We won’t permit destabilisation – President
Donors pledge $250m for Ghana
Death threats to Kwesi Pratt, Reform Boys…"You must leave town or!"
Court unseats NPP MP
NDC National Organiser preaches lawlessness…
Ghana needs Minister for Integration
The Ghanaian Times
We won’t permit destabilisation – President
The Ghanaian Times report in its lead story that the President, Flt-Lt Jerry John Rawlings, yesterday stated that the government would not allow anyone or group of people to engage in activities likely to destabilise Ghana. In the story, President Rawlings is quoted as saying, "we will not allow anybody to do anything to destabilise the country.
We will not permit it". President Rawlings was speaking at the Castle, Osu, when he swore in Odeefuo Boa Amponsem III, president of the National House of Chiefs, as a member of the Council of State. Odeefuo Boa Amponsem, who is representing the National House of Chiefs on the council, replaces the late Okyehene, Osagyefuo Kuntunkununku II.
The Times says President Rawlings, who touched on a number of national issues, did not mention those who are engaging in activities to destabilise the country, but perhaps it was in reference to the planned demonstration by the minority parties.
He is reported as saying that Ghana had gone through hard times since independence and some people had made sacrifices that should not be allowed to be wished away. According to the paper, even though President Rawlings did not mention names, he said that "sadly, those who are bent on disturbing the peace of the country are not of the ignorant generation. They are people, some of whom are older than me and who should know better".
GRi../
Donors pledge $250m for Ghana
In a front page story, the Daily Graphic reports that the donor community has agreed to extend to Ghana $250 million support to help the country to meet its budget targets and current balance of payments problems in the year 2000.
The Graphic says the money represents a 25 per cent increase over the 1999 programme support. Mr Peter Harrold, World Bank’s Country Representative is said to have announced this at a news conference, which climaxed the two-day 10th Consultative Group Meeting between Ghana and her development partners in Accra yesterday.
The meeting, which took place in Ghana for the first time is said to have discussed the economic problems currently facing the country and how the government with donor assistance plans to address the situation, improve agriculture, as well as other key sectors for the poor and related issues of government’s poverty reduction strategies.
Mr Harrold is reported to have expressed the hope that in a relatively short time, it would be possible to identify the additional resources necessary to make up for the estimated shortfall of $120 million programme support for the years 2000-2001.
GRi../
Death threats to Kwesi Pratt, Reform Boys…"You must leave town or!"
The Guide in a screaming front-page headline story, says the lives of some leading members of the Joint Action Committee, organisers of today’s demonstration, have been threatened.
According to the Guide sources, Messrs Kwesi Pratt, a leading member of the Convention Party (CP) and Mr Peter Kpordugbe of the National Reform Party (NRP)have been warned to stay out of town today if they want to save their lives.
The threat, according to the sources, was conveyed through a lady from a ‘General Secretary of a political party’. Mr Pratt is said to have confirmed the story of the threat, saying that the message was relayed to him by a lady (name withheld), who is very close to him.
The paper says that it could, however, not get the lady in her office to confirm or deny the story, neither was the named General Secretary at the party office. The Guide says that Mr Mije Barnor, a leading member of the NRP, who also spoke to the paper, confirmed the threat on the life of Mr Pratt, but added "I have not seen Peter this morning to confirm the threat against him".
GRi../
Court unseats NPP MP
The Independent says that trouble is brewing in the Ajumako District of the Central Region, between supporters of the NDC and the NPP over the ruling by a Cape Coast High Court last week Friday, declaring Dr Kweku Enos, the NDC parliamentary candidate in the 1996 elections, as winner of the seat.
The paper says that the court, presided over by Mr Justice I.M. Heward-Mills, also gave the order that Mr Isaac Edumadze should be withdrawn from Parliament and Dr Enos represent in Parliament within 21 days of the ruling.
The Independent says that the court ruling has created tension in Ajumako with its subsequent looming clash as both the NDC and the NPP have taken entrenched positions in the ruling.
According to the paper, the already volatile relationship between the two political parties in Ajumako was worsened by the NPP MP for the constituency, Mr Edumadze, who immediately after the court ruling, drove to Ajumako to inform his supporters that no verdict had been given in favour of Dr Enos.
The paper says that but prior to this NDC activists and supporters had come to Ajumako soon after the ruling amidst totting of car horns and jubilation, announcing the victory of Dr Enos.
The contradictory positions taken by the two parties nearly created a bloody scene as supporters of the NPP hurled insults on some NDC women, who had taken part in the jubilation.
GRi../
NDC National Organiser preaches lawlessness…
In a front-page story, the Crusading Guide says the National Organiser of the NDC, Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, has warned that if the Opposition parties destroy one NDC office, "one NPP office will also be destroyed", adding "that one is a fact".
The paper says Mr Akrasi Sarpong was obviously feeling nervous about the "Ya bre" demonstration being organised by five Opposition political parties.
According to the paper, the NDC National Organiser was reported on a GBC news bulletin last Tuesday as having poured the ‘venom’ in a speech he delivered during the commissioning of a 33 million-cedi street light project for the people of Oblogo in the Ga District of the Greater Accra Region.
According to Mr Akrasi Sarpong, "the Opposition are bringing people from Kumasi and other places, who have no commitment to the safety of life and property in Accra, to create confusion".
The paper says that Mr Akrasi Sarpong, while conceding the fact that it is the democratic right of the Opposition to go on demonstration, emphasised that "I must say that I am giving this warning that it is their democratic responsibility to ensure that there is no violence, otherwise they will be held solely responsible for it".
GRi../
The Accra Mail
Ghana needs Minister for Integration
The Accra Mail in an inside page story, reports that an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed the urgent need for the government to appoint a Minister for Integration, as is the case in many Francophone countries, to facilitate Ghana’s integration with other member nations under the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) treaty.
Such a Minister could hasten Ghana’s trade, customs tariffs, movement of people, among others, with other ECOWAS countries in order to improve its trade position in the sub-region.
The Accra Mail says that at the moment, Ghana’s integration policies are torn among the Ministries of Finance, Trade and Industry and Foreign Affairs, a situation which has created lack of co-ordination and delay in implementing decisions involving the sub-regional economic grouping.
According to the paper, this came to light during the plenary session of the West Africa Industrial Business Association seminar in Accra, last week. Representatives attended the seminar, organised by the Association of Ghana Industries in collaboration with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, from Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Ghana.
GRi../
.