Advice gets Ayariga to lash out

... As Aning gets shirty

Posted: The Chronicle Tuesday, April 21, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The head of Conflict Prevention and Resolution of the Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Dr. Emmanuel Kwesi Aning did not take it kindly when Presidential Spokesperson, Mahama Ayariga, yesterday, made some inferences to him and his other colleague panellist on a programme which sought to portray them in a negative light. This was when the latter made comments to the effect that he was in what looked like a lion’s den, at a symposium put together by the Danquah Institute, in collaboration with Accra-based radio station ‘Citi FM’. Ayariga took advantage of the opportunity to criticize President Kufuor and his New Patriotic Party (NPP) government. But in his advice to Ayariga, Dr. Aning noted that what had happened in the country within the last three months, especially concerning the ability and attitude of the security agencies, is not particularly good. He said he had personally received death threats on his life for being critical about the Northern regional Minister. He wondered why anyone would threaten him to retract his criticism of the Minister. Dr. Aning said, “I think it is beginning to look as if there is a problem about the discourse on security matters and that …” He therefore disagreed with Ayariga on his claim that the public does not expect the government to deliver on its promises within the 100 days it gave itself to achieve certain targets. He stressed that there was the urgent need for the Mills administration to take steps to make amends, since there are serious security lapses in the country. Again, Ayariga observed his presence at the forum, which was to assess the 100 days of the Mills administration, as evident in the President’s commitment to maintain an open door policy for what he termed an open and constructive dialogue, stressing “we have no reason to fear one another, we are one people, we are one country and we have one destiny.” These comments provoked Dr. Aning who said Ayariga’s comments did not promote national cohesion as he claimed to be doing, since according to him, he was doing the very things he had earlier accused the NPP administration of. He also had a problem with the way and manner in which Ayariga spoke, since he considered his comments to be contradictory of his own claim of a united Ghana. Obviously not happy with Ayariga’s comments, the emotionally charged Dr. Aning said “I do not recognise the Ghana that the government Spokesperson talked about.” “The way he did it does not speak to the issue of the spirit of tolerance, acceptance or constructive engagement”, he emphasized. For him, “what he did was improper…”, stressing “if not because of the respect that I have for the people in this room, my initial response would have been to pack my things and go.” Mahama Ayariga has been viewed by observers, such as the Publisher of this paper, as one of the cool heads of the administration, and a respectful gentleman.` Is he being infected by the hawks around him?’, Kofi Coomson rhetorically asked.

Assessing Mills` hundred days in office

Gov’t lacks policy initiative, focus

…experts declare

Posted: The Chronicle Tuesday, April 21, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

President John Evans Atta Mills may have given himself high marks in his own assessment of his 100 days in office as President of the Republic, but experts including the likes of Nana Ato Conduah, an Economic Consultant, Dr. Kwesi Aning, Head, Conflict Prevention Management and Resolution Department (CPMRD) of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) and Nana Asante Bediatuo, an Accra-based legal practitioner have challenged the President’s claims
They believe the Mills administration has not done enough to show its commitment towards the targets they set for themselves within their 100 days in office. At a symposium organised by the Danquah Institute, in partnership with Accra-based radio station, ‘Citi FM’, to reflect on the first 100 days of the Mills administration, Dr Ato Conduah pointed at the absence of policy, as one major problem facing the Mills administration.
Whilst emphasizing that he was not calling for new policies and programmes, he stressed the urgent need for the government to continue pursuing existing policies which are prudent. “I don’t want to mention what we need to do with the NHIS, the National Youth Employment Programme and the Health expansion programmes, which should have been continued, but it seems that they have all stagnated”, he emphasized, asking “why do we have a policy vacuum.”
Though he admits that it takes a while to formulate policies, Dr. Conduah noted that “as an in-coming government, one of its first priorities is to outdoor its policies, they could even speak to the wind that we want to do this or do that, before the main policies come out.” At the moment, “there are Ministries which have been scrapped, there are also civil servants sitting idle in the Ministries, and I don’t think this augurs well for our government.” This, he said, was evident in the fact that the civil service plays a role in linking the country’s governance system down to the people who are the ultimate beneficiaries of state policies.
Dr. Conduah said it looks as though the government was on a long holiday and, therefore, stressed the urgent need for the Mills administration to put its acts together to move the country forward. “We do not know whether we are moving or sitting at one place.”
On his part, Security expert at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Dr. Kwesi Aning, expressed hope in the composition of both the Armed Forces and Police Councils. He however, expressed shock and disappointment at the increasing rate of crime in the country, thereby raising questions about the response mechanisms that have been put in place.
“What are my general impressions, I think there is still fear in town, people are beginning to fear that when I talk, they will be arrested”, he said. He added that “you will notice a re-militarization of the oversight procedures”, making specific references to the appointment of former military officers to positions of Minister of Defense, National Security Coordinator and the Security Advisor to the President.
Though he appreciates the fact that they are educated, he said it goes to create the impression of re-militarization of oversight procedures. Generally, he thinks there is need to improve surveillance at the country’s borders, since according to him, the security there are terribly weak.
Nana Asante Bediatuo of Ampem Chambers raised very serious issues with constitutionalism and legalism in the country, saying that they are gradually getting out of hand. He still could not fathom why the President has not seen the need to retake the Presidential oath in spite of the fact that he fumbled in saying it during his inauguration.
For him, this constitutes a serious breach of the country’s constitution and, therefore, asked the President to take a lesson from his colleague U.S President Barack Obama.

Kweku Baako Jnr. warns Rawlings must be tamed now!

Posted: The Chronicle | Thu, 16 Apr 2009


By Charles Takyi-Boadu

The Editor-in-Chief of the 'New Crusading Guide' newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr. has asked President Mills and his administration to take immediate steps to stop former President Jerry John Rawlings in his tracks before he does the unthinkable.

By his recent utterances and actions, he believes that the former President, who has a record of staging coup d'etat' is undermining the authority of the sitting President and, therefore, he must be brought to order since his actions could have very serious implications for both the Mills administration and Ghana in entirety.

He was speaking in an exclusive interview with The Chronicle, in analyzing Rawlings' recent outburst in which he gave the sitting President six months to start prosecuting members of the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, coupled with his supposed unannounced visit to the Air force base.

Though Rawlings did not categorically say what he would do after the six months has elapsed, his comments are severally deemed to be treacherous.

To Kweku, “what he is doing could provoke all sorts of fanatical reactions from his supporters” emphasizing that “there are some who see him as a demigod and they can create conditions that could lead to social upheaval and a Coup d' etat.”

As a person who makes heavy claims of having studied Rawlings for several years and being part of the country's politics since 1974, Kweku Baako said- “we should look at it carefully and I think Rawlings must be tamed, and the only way he can be tamed is when the sitting President exercises the constitutional authority that he has.”

Touching on Rawlings' visit to the Air force base, Kweku said “It is actually a challenge to authority, if indeed what you are telling me is true and he went there without prior notice”, he said, stressing that “if the President and the established authority continue to allow these things to take place because it is Rawlings, gradually, people will begin to doubt whether the real centre of authority is at the Castle or Ridge.”

For him, Ghana can do without him since Rawlings is a nuisance, and asked rhetorically “what is Rawlings trying to prove?” As an international statesman and a former head of state who also worked hard for Professor Mills to come to power, Mr. Baako noted that if Rawlings has any input to make in the administration of the country, he should do it in a more civilized and proper manner to make an impact.

According to him, this was exactly what Rawlings did to overthrow former President Dr. Hilla Limann from office.

However, he said, “but now I don't think he can do something similar, I don't believe the classical Coup d'etat approach is going to be visible in the current Ghanaian situation, but something worse could happen.”

On the issue of Rawlings having given Mills a period of six months to start prosecuting members of the NPP administration, the ace investigative Journalist noted that it only goes to feed into the perception that what President Mills will be doing would not be based on the rule of law but mere witch-hunting exercise.

That for him, is in sharp contrast with what the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu told a certain radio station recently, when she was asked about pace of possible prosecution and investigations of members of the previous administration.

She was against rushing the process and asked that government be given time to do proper investigations, after which if it is convinced of a prima facie case, it would proceed to the court.

“So ex-President Rawlings appears to be advocating some form of jungle justice, rather than the rule of law, but we must thank God that perhaps the former President and his Attorney-General do not share the same sentiments or mindset”, he stressed.

He added that “ to that extent, I think ex-President Rawlings as I keep saying is virtually now a licensed irritant, so we just have to perhaps accommodate him.”

According to him, what Rawlings is doing is more or less a source distraction for the government of the day, sowing seeds for crisis of confidence in the Presidential authority and sending conflicting signals to the international community as to who is in charge of the nation.