Rawlings` `Boy` tells it bluntly

NDC WILL LOSE 2012 ELECTIONS
… As `Better Ghana` agenda becomes a farce
Posted: Wednesday, February 17, 2010

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

Mohammed Abdulai Mubarakm alias Ras Mubarak, an activist of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) who contested the position of National Youth Organiser and lost, has told The Chronicle that it will be very difficult for his party to survive the 2012 general elections, if things do not change for the better.

According to him, the government’s much talked-about ‘Better Ghana’ agenda was gradually degenerating into a farce, and therefore stressed the urgent need to make amends before things get out of hand.

“It would be too difficult to go out and ask the suffering masses to re-elect a government that has conveniently frozen scholarships; has done little about providing opportunities for the more than sixty thousand graduates annually; not brought justice to families who were emasculated under Mr. Kufuor, and has spent its first year floundering,” he said.

This, according to him, were some of the reasons why former President Rawlings has been expressing reservations about the slow pace at which the Mills administration was handling the affairs of the country, saying, “obviously, former President Rawlings has plenty of reasons to be worried, because promises of a better Ghana are degenerating into a farce.”

Having campaigned in the various constituencies across the length and breadth of the country, as candidate for the position of National Youth Organiser, Mubarak said he was overwhelmed at the extent of discontentment at the grassroots level of the NDC.

He believed the level of discontentment among the rank and file of the party was a verdict on the government’s failures. The NDC activist said, “party members have justifiable anxieties over the direction of things in the country.

“They are worried because of the lack of opportunities, poor social services, justice for families who were emasculated under Mr. Kufuor, and the gradual and soft-touch approach to fulfilling the Better Ghana agenda,” he noted, adding, “the economy may be growing, but any unbiased observer knows life is so difficult for the working class.”

Though he admits that the Mills administration has done some good work in the areas of agriculture, with GDP growth in agric soaring up to 6.2 percent last year, against a target of 5.9, whilst 5,000 youths had begun training in mobile phone repairs and assembly, under the Natioanl Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) nationwide, with 1,800 from the three Northern regions, he indicated, “the extent of discontentment at the grassroot level of the NDC is serious.”

Whilst appreciating the fact that President Mills was not walking away from the challenges confronting the nation, he said, “if things do not turn around soon and fast, it would produce more internal and political recriminations.”

Mubarak also took on editors-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide, The Insight and The Enquirer newspapers respectively, Messrs. Abdul Malik Kweku Baako Jnr, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Raymond Archer, together with Alhaji Bature, a media practitioner and a known supporter of the NDC, for their continuous criticisms of Mr. Rawlings.

According to him, the outpouring of grief and sympathy from all manner of persons across the country, especially those who traveled long distances to show solidarity with the Rawlings family when their house was gutted by fire over the weekend, should send a clear signal to the Alhaji Bature’s and Kweku Baako’s.

He accused Baako of over-stepping the line of civility, and resorting to what he describes as “journalism of personal vendetta against Jerry Rawlings.” “What Malik, Kwesi Pratt and now Raymond Archer don’t know is that the NDC is not like the main opposition party,” he said, emphasising that, “under the NPP, President Kufuor’s bribe-taking or source-greasing friends in the media over-praised him, and he became a roadblock, instead of a catalyst to positive change.”

At the time, he said people like Gabby Otchere-Darko, who gave constructive criticisms, were marginalised, while journalists like Malik Kweku Baako were praising Mr. Kufuor.

The failed National Youth Organiser futher said, “if Barack Obama were a Ghanaian and a member of the NDC, the Batures and Pratts would have used their appearances on radio and television to attack him for his courage to speak out against old politics.”

Years before he became president, he recalled how Obama had been critical of the Democratic Party and US politics in general, and the repeated attacks on the leadership of his party, even writing in page 38 of his book – The audacity of Hope - that “Democrats are, well, just confused.”

Mubarak stressed, “Rawlings is not the first, and would not be the last party member to express reservations over certain aspects of governance under Prof. Mills.”

This, he said, was evident in the fact that Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, did it and went as far as describing some elements in his party as traitors, without naming them.

Traumatised Rawlings turns to God

NAKED I CAME, NAKED I WILL GO
… As fire consumes all his belongings in a dawn disaster
Posted: The Chronicle |Monday, February 15, 2009

By Charles Takyi-Boadu & Bismark Bebli

Former President Jerry John Rawlings yesterday made one of the most touching and emotional statements in his life, after fire razed down his Ridge residence in Accra.
The dejected-looking former president, who had to travel at top speed from Sogakofe in the Volta Region to Accra, told newsmen in a brief interaction: “we came without… and we’ll leave without…”

Though he openly admitted it was a great and painful loss, the former president appreciated the fact that the fire did not claim life of his beloved wife, Nana Konadu, and daughter, Yaa Asantewaa, and other members of the household.

Mr. Rawlings told reporters that he was not at home when the incident happened, and that he was dealing with the “wee situation in the Sogakope area” when he received information about the fire outbreak, and had to rush down. It was however not clear the sort of ‘wee’ situation the former president was talking about.

The Spokesman for the former president, Kofi Adams, said when the fire broke out between the early hours of 4:00-4:20 a.m., the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, and one of their children, Yaa Asantewaa, were in the house.

Though the Assistant Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service, Prince Billy Anaglate, was not sure what might have caused the fire, the outbreak is suspected to have been caused by an electrical problem.

The National Security Coordinator, Lt Col Gbevlo Lartey (Rtd), later told The Chronicle they were looking for an alternative house within the same locality to accommodate Mr. Rawlings and his family.

Scores of people from all walks of life, including party activists, ministers of state and the nation’s chief executive, President Mills, were at the house to express their heartfelt sympathies to Mr. Rawlings and his family.

After interacting with President Mills and other influential people in the country, Mr. Rawlings boarded his Toyota Land Cruiser vehicle, in the company of his wife, and drove away to a destination that was not made known to the press.

What surprised most of the people gathered at the house, was his decision to personally drive at a time when he was psychologically traumatised. President Mills, who arrived at the scene at around 8.58 a.m., was himself shocked at the incident, and could not comprehend the situation.

In his interaction with the fire officers, President Mills asked them to launch a full-scale investigation into the outbreak, and assess the extent of damage. President Mills was later conducted around the house by the former president, in the company of Sports Administrator Herbert Mensah, Mr. Eddie Annan, and a host of others. After inspecting the extent of damage, President Mills had a brief interaction with the National Security Coordinator and left.

The Greater Accra Regional Police Commander, Rose Bio Atinga, and her men were also there in their numbers.

Some party faithful have started pointing accusing fingers at critics of the former president as those behind his woes. These party faithful, who trooped to Mr. Rawlings’ residence in droves, threatened to deal with his critics.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) has denied that the fire that gutted the former president’s house was caused by power fluctuations, and called on the public to wait for the report that would be issued after investigations into the incident.

Below is the full statement.

The Ghana Grid Company (GRIDCo) and wishes to inform the public that there was a fire outbreak on one of the disconnect Switches at the Tema Switch yard during this morning’s rainstorm at 1:15 am on Sunday

February 14, 2010.This tripped a line between Tema and Akosombo. The feedback from thesetwo events led to the loss of two units each at the Akosombo and Kpong generating Plants leading to the Tema Terminal Plant going down completely. GRIDCo engineers had to take off all loads to Mallam, Kumasi and Cape Coast to stabilise the GRID system.

This led to loss of power supply to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The system was subsequently stabilized around 10:30 am this morning, Sunday, February 14, 2010, and ECG was requested to restore power to its customers.

GRIDCo and ECG are aware of the unfortunate incident which occurred at the former president’s residence early this morning, Sunday, February 14, 2010 and fully sympathize with the former president and his family.

GRIDCo and ECG however appeal to the public that no conclusions should be drawn until investigations are concluded by the appropriate authorities concerning this unfortunate incident.

As aviation expert petitions gov`t for probe

STORM OVER SALE OF G.A AIRCRAFT
Sale raises more questions than answers -Mike Hammah

Posted: The Chronicle |Friday, February 12, 2010



The report of the official liquidators of Ghana Airways (GA) to the Chairman of the Ghana Airways Assets Disposal Committee of 2007, rescinding its earlier decision to lease one of its aircraft 9G-ANB to the lowest bidder, has sparked a heated controversy in government circles.
This follows a petition sent to the Minister of Transport, Mr. Mike Hammah, by one Duke Odiasempa, an Aviation expert who has an insight into the activities and operations of the defunct national airline, Ghana Airways.

He is asking for a thorough investigation, and review into the circumstances that led to the virtual sale of the aircraft to Messrs. Thameside of the United Kingdom, rather than CSDS Aviation of the United States, which bid the highest.

The sector Minister, Mike Hammah, has duly acknowledged receipt of Mr. Odiasempa’s petition, a copy of which is in the possession of The Chronicle.

He has however declined to make any categorical statement on it, except to say that it was under serious consideration, since “it raises more questions than answers.”

In his petition, Mr. Odiasempa raises questions about the property valuers of the aircraft - Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) - and how such a consultant was selected among others to evaluate the bids/bidders.

Officials of Price Waterhouse Coopers are however tight-lipped about their role in the entire liquidation of the airline. An official of the company, Richard Hodasi, yesterday told The Chronicle that the company does not disclose its dealings with their clients to third parties, and for that matter they cannot make any substantive input to the paper’s enquiries.

In the sales agreement of both Thameside and CSDS Aviation, Mr Odiasempa noted that Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) deliberately put different clauses in the various agreements to frustrate the highest bidder - CSDS.

According to him, the sales agreement itself was drawn by one of the most expensive legal firms in the UK, Beaumont and Sons Limited, which incidentally were solicitors for Ghana Airways. To him, the contentious clause that was in the sales agreement for Thameside was the aspect which stated: “the buyer of the Ghanaian aircraft shall indemnify the Ghanaian government for 2 years in a sum of $50 million,” asking whether this was done to make it easy for a supposed friend of the seat of government, the Castle, to get purchase the aircraft.

Mr Odiasempa indicated that CSDS Aviation petitioned the then President on the bad business practice on the sale of the aircraft.

He therefore could not comprehend why Price Waterhouse Coopers advised the official liquidator (Registrar General) to cut and ship the aircraft in boxes as scrap metal, when it was bought.

Meanwhile, he said CSDS had arranged for a heavy maintenance programme of the subject aircraft at an engineering base in Belgium to the tune of $4 million.

When the negotiations stalled, he noted, the Minister of Aviation at the time told Parliament that it would be solved in a month, in favour of CSDS Aviation.

Though Ghana Airways was said to be owing Agence pour la Securite de la Navigation Arienne (ASECNA) and Esblissement National de la Navigation Arienna (ENNA) at the time of the liquidation, both companies were said to have not chased Ghana Airways out of business, since according to Mr. Odiasempa, “they only made a claim when they knew Ghana Airways was not going to be in existence anymore.”

He therefore accused Price Waterhouse Coopers, its network, and Ghana missions abroad, of aiding the official liquidator to close the 12 Ghana Airways overseas offices that were still open at the commencement of the liquidation.

“Staff were not notified before the closure of various offices, and any payments made to the staff would amount to deliberately causing financial loss to Ghana as a whole,” he stressed, insisting, “It requires looking into by competent professionals, to ascertain if Price Waterhouse Coopers handled that aspect of issues properly.”

According to the expert, there should not have been any legal suit by the leasing company against the Ghana government and Ghana Airways, noting: “The suit came about as a result of Ghana Airways’ improper husbanding of resources to pay the BCI aircraft.”

Furthermore, Mr. Odiasempa stated that the overall financial summary of Ghana Airways would have to be properly interpreted to get qualified accountants, with the support from some commissioned people by the Minister, to better understand the figures and sale of its assets, saying, “one does not understand why the Ghana Forex Bureau Limited and Ghana Distribution System Limited yielded zero amounts during the liquidation process.”

Also, he indicated: “Price Waterhouse Coopers continued to tell a pack of lies to Ghanaians, and to frighten them that the Italian government was after the blood of Ghana Airways at the time the two DC 10 and others were strangely scrapped, according to the PWC report.”

Up till date, he says, older DC 10s still fly across the globe, including a freighter that flies in and out of Ghana.

“PWC had in effect indicted Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), who are the regulatory authorities in Ghana representing ICAO, so to speak,” and that “Ghana Airways had a poor maintenance record, thus casting a heavy slur on the regulatory body.”

According him, this was ordinarily not true, stressing: “otherwise, GCAA inspectors would let any Ghana Airways aircraft fly.”

He noted that the scrapping of the equipment, especially the DC 10 aircraft, was doubtful, and was therefore calling for proper investigations to unravel the mystery surrounding the whole sale. More anon!