Commercial activities in Accra comes to a halt
Neutrality of EC Officials vital to acceptable results
Accra (Greater Accra) 31 May 2000
By Efam Awo Dovi, GRi Managing
Editor, Accra
Commercial activities in the
Ghanaian capital Accra have come to a halt as members of the Ghana Traders
Union Association (GUTA) embarked on a week-long strike action to protest
against the continued slide of the cedi against other major currencies.
The action is also against the
imposition of a 20.5 per cent special tax on certain categories of imports and
a proposed increase in the rate of Value Added Tax from 10 per cent to 12 .5
percent, which starts on Thursday.
Shops and malls in and around
Makola and Okianshie in Accra central have been shut. So are vehicle spare
parts shops in Obossey Okian.
A drive through the usually busy
commercial areas this morning shows that traffic has eased considerably with
traders hanging around their closed shops charting.
The police have promised
protection for traders who want to open their shops but it doesn’t seem this
will be necessary as most traders have complied with the directives reached
last Thursday at an emergency meeting held in Accra by members of GUTA.
Callers to a local radio-phone in
programme on Joy FM this morning declared their support for the trader’s
action, with some calling on other organised bodies like the Trade Union
Congress and political parties to join the protest.
The traders decided to embark on
the strike action following what they described as the government's
insensitivity to problems confronting them, which they say have resulted in
high prices in the market.
According to the traders the
Ministry of Trade had failed to act on proposals submitted to it by the
association after series of meetings with its executives.
The traders, are seeking among
other things, a reduction in the exchange rate of the cedi against the major
trading currencies and the removal of the 20.5 per cent special tax.
The cedi started the year with a value of 3,600 cedis to the dollar now the banks are quoting 4,576.64 cedis, for the currency, which is never available. The forex bureaux have been quoting between 4,800 and 4,850 on their boards outside, but in reality the currency is selling for 5,400 cedis and in some cases speculators say up to 6,000 cedis.
Whereas the central bank makes it an offence to sell goods in dollar, the Ghanaian Customs authorities peg duty charges against the dollar.
"We are mourning because our
working capital is gradually being eroded," the traders told journalists.
Paa Kofi Ansong, the Public
Relations Officer, said the special tax meant to encourage the consumption of
made-in-Ghana goods to protect Ghanaian industries was misplaced and should be
removed because prices of goods produced in the country tend to be higher than
those imported.
Mr. Ansong said it was not the
intention of the members to create chaos but to press home their demands for
recognition. "The business community has been taken for granted for far
too long. It is time for the government to recognise traders as partners."
He said the closure of the shops
was a signal to the government to consider the issues at stake and address them
accordingly.
The more than one million member
traders’ association say they intend to use their power as collector of
government revenue to push their demands forward by freezing importation of
goods and refusing to collect Value Added Tax on behalf of the VAT Secretariat
if the government still maintains its negative stand.
According to the traders, attempts
by the government to blame the current economic hardships on external factors
was plausible since Ghana was not the only country reeling under external
pressures.
"What is happening now is the
result of unhealthy government policies that have strangled the growth of the
private sector", Mr Ansong said.
The Ministry of Trade has
described the trader’s action as “unfortunate” and in “bad taste”, since it was
still engaged in talks with them to address their concerns.
Prices have more than tripled
since the beginning of this election year with fuel prices going up about five
times within the last six months. However, there hasn’t been a correspondent
increase in wages and salaries.
Analysts say the strike action if allowed to continue, will further compound the crises of the import driven economy of a country which has been described by economists as “a nation of shop keepers”.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 May 2000
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, on Sunday reacted to a statement by the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) on three Italians who arrived in the country last Tuesday, saying it was "full of mischief and politically motivated."
"The statement, as put out by the Immigration Service, was pregnant with mischief, well crafted to create unnecessary suspicion on the activities of the Italians and their companions," Mr Owusu-Agyeman, who is also the MP for New Juaben
North, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) on telephone.
Arnoldi Gianatonio, 42, Moro Marcello, 30, and Bonomo Benedetto, 31, were picked up at the Kotoka International Airport while awaiting an Alitalia flight for Rome to the police headquarters where they were questioned for more than 12 hours.
In its statement released on Saturday, the GIS said the Italians were picked up "following a general security alert" in the aftermath of a bomb threat at the La Palm Royal Hotel on Friday after a monitoring exercise at various hotels in the city.
It said on arrival, the three Italians falsely stated on their disembarkation forms that they would be lodging at the Novotel Hotel although they knew reservations had been made for them at the Golden Tulip hotel.
Further investigations revealed that the three foreigners carried large amounts of dollars into the country, which they failed to declare to the Currency Control Unit of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service.
The GIS said the three foreigners were also observed trailing the convoy of President Jerry John Rawlings between the Tetteh-Quarshie roundabout and the Castle, adding that they had admitted this during interrogation.
Mr Owusu-Agyeman, who said he had personally accompanied the foreigners on most of their rounds during their three-day stay, said the details of the GIS statement "are far from the truth".
Mr Owusu-Agyeman said the Italians, whom he described as rich businessmen, were invited by the Textile Spinning Industries Limited as part of the nation's drive to woo investors into the country.
He said one of them, Moro, used to be the president of the First Commission of the Major Provinces, which is equivalent to Chairman of the Provincial Finance Committee.
He said while in the country, their interactions centred on investment opportunities in Ghana, especially in the hotel industry and that he had personally gone to pick up the investment brochure package at the Ghana Investment Centre for them. The foreigners also expressed interest in boat building and have made a trip to the Tema boatyard.
He said the Italians told him that while processing arrangements for departure in Rome, the Ghanaian Consulate-General there mentioned Novotel to them as an ideal place to lodge and that they had consistently used the hotel as their destination lodge.
However, upon arriving in Accra, they were informed by their hosts that reservations had been made at Golden Tulip for them and were subsequently checked in there.
Mr Owusu-Agyeman maintained that there had never been any point at which the foreigners, who, he said, belonged to the opposition in Italy, hid their identities as politicians and businessmen.
"Although they looked young, some of them are rich and top businessmen in Italy. They are people of substance," he said, adding that he knew about their background while working in Italy.
On allegations that the Italians trailed the presidential convoy, the Member said he was personally with the foreigners in his car on a drive to show them places of interest in the city.
He said they were on their way to the Parliament House when the president's convoy caught up with them at around the Elf filling station near the 37 Military Hospital, where they duly gave way and later followed without necessarily trailing it.
Mr Owusu-Agyeman mentioned the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum in Accra, Parliament House and the Castle roundabout, which he likened to Buckingham Palace in London, saying: "you cannot be in London without visiting the palace".
He said there was no basis for the foreigners to refuse to declare "large amount of dollars" as alleged by the GIS.
"In any case, the so-called large amount was supposedly found on them while they were on their way back so if it was meant for something scandalous, or probably for the opposition, they would not have been sending it back."
He confirmed that he himself, the NPP flagbearer Mr John A. Kufuor, Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and other leading members of the party were seeing off the foreigners at the airport when they were picked up by officials of the Immigration Service. The NPP officials followed up to the police headquarters and were requested to give statements.
The Member reiterated that the foreigners had no ill motive for coming to Ghana. "I cross my heart that is the truth and nothing but the truth. There is nothing clandestine or suspicious about their activities in Ghana," Mr Owusu-Agyeman told the GNA.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 May 2000
Mr Ken Dzirasah, First Deputy
Speaker of Parliament on Monday urged drafters of the Domestic Violence Bill to
devise means of facilitating the rapid hearing of cases and discourage
adjournments.
This is in view of the many cases
on domestic violence pending before the courts thereby discouraging victims
from sending similar cases there.
Mr Dzirasah was addressing a
consultative seminar on the proposed Bill being attended by more than 60 MPs,
representatives of NGOs and individuals to collate ideas and strategies and
initiate legislation in parliament.
The process was started in March
this year at the instance of the Federation of International Women
Lawyers-Ghana (FIDA) and the National Democratic Institute for International
Affairs.
Mr Dzirasah described as positive
the provision in the proposed Bill, which says all avenues for amicable
settlement ought to be exhausted before going to court, saying it would reduce
the work load on the courts.
Mr Dzirasah urged men to support
the Bill since it is gender-neutral and does not limit domestic violence to
those suffered by only women.
He called for a careful look at
the social and economic costs of enforcing the Bill, especially on the family and
children, in the case where a guilty husband receives a custodial punishment.
Mrs Elizabeth Owiredu-Gyampoh,
FIDA-Ghana President, said experience gathered from the establishment of the
Women and Juvenile Unit of the Police Service calls for a "user-friendly"
law.
This, she said, is because of the
fear of some women that reporting their husbands to the police would lead to
their being jailed and thus deprive them of the benefits the family might need.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 May 2000
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said it finds, what it termed the "divisive tribal campaign" waged by the First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Ms Faustina Nelson and the Palaver newspaper against its flag bearer, Mr John Agyekum Kuffour very disquieting
In a news release issued in Accra and signed by the NPP General Secretary, Mr Dan Botwe, the party said, "Mr J. A Kuffour has never on any occasion, made any disparaging remarks against the Vice-President in particular or Fantes in general".
It said it was the NPP's view that the discerning people of the Central Region know that the current campaign, against its flag bearer is orchestrated to stem the popular support Mr Kuffour is enjoying from the region.
"The NPP, therefore, advises the NDC to cease this dangerous tribal campaign immediately as it will eventually undermine the unity and peace of Ghana".
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Wa (Upper West) 31 May 2000
Dr Edmund Delle, a leading member
of the Convention Peoples Party (CPP) has appealed to politicians and Ghanaians
in general to ensure a peaceful electioneering campaign devoid of insults and
character assassination.
He said the peace, stability and
development of the country should supersede the interest of individuals. Dr
Delle who was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), at Wa on Sunday, added
that politicians should learn to tolerate dissenting views "since we are
living in a pluralistic and democratic society."
He said the country needs to
survive and flourish with a buoyant economy and to achieve this, he called for
accountability in the management of the country's finances.
Dr Delle who is also a human
rights activist, emphasised the need for Ghanaians to institute internal
measure to salvage the economy and not to depend on external directives.
He said it has become necessary
for Ghanaians to collectively identify the country's priorities and to find
long-term solutions to her economic problems regardless of which political
party is in power.
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Cape Coast (Central Region) 31 May
2000
Dr Edward Mahama, flagbearer of
the Peoples' National Convention (PNC) on Saturday said the party will embark
on concrete employment creation for the youth in the country when it is voted
into power in the December elections.
He said the PNC is greatly concerned
about the mounting level of unemployment among the youth as well as the slow
pace at which the country is developing and accused the government of doing
nothing constructive to alleviate the suffering of the people.
Commissioning the Central Regional
Secretariat of the party at Cape Coast, the flagbearer described the
government's Vision 2020 programme as an unrealistic programme, which is only
capable of ensuring a slow and gradual development of the nation and said the
PNC rather advocates for economic prosperity now, because Ghanaians want
immediate change in their socio-economic conditions.
Dr Mahama, who calls himself
"Mr Change", said he is the only person capable of effecting such a
change in the lives of the people.
The PNC government would accelerate
development by rigidly following the agenda of development embarked upon by
Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and Dr Hilla Limann, he said and expressed concern
about the spate of accidents on the Accra- Winneba-Cape Coast road.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 31 May 2000
Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), on Sunday said the neutrality of electoral officials is vital to a free, fair and acceptability of the election results in December.
The Electoral Commission (EC) must, therefore, take the necessary steps to ensure that officials for any of its programmes are properly screened to avoid a conflict of interests.
Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, on Sunday, said the recent revision of the voters' register from May 6 - 15, was done with a certain level of partisan interest by some officials who were supposed to be neutral.
"This is a contributory factor to the total dissatisfaction of the exercise by all and the call for a re-opening of the register," he said.
He advised that, no matter the level of influence, EC officials must avoid compromising the rules and regulations governing their operations for the benefit of an individual or a party.
Alhaji Yahaya said dissatisfaction with the exercise raised certain fundamental problems that the EC must address immediately to restore public confidence in the commission.
He said the commission should consider all complaints by the public and act accordingly, especially where the integrity of an official has been challenged.
It must also investigate the conduct of officials after the exercise, he said and reiterated the call for the re-opening of the registration of voters, especially in places where there were real shortages of materials and those communities with peculiar problems, but cautioned that this should be done selectively to avoid more irregularities.
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