Busia`s family endorses new Secretary for NPP

Posted: The Chronicle |Tuesday, December 22, 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

The memory of the former Prime Minister (PM) of the Second Republic, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, yesterday invoked a lot of passion among some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), who support the candidature of his nephew, Obeng Gyan Busia, to become the party’s General Secretary in the upcoming national delegates’ congress.
This, was when some key and influential members of the Busia family, including a former member of Council of State, Ama Busia, a sister of the former Prime Minister, his eldest daughter, Dr. Abena Busia, Hollywood movie star and youngest daughter, Akosua Busia, endorsed his candidature at his formal declaration in Accra yesterday.

Others including the late PM’s niece, Efua Boateng Busia, and one of his grand daughters, Hadar Busia-Singleton, were also there to grace the occasion.

The likes of the 2nd Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Professor Mike Oquaye, the MP for Wenchi and former deputy Minister of Finance, Gyan Baffour, and Adjei Awuah former Ambassador to Japan, who draw a lot of inspiration from the former PM, were there to attest to the works of his nephew, Obeng Busia, in the party.

They could not, but give historical antecedents of how the name Busia virtually became synonymous in Ghanaian politics, and attributed it to the good works of Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia.

In his address, Obeng Busia, who happens to be Ghana’s former Consul-General in New York, promised to serve and not be served, with the belief that things cannot continue the way they are at Asylum Down and Kokomlemle any longer, stressing: “there ought to be a change we can believe in.”

When elected into office as the NPP General Secretary, he gave his word to first establish what he called a ‘concerns desk’ at the various constituencies, regions and national levels, to cater for the concerns of the party’s numerous members.

This, according to him, would go a long way to address the many avoidable disputes within the party, whilst instituting programs at the grassroots level, to continuously educate party membership/activists on the ideals, philosophies and the constitution of the NPP. This, he said, had become necessary, with the expansion of the party’s electoral-college.

Furthermore, Obeng Busia, popularly known as ‘OB’ for short, gave intentions of his preparedness to strengthen the NPP’s internal communication structure for effective dissemination of the party’s position on issues, stressing: “the Communication Department of the party will be well-resourced, in which case it will not be constrained by any challenge.”

He also has plans to evolve strategies and mechanisms for raising funds to support the party’s activities, since according to him, only quite a few of members of the NPP had shouldered the financial burdens of the party, a situation he said the NPP cannot be proud of.

For this reason, the candidate said when voted to position, he would embark on an aggressive membership drive that will allow party footsoldiers to take ownership of the NPP.

“Such ownership, however, will be expressed in each and everyone among us contributing our widow’s mite towards the party’s activities,” he stated.

As a national party, Obeng Busia said the NPP must go to all lengths to dismantle the propaganda machinery of its political opponents, “who on numerous occasions have pushed us to the point of aligning us to one ethnic grouping.”

In spite of all these, he said, “what they fail to realise is the courage, determination and the enormous contribution of many non-Akans who have played founding and leading roles in our great tradition.”

He paid glowing tribute to the likes of Chief Dombo, S. G. Anto, Tolon Naa Yakubu Tali, Catherine Tedam, Obetsebi-Lamptey (Snr.), Jato Kaleo, the famous Amadu Baaba of Kumasi Saabo-Zongo, and many more of non-Akan roots who had contributed in no small way to the sustenance of what has come to be accepted as the Dankwa-Busia-Dombo tradition, being the modern day NPP.

He therefore charged members of the NPP to be prepared to suffer the discomfort of seeing their preferred candidates not getting elected by the Electoral College and to accept anyone among them who gets elected.

“So the elections should not be seen as life and death, but a meaningful exercise in democratic governance.

This done, in our collectivity, we can in future vote for a party and a government which will represent the authority of us all, and not just a few interest groups, for we have the duty to ensure the welfare of all Ghanaians, irrespective of socio-economic, gender and ethnic differences,” he emphasised.

He urged members of the party to begin to think outside the box of the party, and come to the realisation that “we sink our differences and acrimony towards one another, and find solutions to our national problems.”

If there could be any incentive to put aside their differences, to create consensus and co-operation, lock arms and horns and move ahead together, as one party with a common destiny, and a march towards victory in 2012, Obeng Busia said: “then we should reflect on what the National Democratic Congress (NDC) strategy of divide and rule has done in the past, is doing today, will do tomorrow, because the piper, whose only exception is decency, still wants to continue calling the tune.”

He therefore noted that the recent piss-ins and piss-outs in the NDC should provide enough lessons to Ghanaians. “Let us think outside the party box, and once again, find solutions to our national problems. This is a call for healing and unity; essentials for victory 2012,” he noted.

Minister astounded by sight

Posted:The Chronicle | Monday, December 21, 2009
By Charles Takyi - Boadu

A representative of the Minister of Tourism, Juliana Azumah Mensah, who was asked to stand in her stead at the re-opening of the Golden Oyster bar and restaurant was surprised at what he saw on reaching the facility.
The Minister’s representative who happened to be her Deputy Director at the Ministry, Kwabena Asante-Donkor was overwhelmed by the designs and decorations on display.

This was when he was taken round the facility to see the only six executive lodging facilities at the Golden Oyster, which is located near the A & C shopping mall at East-Legon, in Accra. He could not hide his feelings but to express his desire to spend quality time at the facility, saying “this is exquisite!”’

In a speech read on the Minister’s behalf, she could not but say “I have observed the make-up of this facility and I do encourage you to continue to showcase our culture with the traditional African touch.”

Mr. Asante-Donkor, on behalf of the sector Minister congratulated the owner and management of the lodge, as well as prospective investors in the industry for complementing government efforts in developing and promoting tourism. “Certainly, we should continue to forge a collaborative relationship in this endeavour.

Considering the fact that accommodation is a major component in any tourism industry”, the Deputy Director welcomed the Golden Oyster into a renewed operation and encouraged them to be competitive, aside creating a hospitable environment to move the industry forward.

In spite of all the kind words, he charged the management with responsibility of ensuring quality service delivery, safety and security, clean environment, sanitation, and above all appreciable remuneration of staff and their welfare. “You need to resume with a strong attachment to these qualities and strive to achieve total customer satisfaction”, he said.

On her part, Chief Executive Officer of Golden Oyster bar and restaurant, Sharon G. Perlinger thanked the Minister’s representative for his kind comments about the place. According to her, it attests to the level of importance they attached to their clients and the industry, and urged members of the public to visit the place to have a feel of what the Deputy Director talked about.

Golden Oyster has a rooftop poolside bar with an open course for parties and functions. It also has six executive rooms, a conference room and a swimming pool to match.

At 5th Africities Summit in Morocco

Rawlings fumes over Africa under-development
Posted:The Chronicle | Friday, December 18, 2009

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

Former President Rawlings was fuming with rage when he had the opportunity to address his colleague ex-Presidents and diplomats at the 5th Africities Summit in Marrakech, Morocco, on Wednesday.
He could not fathom why and how the Africa had been made to sink to its lowest ebb in terms of development.

Delivering what has been touted by his own communications team as a thought-provoking keynote address, under the theme, ‘The Global Crisis, An African Perspective’, in front of a capacity of 3,500 audience in the magnificent La Palais Congress in Marrakech, the former President did not mince words, when he said corruption and the failure of some African leaders to be nationalistic, had led to Africa’s current economic predicament.

Amidst intermittent applause, he accused some of these African leaders and their so-called development partners, especially the Western powers and financial institutions, of having let the continent down, through their deeds and actions.

Mr. Rawlings was of the belief that Africa has been vulnerable for the fact that it lacked what he described as “national tenacity, accountability and a spirit of patriotic fervor,” noting that “Africa has been unable to stay united and assertive, because a good number of us in leadership positions, rather than uphold ideals that protect the sovereignty of our countries, have fallen to the dictates of our colonial and development partners, and of late through their multi-national organisations who come in with promises of employment, capital and infrastructural development.”

What seems to bore him most is that “some of these foreign influences even dictate what political directions we need to take, and sadly, we have also embraced their cultures with patronising arrogance.”

Whilst appreciating the fact that corruption had become a major drawback to any developmental process that the continent embraces, Mr. Rawlings noted: “Some of us have created a culture of impunity that allows us a right to employ all manner of methods to fleece our countries of its resources.”

He asked: “if we cannot improve on the corruption index each year, on what basis do we cry about the negative effect of the global economic crisis?”

According to him, the soul of some parts of the continent had literally been sold over the 30 to 50 year period that most African countries have been supposedly independent from colonial rule.

“Most facets of our sovereignty seem to have gone back to our colonial and development partners and some of their corporate entities,” he noted.

Mr. Rawlings therefore called for a concerted effort for decentralisation and regionalisation on the continent, since according to him, prescriptions by international financial institutions on the management of African economies, had failed the continent.

“In Africa, more than anywhere else, arguably, we need a strong developmental state that can protect Africa’s right to contribute to the global economy, and not just as suppliers of raw materials, or as hewers of wood,” he emphasised.

To do this, he stressed the need for Africans, from the north and south of the Sahara, to come together as one people, and build one viable and beautiful political and economic space that can support the creativity and ingenuity and initiative of its diverse and talented people.

He wondered how many governments were not grappling with expensive public relations exercises to convince people with all sorts of excuses about failed projects, noting: “If the decision to implement those projects were not done in a top-down approach, but in discourse with the people in a decentralised environment, there would have been no need to waste scarce resources protecting government’s reputation.”

Mr. Rawlings used his own country, Ghana, as a case study, where decentralisation was achieved by establishing democratically-elected District Assemblies and their sub-structures, through a system of elections and consultative appointments.

While the world ponders over how to modify capitalism, the former President said: “we might consider that now is a good time to emphasise a return to African values, and to seriously question the emphasis on the self-interested individual, which is at the heart of the capitalist model, and which has brought us to this parlous state of affairs globally.

“We need a return to community values, and move away from the values of the selfish individual. This is a time to insist that there is still a great deal that Africa can teach the world, if we believe in ourselves, and value our cultural and spiritual heritage,” he stated.