JJ, spare NDC the embarrassment -Bature
Let´s sell NPP gov't
to investors -Asante
That
is the irony of history and the fate of great leaders. But one thing stands out
clearly in the lives of all great leaders, that they leave a lasting monument
for their teeming followers, who use it as a basis to propagate their cherished
principles and translate them in practical terms to realise their dreams, no
matter the field of endeavour, to shape the destiny of mankind and humanity.
This is the mark of great leaders.
Globally,
names of great leaders like Mahatma Ghandi, Mao Tse
Chung, Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, live on and
thrive, even after their death. This is because they made the needed impact in
their respective countries and ultimately on mankind. This is why it is
imperative for Ghanaians to acknowledge the positive impact the beliefs, ideas
and ideals of a statesman like Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia have made and
continue to make on the political, economic and social life of
Dr Busia, arguably, the most brilliant black scholar among his
contemporaries, nurtured a rare seed more than four decades ago when he started
his political career. This seed has germinated and has borne fruits.
His
position on the rule of law and fundamental human rights did not find much
favour when he first espoused them, but they now offer the beacon of hope for
our infant democracy. They are ideals, which all Ghanaians have now embraced
and relish, despite the fact that the proponent himself was misunderstood when
he first propagated them.
The
liberal democratic tendencies carefully crafted and packaged by Dr Busia and his associates in the period just before
independence and re-emphasised after independence (then seen by a section of
the people to be unattractive and neo-colonialist) have now been accepted as
the fundamentals of freedom, justice, and the respect for the rights and
liberties of the people.
Dr Busia was undoubtedly, a great leader. His leadership role
and style was unique and his qualities incomparable. His beliefs have remained
unchanged and have stood the test of time. Perhaps the most significant of these
was his belief in the use of dialogue for conflict resolution.
It
is, therefore, expedient at this particular time, when the 25th anniversary of
his death is being marked, for glowing tributes to be paid to him as an
illustrious son of
The
Busia Foundation, a company limited by guarantee was
incorporated in 1997 to preserve and disseminate the ideas and ideals of Dr Busia, needs to be commended for planning a fitting
celebration to commemorate 25 years of the demise of this great democrat and
highlight his great ideas and their relevance in modern day development
paradigms.
What
is refreshing is that apart from the foundation preserving Dr Busia's ideas and principles, it
plans to open a library and a resource centre to enable people who seek
knowledge and information to broaden their horizon.
As
part of the activities, the annual Busia Memorial
Lectures are coming on and no mean a person than Hon J. H. Mensah,
Senior Minister and former Minister of Finance in the Busia
Administration, will deliver the lectures at the Great
Hall of the
The
Chief of Amanokrom and Gyasehene
of the Akwapim Traditional Area, who is also the
Chancellor of the
The
programme of activities that has been widely publicised have
been planned in such a way that all sections of the Ghanaian society will feel
included in the celebration in honour of the late Prime Minister. Now one may
ask, what lessons can be drawn from this leader, especially at a time that the
party that traces its root to his ideals is in power?
With
the collapse of Euro-communism, the ideas about social relations and means of
production seem now fixed on the capitalist mode, which translates into the
neo-liberal system of government.
The
current administration traces its roots to the Danquah-Busia
tradition and, therefore a believer in the free market and competitive politics
ideals. The basic pillar of this system is the freedom of the people based on
the rule of law, due process and the recognition of the rights of the
citizenry.
Dr Busia, as a person, may be gone but recent global and
national developments have vindicated him. This sets out his ideas, as opposed
to those who were against him at the time, as enduring ideas.
This
proves that visionary leaders are often ahead of their times and are often
misunderstood. Though Dr Busia had the opportunity to
put his ideas into practice in the national political arena, this was truncated
by military adventurists. Now the Apostles of Busia are in power and how they apply his ideas and ideals
will prove to the younger generation of Ghanaians who did not have the benefit
of knowing him how steadfast those ideas and ideals are.
One
of the pre-occupation of Dr Busia was civic
education. It was his belief that people could participate in democratic
governance only when they knew what their rights and responsibilities were. As
the saying goes, ignorance is the first chair available to the oppressor.
It
is in this vein that it behoves the current administration to follow the trail
blazed by Dr Busia by strengthening the institutions
that enhance democratic practice and good governance.
Institutions
such as the National Commission for Civic Education, (NCCE) the Commission on
Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), among others, need to be
adequately resourced to effectively function as bastions of democratic
practice.
It
is important to note that no matter the good intentions of people in
government, the acts or will of men cannot be enough guarantees for democracy.
Institutions and structures are the best defence against man's dictatorial
tendencies.
Dr Busia was one man who was against political monopoly in
much the same way that he was against state monopoly in business. He fought
against the one-party state of the early 1960s and insisted on political
pluralism.
In
The
problem, according to some experts, is funding. True to type, President Kufuor has initiated a debate on state funding of political
parties. This will greatly gladden the heart of Dr Busia,
wherever he is, for to him, a one-party state, de jure
or de facto, is objectionable.
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JJ, spare NDC the embarrassment -Bature
Accra (Greater Accra) 11 July 2003 - An Accra based political commentator, Alhaji Iddrissu Bature, has asked the former President, Jerry John Rawlings, to avoid controversies that have become the hallmark of his speeches since he left office to protect the security of the NDC and that of the country as a whole.
He
said the former president would do the party a world of good if he could stay
out of the perennial "boom" outbursts and other speeches such as the
one on the murder of 34 women that have generated a great uproar in the country
in recent times.
Making
the call in an interview with The Weekend Heritage in Accra, Alhaji Bature said 2004 is a
crucial year for the NDC to either "make" or "break" and
anything that has the potential of wrecking the party's position on the ground
should be avoided.
He
maintained that the ex-President had done a lot to bring about the peace and
stability the country is enjoying presently and he should be the last person to
rock the boat.
He
argued that some of the statements the former president has been making in
recent times are a potential threat to the country's security,
pointing out that but for the maturity of the security agents he (Rawlings)
would have long been apprehended.
Alhaji Bature re-echoed some of the statements by
the former president while he was in power, particularly, the one on equality
of all Ghanaians before the law and urged him to live by that.
He said, the former president has a lot of followers so he should not do anything that would force the security agents into action. Such a situation, the commentator said, would not be healthy for the nation. He prayed that Rawlings would heed to his advice and allow the party to go on with its programmes.
Alhaji Bature urged the former president to assume
a back seat in the activities of the party so that the party's flagbearer Prof. Evans Atta-Mills, would have full control of the party. He made
reference to the recent statement made by Rawlings in Techiman
describing it as unhealthy for the NDC.
The
political commentator expressed concern about the recent statement by Rawlings,
which did nothing but defeat the purpose of Prof. Mills' press conference,
which catalogued a lot about the weaknesses of the NPP government.
"This
took the shine off the NDC flagbearer," Alhaji Batutre deplored, adding
that whatever the former president has to say should be in tandem with that of
the flagbearer. - The Weekend Heritage
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Let´s sell NPP gov't to investors -
According
to
"If
the Bank of Ghana also failed to do its duty it should also be
privatized", he added, in his contribution at a one-day public forum
organised by ISODEC in
Asante expressed concern about the intended divestiture of the 46.8 per cent
government stake in GCB, saying "it is not necessary to go looking for a
strategic investor, who would virtually just source money from outside and come
here to buy the state-owned shares, which can be done by any investor, either
local or foreign," He said it is Ghanaians who can get Ghana out of its
present predicament and not foreigners who can only come in to assist.
The
ex-Diplomat warned the government that if it do not
know how to use the majority share
The
President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Edward Kofi Omane Boamah,
called on the civil society to embark on non-violent civil disobedience should
the government continue to push its agenda to sell GCB, "only birth
right". He said the position of the union on the proposed sale of GCB is
clear, that the sale of the bank was a total betrayal of the citizenry by the
NPP government.
Joseph
Plange, Chairman of GCB Staff Association, urged the
government to remember that the bank is not for the NPP and whatever decision
it took on it should be in consultation with the masses, which voted them into
power. According to him the Bank abounds in talents of all sorts to move it
forward and called on the government to "pay what it owes the bank"
and leave it in the hands of the management to move it forward for all to see.
- Heritage
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The
committee has also ordered the interdiction of Assistant Director of Prisons
Felix Yeboah and Assistant Chief Officer Emmanuel Tetey Adametey.
The
Deputy Minister of the Interior, Thomas Broni, who
chaired the committee, announced this at a press conference in
The
committee found that the “whole work organisation within the Nsawam Medium Security Prison does not follow laid-down
rules and regulations as set out in Prisons Standing Orders and specific
instructions from the Director-General of Prisons concerning the handling of
notorious prisoners”.
Broni said there is a general apathy leading to incompetence and dereliction
of duty in the prison. He noted in particular that Yeboah
was very casual, had no idea of what went on in the prison, was
apathetic, completely disengaged and irresponsible.
He
said Yeboah’s conduct before the committee was not
impressive, adding that “he was evasive and lied throughout the interview”.
Broni said Yeboah response to Malm’s
escape was unprofessional because he failed to inform the Director-General
about the situation until a day after. He said Yeboah
also failed to initiate Escape Routine measures and also failed to deploy the
Rapid Response Team to recapture the escapee.
He
said Yeboah learnt of the escape at about
Broni described Yeboah as “ a
misfit who does not inspire confidence”. He said prisoners are allowed one
visit a week but in the case of Malm, this regulation
was flouted and the convict was allowed about three visits each week.
He
said Chief Officer Adametey completely disregarded
visiting regulations and recommended several visits within a week. He said
Superintendent M.S.B. Issaka, who is the approving
officer, was misled by Adametey to allow more of such
visits.
Broni said Agodzo has had a high profile escape
involving a German citizen at Korle Bu, which caused
him a reduction in rank in 1998, and wondered why he was allowed to escort the
team that took Malm and three other prisoners to the
hospital, let alone be made the leader of the team.
“It
is of interest to note that it was the same officer A.C.O. Frank Agordzo who escorted Malm to
hospital a week earlier when the first escape plot failed to take place”, he
said.
Broni also said there is evidence to suggest that some prisoners have been
making telephone calls to people outside the prison on behalf of inmates and
have been taking money and messages to prison inmates.
He
alleged, for instance, that Malm has disclosed to the
police that Marfo Boateng
called his mother on his (Malm’s) behalf to give her
a message whenever he needed money or food. He said Malm’s
escape plot was sold to him by Charles Coffie, a
remand prisoner, and he was paid $200 and ¢1m for the plan.
Malm, who was serving a term of 15 years imprisonment in hard labour for
conspiracy, lawful entry and stealing, escaped from unlawful custody on
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Sunyani (Brong Ahafo)
He
said they should discharge their duties as professionals and refrain from
leaning towards any political party in order to win the confidence of the
masses. Alhaji Dauda made
the call at a dinner organised by the regional executive of the NDC for media
personnel in the region in Sunyani on Tuesday.
He
stressed the need for journalists to present nothing but the truth and factual
accounts of all events in the public domain and eschew lies that do not only
undermine the credibility of the media but can also plunge the nation into
chaos.
He
however, condemned the unprofessional conduct of some presenters in some FM
stations, which, if not checked, can create chaos and confusion in the region.
Mohammed
Kwaku Doku, the Regional
NDC Secretary, advised journalists not to prejudge issues, since that can
create serious problems for them. He said the rights and freedoms enjoyed by
journalists under the 1992 Constitution are inseparable from the performance of
their duties and obligations.
D.K.
Anto, the Regional Vice-Chairman of the party,
commended the good work of media personnel in the region and urged them to
sustain the excellent performance. He assured all journalists in the region of
every support to enhance their work and implored them not to hesitate to
approach him when the need arises.
K.B.
Boakye-Boateng, a leading member of the party, who
chaired the function, advised NDC members not to wash their dirty linen outside
for the media to use them to damage the image of the party. – Graphic
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