NMC told to ensure transparency
Minimum wage now 4,200 cedis
CPP unhappy with distribution of cutlasses
Mahama: NPP's criticisms unreasonable, illogical
MP urges EC to reduce ballot papers
Board member's confession on tape - SSNIT again
Mills won't debate Kufuor
Amidu renews challenge to Goosie
Kufuor deserted
Bank Governor in blackmail scare
The Ghanaian Times writes in its lead story that the Electoral
Commission (EC) will conduct a special voting on December 5 for officials with
electoral duties that would prevent them from voting where they registered.
The voting will be for security officers, election officials and other
people permitted to vote early upon application.
An EC official told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday that
there were two categories of special voters - those on duty outside their
constituency and those outside their polling stations but within the
constituency.
The official said those outside their constituency would be allowed to
vote on the special voting day while the second category would be given a
clearance certificate to vote at the polling station where they would be on
duty.
The paper recalls a similar exercise in 1996 when a special voting was
conducted on December 3 ahead of the election date December 7.
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NMC told to ensure transparency
Members of the National Media Commission (NMC) have been asked to
ensure transparency, objectivity and impartiality in all their dealings to
prove the Commission's non-partisanship in nature, The Ghanaian Times reports
in another front-page capture.
Mr. Justice A.K.B. Ampiah, a Supreme Court Judge, gave the advice when
he swore into office, Mrs. Margaret Ivy Amoakohene and Dr Nii Armah Josiah
Aryeh, as members of the commission in Accra.
He said the media was crucial for growth of democracy and therefore the
need for members of the Commission to build public confidence, respect and
trust for the institution.
The paper reports a related development where Mr. Nutifafa Kuenyehia, a
Ghana Bar Association representative was elected chairman of the commission on
Thursday on a 13 to four vote between him and Mr. Dan Ansah of the Private
Newspaper Publishers Association.
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Minimum wage now 4,200 cedis
The Daily Graphic front-page story says the National Tripartite
Committee yesterday announced a new minimum wage of 4,200 cedis from the
previous 2,900, effective November 2000.
The wage rise was contained in statement jointly signed by Alhaji
Mohammed Mumuni, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Ato Ampiah,
President of the Ghana Employers Association and Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwah,
Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
The statement indicated a further agreement by the parties that any
institution or enterprise whose daily minimum wage falls below the new wage
should adjust accordingly.
The statement said in deciding on the new minimum wage, the Tripartite
Committee committed itself to the determination of a new national daily minimum
wage for year 2001.
Until the announcement, the labour movement had been demanding 5,500.
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CPP unhappy with distribution of cutlasses
The Daily Graphic reports on its political page that the Convention
People's Party (CPP) has registered its objection to the decision of the
Ministry of Food and Agriculture to distribute cutlasses at subsidised prices
to farmers through district chief executives (DCEs).
In a release issued in Accra on Thursday and signed by the party's
Publicity Committee, Mr. Kwesi Pratt Jnr., the CPP described the action as a
blatant political move aimed at winning votes for the NDC and at subverting the
increasing popularity of the opposition parties among farmers.
It noted that over the years the DCEs have acted as the focal point of
organisation for the NDC as their open identification with the party through
regular appearances on its political platforms shatters claims of political
neutrality by the DCEs.
The statement said that while the CPP recognises the need for the
supply of agricultural inputs to the farmers, the endeavour should be taken
devoid of any political partisan interest and urged all opposition parties,
farmers organisations and civil society to protest against the ministry's
conduct.
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Mahama: NPP's criticisms unreasonable, illogical
The Evening News says the Minister of Communications, Mr John Mahama
has described as illogical and unreasonable criticism of the Chief of Staff,
Nana Ato Dadzie, that he did not name himself as a beneficiary of government
sponsored foreign medical treatment and instead mentioning the late Asantehene,
Otumfuo Opoku Ware.
Mr Mahama who was reacting to a statement made by Mr Kwamena Bartels in
the September 30 issue of the Evening News said Mr Bartels and his parliamentary
colleagues had made a specific allegation that government sponsorship of
medical treatment abroad, was available only to NDC activists and government
functionaries.
"The Chief of Staff in his press conference debunked this
allegation by proving that the facility was not open only to government
officials but had been useful in providing medical care for both ordinary
Ghanaians and distinguished personalities including the late Asantehene and
several other 'non-governmental personalities', he said.
He said it is therefore unnecessary and illogical in that context to
expect the Chief of Staff who is a government official to name himself as a
beneficiary.
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MP urges EC to reduce ballot papers
The Free Press in a back-page story says the MP for Abuakwa
Constituency, Hon. Nana Akufo-Addo, has called on the Electoral Commission to
reduce the ballot papers currently being printed by at least 1.5 million.
Speaking at an Anyinam rally in the Eastern Region as part of Mr J.A.
Kufuor’s campaign team, he contended that the Electoral Commission's admission
of a bloat in the voters register with 1.5 million ghost names makes it
unnecessary to print to that quantity.
"If Afari-Gyan admits that there were 1.5 million excess names in
the voters' register, then he should not print that number of ballot papers to
waste our money and also give people the opportunity to engage in double
voting," he said.
Mr J.A. Kufuor told the rally that if Ghanaians could teach the NDC a
lesson by way of voting it out because of bad governance, it would serve as a
deterrent to all political parties to live up to expectation when voted into
power.
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Board member's confession on tape - SSNIT again
The Dispatch in its banner story says there are increasing and credible
reports that what triggered off the current media spotlight on the Social
Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) was a direct result of the
internal struggles within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
The story has it that what was started by the Ghanaian Chronicle and
later by JOY FM was given another dimension when some key members of the
SSNIT's Board of Directors started pointing accusing fingers at each
other.
"They resorted to approaching the media houses with information on
what others had done or were to do. In the process, audio tape recordings of
some of the starling revelations of some Board members has fallen into the
hands of some very powerful people in this country."
The tapes are reported to contain details of how some very powerful
people in government were instrumental in the Board’s implementation of what
has now turned out to be obviously bad and irresponsible investments.
According to the story, the name of a powerful female politician, in
particular, was repeatedly mentioned, as one of the pressures behind the
investments while those of people linked to some highly placed government
functionaries have also been bared.
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Mills won't debate Kufuor
The Weekend Statesman says hopes for a live showdown between Prof. Atta
Mills and J.A. Kufuor suffered a serious body blow when Prof. Mills stated
emphatically in Kumasi last weekend that he would not engage Kufour in a political
debate.
Addressing members of the Tertiary Educational Institutions Network of
the NDC (TEIN) in Kumasi, Prof. Mills said as a Law Professor, he is not in any
way prepared to enter into a debate with people who have closed their eyes and
ears to his accomplishments as a lecturer and politician.
He said the NPP and its diabolic and wicked strategy to win political
power at all costs, has resorted to tricks and plain lies to discredit the
ruling NDC government.
He said while the NDC has concrete and practical things to point to as
evidence for their good policies and development, the NPP spends precious time
and energy to talk about visions and promises that cannot be fulfil.
He promised that the NDC in its own good time would respond to all the
false allegations coming from the NPP.
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Amidu renews challenge to Goosie
Mr Martin Amidu, the vice-presidential candidate of the NDC has once
more called on Mr Augustus Tanoh, the flagbearer of the National Reform Party (NRP)
to come out for a public debate on corruption if he is the Mr. Clean he claims
to be, reports the Ghanaian Democrat.
Mr Amidu, according to the story, asked Mr Tanoh to deny having used
his influence in the NDC to set up his Transport and Commodity Limited and
acquire facilities from the state.
Speaking in an interview with the paper, Mr Amidu said the challenge he
threw at Mr Tanoh was personal and he expected him to accept or refuse it
personally instead of asking some members of his party to speak on the issue on
his behalf.
He described Mr Tanoh's action as amounting to a conflict of interest,
adding that he has many questions to answer on the matter.
"As a cadre, he pretended to be working for the working people of
this country while he was actually working for himself and acquiring properties
for himself," he stressed and said Tanoh is equally guilty of corruption,
having used his influence to engage in numerous acquisitions.
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Kufuor deserted
The Ghana Palaver says on its front-page that with about only four
weeks to the December 7 elections, Mr J.A. Kufuor, the NPP presidential
candidate is drowned in lamentations and agony for being deserted by his party
leaders.
Palaver says a sources close to Kufuor's campaign team said their
flagbearer is going through agonising moments as his financiers and leading
party figures are reluctant to release cash for the last leg of the campaign.
The sources revealed that the party leadership has left the
responsibility of sourcing funds for the campaign on Kufuor in what is linked
to his virtual pocketing of all foreign donations to the party.
Mr Kufuor's lamentations is said to have received interpretation by his
close aides as an alibi for his own inherent weakness that will most likely
cause him another electoral defeat.
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Bank Governor in blackmail scare
The Ghanaian Chronicle reports that the Deputy Governor of the Bank of
Ghana, Mr Osei Kumah is recovering from months of private agony after a senior
broker and a friend working with Consolidated Discount House (CDH), until
recently, helped himself to nearly a billion cedis worth of his personal
investment lodged with the CDH and Fidelity Group.
The paper says clear evidence also exist that the Bureau of National
Investigations is being shadowing the Governor on suspicions of financial
dealings that are not exactly above board.
The lead story says the paper was first prompted into investigating the
Governor following wild reports of black-marketeering and insider dealings. The
paper says it followed several plausible leads, including undercover
surveillance of his financial transactions in two key financial institutions
and personalities.
It said it was the character of one of the 'financial houses', which
heightened suspicion because the name, Newland Trust and Consultancy Ltd were
not appearing in the registers of the Securities Regulatory Commission and the
Non-Banking division of Bank of Ghana (BOG), the two bodies that have oversight
and regulatory powers over all companies that handle investment instrument of
cash for Ghanaians investor.
The paper says it can confirm that a tip in July this year to the BNI
by one Samuel Asamoah, the broker linked to Mr Kumah's billion cedis losses,
suggested that the Governor may be dealing in the black market with some
private banks and forex bureaux.
Kumah is said to have blurted being a victim of blackmail when reached
by the paper.
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