Focus on criticism creates setbacks – Minority
warned
Adhere to democratic principles – Leaders urged
Disabled people are partners in development
Government scales up efforts to stop accidents
SSNIT Pension Scheme is our major concern -
Teachers
CHRAJ Clerk remanded for incest
Help check arms proliferation - Minister
Publish accused person's photograph – court
orders
Tenants in dilapidated flats to be ejected
Degree not only means to success - Students told
He said unfortunately sections of the media had fallen
victim to the ploy and failed to address and analyse the substance of the
issues he had raised but had rather resorted to speculation and falsehood to
smear his hard won reputation.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) from his base in the
"I am amazed at the evil attacks on my personality just after I took the
bold step to offer myself for the service of the country," he said. Sackey urged the media and other social commentators to
concentrate on issues such as the role of the media in establishing and
maintaining democratic governance in the country and the state of the nation.
He said issues, which he raised and wished the media to
concentrate on, included whether there was the need to change the government in
2004 and whether the CPP needed a young, dynamic and hard working Nkrumaist to lead the party into the next electoral battle.
He said the focus of the forthcoming elections should not be
based on individuals or personality or even about political parties.
"The maintenance of democratic principles and good
governance should be the central theme of the elections." Sackey also debunked claims by some of his opponent that
sought to portray him as fake saying they were mere smear campaigns aimed to
soil his reputation and drag his name into disrepute.
Sackey said: "This great
nation
Referring especially to the allegations of misrepresentation
of his profession, Sackey, who is a Business
Executive, denied ever saying that he was a lawyer. Explaining further, Sackey said the misrepresentation occurred in an answer to
a question at a press conference he organised to declare his intention to
contest when a Journalist asked him how he would relate to the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
"I told the Journalists that as President, when I send
my negotiators to the IMF and they insist that the conditions for granting the
facility is doubling school fees, my question to IMF would be, do school
children in your country pay school fees, knowing, like a good lawyer, that you
do not ask a question unless you know the answer.
"Indeed, I never referred to myself as a good lawyer as
was said in the media. In fact, the radio station that played the tape did not
take the issue from context."
On his business dealings, Sackey
said it was shocking that the media would go to such an extent and draw
"malicious conclusions" without checking from the source. Sackey described as misleading attempts being made to show
that he misrepresented himself as a Marketing Director of a
He said Tony Polykalas, who was
mentioned in the story, had denied speaking to anybody in
He also denied being a mole of the NPP within the CPP ranks,
saying: "I have no such intentions and I cannot drag the name of the party
in the mud." Sackey said the
"propagandists' tactics" had strengthened and given him the
encouragement that he was on the right path to emerge as the flag bearer of the
CPP at the next congress.
He urged his supporters to remain calm and continue their
good works stressing: "Faith can overcome all adversity and the birth of a
new day that lies ahead for
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Freddie W. Blay, First Deputy
Speaker of Parliament met the delegation, led by Dr Arthur Chilingarov
Haro of the State Duma, on
arrival at the kotoka international Airport.
Haro recalled the longstanding
ties between
The delegation would call on the President John Kufuor, the Speaker of Parliament, Peter Ala Adjetey and several Ministers of State, the Joint Committee
on Foreign Affairs, Trade, Industries and Tourism, Business Community and Ghana
Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
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They are President Thabo Mbeki of
Also in
Already in
After the opening ceremony, the talks would move to Akosombo and Akuse where
delegates would spend two weeks to hammer out an agreement.
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Speaking to Journalist on arrival in
He said the Liberian people had faith in them to achieve a
peaceful resolution of the conflicts in
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Ms Margaret Novicki, Head of the UN
Information Centre in
The Court, which is trying people
for war crimes in
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Focus on criticism creates setbacks – Minority
warned
''The Minority should praise the government when praise is due the same way it
must criticize decisions and policies that are undesirable''.
Reverend Joseph K. Gyimah, Founder
of the True Light of Christ Church, said in any democratic dispensation, the
Minority had the duty to keep the government in check and accountable by making
constructive criticisms.
Rev Gyimah was speaking at a forum
of various fellowships and groupings of the church in
He said since Members of Parliament were representatives of
people they should always let the interest of the people reign supreme over
party interest.
Rev Gyimah said the media's role
in helping nurture and sustain democracy could be counter-productive if they
fail to cross check their stories. "As the mouthpiece of the people the
citizens turn to see whatever is published or aired by the media as the truth,
therefore, incorrect information can mislead them and cause chaos", he
said.
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He said peace could only come to Liberia in unity and spirit of give and take,
adding that taking entrenched positions would not only stall the process but
could also ruin it. President Kufuor was addressing
the opening session of the two-week Peace Conference on
About 100 delegates, including the Liberian government,
representatives of the 18 political parties and rebel groups, were attending
the Conference sponsored by ECOWAS.
President Kufuor said the eyes of
the world were focused on the participants, therefore, they should prove to
themselves and the world that Liberians would allow the love of their country
to over-ride their individual and selfish desires and ambitions.
He said all Liberians should also look resolutely ahead into
the future because it was time to draw a deep and hard line between the past,
now the future and resolve not to allow the past to rule the future.
"Otherwise everybody will find some reason for
bitterness if they look back and everybody will find good reason to demand
retribution", he added.
President Kufuor said to be able
to break with the past and the vicious cycle, everyone would have to accept to
give up as much as possible in the interest of his or her nation. He said this
was not the time to be insisting on constitutional rights or concessions won at
earlier negotiations or even territories won in battles, or think of historical
wrongs or ancient rivalries.
"The traumatized people of Liberia have suffered
enough. This once happy land has seen and experienced too much agony. A once
proud people have been stripped of their respect and dignity and what was once
a land of plenty has become a place of hunger, disease and humiliation.
Liberians deserve a break and it is time for a fresh beginning", he
stressed.
President Kufuor said the massive
and sudden refugee movements across borders have resulted in a critical
humanitarian crisis in West Africa and also diverted ECOWAS' attention from its
economic agenda thereby delaying progress by many years.
He said it had also caused a humiliating damage to West
Africa's collective image and had reduced the Sub-Region's attractiveness as an
investment destination.
President Kufuor, who is also the
Chairman of ECOWAS said it was imperative therefore, that the conflict in
Liberia be stopped and peace restored.
He said peace cannot be imposed on Liberia, no one could
bring peace to Liberia but the Liberian people themselves and the rest of the
people in other countries could only assist them in the process.
"This imposes a unique responsibility on the government
and leaders of the various factions and parties in the country", he added.
Kofi Annan,
UN Secretary-General, in an address read by Abou Moussa, UN Secretary-General's representative on the
Liberian crisis said, “for too long,
He said all parties in the conflict should agree on a cease-fire and an end to
violence because such a step would not only alleviate the suffering of the
people, but it would also create a favourable environment for negotiating a
solution to Liberia's multiple challenges.
Annan said the UN remained
committed to work closely with
"It is they who must uphold this responsibility, make the compromises and
difficult choices needed for peace and respond to the overwhelming pleas of the
Liberian people for peace. I hope they will take full advantage of the window
of opportunity offered by the Peace Conference", he stressed.
Thabo Mbeki, Chairman of the
African Union (AU) and President of South Africa said the current peaceful
situation in
He said the people of Liberia had suffered too much and too
long and there was no need for the conflict to continue any longer because
those who want to perpetuate the conflict were few and called on African
leaders to support the majority of Liberians to ensure peace was restored to
Liberia.
Alhaji Aliu
Mahama, Vice President and Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chambas, Executive Secretary
of ECOWAS were at the opening ceremony.
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"President Taylor has not been arrested. He is not under house arrest. He
is not under any form of arrest," Agyepong told
the Ghana News Agency in
The Court said on Wednesday it had issued an arrest warrant
for President Taylor, who is in
The Court indicted President Taylor in March for his alleged
role in the bloody
Among those present were President Thabo
Mbeki of South Africa and Chairman of the African Union, President Laurent Gbagbo of Cote d'Ivoire, President Olusegun
Obasanjo of Nigeria and President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone.
Prime Minister Koffi Sama represented President Gnassingbe
Eyadema of Togo while Foreign Minister, Francois Fall
stood in for President Lansana Conte of Guinea.
The facilitator of the talks is former Nigerian President Abdulsalami Abubakar. A statement
issued by Agyepong said the Heads of State and
governments held consultations on the Liberian conflict and explored ways in
which they could offer support to the efforts of the African Union, ECOWAS and
International Contact Group to end the war in Liberia and build peace and
stability.
The statement said they pledged to provide all the necessary
assistance to the talks. "The Leaders also established an informal
Heads of State Contact Group on
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Accra (Greater Accra) 05 June 2003 - President Charles
Taylor of Liberia flew back home after the opening ceremony of the Liberia
peace talks during which news was received that the UN War Crimes Court in
Sierra Leone had issued an arrest warrant for him.
President Taylor left on board the Ghanaian presidential jet
while other delegates he came with went on his plane. Neither President Taylor
nor any of his officials spoke to journalists. It is not know whom he had left
behind.
The Foreign Minister, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo told reporters
that it was an embarrassing situation that in the midst of such a meeting that
would bring peace to millions of Liberians, such an issue should crop up.
Nana Akufo-Addo repeated that
He added that the onus would have been on
Nana Akufo-Addo said this should
not take away the import of the meeting, adding, "There are positive signs
that a peace deal will be achieved." The presidents of
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"Throughout these years the pretext used to include
A declaration from the Cuban Embassy copied to the Ghana
News Agency said, "The government of
It questioned the rational behind the
The declaration said
"
Other countries, the declaration said, formed part of the
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Now a petty trader, doctors have told Madam Agnes not to do any strenuous work. She should also stop walking on her legs for long hours, for she has constant pain in her hips when she did so.
Madam Okyere said she was engaged to Kuta's father, Ahmed, in 1983, and was one month pregnant
when Ahmed met his untimely death on 20 May of that year.
According to Madam Okyere, she and
Ahmed and some friends with whom he had returned from the
She said the vehicle stopped and suddenly, four soldiers
came out of the vehicle and ordered them out. One of the soldiers asked the
driver why he should blow the horn. A scuffle ensued as he tried to explain.
When she tried to make peace between them, one of the
soldiers kicked her hips, and she fell down unconscious. When Ahmed wanted
to make peace, another soldier removed a pistol and shot him dead. In his last
words before death, Madam Okyere said, Ahmed pleaded
with her not to terminate the pregnancy.
After the death of her would-be husband, Madam Okyere said her parents who are Christians, drove her away
from home for carrying the baby of Ahmed, a Muslim. She said she stayed with
friends, but life became very difficult for her until the child was born.
She contemplated suicide when the hardship became too tough,
but was rescued by an elderly man when she went to the beach to get herself
drowned. Madam Okyere said upon reports from family
friends to her parents of her condition, they took her back.
Later the family of her late fiancé accepted to bear part of
cost of caring for her daughter, but they would pay Kuta's
fees for her to buy her books. That continued till she finished the JSS.
She said she did petty trading to support her daughter.
She said she was sick during the registration and she could not pay her daughter's examination fees. Her daughter's school allowed her to write her examination but she would not get her results slip until she paid her fees. Huum Ahmed Kuta, is 19 years old.
She completed Junior Secondary School (JSS) last year but
she cannot get her Basic Education Examination Certificate (BECE) results until
she clears arrears of 350,000 cedis being school and
examination fees.
Prof Henrietta Mensa-Bonsu, a member of the
Commission said she would discuss with the
Commissioner Christian Appiagyei
asked Madam Okyere to furnish the Commission with a
documentation of the medical recommendation not to do any strenuous working.
In another narration, Madam Comfort Yeboah
from Akyem Oda Otwereso,
prayed Commission to release to her a house at Tema
belonging to her late husband, W. O. Martin Bediako Frimpong, a former Military Intelligence Officer.
She told the Commission that her husband was preparing for
retirement when the
The fired guns till the evening. She became afraid and sent
her children to her mother in the village. She said her husband was not
coming home, so she went to his hometown, Kwasi Buokrom in the Brong Ahafo Region to look for him.
She said she later succeeded in sending her husband to Buokrom after which his relatives managed to send him to
take refuge in neighbouring
Madam Yeboah said she told her
husband to be wary of Giwa. Her husband said he was
not comfortable staying in the refugee camp and asked her to bring his
travelling document to enable him to move from the camp possibly to another
country.
He also told her that the American Ambassador, in whose house he used to work, had invited him and he would need the papers to make the journey. Madam Yeboah said as she was preparing to send the papers, she heard that her husband had been arrested with Giwa and other soldiers.
She learned later from a friend to her husband several soldiers including Giwa who were arrested had been executed. However, her
husband claimed when they got to the border that he was an American. He was
sent to the Castle and his papers and nationality were verified.
She said she later had information that her husband was
killed at the Castle without any charges or trial. At this point Madam Yeboah looked up and burst into tears. Dr Araba Sefa Dede,
a clinical psychologist and head of the Counselling Department of the
Commission, moved to her side and gave her comfort.
The tears of Madam Yeboah
continued making Commission Chairman Justice Kweku Etrew Amua-Sekyi to ask counsel
to suspend questions. Madam Yeboah said she had
neither a brother nor sister and she had to send six children to the village
where she was engaged in farming.
Her mother-in-law was traumatized by the death of her
husband and was paralysed for eight years before she died. She said the
military authorities paid her ¢4.2m as death gratuity and she has since been
given ¢100,000.
She said one of her children sold newspapers to help to
educate four of her children to the secondary school. One of the children has
joined the Ghana Armed Forces. The Commission asked Madam Yeboah
to furnish it with the papers on the house.
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The members of the Commission had a hectic time to cool him
down and expressed fear that his rage and bitterness could affect his health.
Commander Aryeetey said not even
his wife could cool him down since what the PNDC did to him had brought shame
and hardship to his family. He said Naval training is
very expensive and he had wanted to pass his knowledge on to the young ones but
his dreams were all shattered.
Lt. Gen. Arnold Quainoo removed
him from office two hours after he had visited the Navy Headquarters in 1984,
adding that he was forced to go on compulsory retirement at the age of 42, with
no reasons given.
He said the letter he received from the Military Secretary
for his removal said he was not being removed for inefficiency, medical
unfitness or misconduct adding that he wanted to know the reason for his
removal.
Commander Aryeetey said when he
saw Lt. Gen. Arnold Quainoo after he received the
letter, he said he had a new appointment for him but he should contact Colonel Elwa for the details. When he went to Col. Elwa, he found out that it was a lie.
He called on the NRC to ensure that he was reinstated and
placed at the rank he would have attained if he were in the Navy. Commander Aryeetey said Former President Limman
retired former President J. J Rawlings and Lt. Gen. Quianoo
so they do not have the power to retire him. "They rather took the gun and
turned the whole country upside down."
Commander Aryeetey said some
people had been trying to justify the 4 June Revolution but they could not
erase the torture and pain their actions brought on Ghanaians, adding that all
the members of the AFRC should be tried and punished just as they did to other
coup plotters.
He said the massacre that happened in Takoradi that time was horrifying as one Naval officer was shot 32 times. He said they picked officers from their houses at dawn and shot them three at a time. He said the men that did the killing included A.B. Dunya, L.S. Abedi, Mark Banning and Leading Seaman Annor Boateng who were not tried.
"What happened was treason of the highest level where people killed and
got away with it. It is regretful that we live in a country where intelligent
people suffer because the unintelligent ones want to rule."
He said on
This resulted in a scuffle between those from the army and
the naval ratings during which they arrested those from the army on duty in
retaliation for their murdered colleague.
Commander Aryeetey said he deliberated with the Ratings who later calmed down and freed the detainees. He said this did not go down well with the Army as they later heard that the Force Commander Lt.-Gen. Quainoo was sending "tanks" to come and attack the navy.
However, Major Philip Arthur, Commanding Officer of the Recce
Regiment refused to carry out the operation. He said they later came to a
compromise where they decided to send a list of issues that had gone wrong
since the PNDC assumed power to the Chairman who promised to hold a durbar with
the Ratings.
Among them was a call on the soldiers to stop the persistent
killing of people who collected wheat and other commodities that fell from the
trucks. He said a total of 31 people including John Degolo
and some children were killed in Tema during that
time.
He said instead of Chairman Rawlings meeting the men himself, Lt. Gen. Quainoo rather took over. However, since he could not answer some of the questions there was confusion between them during which Lt. Gen. Quainoo insulted him openly in the presence of the junior staff.
He said Gen. Quainoo later met the officers in the
wardroom where he told them that the Ghana Armed Forces was under a new command
of Chairman Rawlings, adding that anybody who did not like his style could
leave.
Bishop Palmer Buckle advised him to work on his anger as the
country could not go forward with so much anger. In another narration, Lance
Corporal Sampson Darkwah, who said he was dismissed
for an alleged subversion and attempted coup, called on the National Reconciliation
Commission on Wednesday to help him get his pension.
He said he was not involved in any coup plot or subversion
as alleged, but was sentenced to six years imprisonment with hard labour
despite his innocence.
Darkwah said he had to run to a
remote village in the Western Region where one sees a vehicle once in every
four months to save his life as he was being pursued by soldiers to be killed
after he was released from prison.
He said during his hiding, he went into farming to earn a
living adding that he stayed at that village from 1987 till 2000 when there was
a change of government and friends advised him to come to
He said he was arrested in July 1983 on the basis that he
was helping Captain Ampofo, his brother-in-law and
aide de camp to former President Achempong to stage a
coup. He said his sister, Alice Darkwah Ampofo was also arrested but Captain Ampofo
managed to flee the country.
He said at the Nsawam Prison where
he was sent, they locked him up in the condemned cells for one week after which
one soldier called Bona took him to the prisons annex.
Darkwah said at the annex, he met Kwesi Armah, former Ambassador to
He said the next day they were brought to court at 2000
hours at the State House where one Agyekum read his
charges of subversion.
Darkwah said he was sentenced to
six years imprisonment with hard labour but served four years. He said he went
to the Military Administration to ask for his benefits but was given only
¢19,000. This discouraged him and never followed up.
He said the tribunal that sentenced him said there was no
way he could appeal adding that he did not receive any letter of dismissal from
the army
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Akosombo (Eastern Region)
Volta Lake Hotel, venue for the 14-day marathon peace process, involving
warring factions and other stakeholders, is very quite without the expected
heavy security presence and the intensive negotiations likely to define the
road map for attaining lasting peace.
Hotel officials told the Ghana News Agency at about 1800
hours that so far only seven Liberians had checked in whilst those who could
not find their names on the rooming list have relocated at Akuse.
However, all the 35 rooms have been by booked by both local
and foreign delegates. One of the delegates, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, said the Hotel management had received reports that actual business
would take off on Thursday.
The few security personnel guarding the premises were also
at a loss whether the event would take place. "We are told a few Liberians
who say they have flown in from the
"We have, however, not received any feedback from our
superiors why the meeting has delayed." Apart from the Movement for
Democracy (MODEM), the second rebel group, boycotting the peace process that
was opened by the President John Agyekum Kufuor and other African leaders in
President Taylor flew back home on Wednesday after news that
the UN War Crimes Court in Sierra Leone had asked for his arrest.
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"I challenge President Kufuor
to take me through a chemical test on the account of the allegations that I
have something to do the murder of the judges and the vicious lies that have
been peddled against me at the commission."
Rawlings also challenged President Kufuor, Kwaku Baako Junior, Editor of Crusading Guide, and other retired military officers, especially ex-Corporal Matthew Adabuga, who recently accused him of ordering the murder of the judges, to also be bold and subject themselves for the test.
The Ex-President was speaking at a public lecture to commemorate the 34th
anniversary of the
Former President Rawlings said: "The Americans have a
Lie Detector Test device which is more efficient and capable of detecting every
lie that is invented; so President Kufuor should
invite those American experts to be used on me.
"The vicious lies going on in the public arena must
wake all of us up; they can put me live on television show and question me;
nothing in camera, but I also demand that some of the members of the NRC should
also be subjected to the lie detector test."
On the past serial killings of women, Former President
Rawlings said he could mention about 15 people of the present Kufuor administration who "masterminded the cold
blooded killings of the 34 Ghanaian women."
"President Kufuor is a
Christian like me. His wife is also a Christian,; if
he can't write to the American experts, I could do it, but let us do it while
the NPP is in office and that is the challenge," he said.
Ex-President Rawlings said most people who have appeared at
the commission sittings after having sworn an oath with the Bible, the Koran or
affirmation later ended up telling lies in their testimonies without regard to
the truth.
He said a government must fight for the truth and not lead
the way to corrupting the truth. "Truth is missing in
It was quite unfortunate that between a quarter and two-thirds of Ghanaians either have no direct memory of have any memory at all about the June Four Uprising, he said. "The June Four Uprising was not planned, nobody planned it; it just broke out.
"If only President Liman had understood the
significance of the June Four, this nation would have been saved a great deal,
but his government failed. June Four must be remembered not just as an event
but also a redefining moment of truth for this country which taught us the
simple truth of positive defiance."
The Former President accused the present government of many
wrong doings such as their inability to prevent the mayhem in Dagbon that led to the beheading of Ya
Na, and mismanagement of the economy that has led to economic hardships.
He said the NPP administration had trampled upon the rights
of dedicated and loyal citizens of the country with their deceit and well
packaged lies.
Rawlings dismissed as lies the allegation by Squadron Leader Tagoe, who recently appeared at the NRC, that he was once a drunkard and an irresponsible man during his days in the Ghana Air Force.
"When people who are close to you come into the public and say something
personal or private about you, it makes you fell very bad and unpopular." Squadron
Leader Tagoe came to say so many lies about me, that
I'm a drunkard.
Some people believed it, but let me tell you all that he
came to say was a lie. I never drank beer but only coca cola because at that
time I did not drink alcohol.
"This most of my colleagues would attest to and because
of that I have always been given the permission to escort most colleagues home.
Besides, eight hours before flight in the force, you don't have to drink any
alcohol and I have always been on the alert and ready to fly any aircraft at
any time."
On the allegation that he neglected his wife when she was
pregnant, Rawlings said that was a lie because he was with her all the time. He
even disregarded an invitation to report at the Air Force Base when his wife
was about to deliver.
Ex-President Rawlings said he stayed with the wife between
0430 hours and 0500 hours at the 37 Military Hospital
when she was in labour.
He said it was true that he had the reputation of going to
credit "yo ke gari" (beans and gari), but that
was because they were not being offered good food at that time. Rawlings said
on one occasion he had to steal "rich food" meant for senior officers
for his colleagues because at that time they needed to eat well for upcoming
military games.
"I lived for my men; that's
why when I was to be shot, my men decided to sacrifice their lives for
me," he said. Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, NDC's Flag bearer, said it was time Ghanaians admitted the
existence of problems in the country, which justified the celebration of the
June Four.
He said unless Ghanaians were prepared to accept the truth,
which had been distorted over the years, the country would have to suffer the
more.
"History is a window to the future and truth does not
change overtime, not when personalities change, it is for all the time. Let us
never turn our back on the truth, if we do that posterity will judge us."
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Disabled people are partners in development
He said such vulnerable people have been totally left out in
every aspect of development because of their disability thereby denying them of
their fundamental human rights to potential life saving information.
Humphreys said this when he re-launched "Protect
Yourself", a video educational tool for the deaf with the aim of raising
awareness on HIV/AIDS among the deaf.
The video was also to promote positives images of young
people with disabilities and what they could achieve when given the opportunity
and to solicit international co-operation and partnerships for development in
addressing their concerns.
The idea was conceived by a Voluntary Service Organization
(VSO) volunteer, Ms Helen Philips, herself a deaf from the
Humphreys noted that people with disability had little
knowledge about HIV/AIDS and other health issues and thought it wise to produce
the video to serve as a teaching tool for the deaf in
"This video is being circulated throughout the African
continent as a teaching tool for all deaf institutions". Daniel Jones,
Acting Director of VSO, said the organization was in the rural areas to assist
people with disability to solve some of their health and educational problems.
He commended the students from
Twum Ampofo-Owusu,
headmaster of the school said the video has had a serious impact on the
children. "It has changed their perception about the menace and their
attitude about sex. They have also realised that they are also capable of
offering something to the development of the nation despite their disability",
he added.
He called on Ghanaians to have sympathy for the deaf and
assist them whenever they needed assistance.
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Vice President Aliu Mahama said this forms part of long-term measures to
improve upon road traffic safety and make
This was contained in a speech read for him by Dr Richard Anane, Minster of Roads and Transport at the annual Ghana
Medical Association (GMA) lectures in
This year's lecture is on the theme, "Carnage on our
roads - Impact on the health of the nation." The Vice President said the
metro mass transport services were introduced to solve urban transport
problems and help cut down on accidents committed by low capacity vehicles such
as taxis and minibuses which together with heavy duty vehicles were responsible
for 50 per cent of fatalities on the roads.
He said the Ministry of Health was in the process of
establishing the national ambulance service system to assist accidents victims.
He said road traffic accidents were expected to overtake HIV/AIDS and malaria
in causing morbidities and mortalities.
He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) was designating
the year 2004 as road safety year since the issues had assumed alarming
proportion. Alhaji Aliu
said the economic cost of road traffic accidents amounted to ¢100m annually.
He said four highly motorised countries, Sweden, United
Kingdom, Germany and Denmark had a road traffic fatality rate (deaths per
10,000 vehicle involved in accident) of between 1.5 and 2.3.
He said
The Vice President said government was embarking upon road
construction, strengthening of institutions responsible for regulations and
updating of legislation to help cut down on accidents.
Dr Jacob Plange-Rhule, the GMA
President, appealed to the Ministry of Health to step up efforts at
establishing the national ambulance service. The GMA president said accidents,
which were mainly preventable, were an added burden to the already
overstretched health systems.
Dr Kwaku Afriyie,
Health Minister, called for more education and disciple, saying vehicles had
become weapons being used to kill people. Recent statistics in Ghana show that
in 2001, 15,680 vehicles were involved in road traffic accidents with 1,250
people losing their lives while in 2002, 18,327 vehicles were involved in
accidents resulting in 1,148 deaths.
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SSNIT Pension Scheme is our major concern -
Teachers
Mamponteng (Ashanti Region)
He appealed to the government to improve the SSNIT Scheme to make it attractive to boost the morale of teachers to have a better future. He was addressing teachers in the Kwabre District of Ashanti at a durbar at Mamponteng.
''While a teacher placed on Cap 30 Pension Scheme receives
more than ¢60m and draws 70 percent monthly salary on retirement his
counterpart under SSNIT Pension Scheme receives less than ¢10m with less than
50 percent of his active service monthly salary.''
''This is cheating and demoralising." He advised teachers to work hard to improve the standard of education in the country. "Public school teachers are to be blamed when people complain about the poor academic output of public schools because most of them are not dedicated to the profession."
Nana Twie Adjei Baffour, the Regional GNAT Secretary, said the association
had not authorized the Accountant-General's Department to deduct a percentage
of teachers' monthly salaries towards the national health insurance scheme.
He said the association rather educates its members on the
benefit to be derived from the scheme and the need for teachers to accept and
contribute to the scheme's success.
Hayford Frimpong,
the District GNAT chairman, suggested that teachers who had contributed to
SSNIT scheme for more than 10 years and wish to pursue tertiary education
should not be made to provide guarantors for students
loan scheme.
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CHRAJ Clerk remanded for incest
He pleaded not guilty to defilement and refusing to accept parental
responsibility for a two-month-old baby boy delivered by his daughter.
He would re-appear on June 10. Chief Inspector Margaret Damalie told the court that in August last year the victim,
who was attending school at Effiduase in the Sekyere East District, was sent home to collect school fees
from her father.
Chief Inspector Damalie said Bediako lured her daughter into his room, sexually abused
her and warned her not to tell anybody about it. The accused later convinced
the victim to move from Effiduase to live in his
apartment at Akorem in
The prosecution said the accused took her to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital
where a pregnancy test showed positive. At the Hospital he lied to the medical
staff that the victim was gang-raped and that the culprits had fled.
She said the victim's mother pleaded with the girl to
mention who was responsible for the pregnancy but she refused until after
delivery when she told her it was the father.
Chief Inspector Damalie said when Bediako was confronted he offered to pay ¢8m compensation
to the victim and to show how serious he was he made a down payment of ¢4m. The
court ordered that the four million cedis should be
used to carry out a DNA test on the baby to determine its paternity.
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Help check arms proliferation - Minister
He said arm trafficking across frontiers, especially the
locally manufactured guns, were on the increase and posed a great danger to
national security. Broni said this when a
three-member Canadian delegation on Small Arms called on him in
The team was to ascertain possible means of supporting
government to curb the proliferation of arms and identify other areas of
support.
In a statement signed by Mrs Adiza
Ofori-Adu, Public Relation Officer, the Minister said
another area, which needed funding, was the provision of an Alternative
Employment Project to redirect the skills of the manufacturers of arms to the
production of agricultural tools.
Dr Paul George, who was at the head of the delegation, said
a critical look would be taken at the situation of small arms in the West
Africa Sub-Region vis-a-vis the search for peace in
the Region.
He said the team would also meet with Government and
non-governmental organizations to collaborate in the fight to eradicate small
arms. Dr George commended government for the concept of Alternative Employment
and pledged support for the project.
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Publish accused person's photograph – court orders
Akim Swedru
(Eastern Region)
The presiding judge, Justice George Kingsley Koomson,
gave the order in a case in which Samuel Addo Dankwa, a Cocoa Purchasing Clerk, is facing trial for
allegedly using faked ¢20,000 notes to pay cocoa farmers at Akyem
Adwafo in the Birim North
District in the Eastern Region.
The Judge was surprised that even though the police have the
photograph of Ahenkora who was alleged to have given
the fake currency notes to the accused, they have not published it.
The prosecutor, Police Inspector A.K. Osei Nimo brought to the court two new accused persons. They
were Samuel Amoako and Dickson Ansah,
both Purchasing Clerks, who had been charged with Dankwa
on two counts of abetment of crime and possessing fake currency notes.
They pleaded not guilty and the court discharged Dickson Ansah for lack of evidence while Dankwa
and Amoako were remanded to re-appear on 10 June. Nimo told the court that about two months ago, Dankwah together with Amoako,
stationed at Akim Adwafo,
sought financial assistance from one Baba Mohammed at Kade
to buy cocoa.
He said on 29 April, Dankwah went
to Kade where Mohammed gave him ¢16.3m in 2,000
denominations to share with Amoako.
Back at Akim Adwafo,
Dankwa gave Amoako ¢13.42m
out of which ¢10.2m were in 20,000 cedis
denominations. Nimo said when Amoako
used the ¢20,000 notes to pay the farmers the money was found to be fake and
was arrested and during interrogation, he said it was Dankwa
who gave him the money.
When Dankwa was later arrested he
mentioned Ahenkora at Akim Aboabo as the one who gave him the ¢20,000 notes. The
prosecution said all efforts to arrest Ahenkora had
proved futile.
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Tenants in dilapidated flats to be ejected
Tema (Greater Accra)
To this end, NADMO has asked the Electricity Company of
In the early 1990's the Tema
Development Corporation (TDC) allocated occupants of the flats plots of land to
build their own houses and move outer but they sold the land and failed to move
out of the flats.
Some of the occupants claimed they never benefited from the
land allocation. Samuel Evans Ashong Narh, Tema Municipal Chief
Executive, has scheduled a meeting with TDC officials to find a solution to the
problem.
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She said a first degree only served as a means to harness
one's talent and skills. Mrs. Otoo-Ayeh was speaking
at a guidance and counselling seminar for first and
second year students of the
It was organised by the Guidance and Counselling Unit of the
School to expose the students to courses and avenues available in the country's
tertiary institutions.
Mrs. Otoo-Ayeh, who took them
through the admissions procedure, said no subject was inferior, adding that,
nobody should ridicule students who offer courses such as theatre arts, since
it was the only course that had African origin.
The Admission Officer noted that interest was very important
in career development and urged them to study all subjects and not to look down
on any subject and said courses were offered to students based on the grades
they acquired.
She urged the students to take their studies seriously to
enhance their chances of being offered their dream courses. Aseidu
Gyimah, Assistant Headmaster, asked the students to
take the seminar seriously to enable them select the right courses, which would
determine their future professions.
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Birem (Ashanti Region)
Large quantities of foodstuff are getting rotten on farms because vehicles had
stopped plying the route to cart the produce to the marketing centres. Dickson Appiah, Area Council Secretary, speaking to the Ghana News
Agency (GNA) at Asante Mampong
on Friday, appealed to the Ministry of Roads and Transport to rehabilitate the
road as a matter of urgency.
He said the situation had affected academic work in the
area, since parents could not sell their produce to pay school fees and other
expenses of their wards.
A ¢38m market built by the District Assembly under the
Village Infrastructure Project (VIP) was lying idle due to lack of patronage.
Samuel Kusi Appiah,
District Co-coordinating Director, said the damaged bridge at Ankomadowa leading to the situation would be repaired soon.
He said the government was committed to open up the Afram Plains, which was a leading producing area of the
country's major staples and appealed to the people to exercise restraint.
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"We, as students, view with grave concern the negative
implications of such a policy on the economic and human capital development of
the country," they said in a six-point communiqué issued at their just
ended congress held in
They said implementing such a policy to its letter would be
tantamount to denying many Ghanaians access to postgraduate education in
particular and university education in general.
"Congress acknowledges the fact that postgraduate
education is expensive. However, because postgraduate education is basically
research oriented and therefore of strategic importance to the socio-economic,
industrial and technological development of the nation, government should not
shirk its responsibility to this sub-sector of tertiary education," it
added.
The communiqué urged government to put in place incentives
for industries and other corporate bodies that would support graduate research
programmes in the universities. They also suggested that conditions of service
and remuneration of university lecturers should be improved to retain young
lecturers and attract young and dynamic postgraduate students to take up
teaching appointments.
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