Cop invokes fetish…To prove his innocence
4,000 unpaid teachers threaten strike
Moves to seize Ghana’s assets in the U.S. begin
NPP threatens court action
Mills running mate…It’s between Obed Asamoah and Victor Gbeho
More fights break out in the NDC
Cop invokes fetish…To prove his innocence
The Ghanaian Times says in a frantic attempt to establish his innocence, Corporal Alex Danquah, 40, a policeman identified by the Techiman robbery victim as the gang leader, has done the unthinkable.
He is reported to have invoked the curse of the revered fetish of "Techiman-Botwerewa" on himself, calling for unmitigated retribution if he were involved in the robbery. In a front page story, the Times quotes a source it describes as ‘unimpeachable’, as disclosing this and saying that Corporal Danquah’s action last week placed his colleagues in a further dilemma.
The paper says last week, a civilian accomplice on the run, after the September 30 incident, mentioned an Inspector and another Corporal as his accomplices. According to the Times, Kofi Nkebore, the victim and complainant, insisted that it was Corporal Danquah, who snatched his bag containing 2 million cedis.
The paper says that claim placed the police in a fix and threw their investigations out of gear. The Times says some policemen, however, think Corporal Danquah’s latest move is an act of desperation and that the fetish would unearth the truth by giving judgement.
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4,000 unpaid teachers threaten strike
IN a front-page story, the Daily Graphic reports that more than 4,000 three-year post-secondary trained teachers, who were employed in November, last year, by the Ghana Education Service (GES) have threatened to go on strike if their salaries are not paid by the end of this month.
The Graphic says the teachers, who completed their training in June, last year, were posted to various schools in Ghana but have since last November, not been paid their salaries.
The paper says at a news conference in Accra yesterday, the Deputy General secretary of the Ghana Association of Teachers (GNAT), Mrs Irene T. Adanusah, who spoke on behalf of the aggrieved teachers, expressed regret that the issue of non-payment salaries of newly-trained teachers has continued to exist in spite of efforts by the GNAT to assist the GES to solve the problem. She is said to have, therefore, rejected the arguments by the GES that the problem has arisen due to the implementation of the Ghana Universal Salary Structure, otherwise known as the Price Waterhouse Salary Adjustment.
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Moves to seize Ghana’s assets in the U.S. begin
The Ghanaian Chronicle reports that the first step towards seizing Ghana Government’s assets in the United States to pay for the country’s 30 billion cedis ($8,787,879) debt to Delta Foods, was taken on October 8, when a Washington District Court in a summary judgement, ordered the government to pay the money within 30 days.
The paper says Delta Foods had filed a suit in the court seeking to enforce a foreign money judgement against the Ghana Government. The Chronicle says in his judgement, Justice Louis F. Oberdorfer, further ordered the Ghana Government to pay interest on the debt to accrue from October 15, 1998, the date of judgement by an Accra High Court was entered against the Government of Ghana, to date.
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NPP threatens court action
The Free Press in a front-page banner, reports that the NPP is to apply to the courts to restrain District Chief Executives and the district assemblies from using their official vehicles to campaign for the NDC in elections as had been the practice in the past. According to the NPP the District Chief Executives can use their personal cars to campaign for the NDC but not official vehicles or those for the district assemblies.
The Free Press quotes the NPP General Secretary, Mr Dan Botwe as disclosing this when briefing the paper on the measures the party is taking to ensure that the political playing field is level for all players for the next year’s and future
elections. Mr Botwe is said to have noted that the district assemblies are national institutions and should, therefore, not be politicised as the NDA is doing now. The NPP, according to the General Secretary, will also ensure that each voter is issued with a photo identity card.
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Mills running mate…It’s between Obed Asamoah and Victor Gbeho
According to the Dispatch, credible information filtering in from the ruling NDC indicates that attention is now focused on whom would be the running mate to Prof. John Atta Mills, for the 2000 presidential election.
The paper in a front-page lead story, says it is likely that the choice would be between the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Dr Obed Asamoah and Mr Victor Gbeho, the Foreign Minister.
The Dispatch says there are two schools of thought within the NDC at to the basis of the selection of the running mate. One is that the running mate to Prof. Mills should be someone, who has been with the PNDC to NDC transition. This is because Prof. Mills is considered a ‘political newcomer’.
The other school of thought, says the paper, is that the running mate should be a relatively newcomer like Prof. Mills to present an all new presidential ticket. The Dispatch intimates that there are indications that the "Konadu for President 2000" faction within the NDC is softening its stance that the First Lady be drafted to contest the presidential candidacy. According to the paper, one of the demands of the Konadu faction is that the Foreign Minister, in his early 60’s, should be the running mate.
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More fights break out in the NDC
The Weekly Insight says in its lead headline story that Hajia Bolga, a women’s activist of the NDC, is gradually emerging as the "Yaa Asantewaa" of a new dissident group, determined to ensure that Dr Obed Asamoah does not become the vice-presidential candidate of the party. She is reportedly ‘moving heaven and earth’ to rally Northerners behind the candidature of Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Presidential Adviser on Governmental Affairs.
The Weekly Insight says that Hajia’s first move was to organise a meeting of 20 women organisers of the party at Bolgatanga the Upper East Regional capital.
The meeting, says the paper, decided to back Alhaji Iddrisu’s candidature. Hajia Bolga is also known to have toured many parts of the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions, canvassing support for a Northerner. The paper says as a result of the activities of the group of women known as "Kan Kpe", many supporters of the NDC in the Northern regions, have threatened to break away if a Southerner is chosen as the vice-presidential candidate.
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