Causing financial loss to the state was too elastic
Ghana News Agency's role still relevant
Causing financial loss to the state was too elastic
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 April 2003-Patrick Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minister - Designate
of Justice and Deputy Attorney General, on Thursday said the law of causing
financial loss to the state was dangerously elastic and it should be amended or
repealed by Parliament.
He said
in his opinion the law was unconstitutional and it called the integrity of the
public officials to question and that they should rather be judged on their
general performance. Dery said this when he appeared before the Appointments
Committee of Parliament to be considered for appointment.
On the
Malam Issah, former Minister of Youth Sports, who was jailed for negligently
causing financial loss to the State, Dery said the decision of the Supreme
Court was unusual since even though Malam Issah was negligent, he did not
fraudulently cause any financial loss to the State.
Dery
said even though he did not agree with the decision of the Appeal and Supreme
Courts, he still respected their view and would respect the law even if
appointed. On the question as to whether the Ministry of Justice and Attorney
General's Department should be de-linked, he said there was the need to weigh
the two options adding that there were more benefits to linking them than
de-linking them.
Dery
said the Ministry aimed at offering objective legal advice to government and
playing a technocrat role that if well handled was beneficial. He said the
perception that no one should question the Constitution should be erased so
that it could be improved to build on the democratic culture, adding that
conditions should be created to make room for the citizenry to question any
aspect of the Constitution.
Dery
said he was not against capital punishment in principle and where necessary,
punishment as a form of reform was welcomed but he was not for it. On
allegations of human right abuses especially in the regions, Dery said there
was the need for the Police Service to have qualified lawyers to assist
strengthen their operations and check human rights abuses.
Dery, is
a private Legal Practitioner and Senior Solicitor at Dery and Company and the
President of the Upper East Regional Branch of the Ghana Bar Association and
one time the leading Counsel for the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Malam
Issah.
Dr
Charles Y. Brempong-Yeboah, Member of Parliament for Atiwa in the Eastern
Region was vetted for the position of Deputy Minister of Works and Housing. He
told the Committee that the high cost of housing was the result of the
technologies being used in the industry.
He said
there were new technologies that were cost effective that when introduced into
the country and implemented would ensure affordable houses and cut down the
cost of construction.
Brempong-Yeboah
said as a result of the impasse about the Korle Lagoon restoration poject, the
government was losing between 600 and 700 million cedis each day, adding that
if approved, he would use a different approach of humane touch to make the
people there to re-locate.
On water
privatisation, he said the system had its benefits but needed the co-operation
of all to make it successful and beneficial to civil society, the investor and
government. Mrs Dr Angela Lamensdorf Ofori-Atta, a Clinical Psychologist at the
University of Ghana Medical School, also appeared before the Committee as a
nominee for appointment as Deputy Minister-designate of Manpower Development
and Employment.
She said
as a Psychologist dealing with human issues she felt her experience would come
to bear on the successful implementation of the Ministry's programmes and
activities. Dr Ofori-Atta said she was an advocate of anti-corruption and that
even though resources were available in the country the reasons why they could
not be utilised was that some of the systems were not transparent and had not
taken roots in the new democratic era.
She said
there was the need for the people to be empowered to strengthen the
institutions that caused corruption in the system. Dr Ofori-Atta said there was
the need for cordial working relations between the Trade Unions and government
since workers' voice could be more felt through the Unions, adding that the
relationship between labour and government had been very fruitful and needed to
be built upon.
GRi…/
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Ghana News Agency's role still relevant
Accra
(Greater Accra) 25 April 2003- The role and functions of the Ghana News Agency
is very relevant for the collation and dissemination of news reports to service
the numerous newspapers, radio and television stations in the country and
thereby sustaining media pluralism.
The GNA
is a viable organisation and it should, therefore, be re-aligned and resourced
to perform its functions of providing truthful and unbiased news from all the
corners of the country to keep the people informed about their compatriots
elsewhere.
Andrews
Abambile Awuni, Deputy Minister-designate of the Ministry of Information, said
these when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on
Thursday to be vetted. He said that there was the need for the infrastructure
of the Agency to be looked at and be put in good shape since it was a viable
organisation and when well resourced it would make a meaningful impact of
capturing events throughout the country for the benefit of the media.
Awuni
said his idea of the Ministry was one that would highlight the concerns and of
the plight of the farmer; less privileged and uninformed in the society by
conscientising them on both social and national issues. On his assessment of
the media, the Deputy Minister-designate said the multiplicity of radio and
newspapers in recent times has brought about democratic governance; broken the
monopoly of the state media and brought about transparency.
Awuni
said there was, however, the need to allow the media to correct itself with
time and to make the practitioners understand and appreciate the consequences
of their reports that might have negative impact on individuals and to make
them nationalistic. On whether the state media should be privatised, he said
there was the need to look at reasons for their establishment, take stock and
find out whether they were playing their expected roles and the idea should be
given some time for through consideration.
He said
the state media should be looked at in terms of their social service in
relation to profit making and to consider what options were of benefit to the
general development of the country. Nana Akomea, Minister-designate of Ministry
of Information and NPP Member of Parliament for Okaikoi South, who also
appeared before the Committee, said the plurality of the media and its
traditional role was used as propaganda machinery of government.
He said
since the government had the mandate of the people in the democratic era and
was in charge of the taxpayer's money, it needed a machinery to carry out its
responsibility of informing the people on national issues and concerns.
Nana
Akomea said the right to information of the citizenry was without debate but
said there was the need to seize or withhold some aspects of reports and said
the Official Secrecy Act that a private citizen had presented to Parliament was
appropriate. As to how to check the flow of negative reports especially on the
internet, he said it had its pros and cons and had to be looked at objectively
to ensure that positive information flow was assured.
Nana
Akomea said as a Minister he would ensure that probity and accountability were
enforced through collaboration and free flow of information on key issues that
were of relevance to the country inline with the culture of "Zero Tolerance For Corruption".
He said the supposed conflict of the roles of Spokespersons and the Ministry
could be ironed out through collaboration and timely sharing of information
since their roles overlap and were aimed at achieving the same results.
GRi…/
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