Parties, Media must ensure legitimacy of EC - Afari-Gyan
Polling agents urged to be vigilant on election day
Accra (Greater Accra) 17 July 2000
The Attorney General, and Minister of Justice Dr Obed Asamoah, on Monday said evidence so far brought against suspects in the serial murders is not strong enough to warrant their prosecution.
He said in all the cases, his office had sent the dockets back to the police for further investigations.
Dr Asamoah said this when Sisters' Keepers, a coalition of women's organisations, presented a petition to him on the serial murders of women in Accra.
The Attorney General said the department had dealt with only three dockets and not 12 as the police have announced.
He said in one case in particular, it was alleged, the victim "regularly frequented Kwame Nkrumah circle" almost every night and was found in the company of two men in a Taxi on the eve of the day she was murdered.
The two men and the woman were said to have changed into another Taxi after sometime and the woman was found dead the next day.
He said, although, the registration number of the first Taxi was taken and the driver was subsequently arrested, he was bailed because the evidence was not convincing enough to warrant his being sent to court.
Similarly, in the other two cases, the victims' boyfriends and close associates were also arrested on suspicion but were granted bail for lack of evidence.
"This does not mean that the dockets on their cases are closed. Further investigations are still going on to apprehend the culprits and if need be in the face of fresh evidence they would be re-arrested".
Dr Asamoah cautioned against the tendency to detain the suspects more than the constitutional requirement of 48 hours saying: "we should be careful not to infringe the rights of a citizen in our desire to help. It is our belief that it is better for a guilty person to be freed than an innocent person to be hanged."
Dr Asamoah gave the assurance that the government is doing everything to save the situation and called on the public to co-operate with the security agencies in tracking down the perpetrators.
The women in their petition asked the attorney general's department to expedite action on the cases in the supreme interest of Justice.
They also asked it to closely collaborate with the police and the courts to ensure efficient investigations into the cases for successful prosecution.
The petition was in response to the statement by the Inspector General of Police that, a number of dockets on the serial murders had been transferred to the Attorney General's Office.
This was when the women went on a demonstration in protest against the murders calling on the police to explain why no one had been prosecuted.
GRi../
Accra (Greater Accra) 17 July 2000
The Vice-President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills arrived home on Sunday after a seven-day official visit to the People's Republic of China.
His wife Ernestina Naadu Mills, Mr Joseph Laryea, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Asiedu Nketia, Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture and Mr Kofi Attoh, Chairman on the Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs accompanied him.
Briefing journalists at the airport, Mr Laryea said the visit, which was a reciprocal one, was a resounding success.
He said agreements were negotiated and signed on a common consultative mechanism between the foreign ministries of China and Ghana.
Others were an agreement on the use of a 10 million-Yuan grant to Ghana, as well as a visit of a seven-man team to study a proposed project to rehabilitate military and police barracks.
Mr Laryea said the Vice President and his Chinese counterpart held discussions on a wide range of issues, especially in the agricultural sector.
The Chinese expressed their desire to invest in the Gateway programme, food processing and packaging as well as tourism. They also discussed collaboration between Tema and the industrial city of Shenyang.
Mr Laryea said the leaders discussed the proposed Sino-African Summit, which Ghana expressed it's readiness to host.
Mr Nketia said he held discussion with his counterpart and it was agreed that a 63-member Chinese team would visit Ghana to teach farmers basic farming technology.
China would also provide relevant equipment for land preparation and hold discussions with the private sector operators on joint ventures.
The Chinese would set up a cocoa processing plant. An aquaculture company would be established at the Volta Delta to grow seafood for export.
GRi../
Ho (Volta Region) 17 July 2000
Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), has called on political parties and the media to facilitate the legitimacy of the Commission as a state institution for the promotion of democracy.
He was speaking at a seminar for media practitioners and political parties at Ho on Friday.
The Electoral Commissioner said the EC needs the support of the media not as a propaganda instrument but as a partner in the education of Ghanaians on the electoral processes and their responsibilities.
Dr Afari-Gyan urged media practitioners to be knowledgeable in the country's electoral processes and laws to enable them to help the public to make informed assessments of the performance EC.
He said it is dangerous for the future legitimacy of the Commission if the assessment of its performance is personalised, as this trend would create a legitimacy problem for the EC in future. Adding that the wrong use of "irregularities" for an example could cause "serious credibility problems for an election".
Dr Afari-Gyan described electoral corruption as the highest form of corruption because it subverts the people's right of choice.
He charged political parties to deploy knowledgeable and committed peoples as agents during elections to forestall anomalies, which could adversely affect results.
Dr Afari-Gyan explained that free and fair elections are not limited to the processes of voting and declaration of results.
They include the demarcation of constituencies and the compilation of voters' registers adding that they also require the vigilance of the citizenry.
Touching on election monitors, the Electoral Commissioner said he prefers local monitors, who would "continually observe the political landscape even after elections".
Dr Afari-Gyan said that unfortunately non-governmental agencies performing this role locally fold up after elections and cited the case of Zimbabwe where in spite of difficulties the local monitors facilitated free and fair elections recently.
GRi../
Bibiani (Western Region) 17 July 2000
Mr Peter Mac Manu, Western Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Friday reminded polling agents of the party that they have an important role to play in ensuring victory for the party in the December elections.
He, therefore, called on them to be vigilant on that day, pointing out that there was no doubt that rigging and manipulation of figures could be done at that level.
Addressing an NPP rally at Bibiani in the Western region, Mr Manu said the party's polling agents should devote all their time and attention to the day to ensure free and fair elections devoid of cheating.
He said the NPP wants to take power from the NDC so as to give Ghana a positive change. He reminded the electorate that God has given them the right to choose a candidate. They should, therefore, not allow themselves to be influenced by other
considerations to make the wrong choice and asked them to vote massively for the NPP to bring about the much-needed change everybody was yearning for.
Mr Christopher Addae, who was introduced to the people as the party's parliamentary candidate for the Bibiani/Ahwiaso constituency, asked the people not to make the same mistake of returning the NDC to power.
GRi../