Controversial tape affair…It’s a plot to discredit govt, says Ministry
Police detain two
Demo against JOY FM
Interior Minister ‘jumps the gun’
Petrol price to rise again
‘Rawlings tapes’…Clamp down on media
Akufo Addo linked…In forged anti-Rawlings tape
400million cedis Range Rover for Queen’s visit?
Controversial tape affair…It’s a plot to discredit govt, says Ministry
The Daily Graphic in a front-page screaming headline story, says the Ministry of Communications has described the publication in the "Weekend Statesman", which imputes serious criminal acts to the President as a "calculated attempt to foul the atmosphere during the upcoming visit of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
The Ministry said the publication headlined "Tapes from the Rawlings Episode", which appeared in the October 29 to November 4, 1999 edition of the paper, was designed to lower the esteem of the President and the people of Ghana, who elected him.
The Graphic says the Ministry, in a statement signed by Commander P.M.G. Griffiths (rtd), a Deputy Minister of Communications, said the publication also fits into the grand design of a section of the opposition to generate hostility against the government, as part of their preparations for the demonstrations previously planned for November 4.
The statement said he Ministry is outraged at this latest attempt to bring the President of the Republic and the government into disrepute, hatred, ridicule and contempt.
The Graphic quotes the statement as saying that the publication in question is ‘a very bizarre twist in the unending saga of the vicious efforts to sow seeds of disaffection against the government as part of the dirty tricks by a section of the opposition’.
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Police detain two
In a related story, the Graphic says two persons are being held by the police in Accra, in connection with the airing of a suspected tape recording that sought to impute criminal acts to President Jerry Rawlings.
The paper names the two as Mawuko Zormelo, acting News Editor of "JOY FM", an Accra radio station, and the Programmes Director of the station, Mr Atta Mensah.
The Graphic says a third person, Mr Kwasi Twum. General Manager of the station, was also picked up but released after being held for some hours.
The paper says sources close to investigators probing the source of the tapes widely suspected to have been forged as part of attempts by certain opposition elements to discredit the government in the round up to the visit of the Queen of the United Kingdom, next week, said Mr Yaw Amfo Kwakye, Managing Director of Kinesic Communications, publishers of a political weekly, "The Weekend Statesman", which published transcripts of the tape in its October 29 to November 4 edition was also picked up and later released.
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Demo against JOY FM
IN a front-page story, the Ghanaian Times reports that a group of placard-bearing people yesterday demonstrated against the management and staff of "JOY FM", an Accra radio station.
The Times says the demonstrators carried placards, some of which read: "JOY FM, close down", "Weed out media criminals", "Apology is not enough" and "Respect the Presidency".
According to the Times, the demonstration was in reaction to a JOY FM weekly programme, "Newsfile", hosted by Mawuko Zormelo, the News Editor, during which a tape, which cast a slur on the Presidency, was played.
The tape was alleged to have contained conversation between some unidentified people and subsequent comments, which imputed serious criminal allegations against the President, were made.
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Interior Minister ‘jumps the gun’
The Crusading Guide says a government statement signed by Nii Okaija Adamafio, Minister of the Interior, has literally ‘jumped the gun’ by describing as a complete forgery, the tape purported to contain conversation, which imputes serious criminal acts to the President, Flt-Lt Jerry Rawlings.
The paper says the tape provided the basis for the "Weekend Statesman’s" (Friday October 29-Thursday November 4 1999) story, headlined "Tapes from the Rawlings episode".
The Crusading Guide notes that the statement despite having stated that initial government investigations had established that the tape was a complete forgery, went ahead to direct the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), to carry out investigations into all aspects of the matter, including the determination of the source of the tape and those who made the recording.
According to the paper, its interviewees noted that in view of the fact that the government had already established that the tape was "a complete and crude forgery", the outcome of the IGP’s assignment had already been determined. "How is the IGP going to carry out an investigation into the authenticity of the tape and establish a view contrary to that of his boss, Nii Okaija Adamafio?", the Crusading Guide quotes a prominent lawyer as saying.
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Petrol price to rise again
The Statesman says a month after the latest increase in the prices of petroleum products, another upward review appears to be on the way.
The paper says there are strong indications of serious discussions in government for another increase. Quoting a source close to the Minority Group in Parliament, the Statesman says the intention is to circumvent an "Urgent Motion" currently pending before the Legislature.
The motion is said to be in the names of Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minority Spokesman on Mines and Energy, Mr Ishmael Ashietey, MP for Tema East and Mr Akwasi Dane-Afriyie, MP for Atwima Mponua, all of the Minority Group According to the Statesman, the motion states: "Until a transparent mechanism consistent with international standards for the revision of petroleum prices is instituted and published, the Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST) should not announce any further price increase".
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‘Rawlings tapes’…Clamp down on media
In a front-page story, the Independent says barely 24 hours after the airwaves were jolted by the broadcast of an audiotape that alluded to some criminal intent on the part of the President of Ghana, the police reacted by detaining a number of people, including an office boy.
The paper says on Sunday, October 31, Yaw Amfo Kwakye, the Managing Director of Kinesic Communications, publishers of the "Weekend Statesman", reported at the Police Headquarters in Accra upon invitation and was detained.
The Independent says also detained, were Kwasi Twum, Chief Executive of Multi-Media Limited, owners of "JOY FM" radio station, Mawuli Ocloo, General Manager, Mawuko Zormelo, News Editor and Samuel Attah Mensah, Programmes Manager, all of JOY FM.
According to the paper after questioning, three of them were released with Yaw Amfo Kwakye and Mawuko Zormelo kept in police custody overnight. Continuing, the Independent says then at 1.30 a.m. yesterday, Ferdiand O. Ayim, of the "Statesman" group of newspapers and writer of the story, was also arrested by the police to help investigations into how the disputed tape came into his possession. Samuel Otchere, office boy of the Statesman, was also picked because he was said to have delivered the tape to the office, having received it from an unnamed source.
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Akufo Addo linked…In forged anti-Rawlings tape
The Ghana Palaver says Nana Akufo Addo, MP for Akyem Abuakwa and a ranking member of the Minority Group in Parliament, has been mentioned in a number of high level traditional and political controversies within the past four weeks.
According to the paper, Nana Akufo Addo was summoned by the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council to appear before it for derogatory remarks published against chiefs and people in the area, in the run-up to the nomination and installation of the new Okyehene.
The Ghana Palaver says Nana Akufo Addo has also been mentioned as one of those who have given the student crisis political undercurrents by serving as the legal adviser to the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nana Akufo Addo’s paper, the "Statesman" is said to have launched a vitriolic attack on Mr J.A. Kufuor, NPP presidential candidate, accusing him of lacking the vision to lead the NP to the much-wished yet ‘impossible’ election victory next year.
The Palaver says but, this has been one conspiracy too many, as Nana Akufo Addo has again been mentioned as the brain behind the publication of the contents of the forged tape in last Friday’s edition of the "Weekend Statesman" and the subsequent airing of the content on "JOY FM" radio station.
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400million cedis Range Rover for Queen’s visit?
IN a back-page story, the Guide reports that the Ghana Government has bought two Range Rovers at a cost of about 200 million cedis each for use during the state visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh to Ghana from November 7 to 9.
According to the paper, the two vehicles specially ordered from Great Britain, could have been bought in Ghana at Mechanical Lloyd, a Ghanaian motor company. The paper says the British High Commission in Accra has also made available one vehicle for the exclusive use of the Queen during her visit.
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