Parliament confirms Dec 7
SSNIT'S Gulf House mystery deal
NAGRAT begins strike
Ayawaso West shows the way
Plot to sabotage election 2000!
Who heads Media Commission?
Electoral fraud uncovered
No intimidation please
Martin Amidu challenges Goosie
Tema port doubles in-come for the 1st half of the year
Parliament confirms Dec 7
The Graphic banner headline reveals that parliament has given approval for the impending presidential and parliamentary elections to be held on December 7, this year.
The House asked the Electoral Commission (EC), to consult with relevant political parties and Parliament to select an election date, which will be accepted to all in future.
Nana Akufo-Addo Chairman of the Committee on Subsidiary Legislation, which dealt with the election date said, the day will be lawful for both the presidential and the parliamentary elections. He said the committee consulted with the various political parties, the EC and the chief of Staff, Office of the President to come out with this agreement. He also advised the commission to consult relevant bodies, prior to election date to obviate controversy.
Nana Akufo Addo, called the house to adopt the report and was seconded by Mr. A.S.K Bagbin (NDC, Nadowli North).
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SSNIT'S Gulf House mystery deal
The Ghanaian Chronicle carries a story involving investigations it conducted into other SSNIT investment which it says shows a puzzling arrangement in which SSNIT put up 97 % of the cost of construction of Gulf House estimated at ˘ 7 billion (1996) and ended up with the shorter end of the stick.
According to the paper, SSNIT has 42 percent of the building held by a company called Gulf Consolidated while the Lebanese-Ghanaian patriarch of Auto Parts family, Mr. A.R Accad and his 35-year-old son hold 33%.
The rest belongs to a mystery broker who spoke to the SSNIT top guns like Mr. K. Adu Amoah, then in charge of Investments. Mr. Henry Dei the past Director-General had this project passing through his hands. The go-between who is now deceased is called Mr. Arhin who is now represented on the board by his wife. The Board has Dr. Ellis of SSNIT's Trust hospital as chairman though at the moment Mr. Kofi Ampong, Head of Estates acts as the Chairman.
The Chronicle says in interviews it held with Mr. Accad (Snr), he explained how the late Mr. Arhin came in. He said Mr. Arhin introduced SSNIT to the company, and when pressed further he said, "we just gave him 25% shares" stressing that Mr. Arhin did all the negotiation with SSNIT. He went on to say that he never met Mr. Dei, Mr. Arhin did all after his (Accad) initial plans of seeking investment from South Africa.
Mr. Arhin, the paper said, did not contribute anything in terms of cash for his shares, but is holding these shares on behalf of some powerful men.
When the paper interviewed Mr. Dei whether he had shares in Gulf House he replied in the negative but confirmed however that, the Accads provided the land but does not recollect how much they put in. The investigations reveal that SSNIT took 20% at the time and another 22% when the project stalled for almost 4 years as a result of liquidity problems.
Ghana Commercial put in ˘200 million as a loan and the rest came from SNNIT.
Despite the fact that SSNIT is owed over ˘10 million and started and ended the whole project, it is a tenant in the Gulf House.
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NAGRAT begins strike
Under the headlines “NAGRAT begins strike”, The Ghanaian Times reports that members of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has begin a one-week nation-wide strike, beginning Thursday.
The nearly 5000-member association will consequently stay away from all academic and other duties until October 25, 2000. Mr. Lucas Alagbo, president of the Association announced this decision at a news conference in Accra on Wednesday. This decision he said will force the educational authorities to address three issues, which include cheating and marginalising for years now.
Mr. Alagbo talked about the entry point of the graduate professional teacher and the salary structure, and graduate teachers should be allowed to start on level 15 or assistant director scale of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS).
He said, "this time round, we shall not feed on mere promises".
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Ayawaso West shows the way
The Accra Mail reports that the uncouth behaviour exhibited last week at the premises of the Vibe FM studios by supporters of the Ayawaso Central parliamentary aspirants was refreshingly absent this week with the civility displayed by five candidates from the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency as each took turns to articulate their programmes and Visions.
The paper said though the debate was not without the usual passions, the rare display of camaraderie and assurance of co-operation between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate George Amoo and Elvis Afriyie Ankra, of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) went down well with the audience in the studio.
The display of maturity infected the supporters who took turns to shake each other at the end of proceedings. The host of the programme, the paper continues, could not help but express his admiration publicly. He said they have proved that ones political opponent need not be his enemy.
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Plot to sabotage election 2000!
The Crusading Guide says investigations reveals that, about 70 Ashaiman NDC activists who were former members of the defunct Civil Defence Organisation (CDO)- the People's Militia- have been recruited to undergo military training to cause confusion at some polling stations in the Greater Accra Region on election day.
The paper reports that the man responsible for the recruitment is alleged to be one E.T Angmor, Chairman of the Tema Sub-Region of the Progressive Voluntary Organistions (PVO) and the center for the clandestine exercise is the CDO office, located at the White House, Tema.
The recruits, sources say, are being trained at the Army Training School, Afienya in the Greater Accra Region. Reporting date was Friday, October 13, 2000 and the duration for the training, the paper gathered was to cover a period of six weeks.
The Crusading Guide said it learnt that the mayhem minded graduands "would be armed and deployed at various polling stations throughout the country - especially NPP strongholds- to intimidate voters and even polling agents opposed to the NDC so that the party could indulged in malpractices".
Some of the people recruited so far includes Francis Ganyede, CDO Zonal Head, Ashaiman; S.W.K. Duodu, an employee of GTMC, Tema, Nicholas G. Addai, Lotto writer, Ashaiman and Beatrice Amuzu, residing at Lashibi, the paper reports.
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Who heads Media Commission?
The Independent says the Chief Justice I.K Abban will on Tuesday, October 24, 2000 inaugurate the re-constituted National Media Commission (NMC).
The present NMC headed by Mr. Tim Acquah-Hayford was inaugurated three years ago and must give way for a new NMC.
According to Mr.Yaw Boadu Ayeboafoh, the members of the new team are Wilson Kusi Afanga, Kofi Awoonor, Christian Aggrey, Nutifafa Kuenyehia, Dr. Anthony Boannah Koomson, Cyril Acolatse and Dan Ansah, among others.
The paper said the 18-members NMC represent various organisations, which include the Ghana Journalist Association and the Ghana Bar Association. The NMC is a regulatory body for the media and has always been the battle ground for political parties as far as the elections of the chairman is concerned.
According to the paper in 1979, the Peoples National Party won a close victory over the Popular Front Party when it got Mr. Kofi Badu elected as the Chairman against the candidature Lawyer Brodie Mends.
This time round the paper says that sources reaching it indicate that Professor Kofi Awoonor, a writer and poet of international repute and a leading member of International PEN is the favourite of the NDC for the Chairmanship. The next few days will see serious lobbying by various interest groups for either Mr. Kuenyehia or Professor Awoonor.
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Electoral fraud uncovered
The Evening News reports on its front page that twenty registered voters in the Odododiodio constituency in the Greater Accra Region stand the risk of not exercising their franchise in the December 7 presidential and parliamentary elections.
This, the paper said is because their ID cards have been seized by Mr. Samuel Mankattah an executive member of the NDC in that constituency.
According to the paper, a spokesman of the group said during the last registration exercise they were organized by Mankattah to registered. After the exercise, Mr. Mankattah took their cards from them because according to him since they were minors, they are likely to misplace them. The spokesman went on to say that Mr. Mankattah refused to release their ID's to them claiming they are not going to vote for NDC if they have the chance of voting.
The paper said the group reported the matter to Mr. Nat Quaye, District electoral commissioner who asked them to report to the police and later confirmed this to the paper.
Mr. Quaye gave the assurance that he would reclaim their voters ID if their names are provided. Mr. Makattah denied any wrongdoing when he was contacted.
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No intimidation please
The Guide reports that Mr. J. H. Mensah, Minority leader in Parliament has advocated that soldiers be prevented from roaming the streets on voting day to ensure that voters exercise their franchise without intimidation.
He pointed out that during the 1992 and 1996 elections some armed soldiers were put on the streets to intentionally intimidate voters stressing that this will be done again to those who would show sympathy to the opposition parties in this years elections.
Mr. Mensah speaking to a group of journalists cited Sunyani and Brekum in the Brong Ahafo Region as two hot spots of military intimidation in the last two elections, where opposition members were arrested arbitrarily for no offence committed.
Mr. Mensah urged journalist to wage war against such intimidation and also suggested that if these soldiers would be needed to beef up severity they should be disarmed.
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Martin Amidu challenges Goosie
The Ghanaian Democrat said the running mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Martin Amidu, has challenged the flagbearer of the National Reform Party, Mr. Goosie Tanoh to a public examination of their financial probity and honesty.
He said Mr. Tanoh has neither "the credibility, the integrity nor the experience", to lead the nation.
The statement issued by Mr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah in Accra on behalf of Mr. Amidu, therefore challenged Mr. Tanoh to a public debate to present what he termed "factual and credible" issues to the electorate.
The statement which was made at a rally at Sumbrungu in the Bolgatanga District of the Upper West Region also said, the NDC is the most credible party to continue to provide quality leadership for Ghana through probity and transparency, adding that "these are qualities which the opposition parties, particularly the NRP, do not have".
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Tema port doubles in-come for the 1st half of the year
The High Street Journal reports that the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) put up an outstanding performance in the first six months of this year by posting ˘97.19 billion as against the target of ˘86.73 billion.
This represents a favourable variance of 12.06%, and a growth of 52.6% for the same period in 1999, which was 63.69 billion.
The port also achieved an operational cost of ˘40.4 billion as against ˘41 billion budgeted, representing marginal savings of 1.46% and incurred an operational expense of ˘28.94 for the period in 1999, indicating a 39% rise in 2000.
The Tema Port, which is the largest and most modern seaport in the country, is currently being dredged at a cost of US$ 13 million.
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