"There
is no malicious selection, there is nobody on this commission to my knowledge
who is bent on getting any particular political party to be exalted or demoted
as it is in the minds of the Ghanaian populace," he told the Chronicle in
an interview in
Dr.
Attafuah said as far as the commission is concerned,
it is in the interest of Ghana to make sure that for the over 3,700 cases of abduction,
killings, torture, confiscation of property, ill-treatment, disappearances,
violation of human rights and unlawful detentions filed, people who were peeved
should be given the opportunity to air their grievances, receive healing and
get well.
"The
work of the commission is not a one day event. The work of the commission is
not a hearing driven process. The hearing process does not constitute
reconciling the nation. The hearings are part of our investigative process
which at the end of the day, would reconcile the
country," Dr. Attafuah explained.
According
to him, the actual reconciliation would continue long after the commission
shuts its doors, adding that to achieve this reconciliation requires meticulous
and sincere implementation of the recommendations that the commission would
make, which would perhaps remain for years.
Explaining
the criteria for selecting cases for hearings, he said the selection is based
on first-come, first-served basis but, he added, the commission also takes into
account the egregiousness of the cases.
"If
someone files a complaint in September 2002 and alleged that his or her human
rights were violated in 1958 and the human rights violation was in the form of
detention, torture and confiscation of property, then that person would be
heard ahead of someone who filed a complaint in December 2002 and said that
during the PNDC period, he was wrongly dismissed. This is because wrongful
dismissal does not constitute an egregious human rights violation and the
complaints also came after that of September and has alleged a violation in
1958."
Dr.
Attafuah said most of the cases heard so far focused
on the PNDC and AFRC regimes, not because of any special selectivity, but
because of two critical factors - the longevity and the nature of the regimes.
He pointed out that civilian regimes are by nature less prone to egregious
human rights violation as compared to military regimes.
The
PNDC regime, which stayed in office the longest, had a greater potential for
atrocities than the civilian administrations, he said, adding that the only
exception of the general principles in terms of longevity, is the AFRC regime.
"AFRC
was a cataclysmic regime which came into an office and within three months did
far more egregious human rights violation officially and unofficially than
perhaps most of the civilian governments with two or three years.
It
is understandable that if people would take their time to analyze the trend of
events that most cases we have heard about the AFRC do not have anything to do
with the former president.
The
issues tackled a phenomenon called June 4 and PNDC era with its uprising and
excesses. There is no doubt that in any system, those in the helm of affairs
often take credit for the accomplishment of that particular institution but by
the same token takes responsibility for the limitations or failures for that
period."
Re-echoing,
the position of the NRC that it would not accept any media information, Dr. Attafuah noted that the statements made on the airwaves or
in the papers are not relevant to the commission.
"A
statement made before the commission under oath is superior to a statement made
on the airwaves because they are not sworn or affirmed and cannot be subjected
to cross-examination for purposes of clarification."
He
stressed that it is important for the public to understand that the commission
is a quasi-judicial institution set up by Parliament and has procedures of
receiving information, which does not include information channelled through
the mass media. "
There
are specific laid down procedures for persons wishing to bring any information
to the attention of the commission to do so through statements, which would be
investigated by the commission," Dr. Attafuah
asserted. – Chronicle
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He
said God has not appointed Rawlings judge over Ghanaians and, therefore, he has
no divine or legal authority to judge the Kufuor
administration on their behalf.
In
an interview with The Chronicle at Ho, Ayifli said
Rawlings should allow the comparison between his administration and that of Kufuor to be made by Ghanaians and not by him as an
individual with a single vote.
The
veteran politician described Rawlings' recent public pronouncement on the
serial murder of women as childish "coming from the lips of someone who
believes and treats his fellow countrymen as his pets." "If I were
him, I would keep quiet or even leave the country to take up international
appointments offered him," he stressed.
Asked
what he felt about the personal involvement of the leader of the NDC in the
campaign team of Prof. John Atta Mills, Ayifli said the popularity of Rawlings has waned and his
presence would even worsen things for the NDC and its flagbearer.
"But
if he (JJ) feels Mills is not mature enough and therefore needs direction from
him, he will rather make them fail and fail more." Ayifli
was of the view that Prof. Mills should be left alone to be able to do what he
wants to do for the country.
On
the way forward for the CPP, Ayifli, who is now
practising herbal medicine at Ho, said it is only with the blending of the old
and new officers that the party can make an impact in the 2004 general
election. He said that the party would contest the 200 seats without merging
with any other party.
Ayifli commended President Kufuor for appointing
ministers from other political parties, saying he did the right thing because
"national interest must be above party interest."
The
chairman appealed to politicians not to reject such offers because by so doing
they only die or become too old before their parties come into power when their
capabilities become stale and no longer of any benefit to the state.
He
said that the Kufuor administration came to rescue
Ghanaians from political crossroads and economic hardship, adding "I
believe, if Kufuor had not come, Ghanaians would have
found themselves in more unbearable hardship than the situation appears to be
now."
Ayifli said the setting up of the National Reconciliation Commission is in
the right direction but advised against it being used as a ploy to victimize
members of any regime. He hoped it would be used to correct the mistakes of the
past. – Chronicle
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The
members who pleaded anonymity told The Chronicle in an interview in
A
spokesman for the group said the claim by Broni that
Prof Kassim Kasanga, then
the minister, authorised Sampson Adjei, the chief
director to withdraw the money was untrue.
“In
any case if it was Prof. Kasanga who authorised the
chief director to write the letter for the money, what prevents the chief
executive of the FC from going through the due process?”
The
group noted that it was high time people in responsible positions kept to
laid-down rules and refrain from doing things to suit their whims and caprices.
The matter, according to insiders has caused some disquiet among the board
members who think that it was not the responsibility of the commission to be
purchasing cars for the ministry with its scarce budgetary allocations.
The
decision to acquire the vehicle followed a series of meetings between the
deputy minister and the chief executive of the commission to discuss matters
concerning projects being undertaken by the FC and other issues such as rot and
fraudulent deals in the forestry industry.
The
chief director was mandated to write to the FC on August 15, last year
authorizing the FC to release $55,000 termed as a loan for the purchase of a Landcruiser for Broni, in spite
of the official car allocated to him.
Broni denied any wrongdoing in the withdrawal of the money from the accounts
of the FC for the purchase of the car, saying, “I need a car and my ministry
got me a car which I used for my official duties.”
He
told The Chronicle, “When I was leaving, I pleaded with my colleague (Prof.
Dominic Fobih) the new minister of Lands and Forestry
to allow me use the vehicle for some time until last week when I released it to
the Ministry of Lands and Forestry.”
Broni said that there was nothing wrong in the ministry taking a loan from
the FC to purchase a car for him since the amount is to be repaid.
Dapaah told The Chronicle that he was approached in August last year, by the
ministry for financial assistance to enable it purchase a vehicle for the
deputy minister because his official car had broken down. He obliged because Broni was in charge of the FC’s plantation projects. – Chronicle
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The
latest to diagnose the VRA palaver is Dr. Nyaho-Nyaho
Tamakloe, a founding member of the NPP. Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe, in reaction to Monday’s edition of The
Chronicle, captioned “TUC joins the fray, demands copy of probe report, workers
submitted enough evidentiary information,” told The Chronicle that with TUC
joining the fray, the VRA saga has shifted into a different terrain.
According
to him, the problems at the VRA need a more careful scanning, proper diagnosis
and the right treatment to be undertaken by the government.
When
asked about means of ‘scanning’ the problems, since the government has done all
it can to unravel the truth, the founding member noted that the government
ought to go into the matter, take right decisions and above all let the whole
public know of nothing but the truth in the committee’s report.
He
said he knows Dr. Wereko-Brobby as a hard-working man
with immense organizational and managerial abilities, which he demonstrated
wonderfully when he was in the Alliance For Change.
Those were the days when “Kume Preko”,
“Sieme Preko” among others,
were staged to check the then government.
The
medical doctor, however, regretted that Dr. Wereko-Brobby
had found himself in a situation in which he cannot in all reality go back to
work peacefully at the VRA and yet he had decided not to resign.
Dr.
Nyaho-Tamakloe said, “As a politician I don’t want to
believe that Dr. Wereko-Brobby has no culture of
resignation. I also do not want to believe that he thinks he is indispensable.”
Buttressing his argument, he noted that as a politician he believes that the
government would listen to the intelligence briefings not only on the VRA
issues but others as well.
He
urged the government to take a right decision that would benefit the nation in
the infant democracy. It would be recalled that the Public Services Workers
Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) joined their colleagues at the VRA in
their protest against the CEO of VRA.
In
a press release signed and issued last Thursday by A.T.D. Okine,
general secretary of the union, the workers said they found unacceptable the
statement signed by the Chief of Staff, which created the impression that the
issues involving the CEO had been concluded, except those on his managerial
style.
The
TUC demanded a full copy of probe report after the workers have submitted
enough evidentiary information to the investigative committee. – Chronicle
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She
told The Chronicle in an interview in
When
this happens, she noted, chemical sellers and pharmacists are supposed to
remove such drugs from their shops and inform the board to issue a certificate
of destruction.
Mrs.
Darko said a total of 558 types of drugs and 279
cosmetics have been registered by the board as at the end of the first quarter
of this year. Mrs. Darko said before the registration
the board held a series of meetings with all the stakeholders to educate them
on the importance of registration.
She
said registration entails rigorous sampling with the assistance of the Customs,
Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), which crosschecks the wholesomeness of
the drugs with the country of origin. “Drugs are allowed into the country after
they have met all the requirements,” she added.
Botwe of surveillance department deplored drug advertisements in the
electronic media, saying that through such advertisements people are sometimes
misled into buying drugs, which may not be good for their health. He said the
malpractice also encourages self-medication by people instead of seeing a
doctor. – Chronicle
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The
secretary of GHANSA, Afi Yakubu,
who made the suggestion when she was interviewed on the small arms
proliferation last week, also called for sustained education of all Ghanaians
on the use and misuse of small arms and their impact on the security of such a
small nation as Ghana.
The
punishment that GHANSA is calling for is the type, which will serve as adequate
deterrent to others who are likely to be attracted by the gun, and that should
be higher than what obtains currently.
“Since
1973 domestic laws on small arms have not be reviewed
and so some of the deterrent measures in that legislation in the Constitution
have become outmoded,” Miss Yakubu lamented. She
explained, “anybody caught possessing an unlicensed weapon, prosecuted and
found guilty is fined ten cedis (¢10.00) over the
past ten years”.
She
reported the existence of gangsters among the country’s gunsmiths, saying such
criminals should neither be permitted to repair arms nor manufacture them. She
therefore called on the government to review that legislation in the
Constitution.
The
GHANSA secretary also suggested that the government should encourage those who
manufacture illegal arms in the country to come out to register, as that will
make it easier to identify them by giving them marks on their weapons.
When
this paper asked whether the Immigration Service and Customs, Excise and
Preventive Services are manning the country’s boarders satisfactorily - in view
of the fact that some people manage to smuggle in arms from other countries,
the GHANSA secretary said the two services are poorly equipped to work
satisfactorily, hence the successful smuggling activities across the borders.
Asked
to comment on the deployment of military and police personnel to Alarvanyo and Nkonya in the
She
also called on civil society to be involved in sensitizing, monitoring and
supervising to assist the security personnel to fight the proliferation of
small arms in the country or report them to the authorities. – Chronicle
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He
told the press in
Osafo Maafo therefore asked Ghanaians to expect
more taxation since the government aims at meeting the convergence criteria of
20% of GDP tax rate to comply with one of the conditions for regional
integration and monetary union.
On
the suspension of additional duty on rice and poultry promised in the 2003
budget, the Minister said the duty was a protective mechanism for local
production and not for revenue since the mark-up will not add much to national revenue.
He
said the suspension of the duty was in response to an advise
by visiting European Union Trades Commissioner, Pascal Larry that EU/ACP that
negotiation should be better approached by a regional grouping such as ECOWAS
rather than on a country-to-country basis, with harmonized trade policies.
This,
he said made it imperative for the nation to align its policies on imports with
its neighbours. Duties on rice and poultry across the sub-region, according to
him showed that
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The
father, who made the revelation at the offices of the “Times” head office in
Accra yesterday, said that he “abducted” the children because their maternal
grandmother whom they were living with in Kumasi, had
refuse to let him take custody of them.
Adu
who came with the two others – a woman he described as his new wife and a
brother-in-law, said that his first wife died about two years ago and the
children who were formerly in
According
to him he had plans to send the children back to London to continue their
education while he live in Ghana, but their grandmother, because she wanted to
benefit from the children’s ¢1m monthly feeding money he had been paying for
her, kicked against the idea.
Osafo Adu said he had a court ruling from the
Yesterday,
the “Times” carried a story that the Ashanti Regional Police CID was trying
hard to unravel the mystery surrounding the abduction of two little sisters
from a kindergarten school in
The
girls were named as Lilian Nyarko-Amankwah,
six and Gillian Sarpong-Amnakwah, five. The two were
allegedly abducted soon after the driver, Millmond
Nkrumah at about
The alleged abduction was executed with such a lightening speed and absolute precision that none of those present could even notice the registration number of the get-away car. – Ghanaian Times
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He
however returned to the country to engage in some political activities, but was
executed on the order of the AFRC. The news about his death, according to Mrs Afrifa, came as a shock to the family in the
The
farm, Mrs Afrifa said, still remains under the
control of the state. The General’s wife, who is now a British citizen together
with her seven children described her late husband as loving but a firm man who
did not allow his siblings to take advantage of any state resources while he
served in the government. General Afrifa’s body was
among the seven that were released to their families on December 2001.
Mrs
Afrifa appealed to the Commission to assist her to
get her retirement benefits for the years that she worked in
Other
petitioners at the commission included ex-lance corporal Emmanuel Owusu Aninakwa who was assigned
to Cpt. Rtd. Kojo Tsikata as his bodyguard. He
was detained and rotated in most of the country’s prisons during the PNDC era
for nearly nine years. He told the commission how he was shot at the residence
of one Dr. Antwi. He showed some of his scars to the
commission. Three other petitioners failed to turn up. – Graphic
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The
bodies of the deceased have been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary in
Alhaji Saakah said when the police asked the
robbers to surrender, they refused and instead engaged
them in shoot-out. In the process, two of the robbers were killed while one of
them who sustained multiple injuries was arrested. Two of the robbers who
sustained gunshot wounds managed to escape.
Preliminary
police investigations revealed that the suspects left
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Dr Apraku told the President that he did use Free Zones Board
funds to establish any campaign office as has been alleged by the media. He
maintained that what he has, is an office set up to
respond to the needs of his constituents who travel all the way from the Offinso North constituency in the Ashanti Region, in search
of jobs, school placements and other assistance.
Meanwhile,
a release from the Minister’s office in
The
release said it was the Minister himself who asked the SFO to carry out the
investigation when he realized something fishy was going on at the Ghana Free
Zones Board. Dr Apraku was the Board Chairman at that
time.
The
release said the Minister is yet to receive a report on the outcome of
investigations and would respond appropriately for the general public to pass
its judgement. The Minister claimed that persons who have an axe to grind with
him or just out to dent his reputation deliberately planted the story to
embarrass him. - Daily Guide
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The
airline’s Chief Executive, Phillip Owusu however says
there is no need for the travelling public, which uses the European route to
worry. He says adequate arrangements have been made for alternative leased
aircraft to maintain the airline’s schedule.
According
to him, using the leased aircraft is not necessarily costly to
Meanwhile,
three of the airline’s aircrafts, which have been grounded as a result of debts
to Alitalia in maintenance bills, are still in
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