Parties reject
NPP's recommended voting method
Let's move forward
with NDC- Rawlings
Contractors call for fair deal in contract
awards
GJA calls for ID cards for media to flush
out impostors
Independent MP calls for equal offers from
EC
Vice-President continues tour of Brong Ahafo
Parties reject
NPP's recommended voting method
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 October
2000
Three political parties contesting
the December elections have rejected a new voting method being proposed by the
New Patriotic Party, describing it as a recipe for confusion.
They said the method would lead to
total confusion on Election Day and spark a national crisis.
In separate interviews with the
Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra at the weekend, the Convention People's Party
(CPP), People's National Convention (PNC) and United Ghana Movement did not
agree with the proposal.
Under the voting method devised by
the OAU, polling stations would open from 0700 to 1100 hours, for voters to
check their names in the register, then form queues to vote.
Nobody is allowed to join a queue
to vote once voting begins. According to the NPP, this ensures that no one is
able to vote at more than one polling station.
Mr. Nii Noi Dowouna, General
Secretary of CPP, Mr. Ahmed Ramadan, National Treasurer of PNC, and Mr.
Lawrence Adotey Addo, the running mate of UGM's Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby spoke
to the GNA.
Mr. Ramadan said such a proposal
should have come up earlier at Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meetings
for proper deliberations and not seven weeks before elections.
He said some political parties are
used to making statements, which create unnecessary tension, and called on
parties to be circumspect in their statements so as not to lay any grounds to
discredit the results before the election.
Mr. Addo asked the NPP to provide
the other parties with details of the method. He said the method is not
favourable, but rather cumbersome and would disenfranchise majority of the
electorate. Mr. Addo said his party would resist any electoral system that does
not favour the masses.
Mr. Addo said whatever good
intentions the NPP might have for the proposal, the timing is very wrong.
Nii Noi said the December election
is very crucial for the development of democracy and should not be used for an
experiment of a new voting method.
"Who polices the queues to
ensure that no one joins after 1100 hours?" he asked.
"Armed men cannot be used
because their presence at polling stations would scare voters."
Nii Noi said under such a system,
a party or parties could organise thugs to disrupt the queue at the stronghold
of another party, which could lead to violent confrontation.
He said the system might have
worked effectively in other countries, but Ghana could not take such a risk
with Election 2000.
Prof. Kofi Awoonor, National vice
chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Mr. Albert Kofi
Arhin, Director of Elections of the Electoral Commission (EC), have also
rejected the method.
The NPP had asked the NDC and EC
to provide alternative measures to check rigging.
GRi…/
Let's move
forward with NDC- Rawlings
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo Region) 23
October 2000
President Jerry John Rawlings on
Saturday said re-electing a government of the National Democratic Congress
(NDC) to power to build on his works 'will mean a forward march for the
nation.'
"I have done my part up to a
point and it is now time for you to put your thoughts and energy together to
support the party to move the nation forward," President Rawlings said.
He was addressing a milling crowd
at an NDC regional rally in Sunyani. The rally was the fourth in a series, to
canvass votes for Vice President John Evans Atta Mills who is the party's
parliamentary candidates in the December election.
President Rawlings, flanked by
Vice President Mills and Mr. Martin Amidu, the party's vice-presidential
candidate, said the sacrifices of Ghanaians in the country's development
process would be fruitless if they do not make a sound choice in the election.
"All our sacrifices will be
in vain if we do not vote for people who love the nation, ... people who will
always speak the truth and nothing but the truth," he said, adding that
Prof. Mills has over the years exhibited the virtues of someone who could carry
on successfully.
President Rawlings told the people
that opposition leaders trying to wrestle power from the NDC, should not be
entrusted with the reigns of government.
"We're all doomed if they
succeed," he said adding that some of them cannot tell the simple truth of
gains made by the PNDC/NDC government.
He said while the international
community lauds Ghana's stride towards development, the opposition has
consistently refused to acknowledge it.
President Rawlings, whose term of
office ends in January next year, re-stated that although he will cease to be
president, he would make his experience and support available to the party.
He blamed the current economic
difficulties on uncontrolled population growth and sophisticated and expensive
social sector demands.
He said more people have developed
tastes for imported goods like cars and domestic appliances, thereby pushing
traders to chase more foreign cash.
Prof. Mills told the people that
he would continue to give attention to farmers by assisting them to expand the
agricultural base.
He said he had been tested and
certified for the job, unlike his opponents who had not undergone any
"apprenticeship."
Vice President Mills said contrary
to what the opposition would want the electorate to believe, the NDC has a
track record of bringing development to the people, adding that all the
opposition has been able to achieve so far is to undertake a "campaign of
lies" against the NDC.
He said he is prepared to debate
with his opponents on one-on-one basis on issues.
Mr. Amidu pledged his dedication
and hard work and said he is determined to work with Prof. Mills to push the
nation forward.
Other leading members of the party
who addressed the rally were Mr. A.A. Munufie, co-chairman, Mr. J.H.
Owusu-Acheampong, Minister of Food and Agriculture, Prof. Kweku Danso-Boafo,
Minister of Health, Mr. Isaac Adjei-Mensah, Minister of Works and Housing, Mrs.
Cecilia Johnson, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, and Ms
Sherry Ayittey, co-vice chairperson of the party.
They took turns to explain
policies adopted by government in various sectors and urged the electorate to
renew the party's mandate in the December election for "positive
continuity."
Also prominent among party
stalwarts was Dr Obed Asamoah, Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
GRi…/
Contractors call for fair deal in contract
awards
Ho (Volta Region) 23 October 2000
Contractors in the Volta Region have called on the new executives of the Association of Building and Civil Contractors of Ghana (ABCCG) in the region to work towards ensuring fairness in the award of contracts.
They alleged that the practice of exclusion in the award of contracts does not augur well for the development of the region, its construction industry and the ABCCG.
The contractors made the call at a meeting at Ho on Friday during which a new regional executive under the chairmanship of Mr. Timothy Fiattor, Managing Director of Defiat Development Company, was sworn into office.
They also alleged that contracts were more often awarded to members who do not have the requisite machinery and expertise resulting in shoddy work and abandonment of projects.
The members said this situation, coupled with the problems of the building industry, had grounded the operations of some contractors leading to untold hardships to their employees and dependants.
They, therefore, suggested that contracts should be awarded on merit and ability to execute the projects and that new contractors must work under experienced colleagues before licences are issued to them.
Mr. Kupualor advised contractors especially their leaders to serve the interests of their colleagues instead of pursuing their individual interests.
He said contractors can only survive in the face of the problems in the construction industry by working together as a team.
Mr. Kupualor asked members of the association to make their problems known to their executives to enable them to find solutions to them.
Mr. Fiattor pledged to ensure that each contractor becomes an active participant in, and a beneficiary of the construction industry in the region and called for co-operation and support from the members to achieve his goals.
GRi…/
GJA calls for ID cards for media to flush
out impostors
Accra (Greater Accra) 23 October 2000
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) on Sunday asked all media organisations, both print and electronic, to make it a policy to issue accreditation and photo identity cards to their staff to rid the profession off impostors.
The GJA, in addition, has directed all organisers of public and private functions at which journalist are invited, to scrutinise their identity cards to weed out impostors, who are denting the image of the profession.
A statement issued and signed by the GJA President, Mrs. Gifty Affenyi-Dadzie, said these directive were among a number of measures adopted at a meeting with editors and high ranking journalist that deliberated on issues that are bringing the image of the profession into disrepute.
It said the GJA president expressed concern about reports reaching the national executives that certain persons posing as journalists have been attending various functions at which they misconduct themselves.
The statement further noted that there were reports that some journalists were engaged in what could be termed blackmail, by going round and threatening people that they have received various "incriminating" reports about them, which they were prepared to "hush" if they would pay some unspecified amounts of money in return.
It said members present at the meeting undertook a critical self-examination and called on journalists who collude with such characters to expose them or have themselves to blame.
The meeting, the statement said, agreed that members should police one another and report all cases of impersonation to the police or the GJA National Secretariat, and urged members of the public who have concrete evidence of blackmail to report to the GJA national executives as well.
It said national executives of the GJA were also called upon to deal ruthlessly with anyone caught in such acts to serve as deterrent to others.
Members of the GJA agreed that it was unethical for journalists to demand monies from organisers at functions before discharging their duties and warned those involved to desist from such practice.
The meeting agreed that the GJA should formally alert institutions that it was not obligatory to offer incentives to journalists.
Equally, a meeting should be arranged with the executive members of the IPR to help sensitise their members about GJA's position on the issue.
The meeting was also used to remind political parties to desist from the practice of reducing press conferences to rallies and asked organisers to ensure that such events are restricted to only journalists.
Political parties should enforce the regulation of the National Media Commission which places the responsibility of ensuring the safety of media practitioners covering their assignments from their supporters and molesters, more especially as parties intensify their campaigns for the December election.
GRi…/
Independent MP calls for equal offers from
EC
Akim Tafo (Eastern Region) 23 October 2000
The independent parliamentary candidate for the Abuakwa Constituency in the Eastern Region, Nana Addo-Aikins, has called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to give both political party and independent candidates equal offers and opportunities in all their activities and programmes for the December 7 election.
He also called on both the state and the private media to give equal attention and coverage to programmes and activities of independent candidates as being done to the political parties.
Nana Addo-Aikins, a lawyer, made the call at a press conference at Akim-Tafo in the East Akim District when he launched his electioneering campaign and the Addo-Aikins Fan Club at the weekend.
According to him, his call was as a result of the realisation that the EC, as well as the state-owned and sections of the private media, are deliberately marginalising independent candidates.
He, therefore, asked the EC, the media, political parties and the public to see independent candidates as citizens who are positively contributing to the nation's on-going political dispensation and who need to be given assistance, attention and all the opportunities they deserve.
Outlining his political agenda, Nana Addo-Aikins, who has the lamp as his symbol, said if elected into parliament, he would pursue national reconciliation, national government and true development, which form the central points of his manifesto.
GRi…/
Vice-President continues tour of Brong
Ahafo
Atebubu (Brong Ahafo Region) 23 October 2000
The Vice President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, who is on a five-day tour of the Brong Ahafo Region on Friday inspected work on the Gyato Zongo-Yeji road and urged the contractor to complete it on scheduled
The 85.7 Kilometre road is being constructed by Interpeton BV, a Dutch firm at the cost of 92.5 billion Dutch guilders provided by the governments of Ghana and the Netherlands.
It was stated 18 months ago and would be completed in May 2002. More than 50 per cent of work has been completed.
Speaking with the Project Manager, Mr. Aad Tukman, Prof. Mills said hopes are high for the early completion of the road adding that, "our people will not forgive us if we should fail to meet their hopes. It is a lifeline project for them".
Vice President Mills who is the presidential candidate of the Progressive Alliance earlier addressed constituency rallies in the Atebubu and Sene districts.
He told the Chiefs and people to re-elect the party to power for continued development.
At Bantama, near Kwame Danso, Prof. Mills administered Polio vaccine to children as part of the National Immunisation Campaign.
He asked parents to have their children immunised to save them from preventable diseases.
GRi…/