GRi Press Review 25
– 04 - 2003
Rawlings stripped naked as NDC crisis deepens
Ex-Ghanair
CEO wanted auditors in London?-Rejoinder
Single digit
inflation is our goal - Acquah
We are
above CHRAJ
Rawlings stripped naked as NDC crisis deepens
Accra (Greater Accra) 24 April 2003 - The much touted
‘March for Survival’ which former President Rawlings is hanging onto as a last
straw to resuscitate his dying party seems to have suffered a severe setback.
The Vanguard’s Intelligence
Report indicate that a group of NDC members who described themselves as
loyalist of Dr Obed Yao
Asamoah, have distanced themselves from the demonstration vowing that they will
do everything to scuttle the demonstration.
The group recently held a
secret meeting at an Adabraka low class hotel where
the leader (name withheld for now) openly poured invectives against the former
President. At another meeting held at the same venue (this paper’s operatives
were present), it was unanimously agreed that a counter demonstration will be
organised to express their anger about recent developments in the NDC, with
particular reference to Rawlings’ attempt to upstage the chairman, Dr Asamoah.
At the close of the meeting, a silver collection yielded 500,000 cedis which
has been earmarked to fund the anti-Rawlings demonstration.
It would be recalled that
ex-President Rawlings hinted at his now infamous ‘Boom IV’ press conference
that the party is being cleansed and those who cannot live up to the high
principles of the NDC are falling out. The door is still open for others who
cannot measure up. There are plenty of dedicated people to carry on.
Just as the NPP is united by
its hatred of the CPP, AFRC, PNDC, and NDC governments, so must the NDC be united by its proven vision, commitment of its members
and their determination to move
In April 2002 we
democratically elected a new chairman of the National Executive Committee (NEC)
at a national delegates’ conference. By the same process last December, we
overwhelmingly elected Prof J.E. Atta Mills as our leader and flagbearer for
the 2004 presidential elections.
It is my hope that we will
all come together as one formidable force to support him to catapult our party back
into office next year. Now that the euphoria of the extraordinary congress has
died down, let us bury the hatched and marshal our forces to outset the NPP,
whose ineptitude as a government is widely acknowledged in
In a related development, the
national chairman of the NDC, Dr Asamoah, has called for the role of the
party’s founder in the scheme of works to be clearly defined as his continuous
meddling in affairs has left the party’s flagbearer in his (Rawlings’) shadow.
He added that the founder
should do more behind the scene work to create more support for the party, and
indicated the need for the party’s flagbearer, Prof John Evans Atta Mills to be
seen in charge of affairs. Dr Asamoah contended that the party is bigger than
any personality or personalities.
The party’s flagbearer Prof
Atta Mills has reacted sharply to the party chairman’s remarks saying it is
rather unfair for Dr Asamoah to adopt such a position since the founder of the
party has a great role to play to move the party forward and debunked the
notion that ex-President Rawlings is interfering unduly in the affairs of the
party. – The Vanguard
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Ex-Ghanair
CEO wanted auditors in
Dear sir,
The independent newspaper has
mounted a crusade to publish falsehoods about me and my era as leader of Ghana
Airways. It has been drawn to my attention that some of these malicious and
defamatory publications are posted on your website.
One such publication was the
publication carried on your site on
Please find below a copy of
my rebuttal to the newspaper refuting the allegations, which I believe you will
post on your site thanking you for your cooperation E. L. Quartey jnr.
"Sir,
SO AT WHOSE COST DID
My attention has been drawn
to an article that appeared in your paper on
The article suggested that I
had asked the forensic auditors, who were investigating Ghana Airways, to visit
I would like to point out to
you and your readers that I never fled
Indeed, if I had had no
intention of answering questions on my tenure of office, I would not have
unilaterally elected to participate in what I was told by Ghana Airways was a
"voluntary exercise", namely, the forensic audit.
I did suggest that it would
be more convenient to me, on the basis of my circumstances at the time, for a
meeting between the audit team and myself to be held
in
They later reneged on the
arrangement, but, since it was not practicable for me to accept a last minute
change, my lawyers gave them options, such as video conferencing and
questionnaires, all of which would have cost the tax payer very little and
would have addressed several issues. I find it strange that you selectively
withheld disclosing those salient aspects of the letter from my lawyers.
Despite my not having had an
input into the initial forensic audit report, in the interest of the truth, I
did not relent in my requests to the auditors for a copy to comment on. As you
may be aware, the report has only now been sent to me by Ghana Airways, through
my lawyers. This act, I hope, will demonstrate to you that not only is my input of some relevance, but that my physical presence
has never been, and is not, a prerequisite for providing any information that
is needed.
Because you did not know
these facts, or chose to ignore them, you have, through your publications,
sought to place a rather sinister connotation on my well-intended actions.
I am, of course, pursuing
various activities to support my family (how I wish I was "cooling off in
London", as you insidiously suggested!) and so I am obliged to leave the
matter of addressing any other issues that you have raised or may raise in the
hands of my lawyers.
I am indeed innocent and will
focus on demonstrating and establishing this fact by utilising all avenues
available to me. With kind regards. -
E. L. Quartey jnr.
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Single digit
inflation is our goal - Acquah
He said the bank strongly
believes that inflation distorts the incentive structure in the economy and
shifts preferences in favour of short-term ventures instead of long-term ones.
The governor said this in a
speech read on his behalf by the Head of Banking Supervision Department of the
central bank, J. B. Clottey, at the re-launching of Epack Investment Fund in
Epack, a mutual fund, which started with only ¢250,000 in
1996, was formally licensed as the first mutual fund in December last year. It
currently has a share capital of ¢17.5bn, 3,200 members with an average growth
rate of 53 per cent per annum.
Within a span of six years, the
fund has outpaced treasury bills by 544 per cent, the US Dollar by 378 per
cent, the one-year bond by 402 per cent and the Databank Stock Index by 278 per
cent.
The governor said low
inflation is important in the prevailing economic circumstances to boost
investment and growth of the economy.
He commended the Epack management for channelling 74 per cent of its funds
through the stock market and 24 per cent to the money market, adding that if a
greater percentage of the workforce can channel their funds into such mutual
funds, there will be significant support for the stock market as well as for
wealth creation.
Dr Acquah, therefore, urged
private companies and enterprises to cede part of their ownership and list on
the stock market to facilitate the growth of the economy.
He said since the stock
market represents a pool of funds, its patronage by the private sector is
necessary for the sustainable growth of the productive sectors of the economy.
Kwesi Amonoo-Neizer of the
Databank Asset Management, managers of the mutual fund, said Epack has become successful due to the dedication of the
management and shareholders to venture into uncharted areas as well as the
massive education carried out.
He advised the Ghana Stock
Exchange to do more to attract a critical mass of companies to broaden its
scope of investment opportunities so as to limit speculation.
Amonoo-Neizer
was not happy about the growing number of regulations and the cost of
compliance in the investment front, adding that the phenomenon is becoming
prohibitive and discouraging to market development.
He, therefore, advised policy
makers to make regulations that could generate confidence in investors as well
as encourage innovation and creativity. – Daily Graphic
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We are above CHRAJ
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 25
April 2003 – Twelves officials of the Wildlife
Division of the Forestry Commission, summoned by the Brong Ahafo Regional
Office of the Commission on Human Right and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), on
charges of human rights abuse, have flatly flouted the order to appear.
According to them, the operation
they carried out for which they were being invited was “a national assignment.”
The officials, all staff of the
They were also alleged to
have burnt down six mud houses and personal effects and confiscated 10
bicycles, three bags of guinea corn and a bag of maize, all belonging to the Akwasi Adjei, the head farmer among the victims.
Following a petition by the
victims of the alleged brutalities, the CHRAJ, acting under its constitutional
mandate, invited the 12 officials to appear before it to answer charges of
unlawful arrest and detention.
But in a letter sent to the
CHRAJ on 16 April the officials made it clear that until they received
instructions from their Executive Director to comply, they would not do so.
This is because an earlier letter from the Wildlife Division to the CHRAJ,
dated
“Such letters are tantamount
to intimidation which will reduce the morale of our staff who
are determined to stop illegal activities in the national park.” “The staff are well-trained and they executed their duty
professionally by applying minimum force to the poachers in the park to face
the law,” it said.
CHRAJ, however has indicated
its readiness to go ahead with the case without further notice to the Division,
should it refuse or fail to appear at the next adjourned date. According to the Regional Director, Kwasi
Boakye, the “commission has no qualms against the
Wildlife Division in its efforts at controlling illegal activities in areas
under its jurisdiction by arresting offenders and having them lawfully
prosecuted in the law courts.”
But the CHRAJ boss made it
clear that where there was evidence of human rights abuse the commission had the
right to ensure that justice was done. The officials led by the Second in
Command, Prince Anane Adjei and alleged to be wilding guns, traced Akwasi Agyei and his wife and six
labourers, to their farm Dokakyena in Banda, in the
Wenchi district and reportedly meted the punishment.
According to the personnel,
they found a hide of hippopotamus with Agyei, which
made them suspect that he and his family had encroached on the
The victims were then taken
to the office of the Game and Wildlife Division where they were detained for
three days before they were sent to the Wenchi police station where they were
granted enquiry bail. The farmers petitioned the CHRAJ, which invited the
officers to assist in investigation into the allegations. – Ghanaians
Times
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