GRi Newsreel Ghana 09 - 10 - 2000
First batch of Ghanaians evacuated from Libya
Aliu calls for peaceful election
Decision not to increase fuel price not political-Abingya
NPP launches campaign in Greater Accra.
Ghana, South Africa express concern about
conflicts
Rawlings deplores western media negative portrayal of Africa
First batch of Ghanaians evacuated from
Libya
Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October 2000
The first batch of 238 Ghanaians fleeing reprisals in Libya were evacuated home early Sunday by a government team led by President Jerry John Rawlings.
The evacuees, who were brought in a special Ghana Airways flight included women, children, the injured and the sick one of who was in a wheel chair.
Some came with their belongings, while others had nothing with them.
On arrival, they were conveyed to a reception area for registration and screening by immigration and health officials, after which they were given food and put on buses for their respective regional capitals.
Ghanaian officials on the plane said at least 5,000 Ghanaians have been listed for evacuation from Libya, following attacks on Black Africans by their Libyan counterparts.
The attacks were sparked off by differences between Nigerian and Libyan drug gangs in the Gregare area, noted for illicit drug dealing and prostitution.
Other nationals affected by the resurgence, which reportedly left more than 100 immigrants dead in that country are from Niger, Chad and Nigeria.
Some of the Ghanaian evacuees the Ghana News Agency spoke to told harrowing stories, blaming the Libyans for high handedness.
They commended President Rawlings, who is currently convalescing from two operations, for his personal involvement in the evacuation process.
"They just did not want to see we their black brothers in that country," said 33-year old Yaw Augustine.
Yaw, like most of the young male returnees the GNA spoke to went to the Northern African country by road without any specific job plan, but found himself in masonry.
He sang praises to God and invoked blessings on the President for his efforts.
Jacob Laweh Ameyaw, 25, from Dodowa who arrived with a swollen right hand kissed the ground and thanked God for bringing him and others home safely.
"The area boys used broken bottles on my hand, I managed to flee to a neighbour who later got me out to our Embassy," Jacob said denying any wrongdoing.
A 27-year old mother of two, Rebecca Acquah, who described herself as a chop bar operator said belongings she acquired over five years in that country were burnt by the area boys.
Rebecca, carrying a child at her back while the husband, Samuel Oppong, handled the other denied allegations that some Ghanaians flouted the laws of that land.
She confirmed that she and her husband got to Libya by "the desert."
Speaking to newsmen, Mr. Daniel Ohene Agyekum, Minister responsible for Protocol and Chieftaincy said the government was speeding up arrangements to bring home other Ghanaians who are currently being kept at a camp outside Tripoli.
Reports said conditions are deteriorating at the camp, sited near a refuse dump.
Mr. Agyekum said President Rawlings' personal involvement in the evacuation has set a sound footing as he held fruitful meetings with the Libyan authorities, who indicated their preparedness to assist.
He could not put a time frame on the exercise. However, sources close to the national carrier said there will be another flight on Tuesday.
Mr. Kofi Portuphy, National Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation who could not immediately cost the evacuation exercise, said it is being funded wholly by the government.
Medical officials screening the returnees at the Kotoka International Airport have confirmed cases of infectious and tropical diseases such as malaria.
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Aliu calls for peaceful election
Tamale (Northern Region) 09 October 2000
Alhaji Aliu Mahama, the vice-presidential candidate of the NPP, has called on Ghanaians to pray for unity and peaceful election in December.
He said since peaceful co-existence and unity are pre-requisite for development there is the need for a collective approach to push Ghana forward irrespective of one's political affiliation.
Alhaji Mahama made the call during a courtesy call on the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Tamale, Maulvi Abdul-Hameed Tahir.
He said the NPP has followed with keen interest the role being played by the mission in the fields of health, education and agriculture and assured the Mission of the party's commitment to ensure a better environment to operate in when it comes to power.
Alhaji Aliu also commended the exemplary leadership role of the Mission and urged other religious groups to emulate.
The Regional President of the Mission, Mr. A. N. Moomin, commended the NPP for being the first party to interact with the mission in the region.
He said that even though the Mission is non-political, it prays for good governance.
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Decision not to increase fuel price not
political-Abingya
Bolgatanga (Upper West Region) 09 October 2000
Mr. Simon Abingya, Deputy Minister of Mines and Energy, said on Friday that the government's decision not to increase the prices of petroleum products is not for any political consideration.
Rather, it is an indication of the government's sensitivity to the plight of the ordinary people.
Mr. Abingya was speaking at a meeting with representatives of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Trades Union Congress (TUC) and other recognised labour unions in the Upper East region at Bolgatanga.
Mr. Abingya, who is also the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga central, pointed out that considering the current hike in the price of crude oil on the world market, the logical step would have been for the government to effect a corresponding increase in the local prices.
He expressed regret about attempts by some sections of the public to politicise the issue of fuel shortages saying, "although they see what is happening even in developed countries, some still want to portray the situation here as the fault of (the) government."
Mr. Abingya noted that in view of the relatively cheaper cost of fuel in the country, Ghanaians and foreigners alike are smuggling the commodity into neighbouring countries, thus nullifying the government's intention to make petroleum products available for the use of every citizen.
Mr. Abingya tasked unionised labour in the region to get involved in the monitoring of sales of fuel in the area.
He described as paradoxical, the rampant shortages of petroleum products in the Bolgatanga township, where a fuel depot with a capacity of 6.5 million litres of petrol, diesel, kerosene and liquefied gas, has been sited.
"It is hard to understand when the local filling station managers complain of scarcity, yet you go and find out that the depot is full of product".
The Deputy Minister noted that such attitude was employed deliberately by the dealers to create artificial shortages so they could sell the product at exorbitant prices to the people.
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NPP launches
campaign in Greater Accra.
Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October
2000
The Greater Accra branch of the
New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Saturday launched its electioneering campaign code
named "operation 2000 grass root elephant walk", at the Teachers'
Hall in Accra.
The meeting brought together all parliamentary
candidates and chairmen from the 22 constituencies.
In his opening address, Nii Ayite
Boafo, Greater Accra regional secretary, charged members not to allowed
complacency to erode the gains the achieved since the 1996 elections but rather
work hard to sustain it to win political power in the December election.
"The battle ahead of us is
not going to be easy. Power is not handed over on a silver platter, we have to
work for it".
He urged the candidates to share
ideas and resources to cut down on cost, but ensure that their messages reach a
wide range of the voter population.
Nii Boafo, who is also head of the
region's campaign team, promised to forward to the National Executive
Committee, recommendations and ideas put across during the meeting and make
sure that they are accorded urgent attention.
Mr. George Isaac Amen, a resource
person, took the candidates through various training programmes.
He advised them to select
committed, dedicated and literate party agents to man the polling station to avoid
cheating.
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Ghana, South Africa express concern about
conflicts
Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October 2000
Ghana and South Africa on Friday expressed concern about the many conflict situations still existing in various parts of Africa and reaffirmed their support for the OAU mechanism for the Prevention, Management and Resolution of Conflicts.
The two countries, both members of the Committee mandated to assist in managing the transitional period in Cote d'Ivoire, urged the leaders of that country to create conducive conditions which will ensure a smooth transition to constitutional rule.
These were contained in a communiqué issued at the end of a four-day visit by South African President Thabo Mbeki to Ghana.
The communiqué, which was read by Ghana's Foreign Minister, James Victor Gbeho also touched on the need to work together to reduce the spread of diseases.
It said mindful of the serious impact that diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS have on the socio-economic life in Africa, Presidents Rawlings and Mbeki committed their countries to exert effort to defeat them.
The two leaders reiterated their commitment to the ideals and principles of the UN, OAU and the Non-Aligned Movement, which constitute an ideal framework for the maintenance of peace, security and co-operation among countries and their peoples.
They recalled the meeting of Heads of State and Government of the Commonwealth held in Durban last year and reiterated their concern about the negative impact of globalisation on African economies.
They emphasised the need for African and developing countries to collaborate to protect their interests.
They re-affirmed their support for the on-going reforms in the UN and commended Secretary-General Kofi Annan, for his bold initiatives aimed at strengthening the Organisation and rendering it more effective and better able to deal with challenges of the new millennium.
On bilateral relations between Ghana and South Africa, Presidents Rawlings and Mbeki restated their commitment to the reinforcement of democracy in their respective countries and expressed satisfaction with the cooperation between Parliaments and Defence Forces of the two countries.
The leaders also welcomed the bilateral Air services Agreement between the national carriers of the two countries signed in 1994, and the Agreement for the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments signed two years ago.
These two and a renewed agreements on bilateral trade, and Defence Training and Technical Co-operation, signed at the end of President Mbeki's visit, would serve as an impetus to trade between the two countries.
The leaders expressed belief that Defence co-operation among African countries could help promote trust and prevent the outbreak of conflicts.
President Mbeki arrived in Ghana last Wednesday on a four-day visit at the head of a large delegation, which included his wife, Zanele as well as ministers of state and businessmen.
They are Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Mr. Moseua Lekota, Minister of Defence, Mr. S.V.Tshwete, Safety and Security and deputy minister of Public Works, B.M. Nzimande.
While in the country, President Mbeki visited Cape Coast where he was a special guest of honour at a durbar of chiefs and the people and toured the Castles, which served as the warehouse for the slave trade.
The South African President also addressed Ghana's Parliament, laid a wreath at the tomb of Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah and delivered a public lecture on "African Renaissance: The Challenge of out time."
He is expected to leave for Senegal tomorrow to conclude his three-nation West African tour.
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Rawlings deplores
western media negative portrayal of Africa
Accra (Greater Accra) 09 October
2000
President Jerry John Rawlings on
Friday deplored the western media's negative portrayal of Africa and other
developing countries and said this discourages both potential foreign
investment and external political goodwill.
He said the western media not only
depict civil wars and bloodshed without reference to the circumstances of their
occurrence, but also deliberately distort facts and peddle falsehood.
President Rawlings said this, is
done to ''reinforce the conventional western perception that Africa and other
developing countries are incapable of progress without the guidance of the
benevolent culture, social principles and political practices''.
He said this at a banquet he
hosted at the State House for President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, who is in
the third of a four-day visit as part of a three-nation West African tour that
has already taken him to Nigeria and Senegal.
President Rawlings said western
media presentation of events in Yugoslavia and the Middle East have been
distorted. ''My point is that the integrity of facts must be maintained in all
situations if democracy and justice are to guide our political and other social
relations''.
President Rawlings spoke about the
on-going trial of the Libyan suspects in the Lockerbie bombing and said the
western media's pre-trial condemnation of the suspects has prejudiced the
truth.
Also, the western media's biased
and distorted reportage of the adjudication process has compromised the truth.
''I dare say that ex-President
Nelson Mandela has been betrayed by the lack of good faith on the part of the
western media because they also have a responsibility to ensure the due process
of law''.
''The due process of law is
achieved not only in the courts, but also in the media information that shapes
public opinion''.
It was through ex-President Mandela's
intervention that Libya agreed to release the suspects to face trial.
He added ''today, a new
ideological war is being waged by the west against all those perceived to be
deviating from western cultural edicts, political principles and economic practices''.
And the enemies of the new are,
the President went on, are Third World governments and leaders who question the
manner in which the west goes about imposing their concept of a unipolar world.
President Rawlings said biased and
vindictive media that perverts and corrupts facts is as destructive of the
democratic process just as the conflicts and wars that have stunted development
over the years.
''Freedom of speech should not be
a perversion of truth and distortion of facts. Its misuse sows seeds of strife
and violence. It corrupts and undermines the democratic process''.
He said as Ghana and South Africa
expand economic co-operation they must pledge not to allow those who have
contributed to corruption in their countries to seek protection from any
international cabal.
''Our people have the
resourcefulness and creativity to transform Africa, despite the numerous
obstacles. We have won the struggles
for political freedom and national self-determination''.
Therefore, the President added,
the peoples of Ghana and South Africa must strive to win the current campaigns
for national unity, peace, meaningful democracy and fairness in their trade,
investment, financial and technological relations with the developed countries.
President Mbeki recalled his visit
to the slave dungeons of the Cape Coast Castle earlier in the day and said one
could not suppress anger and outrage.
''Those who engaged in the slave
trade thought they were dealing with sub-human beings''.
''Not long ago we were ruled by
people who felt we were sub-human beings. I am not sure we have departed from
the days of abuse of Africans. Violence against our people has not ended with
the end of slavery''.
Mr. Mbeki said there is widespread
poverty and that enough resources exist in the world to eradicate poverty. ''What is lacking is the will to mobilise
those resources.
"The only remedy for African
countries is to expand co-operation. We
should help ourselves. We should not
wait for others''.
To President Rawlings he said
''you have re-built democracy in Ghana. You have given your people confidence
and re-awakened in them the vision Ghana had when it won independence in
1957. You have brought Ghana back to
us''.
''You will soon be stepping down,
as President, but that does not mean there will be no work for you. Many people in Africa have confidence in
you. You will be called on to assist in
solving problems''.
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