Parliament calls for safe beaches
House approves new name for UST
Accra (Greater Accra), 10 March 2000
Members of Parliament on Friday expressed
sorrow at the drowning of three students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC)
and called for measures to minimise such leisure-related incidents.
Samuel Nii Baddoo, Bachelor of Arts level
300, Genevieve Donkor, Social Science level 300, and Nana Kwesi Andoh, a
Bachelor of Science final year students, had gone to the Ultimate Beach Resort,
near Elmina, in the company of other students on March six to celebrate Ghana's
43rd independence anniversary.
In a statement read to the house, Mr
Kwaku Balado Manu, NPP-Ahafo Ano South, said: "what this incident brings
to the fore is the safety mechanism that we have or don't have on our beaches".
He called on the management of such
resorts to engage the services of lifeguards to keep watch over patrons.
The member said if safety measures are
not given due attention, the nation's tourism drive will suffer since no one
will like to risk his or her life in such fashion.
Ms. Christine Churcher, NPP-Cape Coast,
said Nii Baddoo and Genevieve were brought ashore half-conscious but gave up
life when sympathisers found nothing to resuscitate them.
She paid tribute to the three, whom she
described as 'God-fearing' and 'good Christians', but died so young.
"I could not look at the girl's
(Genevieve Donkor) father's face when I visited the family this morning because
the sense of loss on his face was too much for me to bear."
Mr
Evans Ahorsey, NDC-Ayensuano, said it is unfortunate that their lives have been
cut short but in future beach patrons should realise that the sea could be very
dangerous.
"The sea is just like fire; it is
useful but it can harm you."
He said the first and most important
safety measures one can take at the beach is self-restraint.
Mrs Gladys Asmah, Deputy Minority Leader,
said: "I'm sad that these three young ones have lost their
lives".
She advocated a "rescue volunteer
corps" at all beaches to help minimise drowning.
GRi
House approves new name for UST
Kumasi (Ashanti), 10 March 2000
Parliament has re-named the University of
Science and Technology (UST) after Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, first President
of the Republic of Ghana.
Henceforth, the UST will be known as the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
A notice issued by Daasebre Osei Bonsu
II, Registrar of the KNUST, in Kumasi to Deans, Directors and Principals of
faculties, departments and institutes, said the change of name followed the
publication of Act 559, the UST (Amendment) Act 1998 in the government's
official Gazette dated February five, 1999.
It said the bill passed by Parliament in
1998 received the Presidential assent on December 22, 1998.
First founded as the Kumasi College of
Technology in 1951, it was re-named the KNUST in 1961 when the college became a
full-fledged university. However, the name of the university was changed to the
UST after Dr. Nkrumah's overthrow on February 24, 1966.
The notice said the passage of the Act to
restore Dr. Nkrumah's name to the university was only to actualise the wishes
and aspirations of the government and people of Ghana.
GRi
Accra (Greater Accra), 10 March 2000
The Internal Revenue Bill, which, among other
objectives, seeks to amend and consolidate all existing laws relating to
income, capital gains and gift taxes, was laid before Parliament on Friday and
taken through the first reading.
An accompanying memorandum to the bill
said the consolidation of the existing tax laws will facilitate common
administration provisions to allow for unified record-keeping requirements,
objections and appeal procedures, penalties and rules relating to the service
of notices.
The consolidation will also enable the
law on most transactions to be in one document, thus facilitating access to the
law and thereby easing taxpayer compliance and tax administration.
The memorandum explained that the Income
Tax Decree 1975 (SMCD 5) is the principal legislation that regulates the
assessment and collection of income tax, adding that it has, over the years,
been subjected to numerous amendments with the result that the law on income
tax is scattered in about 25 pieces of legislation.
Earlier reports on the 2000 annual
budgetary estimates for the Ministries of Lands and Forestry, Works and Housing
and Parliamentary Affairs, as well as a report on the Constitutional
(Amendment) Bill were laid before the House by the relevant parliamentary
committees.
GRi
Accra (Greater Accra), 10 March 2000
Parliament said on Friday that it may rest on
Thursday, March 16, in view of a probable public holiday for the celebration of
the Moslem Eid'l Adha festival.
Mr. M.A. Seidu, Deputy Majority Leader,
made the announcement when presenting the business statement for the tenth week
ending Friday, March 17, 2000.
He said reports scheduled for laying on
that day had been brought forward to Wednesday, March 15, while motions on
annual estimates of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and bills
had been shifted to Friday, March 17.
During the week under preview, reports of
annual estimates of MDAs would
dominate
the work of the House while committees would sit and the speaker may allow
statements.
GRi