Rawlings charges Zuma to emulate Mandela

Posted: The Chronicle Monday, May 11, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

On the day of his inauguration, as President of South-Africa, former President Jerry John Rawlings had a word of advice for Jacob Zuma.
He asked him to take over the ideals and leadership style of former President Nelson Mandela, the man who salvaged South Africa from the jaws of the apartheid regime.
In a statement to coincide with the inauguration of Zuma this past Saturday, Rawlings stressed on the need for all South Africans, with Zuma’s inclusion, to uphold the humility, strength of character, and the virtues of Nelson Mandela.
Rawlings noted that Zuma faces a huge challenge, as he takes over the mantle of leadership at a time when the world’s economy was in a shambles, stressing that the entire region look up to South Africa for leadership.
He advised Zuma to: “select people who have the quality, capacity, and patriotism required to lead, when appointing your ministers and aides. It is also important that you sow seeds of true unity, as you start your tenure.”
The former President, who led Ghana’s delegation to the inaugural activities, which took place in Pretoria, congratulated Zuma on his election as President.
Considering the unique infrastructural and technological development of the country, JJ was convinced that South Africa was in a unique position to economically and politically set the tone for the rest of the continent, and urged all South Africans not to allow political pettiness to derail it.
Rawlings said it was positive to see democracy take root in South Africa, with new parties cropping up, and minority parties being strengthened.
While it was beautiful to see citizens taking diverse positions in the name of democracy, he said it was imperative that maturity and diplomacy, rather than confrontation and intolerance, are employed in managing such diversity.
”The years of apartheid that saw the sacrifices of Mandela, Biko, Kathrada, Tutu and the thousands of your kith and kin, cannot be allowed to whittle away, due to the dislike of one person or the other,” he cautioned.
The former President was full of praise for Nelson Mandela, who at the age of 90 still takes an active interest in the political affairs of his country, and has continued to provide inspiration to his party, the African National Congress (ANC), and millions of South Africans and others worldwide.
“Mandela is the epitome of resilience, humility, reconciliation and unity. South Africans owe their political stability to this man, who sacrificed 27 years of his life behind bars to ensure that apartheid was eradicated. He held the bitterness of his people in check, and ensured that there was no retribution, when apartheid ended.
“This true patriot of South Africa should always be the inspiration behind each South African. The world is watching as the Zuma era takes off, and I hope the ideals of Mandela will continue to inspire his leadership.”
Rawlings also advised the new government of South Africa to take stock of the true state of democracy in the country, and to make adjustments where necessary, to strengthen its young and vibrant democracy even further.
Zuma, 67, was elected as President on April 22, in a landmark election, which saw a breakaway faction of the ANC, COPE also contest.

Blows at AMA elections

...as `Bukom Banku` strips naked
Posted: The Chronicle | Friday, May 08, 2009



By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The election of both Metropolitan Chief Executives (MCE) and Presiding Member (PM) for the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) yesterday did not go without an event.

Though the President’s nominee for the position MCE, Mr. Afred Okoe Vanderpuije, sailed through by polling 86 out of the total of 88 votes cast, the beauty of the programme was nearly marred by three events: one between the Assembly Member for Chorkor, Derrick Myers popularly referred to as ‘Showman’ and the Assembly Member for Dansoman, Comfort Awinya, another involving Braimah Kamoko, a boxer popularly known as Bukom Banku, and the third between the Assembly Member for Nii Boi Town and a cameraman of Ghana Television (GTV).

This was in the heat of the first round of the election of the Presiding Member, which virtually ended in a deadlock, due to the inability of both Professor Nii Ayaa Armah and Desmond Addo Biney, to secure the needed votes to carry the day.

In the first round of the elections, Biney, who is the substantive Assembly Member for East-Legon, polled 57, whilst Prof. Armah, who is a government appointee, secured 30 out of the 88 votes cast. The Electoral Commission, Nana Oduro Numapau, could not declare any of them the clear winner.

In the process, some of them started pointing accusing fingers at some of their colleagues, whom they suspected to be members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), for blocking the chance of their preferred candidate, in the person of Biney.

The Chorkor Assembly Member made an open statement, which sought to indict those he suspected of being members of the NPP, of blocking the chance of Biney, who they considered as one of them in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

This attracted stinky comments from some members on the floor, including the Member for Dansoman.

The comment brought a heated argument between the two honourable members.

Though they were separated by those present, ‘Showman,’ who had lost his temper, threw caution and decency to the winds and managed to steal a jab at his colleague Member for Dansoman, attracting the attention of all the dignitaries present.

Another Assembly Member also attacked a cameraman of Ghana Television (GTV) who was filming the scuffle between the two assembly members.

The burly-looking man was later identified as Ako Gunns, the Assembly Member for Nii Boi Town.

Considering the tension and events that characterised the election process, with some members openly showing their ballot papers to the crowd, Professor Armah decided to withdraw his nomination and throw his weight behind Biney in the interest of the Assembly.

Biney thus managed to poll 73 of the 88 votes cast in the second round, thereby making him the Presiding Member.

Earlier on, ace boxer and Light heavy-weight champion of Africa, Braimah Kamoko popularly referred to as ‘Bukom Banku,’ created an ugly scene at the premises of the Assembly, when he virtually stripped himself naked.

His reason was that he had seen some people he claimed were members of the opposition NPP wearing T-shirts of Mr. Vanderpuije, when people like himself, who owe allegiance to the NDC, did not have any.

Not even the pleadings of the security guards and the women present could prevent him from causing a scene, as he moved up and down chanting and insulting the organizers of the event, with tonnes of foul and filthy language.

Most of those present, especially the journalists, were extremely surprised at the attitude of the ‘celebrity,’ since he virtually stripped to his pants, leaving his bare chest.

His pants/trousers were virtually falling apart, with his briefs showing in the full glare of the huge crowd.

All this while, some of his fans followed him and cheered him up, supporting his bid to cause confusion at the event venue.

When he was later brought under control, the Banku-man cursed the NDC, saying that they would suffer.

This, he said, was because the NDC was giving him and his colleagues reason to believe that they had suffered in vain, thereby relegating them to the background.

The Presiding Member and the newly-elected City Mayor, Desmond Addo Biney and Alfred Vanderpuije respectively, asked their supporters and members of the Assembly to help to move forward.

The event was presided over by the Cordinating Director of the AMA, T. I. Adjovu, while Justice Abodakpi took the elected officers through the oath of office. Present at the function were high-ranking members of the NDC, including the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Armah Ashittey, Member of Parliament (MP) for Odododiodioo, Nii Tackie Kommey, MP for Ablekuma-south, Fritz Baffour and Director of the Regional Coordinating Council F.A.T.S Nartey.

The rest included Jerry Acquaye Thompson, Sylvester Mensah, and the NPP MP for Okaikoi-north, Elizabeth Sackey.

Fear grips Accra residents

…over increasing spate of crime
Posted: The Chronicle Thursday, May 07, 2009


By Charles Takyi-Boadu
There is growing concern about the security situation in the capital city, Accra. This follows increasing reports of cases involving armed robbery, fraud, mobile phone snatching and Internet fraud, otherwise known as ‘sakawa’, among others.
Though the police claim that crime is on the decrease, and have managed to make a couple of arrests in some cases, the contrary appears to be the situation, since the security situation in the country, especially Accra, keeps degenerating from bad to worse, as the days go by.
This is evident in a series of news carried by the various media houses, which seek to expose the activities and operations of some of these criminals.
In places like the Kaneshie market, Nkrumah Circle and Accra Central, it has virtually become a norm to see thieves snatching phones and other valuables from people in broad daylight.
It has therefore become either impossible, or extremely dangerous for Accra residents to go about their normal duties and transactions freely, knowing very well the constant danger they expose themselves to.
Some have even called for the return of the man labelled as the ‘Crime-buster,’ Assistant Superintendent of Police (ACP) Nathan Kofi Boakye, whose fate is still unknown, in spite of Presidential fiat by former President Kufuor, which exonerated him of any wrongdoing in a cocaine case in which the Georgina Wood Committee indicted him.
Though security expert and head of Conflict Prevention and Resolution at the Kofi Annan Peace Keeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra, Dr. Emmanuel Kwesi Aning, admits there is a surge in crime wave in the capital city, he was cautious in his submissions, saying the issue goes beyond Accra and its environs, but one that cuts across the entire nation.
According to him, when one goes to town, and talk to ordinary people including market women, forex bureau operators, owners of fuel stations, he or she would notice that they were all worried.
In an interview with The Chronicle, he attributed the increase in crime wave to the transition period, stressing, “During transition periods, criminals groups and criminal gangs always want to test the mettle of the new regime.”
To him, what Ghanaians are witnessing in recent times, is nothing but what he described as ‘a battle of field of accommodation’.
Dr. Aning said the country witnessed similar events in the year 2001, when former President Kufuor assumed office, and in 2004 when he was again re-elected to serve his second term of office.
He noted that the situation looks like a nationwide thing, and therefore stressed on the urgent need for those in charge to step-up their efforts in fighting crime and its related incidents.
“From where I sit, I think this is a testing of the mettle of those who need to deal with crime; the criminals are saying, are these guys up to the job.”
For this reason, he believes there was also the need for those responsible to respond as quickly as possible with some level of toughness, in order to bring things under control.
Dr. Aning was therefore not surprised that, in terms of the cost of doing business in Ghana, the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) rated crime as the fourth.
This, according to him, was something the country needs to do something about, even if it would take resourcing the Ghana Police Service, and bringing in more intelligence.
“So far as people are beginning to feel uncomfortable, or beginning to think that this has a cost implication, then I think we need to do something about it,” he concluded.