BNI Director Cries Foul
Ensure equal coverage for Political Parties
Fuel prices will go down if..
Mumuni rules out package.. It will create more distortions
Mills still in trouble
Crises in NDC
Environmentalists condemn GHAPOHA’s proposal
NPP postpones congress
Under a front-page banner, the Ghanaian Chronicle reports that a former regional director of the Bureau of National Investigation has vehemently protested against the way and manner he was prevailed upon to resign from his position after he had been framed up.
According to the story, Mr Paul Kyei Forkuo, the former regional director of BNI Bolgatanga in the Upper East region, has since December 17, 1999 been made to resign after 16 months of interdiction effective August 17 1998.
The paper says, in a strongly worded protest letter to the Minister of National Security, Mr Forkuo stated “I write to protest vehemently against a directive apparently emanating from the office of the National Security Co-ordinator slapping compulsory resignation on me, the other brutal option of which was termination of appointment effective 18/9/08”
The Chronicle says, Mr Forkuo, speaking to it says he was surprised that the Minister of National Security has since December not responded to his letter.
Mr Forkuo after 13 years of service was asked to resign without any reasons excerpt for the fact that he the BNI director in Accra was acting on the directives of a superior officer.
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Ensure equal coverage for Political Parties
In a second front-page story, the Ghanaian Chronicle reports an American-based Ghanaian Lawyer, Mr. Henry Kwasi Prempeh, as stating that the Electoral Commission has a duty to ensure that state owned media give equal coverage to political parties during this year's general election.
According to the paper Mr. Prempeh who made this known during a round table discussion organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development in Accra, further stated that to ensure truly free and fair elections, the public must have access to information, as such, the state-owned media cannot be the mouthpiece of the government.
In furtherance of the constitutional injunction placed on the state-owned media to give equal coverage to all shades of political opinion, the Media Commission and the Electoral Commission should ensure that political parties write their programmes or video tape their activities to be broadcast by the state Media, he was reported as saying.
Mr. Prempeh was said to have added that since the print media has limited reach, radio and television could use part of their prime time to broadcast messages and programmes prepared by the various political parties.
The paper concludes that, Mr. Prempeh noted that if media practitioners uphold their code of ethics, there should be reciprocity from the government through facilities like freedom or access to information.
GRi../
Ban still in force
The Daily Graphic in a banner story reports the Ministry of Trade and Industry as stating that its ban on imported poultry feet instituted last September is still in force and that those currently on the market could be smuggled ones or from local sources.
According to the paper, reacting to the concerns expressed by Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa, Head of Pathology at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital in Accra that imported chicken feet and turkey tails have health hazards, Mr S.K. Denu, deputy chief commercial officer of the Ministry of Trade and Industry is reported to have explained that the ban did not affect locally produced chickens.
The Graphic also says it gathered from the sector’s Deputy Minister, Mr. Clement T. Bugase that the ban was meant to protect local produce and also avoid the situation where scarce foreign currencies are used to import these products.
He is reported to have given the assurance that if it is proven that the consumption of the products adversely affect human health, his Ministry would collaborate with other relevant sectors to take the necessary steps to safeguard public health.
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Fuel prices will go down if
In another front-page story the Graphic says the Ministry of Mines and Energy has given the assurance that petroleum prices would be adjusted to reflect international trends as soon as substantial reduction in crude oil prices are recorded.
According to the story, the Ministry in reaction to concerns being expressed by the public over the increases in petroleum prices said it is the desire of the government to make the product available to the public at the lowest prices.
However, it said the astronomical rise in prices of crude oil from under $10 a barrel to $30 between February 1999 and now have necessitated the increases.
The Ministry, according to the Graphic, said the petroleum industry have also been hard hit by recent depreciation of the cedi against major trading currencies.
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Mumuni rules out package.. It will create more distortions
The Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni says any relief package paid to workers would create greater distortions in salary structures of public sector employees, reports the Ghana Times in a front-page story.
According to the story any such thing would erode the gains of equity, rationality, consistency and equal pay for work of equal value.
Alhaji Mumuni, reacting to Tuesday’s story carried by the Times in which some ‘Concerned Civil Servants’ called for the payment of relief packages to civil servants to cushion them against rising prices, said that the government could not do that because those receiving higher salaries would end up receiving more.
He is reported to have attributed the delay in negotiations, an issue that was raised by the concerned workers, to late submission of proposals, listing several organisations are yet to submit theirs.
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Cecilia Johnson – compromise candidate
Both the Dispatch and the Weekly Insight carried stories on the choice for the NDC’s Vice Presidential slot for the 2000 presidential elections.
The Dispatch under the headline, Cecilia Johnson – compromise candidate, says a section of the Party has decided, as a compromise move, to offer Mrs. Cecilia Johnson, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, for the second slot. According to the paper this tactical move was chanced upon by it during interviews with the various power blocs in the party, regarding the choice of Prof. Mills’ running mate.
It says the move is to resolve differences arising from the choice of Dr. Obed Asamoah as against a Northern indigene that has hyped up to scary proportions.
The twist for Mrs. Johnson, according to the Dispatch, was put across by a section of the Party, fearing repercussions if the party should go ahead with its choice of Obed. The bi-weekly says the Northern group and their supporters’ argument is that it is about time for one of theirs to be chosen for the high office since the three regions have over the past eight years proved steadfast in their support for the NDC.
According to the paper, the Obed bloc also submits that there is no track record of people of the North voting for their own in Presidential elections.
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Mills still in trouble/ Crises in NDC
The Weekly Insight story headlined, Mills still in trouble, says that Prof. Atta Mills, the NDC obvious presidential candidate remains a troubled man as schemes by Party gurus have left him with only two options to make a decision.
The Insight says Prof. Mills would have to accept Dr. Obed Asamoah, the Attorney – General as his running mate or get back to the University to teach.
The stalwarts, the paper says are harbouring fears that the Party would lose the elections if the former law lecturer does not accept to run with Obed.
They are reported by the Insight to have intimated that they will put in their candidate should Prof. Mills fail to heed their call.
Still on its front-page the Insight says crisis in the NDC has blown over into the public domain as the Northern branch of the party are said to be still pushing for a Northerner as the presidential running mate.
The paper quotes Mr. Sumaila Alhassan, Deputy Northern Regional Secretary of the Party as having named Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Presidential Advisor, John Mahama, Minister of Communications, Dr. Mohammed Ibn Chanbas, Deputy Minister of Education and Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, General Secretary of the Party as choices from which Prof. Mills must pick his running mate.
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Environmentalists condemn GHAPOHA’s proposal
The Free Press carries a back-page story that says an Accra based environmental organisation, Centre for Environmental Communications, has called on the authorities of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA) to abort its decision to dump thirty laid-up vessels in the high seas because it has environmental implications.
The group is reported to have said that GHAPOHA’s plans are disturbing and should not be encouraged, adding that at a time when a host of countries worldwide are adopting and ratifying international protocols for environmental protection, the company is planning their negative act.
According to the story, the group warned that the dumping of the vessels in the high seas would also set the precedent for ocean dumping of up to 100 other ships still standing along our coast and others in Europe and America.
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NPP postpones congress
A front-page story of The Evening News says the New Patriotic Party has postponed its congress scheduled for Ho this month to enable the party concentrate fully on the voter register which will be opened for revision from 15 to 29 April.
According to the story, the Party’s General Secretary, Mr. Dan Botwe said this in reaction to media reports that the party has postponed its congress indefinitely without assigning any reasons.
Mr Botwe is said to have wondered how the media got that information since the party has not issued any official statement on the postponement.
He said the Party sees the revision of the register as crucial hence its decision to push the congress to a later date, adding that it would not disrupt anything since the congress is a routine one.
Mr. Botwe reportedly said the national executive would tour all the 20,000 polling stations in the country to monitor the re-registration exercise while using the tour to enhance the Party’s image.
The story concludes that the national executive of the party would soon announce a new date for the congress, adding however that Ho, the Volta Regional capital chosen as the venue remains unchanged.
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Youthfulness is crucial – Asiseh
Mr. Vincent Asiseh, National Press Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) says youthfulness needs to be factored into the choosing of a running mate for the party’s presidential candidate, reports the Evening News in another front-page story.
The story quotes the Press Secretary, as saying that the youthfulness of President Jerry Rawlings served the NDC and the nation well and that must not be overlooked.
According to the paper he was reacting to Alhaji Sumaila Alhassan, NDC Deputy Northern Regional Secretary’s assertion that the region has capable people to choose from to contest the vice presidential slot on merit.
Mr. Asiseh, according to the Evening News, said if age is ignored the Party would be faced with a search, not only for a running mate, but a presidential candidate as well after the next eight years.
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