GRi Press Review Ghana 11 - 10 – 2001
Osafo
Maafo ignores cabinet
Effah-Dartey's
stance frivolous - 31st DWM
MPs had cars in '93 and '97.
Demands must be modest
Buk-Bak in mega deal
The
People's National Convention (PNC) has expressed concern about the government's
decision to advance car loans of $20,000 to each Member of Parliament, reports
The Ghanaian Times.
In
a statement issued on Wednesday and signed by its Publicity Committee Chairman,
Mr Bin Kotten-Nibi, the party noted that "we find it difficult to believe
that the government can commit such a huge amount for car loans under our HIPC conditions, when the minimum wage is less
than a dollar and majority of people cannot afford three square meals a
day."
The statement said the PNC rejects totally, the government's explanation that the decision emanated from Parliament. "The party also rejected as frivolous, the explanation that the monies given out to the MP's is not free but loans to be re-paid."
The
statement said "the PNC's position is that the decision lacks moderation
and is without due consideration of the difficult economic condition in the
country."
It
advised MP's that under the present situation, people expect their MP's to
identify themselves with their plight and be modest.
More…/
The
Academic Board of the University of Cape Coast has decided to pardon the nine
students who were sanctioned for disrupting the 31st Congregation of
the University.
This
followed a "passionate appeal" from President J.A. Kufuor to the
university authorities to consider re-instating them. The Academic Board, at
its emergency meeting held on Monday, accepted the President's plea and lifted
the sanctions against the students.
A
source close to the Registrar's office told the Times that the board also took
into consideration written apologies from the students concerned, appeals from
some parents, Principal Officers of the University, including the former
Vice-Chancellor, chairman of the University Council and the Chancellor.
In
lifting the sanctions, the Academic Board advised students of the University to
desist from such unruly behaviour in future. It said that resorting to any
unapproved demonstrations, rallies, assemblies and processions would be met
with punishment, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the
university.
The
board emphasized that the structure of the university's grading system, as
reviewed, remained unchanged. It is recalled that during the 31st
Annual Congregation of the University last March, some of the students
undertook a demonstration, which nearly disrupted the ceremony.
Following
the demonstration, a Disciplinary Committee was set up to investigate the
matter and it recommended, among others that the nine students who were
identified as having led and taken active part in the demonstration, should be
dismissed in accordance with the university's rules and regulations.
GRi…/
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Osafo
Maafo ignores cabinet
The
Evening News says the Minister of Finance, Yaw Osafo Maafo appears to have
taken another major decision without consulting Mr. J.A. Kufuor, and this time
he has reportedly, upset the President.
Mr
Osafo Maafo's letter to the Majority Leader, J.H. Mensah from which details of
an intended advancing of a 20,000-dollar loan to each of the Members of
Parliament was made public, has attracted so much public criticisms and raised
doubts about the government's sensitivity to the socio-economic plight of the
populace.
Not
only was the President unaware of the details of the deal, even the Deputy
Minister of Finance, Dr Adombire Agambila was not aware of it.
According
to the paper, this is not the first time that Maafo has fault-started. A couple
of months ago, the Finance Minister appointed the deputy Governor of the Bank
of Ghana, Asiedu Mante to assume responsibility of the Central Bank and
publicised it, only for President Kufuor to set that decision aside and
re-engage the former governor to assume control until the end of September.
Whereas
new parliamentary entrants like Dr Agambila and George Isaac Amoo have been
staunchly defending the decision, other MPs are not too keen on joining the
imbroglio and are adopting a wait and see attitude.
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The
Crusading Guide reports that Hon Kwadjo Baah Wiredu, Minister of Local
Government and Rural Development, has assured Ghanaians that the ruling
Government would not use its power to witch-hunt former Ministers who served in
the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as well as appointees of that regime.
The
government’s initiative to call the immediate past government’s appointees to
account for their stewardship did not constitute witch-hunting, Mr Baah Wiredu
said in an interview with the paper in Accra, recently.
More…/
Quite
a number of recommendations were made by participants of the July 23-25, 2001
Homecoming Summit which, was held in Accra for Ghanaians living abroad.
According
to the Crusading Guide, among them were the setting up of a Secretariat of
Non-Resident Ghanaians (NRGs) to be directly located under the Office of the
President to be called “The Homecoming Secretariat” or “Non-Resident Ghanaians
Secretariat”.
A
Summary Report that was compiled after the summit outline some of the functions
of the secretariat to include the coordination of all activities and serve as
the center for all projects, programmes and issues involving Ghanaians living
abroad; building, promoting and maintaining active communication among NRGs and
resident Ghanaians; facilitating NRGs’ diverse support to Ghana; sensitizing
Ghanaian institutions to promote positive relational dynamics and attitude to
NRGs’ concerns and institute presidential awards to NRGs who had supported
developments in Ghana and who has attained international recognition
in the Diaspora.
According
to the report, the budget of the secretariat is to be included in the national
budgetary provision of the Office of the President, and will be augmented by
contributions from Ghanaians living abroad and other sources such as the
International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and Ghana’s developmental
partners, among others.
The
work of the secretariat, the report indicated, would be divided into areas such
as NRGs coming to settle and those wishing to stay abroad: to invest in Ghana
for a reasonable fee).
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The
Ghanaian Voice carries that days after Dr Tony Aidoo appeared on GBC TV’s Kwaku
One-on-One programme, he has been invited by the International Criminal Police
Organization (INTERPOL) to report himself at the Police Headquarters.
A
letter dated October 5 and signed by Superintendent Opare Addo said Dr Aidoo is
expected to report to the office of the superintendent of Police in charge of
Deportation and Extradition Unit of the CID on Friday at 10 am to assist in an
investigation.
The
invitation letter in part reads "In connection with an on going investigations
being conducted by the Police at the Interpol level, you are kindly requested
to contact the Superintendent of Police in Charge, INTERPOL, Department and
Extradition Unit of the CID headquarters on Friday 12 October 2001 at 10.00
hours to assist in the investigation.
On
his programme Kwaku One-on-One last Sunday October 7, Dr Aidoo made some
hard-hitting revelations on the government and the president.
The
paper says although it is not in a position to read the meaning into the
invitation, it is however, the first time that “we are hearing that there is an
ongoing investigation into the deportation and extradition case in which Tony
Aidoo is involved.” Many NDC officials
and institutions have in recent times, come under close scrutiny by the security
agencies, the Voice said.
More…/
Effah-Dartey's
stance frivolous - 31st DWM
The
31st December Movement (DEM) is reported to have described as
vexatious and frivolous the presentation made by Effah-Dartey, Deputy Minister
for Local Government at a press conference last Monday at which he indicted the
Movement in what he described as an Audit Report on 68 District Assemblies.
In
an interview with the 'Ghanaian Voice,' Mrs Cecilia Johnson, General Secretary
of the Movement and formerly Deputy Minister of Local Government described her
successor's stance as full of malice and without careful appraisal of the facts
and functions of the very ministry he is deputy minister. She wondered why
Captain Effah-Dartey ran to the press when the appropriate thing to do was to
present the audit report to Parliament in the first place.
Mrs
Johnson asserted that the Auditor-General's Department audited the District
Assemblies at the end of each year during the tenure of the NDC government,
including the year 2000 and wondered which period the NPP government's audit is
supposed to have covered.
"The
normal practice in audit is that, after the audit, the head of the institution
concerned is asked to comment on the audit report or is invited to explain or
clarify certain things, but none of the former DCE's was invited," she
said.
On
the allegation that the Movement manipulated and used the coffers of the
District Assemblies, Mrs Johnson said it only exposed the ignorance of
Effah-Dartey on the workings of the Assemblies. She explained that as First
Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings had protocol at her behest just as any First
Lady has and that under no circumstance did the DWM request any District
Assembly to expend money whenever she paid a working visit to those districts.
More…/
The
Ghanaian Voice says a source close to Parliament have hinted that when the
House reconvenes on Tuesday October 16th, one of the issues that will
be laid on the table will be the membership of ECOWAS Parliament.
The
sources said although the Parliament of Ghana is fully represented at the
deliberations of the ECOWAS Parliament, it would seek to correct an anomaly of
compatibility.
The
sources indicated that Article 12 of the ECOWAS Protocol does not allow a
member of the Executive to be present at the Parliament. As at now Madam Hawa
Ogede Yakubu, Hon. Rashid Bawa and Hon. Yaw Barimah are all holding Ministerial
portfolios and thus do not qualify to be members of the ECOWAS Parliament.
What
Parliament will seek to do will be to nominate different people who have not
been affected by article 12 of the ECOWAS Protocol who will be replace the
three, now holding ministerial appointments.
The
Voice says it gathered also that the case of Mr Rex Owusu-Ansah who was slated
to be the Secretary-General of ECOWAS parliament but was denied the chance by
the government would also be featured in the parliamentary debate. Although Mr.
Rex Owusu-Ansah will turn 60 and retire in November the embarrassment he
suffered will not retire with him.
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The
Executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have been asked to stop
crying wolf about witch-hunting and claims that they were men of integrity and
even set standards for Ghanaians to follow.
Speaking
at the closing session of the fourth National Ministers Conference of the
Gospel Light International Church at GIMPA last week, Rt. Rev. Matthew Addae
Mensah, presiding Bishop of the church, advised politicians who know they
cannot account for their stewardship after leaving office not to venture into
murky waters of politics because it is natural and morally right for the people
who gave them the job to question any malfeasance and financial malpractice.
According
to him, the Bible strongly advocates probity and accountability Quoting from Proverbs
26:20 which says “A faithful man will abound with blessings but he who hastens
to be rich will not go unpunished,” the soft but outspoken Bishop supported his
view with several scriptural doctrines to buttress his point.
Bishop
Addae Mensah warned, “The unprofitable minister or public servant who causes
financial loss to the state must be punished, irrespective of their political
affiliation.”
According
to the Bishop, this suggests that if any minister or public officer is found to
have misconduct himself while in office then it is wrong to give him or her
ex-gratia award or End-of-Service benefit.”
More…/
A
police Constable who beat an ex-policeman to death in broad daylight at the
parade grounds of the Kaneshie police station is back to duty, two months after
the incident.
Surprisingly,
Constable Wisdom Sarpeh, who was granted bail after two weeks detention, is now
fully armed with an AK 45 riffle and is currently at post with the Dansoman
divisional police task force.
Enquiries at both the Dansoman and Kaneshie Police Stations confirmed that the murder suspect cop, who was a protective unit officer with the Kaneshie police station, was transferred to the Dansoman divisional task force after the incident.
Incognito calls from Chronicle staff posing as relatives of the police constable to both police stations on Wednesday morning confirmed that Constable Sarpeh was indeed involved in a murder case and was transferred from one station to another after the incident.
The
head of the Police Public Relation department, Superintendent Angwubutogbe
Awuni, told the Chronicle that the transfer was purely administrative and had
nothing to do with the unfortunate incident. He confirmed the homicide after he
called for Constable Sarpeh’s file, and added that the case had been referred
to the Attorney General’s department for advice.
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The Daily Graphic after a search through its
archives, carries that Members of Parliament (MPs) in both the First and Second
Parliaments of the Fourth Republic were given loans to purchase vehicles. In
1993, a total of 890 million cedis was disbursed to 178 MPs to acquire their
own vehicles.
The paper on September 22, 1993, carried that
the MPs were being given the cars to enable them to commute between their homes
and Parliament and also to meet schedules within their various constituencies.
It says it has gathered from a reliable source
at the office of Parliament, that the remaining 22 MPs did not apply for the
credit facility put at 5 million cedis for each MP and reportedly arranged
through then Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), which serviced 98 MPs, and the Social
Security Bank, which catered for the remaining 80.
A letter from Parliament to the banks stated in
part that the purpose of the loans was for "procuring motor vehicles for
daily schedules within and outside their constituencies".
According to the source, the MPs were made to
open an account with the two respective banks as part of the conditions for
granting the loans. Although it could not spell out the full details of the
transaction, the paper’s investigations indicated that it was mooted from the
office of the then Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr J.
H. Owusu-Acheampong.
The source could also not tell whether the
loans were guaranteed on behalf of the MPs by the government, and also refused
to comment on the mode of payment, but said it was established that the loan
would spread over a period of four years.
Attempts by the "Graphic" to find out
at the GCB the exact percentage chargeable on the loans, as well as details of
the terms of repayment, were foiled as officials were tight-lipped. However,
unofficial sources at the bank revealed that the loans were of a concessionary
nature and would therefore attract very low interest rates.
At the SSB where officials were very
cooperative, the "Graphic" was told that interests chargeable on the
loans had been fixed at 29.5 per cent, which was the normal commercial rate.
All the loans were insured, the officials said. Meanwhile, most of the MPs had
procured their own vehicles.
For the Second Parliament, MPs were given the
go-ahead to take loans of 26 million cedis each (about $15,000 at that time) to
buy vehicles. The report carried by the May 13, 1997 issue of the "Graphic"
said that members who had duty post cars were exempted from the exercise.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong in an interview had said
that members would pay the normal interest, just as beneficiaries in the Civil
Service. Indications were that if the members were unable to pay for the cars
before their four-year term ended, they would have to repay with their end of
service benefits.
Samples of Peugeot 406, VW Vento and KIA cars
were put on display at the precincts of the House to enable members to pick and
choose what they wanted. Indeed, Peugeot, which was selling its cars at 28
million cedis, wrote to say that since Parliament was requesting 26 million
cedis, it had agreed to further reduce the landed cost of the cars to that
level.
Investigations conducted by the
"Graphic" on Wednesday (10th October, 2001) revealed that almost all
the MPs who benefited from the loans for the cars in 1996 are yet to finish
paying off the said loans.
It would be recalled that under the regime of
the late Dr Hilla Liman in 1979, the government purchased Peugeot saloon cars
for all MPs at a cost of a little over 4,000 cedis (about $1,455 at that time).
The cars were however retrieved from the MPs after the overthrow of the regime.
More.../
Demands must be modest
Organised labour has stated that although
Members of Parliament (MPs) deserve vehicles to enhance their work, any loans
that will be granted them should reflect conditions in the public service. It
is of the view that just as the work of MPs are crucial in promoting democracy,
other public sectors also contribute to the running of government.
It however stressed the need for MPs to be
modest in their demands, since they are also expected to serve as role models
in the society.
Labour has expressed the need for everyone to
recognise that team work is required to facilitate the function of the state
machinery and therefore, suggesting that no group from the public sector should
be seen to be "special".
It also called for a national debate on the
issue of providing accommodation and vehicles to MPs, ministers of state and
other public office holders to serve as a blueprint for implementation.
The Civil Servants Association (CSA), the Ghana
National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL)
expressed these sentiments in separate interviews with the "Graphic"
in reaction to the granting of $ 20,000 loan to each MP for the purchase of
vehicles.
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Ghana's top hiplife stars, Buk-Bak have been
jumping, as they often do on stage, to a transfer deal that is reckoned to be
worth a total of four hundred million cedis, perhaps the most valuable deal to
be snatched by any Ghanaian artiste, writes the Graphic Showbiz.
According to the mega deal, Abib Records, the
company under which Buk-Bak first cut its teeth some four years ago, is
transferring all its management interests to Miepo Records in return for an
agreed sum.
"It has been a very smooth and amicable
transaction", says Mr Kwame Quassman Weeks, the Chief Executive of Miepo
Records. "More often than not, such transfers in Ghana involving artistes
have been rancorous but ours has been most transparent and satisfying to all
parties".
In his statement on the deal, Mr C.M. Khann,
CEO of Abib Records, the label on which Buk-Bak has been successful with three
albums Kome Ke Kenam, Awensem (featuring the chartbuster Chingilingi) and the current Nkomhye (featuring Kelewele), expresses satisfaction at the deal and hopes that the
new management will take Buk-Bak higher in their career.
Details of the deal itself has been scant but
information reaching the media indicate that it is a total package deal
involving live performance and recording management, as well as business
promotion links in Tokyo and Holland.
The trio who comprise Buk-Bak: Prince Bight,
Ronny Coches and Isaac Shoetan (who is currently pursuing further studies in
Canada) are also to benefit from a welfare package that include provision of
accommodation and means of transport.
GRi…/
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