency with which the government views the situation and hoped that these measures would give a new impetus to the investigations.
President Rawlings asked the general public to be vigilant and collaborate with the law enforcement agencies in their effort to apprehend the perpetrators of these dastardly acts, and emphasised the need to protect the identity of informants.
He tasked the police to open up to the general public who wish to contribute to their efforts, saying they must take criticisms in good faith even though some may appear to be harsh.
A memorial service was held in Accra on Sunday in memory of the 25 women murdered in Accra over the past two years.
Women from all walks of life, including Dr. Mary Grant, a member of the Council of State, Madam Theresa Tagoe, MP for Ablekuma South, whose constituency most of the murders took place last year, and Madam Theresa Kufuor, wife of the NPP flagbearer, attended the service.
It was organised by a coalition of women's and human rights groups such as the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) and the TUC Women's Desk.
The Very Reverend Benjamin Quansah, Chaplain General of the Ghana Police Service, who presided over the service, called for the setting up of a fund to finance the establishment of watchdog committees and surveillance teams to help arrest the murderers.
The Police Church has given two million cedis as seed money to the network of women's groups, which are playing an active role in spreading the war against the serial killings.
Rev. Quansah urged all churches and Christians to go down on their knees and ask for divine intervention so that the killers would be exposed.
"One or two murders is bad but 20 is a very serious business and we cannot allow the killers to go free." A minute's silence was observed in memory of the departed women.
GRi…/
Wa (Upper West) 10 July 2000
The National Reform Party is
prepared to go into alliance with any political party apart from the National
Democratic Congress (NDC) in the event of a run-off in the December general
election.
"Some of us are prepared to
resign from the party if it ever makes any moves to strike any deal with the
NDC", Mr Mike Nagumo, Upper West Regional Co-ordinator of the party said
at Wa on Saturday.
He was addressing a rally
organised by the Wa Central Constituency branch of the party.
Mr Nagumo said the NDC government
should be blamed for the economic problems facing the country and not external
shocks.
"Ghana is not the only
country, which has been hit by external shocks, other countries are facing
similar problems and yet their citizens are living better lives.
"Inefficiency and greed on the part of our leadership are the cause",
said.
Mr Mohammed Sidique, Regional
Education Secretary of the party called on all those disenchanted with the NDC
to join the party to help propel it to victory.
He said, ''sitting MPs are not the
problem and new MPs cannot offer the solution, the solution lies in voting out
the NDC."
He urged parents to be wary of allowing
their children to join the Veranda boys and girls club, saying that
organisation can never open any avenue of development for them.
GRi../
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 10 July 2000
The Sekyedumasi branch of the 31st December Women's Movement (DWM) has petitioned President Jerry John Rawlings to intervene and help seek a permanent solution to the protracted chieftaincy dispute at Sekyedumasi for peace to prevail.
The petition said the dispute if not swiftly checked, could escalate into uncontrolled violence and negatively affect all socio-economic activities at Sekyedumasi.
Four members of the movement, Madam Elizabeth Benewah, Mary Pokuaa, Felicia Yeboah and Madam Amponsah signed the petition issued in Kumasi on Saturday.
It stated "indications are that an unconfirmed chief in the town is likely to swear the oath of allegiance to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II on Monday, July 10".
In a separate petition to President Rawlings, a group of farmers of Sekyedumasi also appealed to the President to help find an amicable and lasting solution to the chieftaincy dispute.
The petition said, "the chieftaincy dispute has the potential of seriously affecting the smooth conduct of the forthcoming general elections and should, therefore, not be allowed to drag on".
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Beijing (China) 10 July 2000
Vice President John Evans Atta Mills on Sunday arrived in Beijing, to begin a week's visit to the People's Republic of China during which he would meet President Jiang Zemin and other senior government officials in efforts to further boost Sino-Ghana relations.
The Vice President is accompanied by his wife, Naadu, Mr Joseph Awa Laryea, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture and senior government officials.
The delegation was treated to a red-carpet reception marked by a colourful Chinese cultural performance on arrival at the Beijing airport and was later taken on a state drive through the city.
Mr Kofi Attor, Chairman of the select committee on foreign Affairs, who arrived earlier in Beijing at the head of a parliamentary delegation and Mr Oscar Ameyedowo, Ghana's Ambassador joined the Vice President's entourage.
He would hold talks with Chinese Officials on various sectors, particularly, Agriculture, Trade and Local Government after which agreements would be signed.
Prof. Mills is also billed to meet with African diplomats in China. The delegation will also tour some prominent Agriculture, Trade and Industrial concerns, as well as some other places of interest to share ideas. They include the Qingdao Trade Fair centre and the Great Wall at Badaling.
The visit, which reciprocates that by Chinese Vice President Hu Jintao early last year, marks a high point in activities marking a landmark 40 years of bilateral relations between Ghana and China.
Bilateral relations between the two countries have seen a significant boost in the last half-decade after a visit by President Jerry John Rawlings to China, resulting in increased socio-economic exchanges between the two governments and peoples.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 10 July 2000
Libyan leader Muammar Al Gaddafi has charged African leaders attending the OAU summit in Togo to find answers to the problems of under-development and deprivation faced by their peoples.
They should also bear in mind that they are not free to do what they please but must listen and act according to the needs of the people.
Colonel Gaddafi was addressing a large gathering of Ghanaians, predominantly Muslims, at the El-Wak Stadium in Accra on the last day of his two days visit to Ghana en route to Togo for the OAU summit.
He said African leaders dread the idea of unity, which could threaten the happiness they get from the privileges of power and are therefore happy with the present state of affairs.
Col. Gaddafi said the solution to Africa's problems is to establish a single African state, adding that leaders who do not want unity should leave and join their "colonial masters".
He stressed that it would be very difficult for African countries to achieve socio-economic development in an era of globalisation.
"The concept of globalisation will put an end to African nation states, all of whom are facing strangling crises, because without unity, they would remain insignificant in global economic, socio-cultural and political affairs".
Col. Gaddafi, who has already been to Niger and Burkina Faso by road in a West African tour, noted that there are no differences among the peoples of the countries he visited.
He said the existing boundaries among African countries are illusory and artificial, created by colonialists to their advantage, after they looted Africa's resources.
Describing present African countries as municipalities in a united Africa, he said: "Africa is not 50 states. It is one nation, one people, one culture, one economy, one defence and no borders".
The Libyan leader expressed regret that Africans moving from one point of the continent to the other are now termed immigrants and criminals, among other things, and urged the authorities to do away with political divisions.
He described as a miscalculation the notion that ANC rule in South Africa had bettered conditions for the black majority, saying they live poorly as their kin in the rest of Africa.
This is because the economic power needed to transform their lives lies in the hands of the white minority.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 10 July 2000
Foday Sankoh, the rebel leader being held by Sierra Leone authorities, should face trial for war crimes despite an amnesty enshrined in a 1999 peace accord, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in Accra on Friday.
"I don't think we should allow impunity to stand," Annan said in an interview with Reuters.
Mr Annan, who was en route to next week's Organisation of African Unity summit in Lome, Togo, said the possibility of trying Sankoh was under serious discussion. "I think it's going to happen," he said.
Mr Annan said Sankoh's trial could go ahead despite an amnesty granted in the peace accord signed last year by Sankoh and the Sierra Leone government in Lome, adding that crimes against humanity and genocide should not go unpunished. "We reserved our right at a future date to deal with those who had committed such crimes.
"We should not get the impression out -- not in this region, not in any part of the world -- that impunity is allowed to stand and people can get away with these sorts of atrocities."
The United Nations officially objected to the scope of the amnesty at the time the deal was signed.
Others have said that even if the amnesty is respected, Sankoh could face charges on crimes committed since the signing of the agreement on July 7, 1999.
Sierra Leone's president, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, wrote to Annan in June to propose a court with a mix of local and foreign prosecutors and judges. It would sit in Sierra Leone if the security situation permitted.
Civil war in Sierra Leone flared up again in May when Sankoh's RUF took hostage hundreds of United Nations peacekeepers and tried to advance on the capital Freetown.
Former colonial power Britain sent crack troops to secure Freetown, support the loyalist army and help put the U.N. mission back on track.
The RUF released the peacekeepers after the intervention of Liberian President Charles Taylor, who has close connections with the group going back to his own days as a rebel leader in Liberia's civil war.
Sankoh himself was captured in May by pro-government forces days after gunmen protecting him at his Freetown home fired into a crowd of demonstrators, killing at least 19 people.
Diamonds mined in the rebel-held east of Sierra Leone are blamed for fuelling a nine-year war characterised by widespread rape, civilian killings, violent amputations of limbs and the forcible recruitment of child fighters.
Annan said the United Nations would work with the government to extend its administration to diamond mining areas "so that this natural gift that has been given to the people of Sierra Leone will be exploited for their benefit."
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Ashaiman (Greater Accra) 10 July 2000
Three groups in Ashaiman have petitioned the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against any plans to make Mr Franklin Aheto, the incumbent MP the party's parliamentary candidate for the December 2000 elections.
The groups are the Al-Suna Youth of the Zongos, Dekawowo Youth of Ashaiman, an Ewe society and Branch Organisers of the Ashaiman constitutency of the NDC.
A statement signed by the branch organizers, Mr V. K. B. Brown said in 1996, the Ashaiman electorate rejected Mr Aheto as their MP but President Jerry John Rawlings begged for him.
It was a painful decision for the electorate but they had to vote reluctantly for Mr Aheto due to the respect they had for the President.
It said after all these Mr Aheto has not learnt any lesson but he has rather been "arrogant, pompous and bossy."
The statement said he organises football matches without the knowledge of the constituency executives. It also alleged that Mr Aheto uses the MP's share of the Assemblies' Common Fund to donate to churches without the consent of the constituency executives and does everything alone. Adding, "Honourable Aheto is not social at all"
"Please General Secretary, let the President know that we still hold him in high esteem but this year whether he begs for Mr Aheto or not we shall not entertain that man and we shall teach the Party Gurus that power truly belongs to the people", it concluded.
The Al-Suna youth in their statement said the Zongo youth will not vote for any other candidate than Mr Alfred Agbesi, a Tema Lawyer.
"This time if President Rawlings and the First lady come down to Ashaiman to beg us too, we shall listen to them but that will be the end of the Ashaiman constituency being ruled by the NDC party".
The Dekawowo Youth Association said the Ewe blamed Mr Harry Sawyerr, a member of the Council Of State and his supporters for rejecting Mr Agbesi, who won the 1996 NDC primaries and forcibly brought Mr Aheto back.
It said the same people are at work again to make Mr Aheto the MP of Ashaiman, cautioning that Mr Aheto has no vote in the constituency and any one who imposes him on the people will be sad at the end.
"Our candidate, who will win the constituency seat for us is lawyer Agbesi," the statement said.
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