NPP organises successful conference, but…

Posted: The Chronicle | Wednesday, August 26, 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu


Though the largest opposition political party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) managed to hold a successful national delegates conference over the weekend, there are still lingering issues that the party has to deal with, especially the unity of the party.

National Youth Organiser of the party, Mr. John Boadu believes the leadership of the party, including the Executives and the Council of elders, have a lot of work to do to ensure a united front for 2012 elections.

In an interview with The Chronicle, Mr Boadu stressed that the way and manner in which the leadership of the party manages the issues that came up during the just-ended conference would to a large extent, determine the chances of the party in the next elections.

“If we are able to implement these far-reaching reforms to the fullest, the party will be in a better shape to recapture power”, he said.

Much as he appreciates the amendments made to the party’s constitution, since it has brought ‘power’ down to the people, Mr Boadu noted that these amendments are not an end to themselves, and that there are more work to be done.

“With such far-reaching changes and reforms, if it is not managed well, it is possible we may not have the desired results that we want, so having done this, there is the need for leadership to put their heads together to design a system that would enable these reforms and designs go through,” he emphasised.

Confident about the chances of the party in the next general elections, he believes the amendments of the NPP constitution could bring serious implications for the party if not handled well, since it has its own merits and demerits.

Whilst appreciating the fact that there may be some individuals or group of persons who may not be satisfied with sections of the amendments to the party’s constitution, taking into consideration the different views and opinions expressed prior to the conference. He noted that it is high time they buried their individual differences so as to ‘move forward’ in the interest of the party.

“Obviously, you can’t have everybody agreeing with a proposal but if congress decides, it is binding on all of us, this is democracy, majority rules and I believe that they themselves as democrats would understand,” he stressed. He charged the leadership of the party to take a queue from the wise counsel of former President Kufuor to bury their individual differences to ensure the unity of the party.

Korle Bu makes history again

… As doctors perform first Laparoscopic Surgery

Posted:The Chronicle | Friday, August 21, 2009


By Charles Takyi - Boadu

The nation’s premier hospital, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), is gradually registering its presence on the African continent, as one of the best health institutions.

Last week, physicians at the hospital performed the first Laparoscopic surgery in the history of the hospital.

The four -member team was led by Professor Afua A. J. Hesse, Head of the hospital’s Department of Surgery.

She performed the surgery with other paediatric surgeons from the John Hopkins University Hospital in the United States of America, which was led by Dr. Fizan Abdallah.

Other members of the team included Doctors W. Apeadu-Mensah, H. Glover-Addy, and V. Etwire from KBTH, and Dr. Karen Cartwright from the USA.

This form of surgery, which is often referred to as ‘Key Hole’ surgery, allows various body cavities to be explored whilst the surgery is performed, without necessarily cutting or doing large incisions.

In the process, internal organs of the body are visualized through a telescope, which is projected onto television screens whilst the surgery or procedure is performed, using various surgical instruments.

The doctors managed to perform four cases within the two days of the operation.

Two of such cases were diagnostic and therapeutic, whilst one was curative.

In another case, the procedure had to be terminated and completed through the open conventional route.

According to Prof. Hesse, this occasionally becomes necessary, depending on the findings on laparoscopy.

Laparoscopic surgery is currently available in most paediatric surgery centres the world over.

This therefore makes Korle Bu one of the few countries on the African continent to provide such services.

The hospital’s management believes such international collaborations would continue to strengthen patient care and delivery in the country, to the mutual benefit of all Ghanaians.

Fuel shortage hits police service

… Vehicles, motorbikes queue at filling stations

Posted: The Chronicle | Thursday, August 20, 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

The Ghana Police Service (GPS) has been hit by a major fuel shortage, which is likely to ground most of its operational vehicles and motorbikes in the next couple of days.

Most of these operational vehicles have now begun to join long queues at the various fuel stations across the length and breadth of the country, to buy petrol. Drivers and riders were told about a month ago that there was a fuel shortage when they went to the police workshop, which is closed, to draw fuel for use.

However, the authorities seem to have not to have found a solution to the situation, which is having a telling effect on these police drivers and dispatch riders.

Currently, most of these drivers, in whose care the vehicles have been entrusted, and riders of police motorbikes, are compelled by prevailing circumstances to use part of their already paltry salaries to buy fuel to keep their vehicles running each passing day.

Some of these drivers and riders who spoke to The Chronicle on condition of anonymity, said whenever they go to the police workshop, the officers in-charge are not able to give them any specific reason for the shortage.

That notwithstanding, they are also not able to tell what date and day they would receive some of the product.

Some of these drivers and motorbike riders told the paper that they are compelled by circumstances to spend over GH¢10 each day, since they buy at least between two to three gallons of fuel (petrol/premium) at a cost of GH¢5.50 per galoon, or Total Effimax, which cost GH¢6.20 per gallon from their own pockets.

In certain instances, they are compelled to buy over three gallons a day, when the schedule is tight.

There is however no indication that these policemen would be reimbursed for these expenses they make on fuel.

The Director of the Police Public Relations Unit, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Akwasi Ofori, though would not confirm that there was a shortage of the product at the police workshop, noted that the police service had decided to manage its expenditure on fuel, in order to reduce waste in the system. This was when the paper contacted him.

He denied that the police service had been hit by a fuel crisis, insisting that they were only managing the fuel.

Quite apart from that, he said there was enough fuel to run the police vehicles and motorbikes.

Some pump attendants at a couple of these fuel stations visited by the paper, confirmed the issue of some of these police drivers and riders purchasing fuel at their end.

Assembly orders contractors to refund overpayments

Posted : The Chronicle | Thu, 20 Aug 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu & Richard Kofi Attenkah

he Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) has issued a directive to all contractors who were overpaid their original contract sums, to refund the monies.

These include monies which were paid in excess of their original cost quotations before the contracts were awarded to the contractors, and the companies involved.

In the absence of this, the Assembly, which is currently saddled with a huge debt of over GH¢600,000.00 to various contractors, has threatened to take the contractors and their companies to court.

This came to light following an audit conducted by state accredited valuers, Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), which was tasked by the Assembly to evaluate projects undertaken within the municipality, from the period of its inception till the end of the previous administration.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Daniel Nii Amartey Mensah, made the disclosure when he addressed the Second Ordinary General Meeting of the assembly at Nungua yesterday.

In one of such instances, he noted that AESL uncovered that the contract for the construction of the Sangodjor School building, which was originally awarded for a fee of GH¢49, 862.00, turned out to be GH¢138,557.75.

He however noted that up to date, the Assembly had overpaid the amount to the tune of GH¢87,585.72, with GH¢55,000.00 still outstanding.

In another contract, which was for the construction of a fence wall for the Northern Cluster of Schools, the MCE noted that the contract was awarded for GH¢107,944.00. Out of this amount, the Assembly had paid an amount of GH¢97,202.10.

Meanwhile, the AESL's evaluation of the project, indicated that it was supposed to have cost GH¢81,218.70.

He disclosed that none of these, and other projects undertaken by the Assembly within the period under review, which was valued at over GH¢2 million, went through tender, thereby going contrary to the provisions of the country's Procurement law.

According to him, the evaluations were done without the necessary laid down procedures such as drawings and other dimensions of the contract to determine the proper evaluation of the projects before they were given out.

As a result of this, the Assembly had written to the various contractors to inform them of the evaluated contract sums, and the need for them to make refunds to the Assembly.

It has also taken steps to terminate the contract for the construction of a six-unit classroom block at the Nungua Cluster of Schools, which was awarded to Messrs Ten Twins Company limited.

Mr. Mensah identified the issues of permanent office and residential accommodation for staff, high calibre of personnel at departments and units, including Works, Town and Country Planning and other decentralised departments of the assembly, as some of the challenges confronting LEKMA.

He also talked of challenges in the areas of development control, massive encroachment on public user lands, building without permit, unreliable and erratic water supply system in Teshie and Nungua, among others.

Of major concern to the MCE was the issue of incursions into Assembly's area of jurisdiction by the Tema Metropolitan and the Accra Metropolitan assemblies.

He accused these two assemblies of invading his territory to collect revenue.

The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Nortey Dua, expressed shock over the revelations made by the MCE, with regards to the way and manner in which contracts were awarded by the previous administration.

He thus cautioned members of the assembly to be wary in their dealings when it comes to the awarding of contracts, saying that the Mills-led administration would not condone any act of improper awarding of contracts.

"Corruption Allegation Has Made Me Popular"

Posted: The Chronicle | Monday, August 13, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

Much as the former Youth and Sports Minister might not be happy about the manner in which his image and reputation were dented by the corruption allegations levelled against him, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak however takes delight in the fact that his name has become a household one on the lips and minds of every Ghanaian.


He believes the events that led to his resignation as a substantive Minister has made him more popular in the eyes of Ghanaians. The former Minister made this known when he spoke to Joy fm on Wednesday, August 13, 2009. Alhaji Muntaka does not think he has become infamous as suggested to him, instead he noted “I can tell you, this has rather made me popular.” Though he admitted he might have committed an ‘error of judgement’ in the process, Muntaka said he was not the least bothered by comments by some members of the public and his political opponents, who were advocating for his prosecution. He would not agree to suggestion that he has carved for himself a notorious image in the eyes of members of the public, since according to him, it had rather made him popular within his community.


Alhaji Muntaka expressed concern over the manner in which the entire issue was handled by the security agencies which investigated him. He also expressed misgivings about how members of the public passed judgement on him, long before the investigations were concluded. According to him, some people, including members of his own party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had taken entrenched positions about the case since they were bent on nailing him.


Asked how his wife was coping with the entire episode, especially the part which bothered Ms. Edith, the Secretary of the Majority leader, Muntaka said his wife still believes in him. The Member of Parliament for the Asawase constituency in the Ashanti region said he has been married to his wife for the past 10 years and emphasised that his wife and all those close to him can vouch for his sense of morality and honesty.


Asked for his comments about the performance of his replacement at the Ministry, Hon Rasheed Pelpuo, Muntaka said the Acting Minister was doing his best. He could however not tell whether the supposed mafia group at the Ministry would also go after Hon. Pelpuo, stressing that it would largely depend on “how we all fight to expose what is happening there.” “We need to protect him, and I call on the youth to seek the truth and pursue it vigorously, let’s not allow our effort to fight the status quo to be thwarted.”

After his second encounter with the BNI

ASABEE DOESN’T GIVE A DAMN
…Says “They are helping me fulfil God’s will”

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

Former Information Minister under the Kufuor administration, Stephen Asamoah-Boateng seemed not to be least bothered by the frustrations he and his family are going through at the hands of agents and operatives of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
He says what the BNI is doing is rather making his life perfect in the face God since according to him, these challenges and triumphs and success of clearance of cases and hurdles, clearly shows that they are helping him fulfil his makers will.
Speaking on various radio stations yesterday about his encounter with BNI operatives at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on Monday night, Mr Asamoah-Boateng, who is fondly called Asabee said “all they are doing is just making my life perfect in the face of God”, stressing that these challenges and hurdles are making him fulfil God’s will.
This was after his second encounter with operatives of the BNI at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Accra on Monday evening when he and his family were prevented from travelling outside the country to the United Kingdom.
After going through the normal immigration and check-in procedures at the airport, the former Information Minister said he together with his wife, Zuleika and their two children were approached by two unidentified men, one of who later gave his name as Stephen Abrokwah who told them that they could not travel outside the country.
According to him, they however did not give him and his family any justifiable or tangible reason why they could not travel outside the country except to say that their boss wanted to see him (Asabee) at the Arrival hall.
Asabee said he therefore together with his family accompanied the gentlemen who were now about eight to the Arrival hall, where they were told he (Asabee) could not travel outside the country.
Asked why he could not travel with his family, Asabee said the agents could not give him any reason except to say that they have been directed or asked to prevent him (Asabee) from travelling outside the country.
At this point, the former Information Minister noted that since they had been issued their boarding pass, he and his family proceeded to board the British Airways flight since to the best of his knowledge, the issue between his wife and the state, which resulted in the seizure of her passport, had been resolved by an Accra High Court, following the court’s decision to restore the document.
In the process, Asabee noted that the agents who numbered about seven harassed them but he did not burg and proceeded to board the plane.
Barely twenty to thirty minutes after boarding the flight, he indicated that he was called by one of the flight attendants who told him someone wanted to speak with him, only to realise that it was the same Abrokwah who was still insisting that he could not travel outside the country and for that matter should disembarked from the plane without reason.
Asabee said he declined to disembark based on the reason that he had not been given any tangible reason why he could not travel with his family since according to him, they had already informed the court which heard the case involving his wife of their intentions to travel on 3rd August 2009 and return back on 24th August 2009, for which reason the judge gracefully obliged and slated the next hearing of the case to 25th August 2009.
Minutes after he returned to his seat, Asabee said he was informed that the plane had been grounded and for that matter long as he is remained on board the plane, it would not fly to its destination.
By this time, he noted that the action of the gentleman created a scene in the plane since everybody on board was wondering what was happening.
This, according to him, compelled the flight attendants to call in the Captain of the plane, one Captain Remington who also argued with the BNI operatives for another twenty minutes.
Later, Asabee noted that the Captain informed him that he has been asked not to fly the plane if he (Asabee) remains on board.
For this reason, Asabee said he told the Captain there was nothing he could do and therefore left the decision in the hands of the airline.
According to him, the Captain therefore pleaded with him to disembark from the plane, which he and his family obliged and left for home.
Deputy Information Minister, James Agyenim-Boateng has been trying to explain why the BNI prevented Asabee from leaving the country.
According to him, the former Minister remains the subject of the investigations into the circumstance under which the very Information Ministry, which he used to head, awarded a contract to Plexiform ventures, a company his wife Zuleika is said to be the owner, he would not be allowed to travel outside.
Mr. Agyemang-Boateng said this would enable the former Minister to assist in the security agencies, especially the BNI in the process of investigations.
Asked whether Mr. Asamoah-Boateng would be prevented from travelling outside the country until the investigations are rounded up, the Deputy Minister said “that is my understanding, at this point remains the subject of the investigations, he is a very critical part to unravelling the circumstances which led to Plexiform ventures’ contract. Am sure that the security agencies are going to need him.”
He therefore noted that the decision to stop Mr. Asamoah-Boateng who is fondly referred to as Asabee from travelling was informed by the fact that the issue has not yet been rounded up.
Since the issue was still pending, he noted that the BNI thought it wise to stop Asabee from travelling outside the country, in order to assist in investigations.
In any case, he noted that the security agencies have shown that people under investigations could seek clearance from them before travelling outside the country, which he said Asabee has not done, saying, “he has not sought clearance nor notified the agencies which are investigating him that he intends to travel and will return by a specific date.”
Once he does that, Agyenim-Boateng, noted that security agencies would be reasonable enough to make him travel, stressing “as it stands now, he has not done any such thing.”
He used the instance of the former Speaker of Parliament, Sekyi-Hughes in which he sought clearance from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Police Service before leaving the country as a typical example and therefore gave Asabee a liberal advice to do the proper thing, by notifying the security agencies before taking any such initiative.
That notwithstanding, Mr. Agyenim-Boateng noted that nothing prevented the former Minister’s family from travelling since his wife and children were at liberty to travel without him.
According to him, they voluntarily decided not to travel in solidarity of their husband and dad.

Proposed Constitutional amendment

THREE TO CONTEST NPP PRESIDENTIAL SLOT
…To avoid wholesale number of Aspirants

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

There are strong indications that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is likely to adopt a proposal for not more than three people to contest the position of the party’s Presidential Candidate.
This follows expression of satisfaction by certain key and influential members and groups in the party who believe their concerns have been fairly catered for by the proposal which is contained in the proposed amendment of the party’s Constitution drafted by the Steering Committee of the party and sent to the National Executive Committee (NEC) for possible adoption.
Under the current circumstance, the party is considering the option of adopting a strategy to avoid the wholesale type of Presidential contest, which saw 17 people jockeying for the position of Presidential Candidate during its last Congress.
In its proposed amendments of the party’s Constitution, a copy of which has been cited by The Chronicle, the Steering Committee stressed the need to manage the number of aspirants same position.
Whilst appreciating the fact that each and every member of the NPP has a democratic right to aspire to the position of Presidential Candidate of the party, the Committee noted that it should not be allowed to create sharp divisions, bad public image and waste of resources.
They therefore decided to adopt a better system, which would help in the selection and election of the party’s Presidential Candidate.
The Committee have thus made recommendations for a two-stage procedure to be evolved whenever there are more than three Presidential Aspirants.
In the first-stage of the procedure, the Committee agreed that a Special Electoral College should be made to vote and select three persons where there are more than three Aspirants at the close of nominations for the position of Presidential Candidate.
It made recommendations for this Special Electoral College to include the party’s National Council, National Executive Committee (NEC), Regional Executive Officers, National Council of Elders and Members of Parliament (MPs).
The rest include three representatives each of special organs of the party, past National Officers, ten representatives of external branches, all existing Founding Members during the registration of the party at the Electoral Commission (EC) and all card-bearing Ministers of the party, when the NPP is in government.
For this reason, each these delegate would be entitled and required to cast only one vote.
In the case of the second-stage of the procedure to select and elect the party’s Presidential candidate, it was the recommendation of the Committee that delegates would include the National Council, NEC, Regional Executive Officers, Constituency Executive Officers, Electoral Area Coordinators and five Polling Station Executive Officers in each constituency.
The rest shall include National Council of Elders, all MPs, three representatives each of the Special Organs of the party, past National Officers, three representatives from each external branch of the party, all existing Founding Members during the registration of the party at the EC, 15 patrons, one Tertiary Education Student Confederacy (TESCON) representative from each recognised tertiary institution and all card-bearing Ministers when the party is in power.
The Committee also made recommendations for the NEC, in consultation with the National Council to make rules and regulations governing the organisation and conduct of elections of a Presidential Candidate.
In the case of Vice Presidential Candidate, the NEC and the National Council decided that Article 12 (b) of the party’s Constitution on the selection of Vice Presidential Candidate should be amended to be in consonance with Article 12 (4) (i) of the same Constitution which would require that the party’s Vice Presidential Candidate must be a known and active member of at least five years among others.
Apart from that, it was also decided that the Vice Presidential Candidate should be selected by the Presidential Candidate in consultation with the National Council at least 12 months before the general elections when the party is not in power or the sitting President is not the Candidate.
They however made provisions for the National Council to dispense with the requirement under special circumstances.
Meanwhile, there are strong indications that those who would attend Saturday, August 22, 2009, Emergency delegates’ conference would vote in favour of the adoption of the proposed amendments of the party’s Constitution to represent the concern the concerns of the rank and file of the party.

AMA Battles Korle-Bu Staff, Relatives in Court

Posted: The Chronicle | Thursday, 6 August 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly has instituted criminal proceedings against some staff of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), including medical doctors and their relations, numbering over fifty.

The action follows complaints by the management of the hospital, to the AMA about non-compliance with notices to relocate unauthorised structures illegally placed in the premises of the hospital.

The affected persons include Dr. Samuel Odartey Lamptey, Dr. Avoglo, Dorothy Asare, Margaret Hammond, Faustina Asantwaa, Samuel Ofori, and a host of others.

The accused persons have thus been charged for failing to comply with abatement notices served on them on October 29, 2008, which required them to relocate structures which they had placed on the property of the hospital, without seeking permits.

Presenting a brief fact of the case, the prosecutor, Inspector Peaceton Commodore, noted that the accused persons were vendors, who of their own volition, placed a number of unauthorised structures in both the clinical and residential areas of the hospital, to the detriment and annoyance of the hospital's management, and the public as a whole.

The prosecutor indicated that following persistent complaints by Professor Nii Otu-Nartey, Chief Administrator of the hospital, environmental officers inspected the premises, and found that the accused persons had in a 'reckless manner' placed a number of unauthorised structures on the hospital premises.

After the inspection, the AMA concluded that the activities and operations of the accused persons posed serious sanitation and security problems in the area, emphasising, "the officers learnt that all efforts to bring sanity in the area proved futile, because of the recalcitrant nature of the accused persons."

As a result, the accused were issued with abatement notices, asking them to relocate their unauthorised structures from the place within three months, however, they all failed to comply with the notices.

This is what compelled the authorities of the AMA to institute legal action against the affected people.

However, counsel for the staff and their relations, who are affected by the action, Agyei- Kodee Nuamah of AKN & Associates, sought to strike out the case against their clients, raising a preliminary legal objection in court over the charges brought against the affected persons.

He could not fathom why criminal charges had been brought against his clients, since according to him, as a corporate institution, Korle-Bu could sue and equally be sued, hence making the case a civil one, and not a criminal matter as it stands currently.

That notwithstanding, counsel noted that it was the management of Korle-Bu which legalised the activities and operations of his clients, since they initially issued them with operational licences, thus making his clients licensed operators within the confines of the hospital.

Counsel thus pleaded with the court to give his clients a fair hearing before they are convicted, as stated in 19 (1) of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, stressing that the prosecution's request for their eviction, constitutes an illegality.

Lawyer Nuamah therefore prayed the court to consider the plight of his clients, considering the untold hardships which they and their dependants and employees would go through, if evicted from their current places of work.

Counsel also denied claims that the activities and operations of his clients constitute a nuisance to the public, noting that the activities of his clients render essential services to the hospital, its staff, and members of the public.

He therefore saw nothing wrong with their operations, since as law abiding citizens, his clients had been keeping their individual places of work clean without posing any form of environmental hazard as alleged.
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In spite of this, counsel further claimed that Korle-Bu and its management were using what he described as 'discriminatory tendencies' to evict his clients, stressing that whilst the hospital is asking some businesses, including his clients, to vacate the premises, it was also giving space and allocations to others, including new ones such as the Legacy Gift Shop and the Odo Rice Food joint to operate.

He therefore requested the court to consider the plight of his clients and their dependants, in order to safeguard their security, since it could have serious consequential effects on their lives in these times of economic hardship.

The Adjabeng District Magistrate Court will on August 10, this year, determine whether or not to grant the counsel's preliminary objection.

I will strip NPP naked if they dare expel me

-Appiah-Ofori
Posted: The Chronicle | Wednesday, August 5, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa in the Central Region, Mr PC Appiah-Ofori has threatened to strip the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu if they dare expel him from the party.

“I don’t want to do anything that will destroy the party, but if they continue to threaten me or expel me from the party then they should not blame me for any mishap,” he warned.

Though he has not yet been summoned before the party's Disciplinary Committee neither has he received any form of query about his claim that his colleague NPP MPs were influenced and later compensated by the previous government to vote in favour of the sale of Ghana Telecom (GT) to Vodafone UK, Mr. Appiah-Ofori is confident that any attempt to throw him out will not serve the interest of the party.
Speaking to journalists, he accused the Minori1y leader of being behind the call to expel him from the NPP just to settle personal scores with him.

When the acclaimed anticorruption crusader was asked his basis for accusing Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu of orchestrating his expulsion calls, he claimed the Minority Leader misconducted himself once and he (Appiah-Ofori) “abused him on the air at one radio station in Takoradi.”

“I abused him, told him that he is stupid and therefore he is anxious to get retribution. He organized the NPP caucus in Parliament to place me before the investigations committee headed by Papa Owusu-Aokomah,” he added.

He continued; “I went there to say, yes. 1 abused him because he disparaged me, they played the tape and what I said was on the tape...even today, if he crosses my path I will abuse him. He is looking for an opportunity to probably incite the rest of the MPs against me but they have to be very careful because I have documents to prove my case and some other things.”

The Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa legislator further noted that “I will be the most stupid person to come out to say these things against the part but if they seek me, I will be ready to defend myself, and if in the cause of defending myself, any damage is done to the party, then they should not hold me responsible."

The beleaguered MP traced the root of his predicament to concerns he raised about the sale of GT to Vodafone when the deal was brought to Parliament for debate and approval.

According to him, most of the NPP MPs who were then in the Majority did not examine the agreement very well to see whether it was in the interest of Ghana or not, before voting in favour of it.

Mr. Appiah Ofori said he was compelled by circumstances to draw his colleague MPs’ attention to the negative impact of the sale and that it would not benefit Ghanians since the sale was not in the interest of the nation.

According to PC, when he spoke to Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, who was then a member of the leadership of the Majority, and he (Mensah-Bonsu) appealed to him not to release the information on the floor of the house, because it might disturb the government's plan to sell GT.

As a result, PC alleged that his colleague MPs colluded with the Speaker not to allow him speak in parliament on the day in question. It was after the Vodafone deal had been passed that Appiah Ofori claimed he heard the NPP MPs who voted for the sale of GT were rewarded with a sum of US $5,000 each.

Upon hearing this news, he claimed he queried the Mr Mensah-Bonsu who confessed to him that it was true. “I then wrote to the party leadership that they give me my share of the money,” he noted.

The party leadership and MPs have rejected the claims.

Despite the difficult times

NDC chair promises better days ahead
Posted: The Chronicle | Tuesday, August 04, 2009

By Charles Takyi Boadu


The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Daniel Anang has asked members of the party to exercise patience to enable the government deliver on the numerous promises it made to Ghanaians during the 2008 electioneering campaign.
Mr. Anang, who has just begun a visit to the various constituencies in the region to get first hand information about the existing situation on the ground, told The Chronicle in an interview that after interacting with people in four constituencies; including his own Ledzokuku constituency, Ayawaso East and Central, Weija and Ablekuma Central, he got the impression that people are disenchanted about existing conditions in the country.

As justified as their grievance may be, he noted that it was too early in the day for people to start grumbling, since President Mills and his NDC administration has a lot of work on their hand to do, having inherited a legacy of a virtually broken economy from the previous NPP administration.

He noted that government was bent on first fixing the economy, which would translate into improve the living conditions of Ghanaians, and therefore urged them to bid their time - because ‘better days are yet to come.’

According to him, most of the people he interacted with complained about unavailability of job opportunities and how they cannot reach their representatives in government, including their own Members of Parliament (MPs).

Mr. Anang however diffused the impression that the MPs have neglected the people since found themselves in government.

Now that Parliament is on recess, he believes it would give the MPs an opportunity to have frequent interactions with the people, since their schedule are not too tight.

That notwithstanding, he urge MPs and others who have been given the opportunity to serve in government to make themselves available to the people since they are the very people on whose backs they rode to power.

On the issue of employment creation, the Regional Chairman emphasised that government has plans to create more job opportunities for not only members of the NDC, but for all Ghanaians.

For this reason, he indicated that sooner than later, government would role out a comprehensive programme to create more jobs for the youth, most of who are currently sitting home without gainful employment.

He promised the people that President Mills and his administration would deliver on the numerous promises he made to Ghanaians during the 2008 electioneering campaign. Aside that he, urged the country’s teeming youth to take advantage of the Youth in Agriculture Programme (YAP) to go into gainful employment.

‘The NDC long term objective is to promote and create productive employment opportunities in all sectors of the economy” he said emphasising “our policies on investment and on training are designed to create employment and enable productive ventures to tap the needed manpower.”

It the expectation of the NDC Regional Chairman and his executives to complete their visit to all 27 constituencies in the Greater Accra Region by the middle of September, to enable them have first hand information on the ground.

``… I would not be a proud Gen. Sec. in defeat``

JAK`s hidden meaning
…was it Ohene Ntow?
Posted: The Chronicle | Friday, July 31, 2009



By Charles Takyi-Boadu


Former President John Agyekum Kufuor vented what seemed like deep-seated anger on his party’s General Secretary, Nana Ohene-Ntow, when he spoke at the 3rd Ferdinand Ayim Memorial Lecture in Accra, on Wednesday night.

After making an emotional appeal to the rank and file of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to close their ranks and unite in the interest of the party, Mr. Kufuor expressed grave concern about the manner in which the NPP split its votes in the last elections, as a result of the emergence of independent candidates, and warned, “I would rather be a messenger in a victorious party that has formed a government, than a proud General-Secretary who would lead us into defeat.”

Though it was not clear whether he was referring to the current General-Secretary of the party, it is however believed that he was making an inference to Nana Ohene-Ntow, since according to the ex President, the late Ferdinand Ayim, who intended to contest the position, would have been a better General-Secretary for the party.

However, despite the chilled response from the audience, following this comment, the former President went ahead to say -“Please, I am talking from my heart; we’ve suffered for far too long”.

“So anything that will divide us, please let us approach it very cautiously because we have a historic duty to Ghana and to our tradition and to ourselves as individuals”, he cautioned.

Mr. Kufuor noted that the NPP cannot afford to lose another election since Ghanaians need the party back in government.

According to him, coming back to power in 2012 is not only a possibility, but also a must, and therefore charged the leadership and members of the party to work together to achieve this goal.

“Anything we do that will whittle down our votes, let us keep away from it, we must also keep away from anything that will divide us. We should respect each other, we should have fellow-feeling”, he said.

The programme, which was chaired by Businessman and party stalwart Mr. Kwame Pianim, was attended by key party functionaries including Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Party’s Presidential Candidate in the 2008 elections and NPP former Ministers and Members of Parliament.

Though the party is hungry for power, Kufuor warned the leadership not to use any dubious means to achieve this. According to him, other political parties would even ‘kill’ to win power, but the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition would not beat that path to win power.

He however noted that “we should go to all length and pay all the cost, so that we can get back into power, I believe Ghana needs this tradition.” With the vast knowledge and intelligence available in the NPP, Mr. Kufuor said “nothing legitimate should be too expensive for us.”

Touching on the theme of the occasion, ‘Ghana’s developmental challenges: Perspective on the roles of competence, loyalty and sycophancy’, which was delivered by former Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the former President said it is not for nothing that the economy of Ghana developed four-fold during his tenure of office as President, attributing the success story of his administration to competence. “We have it, but I am not suggesting that we should be complacent, we are targeting excellence, and for excellence we need to strive and strain to break records.”

In the party’s quest to come back to power, he noted that care must be taken in selecting people to positions of responsibility, since according to him loyalty is an important aspect of politics. He emphasised that “if you are forming a cabinet and you just look to competence, before you know, your act is stolen. NPP will lose its government to strangers, so we should be careful when we are defining loyalty.”

“It took us four to five decades to get into government, but our elders stayed the course, they sacrificed, that’s why I say our path is lighted with martyrdom, our leaders could have become sycophants, could have betrayed the course, but they didn’t do that”, he added.

Mr. Kufuor said the big changes in life all over the world tend to come through sound political leadership, which perhaps is the most critical in the evolution of rapidly developing nations, using the traits of France’s De Gaulle and China’s Lee Kuan Yew as typical examples of good political leadership.

Whilst appreciating the fact that the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo tradition is replete with a long chain of martyrs from the 1950s, the former President was of the belief that a man like the late Ferdinand Ayim deserves the position of ‘Martyr of our time’, and therefore stressed the need to celebrate him every year. He therefore asked those who believe in Ferdinand’s ideas and ideals to use the occasion to deliberate over serious political matters.

Arresting decay and flooding in the cities

OSAFO-MAAFO BACKS MILLS GOV`T
Why should people continue to die when there are bye-laws and regulations against building on waterways
Posted on: Friday, July 31, 2009


By Charles Takyi - Boadu

The memory of Alhaji Yusuf’s hotel near the airport, which was pulled down at the instance of ex-President Rawlings still lingers in the minds of Ghanaians, because of allegations that the facility was built on a waterway.

In more recent times, the architectural edifice that is nearing completion right opposite the African Regent Hotel- The Villagio, has been cited in angry outbursts by the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), headed by Kofi Potorphy, as an illegal structure standing on a waterway, that needs to be pulled down.

On an evening to celebrate one of the famous sons of Abuakwa, Ferdinand Ayim, Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the former Finance Minister went to town on the subject of indiscipline and the need for meritocracy in society, and went as far as calling on Ghanaians to support the Mayor of Accra in his fight to check the menace of flooding.

According to Osafo Maafo, almost all successive governments have identified the flood problem in Accra but little has been done to rectify the situation. He could not fathom why there are bye-laws and regulations governing the country, and yet the implementing agencies sit in laxity for Accra to always get flooded whenever it rains, with resultant death of innocent people.

“That problem has always been mentioned, so what we need to do is to remove structures built on waterways so that when it rains we will not suffer”, he said, asking “the last time it rained, wasn’t it pathetic, how many people died?” He attributed this unfortunate situation to the incompetent way of handling the city’s bye-laws and regulations.

For this reason, he urged all political parties to throw their weight behind the NDC administration and the Mayor of Accra, Dr Alfred Vanderpuye, in restoring sanity.

“Lets have this competently handled, that any structure that is authorized or unauthorized, if it is on a waterway, it must go”.

As a country with one of the best Engineering Universities on the entire continent of Africa, Mr. Osaf-Maafo wondered why Ghanaians as a people can not solve some of these simple engineering problems. According to him, he always felt embarrassed whenever people die as a result of flooding that could be controlled if the proper things were done.

Osafo-Maafo based his conviction on the fact that the success of America and other countries in creating huge opportunities for their people can be explained by the strength of institutions that have been built around competence and state loyalty.

The former Finance Minister thus declared his personal support for the action of AMA, saying “we should give all the support to the Mayor, and tell the Mayor he has my support, he should remove all unauthorized and authorized structures in waterways and let’s get the city put together.”

According to him, Ghana is an incredible place for what he described as ‘abundant future and hope’ and thus stressed the urgent need to create better avenues and conditions for the realisation of such goals. “It is important to stress that our individual and collective energies and resources should be channelled to achieving accelerated development.”

In this light, he said the country’s development challenge should be focused on how to promote broad-based development within a stable and peaceful environment with the ultimate aim of increasing the standard of living of its citizens.

Mr. Osafo-Maafo therefore stressed the need for Ghanaians to emphasise on competence in their decisions and actions, since according to him, it is fundamental and paramount for the nation’s development. As the most important resource of the country, he noted that “Ghana should not be denied the services of its competent human resources.”

The programme which was chaired by Businessman and party stalwart, Mr. Kwame Pianim, was under the theme -‘Ghana’s developmental challenges: perspective on the roles of competence, loyalty and sycophancy’.

It was attended by key party functionaries including, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, its Presidential Candidate in the 2008 election, and former Ministers and some Members of Parliament