Churches urged to expose corrupt members
Call for stiffer punishment for rapists
Ghanaians urged to renew commitment for next millennium
US Naval vessel docks at Tema Harbour
Abandon planned demonstration, Rev Zormelo urges opposition parties
Ex-PDCs, WDCs reunite under Sankofa Progressive Group
Churches urged to expose corrupt members
Winneba(Central Region) 22 Nov. ’99
Mr Albert Barth Sam, a Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged churches to embark on "a serious house cleaning exercise" to get rid of corrupt and unpatriotic members.
To achieve positive results in the war against corruption, churches and other religious organisations must take the first step to eradicate corruption in their midst, he said.
Mr Sam was addressing members of the Winneba branch of the Council of Churches to commemorate their anniversary celebration.
The fact that majority of Ghanaians are permanent members of various churches, places the churches in a unique position to successfully fight against all forms of negative tendencies.
Mr Sam charged religious leaders to supplement the government’s efforts at minimising criminal acts by exposing dubious acts by their members, as required by the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran.
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Call for stiffer punishment for rapists
Asesewa (Eastern Region) 22 Nov. ’99
Plan International, Ghana, in collaboration with the Ghana National Commission on Children (GNCC) on Friday organised a public awareness durbar at Asesewa in the Eastern region to mark the 10th anniversary of the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child.
The durbar was preceded by a procession through the principal streets of the town by school children with placards, some of which read "impose stiffer punishment on rapists," "respect the views of children," "stop child labour," and "parents be responsible, invest in the child."
The Eastern regional co-ordinator of the National Commission on Women and Development (NCWD), Miss Jane Kwapong, who was the guest of honour stressed the need for the enforcement of the penalty for rapists and those who defile girls.
She asked the district assemblies and traditional councils to set up educational funds to assist needy but brilliant children in their communities.
The women and juvenile unit of the Ghana Police Service must treat rape and defilement cases without any prejudice.
She expressed concern about adult men who lure and rape young girls and advised such men to desist from these unpatriotic acts.
She asked parents not to shirk their responsibilities by educating their children and providing them with their needs to protect them from unscrupulous men who would want to lure them with gifts.
Mr Daniel Asamani, programme unit manager, said Plan international is complementing the government’s efforts in creating the enabling environment for children to realise their full potential.
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Ghanaians urged to renew commitment for next millennium
Prampram (Greater Accra) 22 Nov. ’99
Ghanaians have been called upon to renew their commitment and loyalty to the society as we enter the next millennium.
"The 21st century is faced with several challenges and unless we change our attitude, we will not find things easy." the Reverend Father (Lieutenant) Anthony Courage Kemetse of the Saint Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Tema, said on Sunday.
Rev. Fr. Kemetse said this in a sermon to mark this year's Corpus Christi that was celebrated by the church at Prampram.
For the first time in several years, the occasion was celebrated at an outstation to evangelise with parishioners in the rural areas.
It brought together parishioners from St. Joseph the Worker Church, Dawhenya, Kwetey and Abia.
Rev. Father Kemetse entreated Ghanaians to avoid pride and go about their duties in humility in order to face the next century with good hopes.
They should also pray for the leadership of the nation for continued good governance.
Reverend Father John Louis, also of the same church, explained that Catholics celebrate Corpus Christi by exposing the statue of Christ Jesus as a way of 'displaying God's power to the public' and denied that they worship idols.
The parishioners, dressed in traditional attire, went on procession through the principal streets of Prampram amid praying, dancing and singing.
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US Naval vessel docks at Tema Harbour
Tema (Greater Accra) 22 Nov. ’99
US amphibious ship, USS Carter Hall, which is under a female captain, Commander Pam Markiewics, and a crew of 700 docked at the Tema port on Sunday to begin a three day visit.
The ship, which sailed from Nigeria undertook some training exercises with two Togolese naval vessels in Lome before entering Ghanaian waters.
Commander Markiewicz said at a news conference on board the ship that the US and six West African countries have set up a West African Training Cruise, dubbed WATC 99, aimed at fostering co-operation between their naval forces.
She explained that WATC 99 provides an invaluable training for US sailors and those of the participating African countries, explaining that "it is a chance for everyone to engage in a realistic and challenging training, and for US naval personnel to familiarise with their African counterparts."
The ship has already been to the Republic of South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria and Togo. Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire will have their turn of the exercise on Tuesday, November 23, at Assin Mafi at the Ghana-Cote d'Ivoire border.
Captain James W. "Bill" McGloon, Commander of WATC 99, said that US participants in the exercises would include a US Naval surface warfare centre mobile training team, special purpose marine air ground task force, rifle company, weapons platoon reconnaissance section, four armoured vehicles and four assault amphibian vehicles.
The GNS Achimota, which will take part in the exercise, is expected to display various types of equipment they carry on board.
The US sailors and marines will assist Habitat for Humanity, at a construction site at Dominase, and present Project Handclasp goods to the people of Abura and Eyankokodu, all in the Central Region.
Under Project Handclasp, the US navy's people-to-people programme, relief items will be presented to flood victims in the Northern Region.
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Abandon planned demonstration, Rev Zormelo urges opposition parties
Akyem-Asuboa South, (Eastern Region) 22 Nov. ’99
The Right Reverend Dr Godfred Zormelo, Bishop's Deputy of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, on Saturday called on opposition political parties to heed the numerous calls on them to rescind their decision to demonstrate against the government.
Rev. Dr Zormelo was speaking at the close of a three-day annual conference of the Men's Fellowship of the West Ghana Conference of the Church at Akyem Asuboa-South in the Eastern region.
About 500 members of the fellowship attended the conference, which discussed vital issues concerning the development of the Church and the nation.
Rev. Dr Zormelo stressed that demonstrations do not always produce answers to problems confronting any society or organisation.
"The best thing for Ghanaians to do is to join the government, irrespective of their political affiliations, in redeeming the nation from the current economic hardships."
Conceding that the nation is going through "serious economic crisis", which has affected the purchasing power of the people, Rev Zormelo stressed that, "that does not imply that we should embark on demonstrations and other acts that will rather aggravate the situation."
He said as a peace loving people, Ghanaians must exercise great restraint and patience in the face of the current global economic disorder that has affected Ghana's cocoa and gold exports.
Rev. Dr Zormelo urged religious leaders to educate their followers on the consequences of such demonstrations on national life.
He commended the Ministry of Education and all stakeholders in education who collaborated to make the just-ended national education forum "a big success."
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Ex-PDCs, WDCs reunite under Sankofa Progressive Group
Sekondi (Western Region) 22 Nov. ’99
A branch of the Sankofa Progressive Group is to be formed in Sekondi-Takoradi to bring together cadres of the erstwhile People's Defence Committees and Workers' Defence Committees.
Mr Sam Donkoh, Western Regional Co-ordinator of the Group, announced this in an interview with the GNA in Sekondi on Friday.
The purpose of the Group is to bring the former cadres into the mainstream Progressive Alliance.
Mr. Donkoh said some cadres left the Alliance out of frustration arising from non-recognition.
Branches of the group have already been formed at Tarkwa and Atuabo in the Western Region and in Cape Coast and Accra.
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