We are tired of being sacrificial lambs - Civil servants
Brong Ahafo's traditional and political leadership commended
Drivers union want stores demolished at Kejetia
Road projects in four regions to be reviewed
Cabinet directs public institutions to patronise local commodities
We are tired of being sacrificial lambs - Civil servants
Accra (Greater Accra), 6th October 99
Representatives from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Civil Servants Association (CAS) in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday called for the withdrawal of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) until it has been structured well enough to cater for them.
They said ''gone were the days that civil servants were used as the sacrificial lambs. We are now fully awake''.
They announced this at an emergency meeting held in Accra to decide on the next line of action to take should they fail to reach a compromise with their employer on the anomalies detected in the implementation of the Price Waterhouse recommendations.
According to them, the ''spirit of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by all stakeholders, which states that no worker would be made worse off under the new wages and salary policy was grossly violated as some of them have been made worse off than before''.
Mr. James Amissah, Acting Regional Chairman, said the meeting is to sensitise members on the need to draw government's attention to their plight.
He said they resolved at a similar meeting held last week to wear red bands to send signals to the government to address pertinent issues affecting the civil servants.
"It is a painful decision but we are all old enough to know what is good and what is bad. This is the time to rise up and defend ourselves. There is no need for Civil Servants to wear red bands or go on strike before their plight is addressed."
He said civil servants had in the past, wholeheartedly embraced the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) Pension Scheme but were later disappointed "when a civil servant has to go home with eight thousand cedis as his pension.
"We would not allow ourselves to be used as a sacrificial lamb for others to take advantage of us".
Mr. Amissah said it was not his intention to incite them to strike but to lay bare what is pertaining on the ground.
The Regional Branch of the Association at their last meeting on September 28 gave the government a two-week ultimatum to address the anomalies detected in the implementation of the recommendations.
They also agreed to start wearing red bands from October one until their grievances were addressed.
The Vice President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, is expected to meet the executives today, Wednesday, October six, to discuss the issue.
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Brong Ahafo's traditional and political leadership commended
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo), 6th October 99
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Donald Adabre has noted with satisfaction that the traditional and political leadership of the region has helped in no small way in ensuring the development of the people.
He said the 40th anniversary of the creation of the region should offer the people an opportunity to reflect on their achievements as well as the challenges ahead so that as determined people "We can enter the next millennium with a sense of purpose and renewed vigour".
The Regional Minister was addressing a press conference at Sunyani on Tuesday to solicit the support, collaboration and goodwill of the chiefs and the people for the successful implementation of programmes lined-up for the celebrations.
The programme, which started in April include public lectures and symposia, essay competition for second cycle and training institutions beauty contests, football matches and a grand durbar of chiefs to be held on November six to round off the celebrations.
Mr. Adabre entreated the citizens, particularly the present generation, to continue the heroic struggle of the founding fathers of the region to achieve the ultimate in unity and development.
He said apart from using the celebration to sensitise the people to live in harmony to enhance development, it would promote and market the Region's potentials in tourism, furniture, timber, agro-processing, brick and tile industries among other things.
The Omanhene of the Goaso Traditional Area Krotwiamansa Adjei-Ampofo, who
is also a Member of the Council of State, said chiefs from the Ahafo portion of the region generally cherish their partnership with the rest of the region in charting a common course for development.
He, however, stressed that when it comes to chieftaincy issues, one could not do away with loyalty, tradition and customs, and said legislation permits chiefs in the region to own allegiance to traditional authorities outside the region.
Members of the press stressed the need for the proper development of the numerous tourist sites in the region to create more avenues for employment for the youth.
They also suggested an even development of all parts of the region.
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Drivers union want stores demolished at Kejetia
Kumasi (Ashanti), 6th October 99
The Ashanti Regional branch of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) on Tuesday called on the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development to demolish the stores and stalls being built at the Kejetia Lorry Park in the interest of peace.
The area is being rehabilitated under the Kejetia Development and Traffic Management Project.
The union said if the stores and stalls are not demolished, the consequences will not be pleasant.
Mr. Aaron Osei Boakye, Ashanti Regional Vice-chairman of the Union, said they would not sit down for Kejetia to be turned into stores and stalls where commercial vehicles would not have enough space to load and off-load after the completion of the project.
Mr. Boakye, who was addressing a press conference in Kumasi, said 84 stores are being built in the middle of the lorry park while about 70 more are to be built on the sides, a situation, which he said, was unacceptable to the Union.
He said when they enquired from Nana Akwasi Agyeman, the Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE), about the construction of the stores, he said he had no knowledge of them.
The Union then contacted the City Engineer, who showed them a site plan, which included the construction of the stores and stalls.
He said the Union disagreed with him, saying that the original plans, which were displayed publicly at the Cultural Centre and at the Prempeh Assembly Hall before the commencement of the project, did not include stores and wondered where the new plan came from.
Mr. Boakye said the GPRTU is a stakeholder in the planning of every lorry park in the Metropolis and should, therefore, be consulted on matters relating to their development, adding that, it is very clear to them that some fishy deal was going on.
He asked the KMA to relocate all stores, stalls and traders to the Central Market, which is the proper place for them and leave the lorry parks free for vehicles to operate smoothly.
Meanwhile, the Union has sent a protest letter to the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on the issue.
The letter signed by Mr. Issah N. Khaleephah, Senior Industrial Relations Officer, protests against the construction of the stores and stalls and the plans drawn for the rehabilitation of the park and roads.
It requested the Minister to ask the KMA to demolish the stores and stalls and to redesign the park to accommodate commercial vehicles.
The letter said the way Lorry Park and the adjourning roads are being constructed would bring about congestion never experienced in the Metropolis before.
It said if the KMA is bent on putting up stores, it should redesign the central market for that purpose and leave Kejetia alone.
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Road projects in four regions to be reviewed
Tamale (Northern Region) 6th October 99
The government is reviewing eight major road projects in the Northern, Brong Ahafo, Western and Volta Regions to reduce the heavy capital cost on them.
Mr. Edward Salia, Minister of Roads and Transport, said this would involve the suspension of some components of the projects and the soliciting of donor support for re-tendering.
Mr. Salia was addressing a meeting of Departments under his ministry in Tamale on Tuesday after he had inspected roads and transport projects in the Municipality.
He said the government paid 13 million pounds to Taysec Construction Company Limited while over 24 million pounds was expected to complete the work.
The Department for International Development of the United Kingdom has pledged its support for the construction of roads at the south-eastern parts of the Northern Region linking the Northern, Volta and south-eastern parts of the Brong Ahafo Region.
Part of the National Roads Fund will also be used to rehabilitate roads affected by recent floods in the Northern region.
Mr. Salia said tender has been floated for the construction of a bridge at Mishio in the West Mamprusi District to make the "Overseas" areas accessible during the rainy season.
At a meeting with Taysec, the Minister asked the contractors to complete work at the central business district to rid the area of dust during the dry season and ensure the timely completion of the Tamale-Buipe and Tamale-Makango roads.
Mr. Tom Biney of Twum Boafo and Partners, the main consultants to Taysec, said 86 per cent of the project had been completed and expressed the hope that the remaining work would be finished in two years' time.
Mr. John Hamilton, Project Manager, announced plans to complete all major road and drain works in the municipality before Christmas.
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Cabinet directs public institutions to patronise local commodities
Accra( Greater Accra), 6th October 99
The Secretary to the Cabinet Mr. J. K. Bebaako-Mensah, has reminded public institutions to buy from local industries if the required items are produced in Ghana.
" Where there is a price difference between local and imported goods of comparable quality, public sector institutions are authorised to pay up to 12.5 per cent more for the local goods."
In a statement issued in Accra on Tuesday Mr. Bebaako-Mensah, said the Cabinet's directive, which was announced at a Post Cabinet Meeting Press Briefing and given wide publicity on August 31, seeks to boost local industries and improve on their competitiveness.
The statement was in reaction to concerns expressed by the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) through their new Executive Secretary, Mr. Andrews Quayson, about the low patronage of local goods by government institutions.
The statement said the government's directive followed modalities presented to Cabinet by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to whip up patronage for locally manufactured goods.
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Veep inspects burnt village
Ekumfi Obidan (Central Region), 6th October 99
The Vice-President, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, has urged Ghanaians to think about how to improve the standard of living of their fellows and refrain from wanton destruction of property as means of venting their anger.
Prof. Mills cautioned those who take the law into their own hands to cause trouble to desist from that practice because the government will not spare them when caught.
The Vice-President made the call on Monday, when he inspected houses and personal belongings burnt by a group of armed men at Ekumfi Obidan near Mankessim on 25th September 1999.
The arson, allegedly perpetrated by people of Ekumfi Suprudo, a nearby village, over a land dispute, has caused extensive damage to personal belongings and rendered 63 people homeless.
Mrs. Comfort Owusu, Member of Parliament for Mfantseman East, an eye witness to the arson, said it took personnel of the Ghana National Fire Service from Winneba, Cape Coast and Mankessim over six hours to bring the fire under control.
She assured the people that the government would deal with the perpetrators of the crime and advised them not to think about retaliation.
Prof. Mills presented a quantity of relief items including blankets, mattresses, used clothing and food items to the victims.
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Kormantse to get new market
Kormantse (Central Region), 6th October 99
The Member of Parliament for Mfantseman West, Mr. Jacob Arthur, and the Mfantseman District Chief Executive, Mr. George Kuntu Blankson, have jointly cut the sod to commence work on a 21.4 million-cedi market for the people of Kormantse in the Central Region.
The project is being funded by the Mfantseman District Assembly with support from the MP's share of the common fund.
Addressing a durbar to climax the ceremony which coincided with annual "Okyir" festival of the people, Mr. Blankson urged the people to take stock of their achievements and failures and to adopt better strategies to improve on their shortcomings.
The DCE urged people along the coast to expose smugglers and drug traffickers and asked traditional authorities to preserve the nation's cultural heritage.
He was not happy with the lukewarm attitude of the people in the coastal towns towards communal activities and appealed to them to rekindle their communal spirit.
Mr. Joseph Tsetse Arthur, assemblyman for Kormantse East, expressed concern about the apathy of the people towards self-help projects.
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Chiefs urged to sustain peace
Saltpond-Lower Town (Central Region), 6th October 99
The Nyimfahene of Nkusukum Traditional Area, Nana Baa XI, has urged chiefs to help sustain the nation's peace and stability by exposing criminals in their communities.
He said the debarring of Chiefs from active party politics does not mean that they should not support the government to achieve peace and stability for the nation.
Nana Baa was addressing a durbar at Saltpond Lower Town to climax this year's "Ayarye" festival.
He expressed concern about the spate of criminal activities and urged chiefs to help clamp down on the perpetrators.
Nana Baa said chiefs in the area had decided to impose fines on parents whose children are found loitering during school hours.
Mr. Jacob Arthur, Member of Parliament for Mfantseman West, urged the people to use festivals to initiate projects an announced that two KVIPs have been commissioned at Saltpond Lower Town and the Zongo community.
Mr. George Kuntu Blankson, Mfantseman District Chief Executive, called on the people to pay property and other rates promptly to enable the assembly to generate funds to support its development projects.
He expressed concern about stray animals that soil the streets and destroy crops in backyard gardens and advised the owners to control them
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