CPP cannot do better than the NPP - Pratt
Peace move as Andanis, Abudus renounce violence
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 April 2003 - It may yet be a prolonged privatisation war. The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) says it is bracing up to block the planned divestiture of Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), the biggest and most networked commercial bank in the country.
ISODEC says it has been moved into action following recent news report that the government had concluded plans to sell off GCB. The NGO says it plans to use lobbying and advocacy to raise public awareness on the dangers of selling GCB to foreign interests.
ISODEC says it is aware of a conspiracy between International Financial Institutions and some bilateral donors to pry open the banking sector of developing countries to international corporate interests. The sale of GCB is one of the main conditions for continued budgetary support from bilateral and multilateral donors. And, with 60 per cent of Ghana’s development budget dependent on foreign inflows, it remains to be seen whether the government can starve off the pressure.
In the view of ISODEC organisations representing these foreign interests include powerful lobby groups such as the European Service Network and the US Coalition of Service Industries, a 67-member lobby organisation whose top 12 corporate members had combined revenue of about $700bn in 2000.
“Given the central role the banking sector plays in our development, “we argue against the privatisation of GCB,” ISODEC said in its review of the 2002 Budget titled, “Into the Third Year of HIPC and Property Owning Democracy.”
ISODEC also demands a revisiting of the financial liberalisation strategy as an essential pre-condition for breaking the country’s dependence on external sources of finance. According to ISODEC, it is not by accident that water, electricity and other essential services have been slated for privatisation. “For us, Ghana Commercial Bank represents the next line of defence in our struggle to protect the rights of all to essential services like banking.”
ISODEC has learnt with great joy that the government has stood its grounds not to sell GCB. “We support efforts by the government to resist the pressure to privatise GCB. It is important that as a country we take charge of our destiny and determine what is in the interest of the economy,” notes the advocacy NGO.
ISODEC points out that GCB is the only bank with a national coverage that reaches the remotest areas of the country. Because of its national coverage, the only way cocoa farmers in remote parts of the country get paid is through the GCB. Added to this is the fat the GCB plays a vital role in the domestic savings mobilisation.
For this reason, ISODEC fears that to hive such a national asset off to private interests will result in the exclusive application of the efficiency criteria in determining the operation of some branches. “Its social benefits, often not quantifiable in monetary terms are likely to be overlooked in a possible mad rush to close what might be seen as non-viable branches,” argues ISODEC.
The economy is already faced with a problem of foreign banks like Barclays Bank, Standard Chartered Bank closing down branches in some rural areas, while opening new branche4s in urban areas. None of the new banks like Metropolitan and Allied Bank, International Commercial Bank and Prudential Bank have venture into any village.
Besides, GCB is unparalleled in discharging its social responsibilities. A couple of days ago the bank gave out ¢150m to charity. It has been doing this for many years and one wonders whether foreign owners will see the pressing need to support the Ghana Society for the Blind.
ISODEC also argues that the closure of what might be described as non-viable branches would lead to the exclusion of large numbers of rural folks from traditional banking services, and render any future savings mobilisation efforts ineffective. Already, Ghana has the lowest savings rate in West Africa, just a little above 12 per cent of GDP. In countries like La Cote d’Ivoire and Togo, savings is 30 per cent of GDP.
Equally crucial is ISODEC’s fear that a privatised Ghana Commercial Bank is likely to raise the threshold of its initial deposit, a decision that could further exclude a fairly large number of low-income urban dwellers from traditional banking services.
The foreign commercial banks and, surprisingly, SSB Bank are demanding a minimum of ¢1m to open a savings account. Recently, Standard Chartered raised its minimum deposit to ¢2m. what is even more disturbing is the fact that bank balances below ¢1m attract penalties. Commercial banks are deducting between ¢10,000 and ¢15,000 from customers whose balances fall below ¢1m.
ISODEC maintains that at the time when no bank would establish letters of credit for the importation of crude oil, it was GCB that became the fall back for the government. “Though the government’s crippling indebtedness to the bank almost collapsed it, we should not take for granted that without crude oil importation, the economy would have been plunged into crisis.”
As at December 2002, Tema Oil Refinery’s indebtedness to commercial banks stood at ¢3,392,563,000,000 out of which 30 per cent of the debts were owed to Ghana Commercial Bank alone.
GCB is arguably one of the largest banks in Africa. For five successive years it has remained the market leader in Ghana. For this reason, ISODEC argues that if the bank is devoid of excessive political interference, coupled with some measure of ingenuity in new product development, it will remain the market leader in Ghana for a longer time.
“There is no justification to sell such a viable bank,” ISODEC emphasises. A few days ago, Societe Generale, a leading internation banking group bought 50.72 of the voting share of SSB Bank from Blankeney Management, Commonwealth Africa Investment Ltd and DCD Capital Partners.
Before these shareholders sold their interest to SG, SSB Bank was locally owned, and was complementing the efforts of GCB. With 38 branches and 560 employees, SSB is Ghana’s fourth largest bank, serving some 220,000 individual customers and 26,000 business customers.
Some critics have said that the privatisation of SSB was done in exactly a complicated way as the controversial presidential jet was purchased. Will the sale of SSB to foreign interests lead to the closure of many branches in the rural areas? – Public Agenda
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 April 2003 - It is several days now since WOI (Rtd) Adjei Boadi, member of the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), shocked many when he told the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC) that it was Kwesi Pratt, managing editor of The Insight, who caused the arrest and detention of his long time friend, Kweku Baako, editor-in-chief of The Crusading Guide, during the early days of the PNDC rule.
Mr Pratt, since then, has had a field day on the local airwaves and in his own newspaper, hitting back at his accuser and feverishly fighting to parry the damning blow. However, The Ghanaian Chronicle findings indicate that two other names that had come as potential victims in relation to Pratt’s ‘grassing’ are Messrs Kwasi A. Agbley and Freddie Blay, who were both arrested with Kweku Baako at the time.
First hint of this revelation came when Kofi Coomson called Pratt a ‘traitor’ and reminded him that he knew of his treachery against the three gentlemen who were very good mutual friends of theirs. This was after an off air confrontation at Vibe FM studios in 2001, when Pratt unleashed one of his now familiar savage attacks on Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom during his vetting.
Sources close to Vibe FM told the Chronicle that in early 2001, days after the NPP had come to power, Kofi Coomson and Kwesi Pratt engaged in a ferocious debate on radio over Dr Kwesi Nduom. The debate later turned nasty off air when Coomson challenged Kwesi, calling him a traitor and revealed that he knew that he grassed on Kweku Baako, Kwasi Agbley and Freddie Blay, all three very close personal friends of both Kofi Coomson and Pratt.
Coomson also wondered why Pratt was always attacking successful people, including even him, though he set up his paper The Insight for him free of charge. Pratt was stunned and quickly recoiled, according to former Vibe FM sources, but it appeared the two men patched up afterwards, because they entered the lift together and left for their various destinations.
Since the stunning revelation by the former PNDC hatchet man, WOI Adjei Boadi, at the ongoing NRC sittings, that Kwesi Pratt operated as a double agent who caused the arrest of his friend, Kweku Baako, and but for his timely intervention, Kweku Baako would have summarily been executed, the question of the credibility of the named parties involved has agitated the minds of many observers of the unfolding drama.
A Chronicle trip to the latter days of the erstwhile Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) unearthed that two factions emerged in the council, one of which was spearheaded by Captain Kojo Boakye Djan, a pro-constitution group which wanted the then planned handing over to an elected government to proceed.
The other, an anti-democracy group, led by the fiery Jerry Rawlings, was in no mood to return power to the victorious People’s National Party (PNP), led by the late Dr Hilla Limann. The rift among the AFRC members affected their civilian counterparts, among which were Kweku Baako, Kwesi Pratt, Yaw Adu Larbi, Kwasi Agbley, Stanley Armattoe, Dr Kwesi Jonah and Nat Ayivor, who went along with Boakye Djan. It was this group that became the Movement on National Affairs (MONAS).
For this group, the purpose of the June ’79 Uprising was primarily twofold- to free Jerry Walings from impending death, and to put an end to military interventions in civilian rule. An executive member and spokesperson for the erstwhile MONAS leadership, Kwas A. Agbley, who spoke to the Chronicle last week, explained that the rift remained unhealed up to the time circumstances forced the then skinny Jerry Rawlings to reluctantly hand over power to President Liman.
He cited Rawlings’ warning to the late Dr Limann at the handing over ceremony that the elected leader was on probation to contend that the June 4 group had a deliberate, calculated subversive intent, which unfortunately many Ghanaians did not take seriously. “Soon after the handover, when we realised that Jerry Rawlings and his group were making clandestine moves to bring back military rule, we began to make counter moves to thwart their plans,” the MONAS executive member told the paper, adding that the subversionist group, however, as everyone knows, eventually succeeded in toppling the People’s National Party (PNP) government on 31 December 1981.
When asked to comment on the allegations against Kwesi Pratt made by Adjei Boadi at the NRC, the MONAS executive said it was largely a correct representation of events leading to, and surrounding the arrest and near execution of the MONAS leadership, and so would not doubt Adjei Boadi, adding however that he would not accept Adjei Boadi’s assertion that he saved Kweku Baako from being summarily executed. “He probably saved us from subsequent execution,” Agbley opined.
Agbley said it is not true that Kwesi Pratt was arrested 14 times. He challenged Pratt to “come out clean and tell the world the true circumstances surrounding his alleged arrest in January 1982. “He should be brave and honest and tell Ghanaians where and when he was first ‘arrested,’ by whom, for what reason and under what circumstances,” the spokesman challenged.
He added, “He should also list and tell us which guardroom, police station or wherever he was kept, by who and for how long.” “You’ve forced me to talk about this. We had forgiven him, but instead of keeping quiet, my friend Kwesi has been hopping from one radio station to the other, denying his links to the PNDC. If I were him, I would keep quiet. He is rather tightening the rope around his neck.
Speaking on behalf of the defunct MONAS executive members, he indicated that sooner or later the whole world would know whether Kwesi Pratt voluntarily gave himself up, or was arrested and whether he was an informant of the notorious PNDC or not.
Agbley wondered why Kwesi Pratt was the only person in the movement’s leadership to be picked up and detained for a month and released a day before he, Agbley, and the others were picked up from various homes. “Why weren’t we all grabbed?” he asked rhetorically.
He explained that it was true that in the heady days of the so-called 31 December revolution, the leadership of the MONAS were arrested, detained and were to have been summarily executed in the night of the day they were picked up. “How we escaped death that night only we can tell, nobody else,” he said confidently.
According to him, however, Kwesi Pratt was “allegedly arrested” on 4 January 1982 and it was only a day after he was “allegedly released”, early February, the same year, that he and the rest of the MONAS leadership were picked up, one by one, and detained in the guardroom before subsequently being transferred to prison where they spent varying periods ranging from nine to 30 months.
Agbley served 22 months, while Kweku Baako served 30 months, including a re-arrest after an initial spell of 24 months, Chronicle was told.
When drawn back to the alleged role of Kwasi Pratt in their being picked up, the MONAS executive member reiterated, “Go and ask Kwesi Pratt where he was arrested, by whom, and with what he was charged. I said the man was ‘released’ the day before we were being herded into the guardroom.”
He challenged Pratt to boldly and cleanly come to the public domain to tell the masses all the various prisons and police stations where he claimed he was arrested fourteen times, ‘for the documents and facts need to be cross-checked. He was not arrested fourteen times as he claims, he was only throwing dust into our eyes. Kwesi had created the impression, until Adjei Boadi’s exposure, that he was arrested with Kweku Baako, and the rest of the MONAS leadership. He had been confusing the facts.”
Asked what caused their arrests on 4 February 1982, he said, “We were arrested in our various homes on the basis that the MONAS, as a group, mounted resistance against the coup d’etat led by Jerry Rawlings, to restore the constitutional order, which he had thrown out of order on 31 December 1981.”
When the paper contacted Freddie Blay last Thursday, he admitted that there is a lot to say about the matter, but he would wait for Kwesi Pratt to exhaust his spin over the allegations against him by WOI Adjei Boadi. There are the other members of the defunct MONAS who at the right time will come out with the facts, he added.
The Ghanaian Chronicle learnt that Kweku Baako was picked up in Takoradi from the residence of Freddie Blay, who had earlier at dawn been arrested at his Nima residence in Accra by a platoon of soldiers, armed to the teeth, and later taken to Takoradi.
Chronicle’s London sources have intimated that in the last few days, Pratt had been in contact with his London colleagues to court support in his battle to disentangle himself from Adjei Boadi’s damning disclosure. In an interview he granted to The Statesman and published on Friday 4 April, this year, Pratt revealed that there was indeed some tension between himself and the other members of MONAS in the days leading to the arrest of the movement’s leadership.
The paper quotes him saying, “At that time, there were difficulties between myself and Kweku Baako and the others in the organisation.” However, according to the paper, Pratt vehemently denied ever working with the PNDC, let alone being close to its chairman, the then skinny Jerry Rawlings. – The Ghanaian Chronicle
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 April 2003 - Given the present situation, if the Convention People’s Party (CPP) had won the general elections, there is no way it could have done better than what the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration is currently doing.”
Believe it or not, these were the words of the managing editor of The Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., a staunch member of the CPP and a famous critic of the present government.
Elucidating, Pratt stated that it calls for a vigilant and critical civil population for a government to perform its duties effectively. He noted further that the people of Ghana have been indifferent to the bad policies of the NPP government and consequently, giving the government a field day to perpetrate its obnoxious policies.
The Insight editor aired these views at the inauguration of the African Inspiration Club International, a civil society organisation with the aim of sensitising Africans to rejuvenate the continent’s struggle for a total political and economic emancipation, at Legon, Accra.
He called on Ghanaians not to continuously justify the wrongdoings of the government with its short period in office. Hear him: “If you board a Kumasi-bound care in Accra and the driver starts driving recklessly and you continue to say that it is because the driver has not been on the road for long, you will die before you get to Nsawam.”
Continuing his presentation on the effects of colonialism, neo-colonialism and imperialism on post-colonial Africa, the seasoned journalist observed that they are the causes of the high incidence of bag governance being witnessed in most African countries.
The government was again condemned by the editor for what he described as the policy of justifying its mistakes by accusing the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of doing the same things. – The Ghanaian Chronicle
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 April 2003 - The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system of settling cases which has just begun on a pilot basis in Accra, has started yielding positive results.
During the first week of its introduction into the country’s judicial system, as many as 185 cases were settled in seven courts. They are the La, Kaneshie, Adjabeng, Osu, Madina, James Town and Accra Community Centre magistrate courts.
Hitherto, it would have taken about four to five weeks to settle the same number of cases through the normal court process. Consequently, more litigants are now opting for the ADR system to have their cases resolved.
Justice S.A. Brobbey, a Supreme Court judge, disclosed these in Accra last Friday at a ceremony to climax the ADR mediation week. According to Justice Brobbey, a couple who had divorced over the years, battling the case in court, amazingly decided to remarry after the availed themselves of the ADR process.
Similarly, two litigating parties who had been going to court for the past three years, had their case resolved in one-and-a-half hours last week. These and many other examples, Justice Brobbey said, were evidence that the concept would be of immense benefit to the country’s justice delivery system by speeding up the dispensation of justice.
The ADR concept, among other things, encourages litigating parties to have their cases settled amicably through compromise and agreement i8n a manner that leaves no loser or winner.
For a smooth take-off and sustenance of the concept, more than 100 judges, lawyers, mediators and arbitrators, have been equipped with the requisite skills and knowledge to resolve litigations by means of ADR.
Justice G.W. Acquah, chairman of the Judicial Reform Committee, announced that special High Courts would be established in Accra to deal with all commercial cases. According to him, all commercial cases would have to go through the ADR process for settlement explaining that, that was intended to give a further boost to the government’s Golden Age of Business.
Justice Acquah who is also a Supreme Court judge, urged mediators and lawyers to bring their experience to bear on the ADR system in order to reduce the long list of cases pending before the courts. – The Ghanaian Times
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 April 2003 - A number of women organisations and individual women have expressed grave concern about the seeming neglect of women in the appointment to public office by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
According to them the NPP manifest places emphasis on the need to involve more women in public government. The facts on the ground are however, proving contrary.
The promise by the government that 50 per cent of its appointees to the District Assemblies would be women also does not seem to have been fulfilled. In the recent appointment of seven deputy ministers-designate by the President, no woman was nominated.
And to add insult to injury the Deputy Minister-designate for Women’s and Children’s Affairs is a man. It is against this background that The Ghanaian Voice decided to sample women’s opinion on the issue.
And, according to Mrs Veronica Coffie, Head of International Affairs and Gender Activist at the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the government could have done better because there are a number of women who are capable and prepared to assume front line political responsibilities.
She ruled out the fact that in this era of positive change, women do not have trust in themselves. She submitted however, that some women do have problems with their husbands when they attempt taking up political positions. “But that is left for the man and his wife to decide when such opportunity avails itself,” she added.
Mrs Helena Awurusa of the women’s desk of the Ghana National Association of Teachers held a similar view like the former. She pointed out that there are so many women in Parliament from among them a choice could have been made.
She reiterated the point that there are so many women equally qualified to take ministerial position to contribute to national development than when there they are always placed (deputy ministerial positions) in decision making.
She said the time has come for politicians to stop hiding policies which are theoretical to approaching the practical aspect of gender equity aside the sensitisation of society on gender equality.
Hon Ama Benyiwa Doe thinks that the NPP government has marginalized women and the earlier they look at it the better. How can the NPP use women to win an election and sideline them in decision making” she queried.
According to the MP, the NPP made much noise over women participation in governance and must live up to that expectation. She believes that the number of women in government and appointees is a shame considering the role women played in their electoral victory and continue to do so even of late.
She called on women particularly those in the NPP to rise up. The MP maintained that women form the majority of the Ghanaian population and all governments must reciprocate this by involving them in the affairs of the country.
Hon Comfort Owusu, MP for Mfantseman East, said the NPP government has not lived up to expectation as far as appointment of women as ministers is concerned. “I feel that more women should be made substantive ministers and not deputies. Women also can head ministries and I think the women in NPP and the country as a whole must agitate for this”, she added.
Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu Mahama, a renowned lawyer suggested that more women should be appointed to deputy ministerial positions to groom them to take up higher post. She said, “Talking about gender equality, the number of women serving as deputy ministers are inadequate. The government can do better. – The Ghanaian Voice
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Tamale (Northern Region) 14 April 2003 - The two feuding factions in Dagbon have brokered a peace deal to end the Dagbon conflict, at a meeting initiated by the Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor.
They have accordingly resolved to renounce the use of violence to settle the dispute and abide by the judicial process already started and called for the process to be speeded up. additionally, they have called for the use of traditional and customary processes and procedures in resolving the dispute.
This was the outcome of separate meetings held with the two factions by a high-powered government delegation in Tamale on Sunday. The government delegation was led by Dr Addo Kufuor. Other members included the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lt Gen. Seth Obeng, F.O. Mpare, Chief Director of the Ministry of Defence, P.K. Acheampong, Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of Operations, Ernest Debrah, Northern Regional Minister, E. Barnes, Chief Director of the Ministry of the Interior, Issah-Ketekewu, out-going Deputy Northern Regional Minister and Brigadier Francis Adu-Amanfoh, Director-General of Defence Intelligence.
The Andani Gate was led by Dr Wayo Seini, Dr Abdel Gamel Nasser and Lawyer Ibrahim Mahama, and the Kumbug-Na, Na Iddi. The Abudu Gate was led by Mion-Lana, A.A. Ziblim, the Nanton Na, Alhaji Sule Alhassan, Demon-Na, Andani Bukari, Kworili regent, Muhammed Mahama, the Mba-Dugu, Iddi Iddrisu, and Yilikpandana, Alhaji B.A. Fuseini.
The two gates pledged to ensure that peace is maintained and fully restored to the Dagbon Traditional Area to enhance the socio-economic development of the area.
Addressing the two parties, Dr Addo Kufuor reminded them of the need to find a positive solution to the problem. “Today is the day that we have to send some positive news to the people of Ghana,” he said.
He expressed regret that since the problem started over a year ago, economic activities in the area have slowed down and no development has taken place. Dr Addo Kufuor said investors who had previously expressed interest to invest in the area have all withdrawn to the detriment of the people of Dagbon.
He expressed gratitude to all those who have helped to sustain the peace prevailing in the area and urged them to continue to do so. He congratulated the Northern Regional Security Council (REGSEC) for their support and cooperation and urged them to extend similar assistance to the incoming Minister of the Interior.
Dr Seini said they were impressed about the move intiated by the Minister of Defence and said it is their hope that it works. He noted that they are all fighting for peace and gave the assurance that they will never use force to achieve their objective.
“We will continue to work for peace and pray that the criminals who brought about the crisis will be brought to book,” he added. Dr Seini noted that it was too early for the two parties to sit together in a handshake. He said this is because certain traditional rites must be performed to pacify the gods before they could sit together.
Mion-Lana Ziblim also expressed
appreciation for the role that Dr Addo Kufuor and the government as a whole are
playing to restore peace to the area. He appealed to the government to speed up
the process on the peace deal to bring about rapid development in the area. – Daily
Graphic
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com