Daily Graphic/The Ghanaian Times
Govt
will fight crime…Veep assures nation
Govt
is working to reduce crime…Veep assures
Kwamena
Ahwoi to resign?!
March
26 census in Danger
Petty
jealous is killing CP – Dr Delle
Goosie
Tanoh questions police over investigations into serial murders
Klottey/Korley
up for grabs
Daily Graphic/The Ghanaian Times
Govt
will fight crime…Veep assures nation
Govt
is working to reduce crime…Veep assures
The
subject matter of the top stories of both the Daily Graphic and the Ghanaian
Times is the government’s assurance to fight crime in Ghana. The Graphic
reports that the Vice-President, Prof. John Atta Mills, has given assurance
that the government is working actively with the security services to reduce the
incidence of crime to the lowest level.
The
paper said that the Vice-President, who was opening a three-day seminar on
national development implications of security and justice in Accra, therefore,
called on the justice system, including the police judges and prisons, to play
their complementary roles to enable the government to achieve the desired
objective.
He
is quoted as saying that it is only a fair, just and incorruptible judicial
system, which can serve as a deterrent to criminal activities and increase the
sense of security of the genera population. The Times, on its part, also
reports on the government’s determination to fight crime and reduce it to the
lowest and tolerable levels.
The
paper quotes him as saying, “the incidence of crime has been rising steadily
around the world, and Ghana is no exception”. The Times says that the seminar
has brought together a number of officials responsible for the security of
Ghana, academicians, and a representation of the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI) from the United States.
The
forum, the paper says, will enable the participants to share ideas n issues
such as the basic causes and implications of security and possible ways of
finding viable and sustainable solutions to crime n Ghana.
GRi../
Kwamena
Ahwoi to resign?!
The
Guide in a front-page screamer, says that one of P/NDC’s longest serving
Minister of State, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, is preparing to call it quits from
government, active politics and the NDC.
The
paper says sources close to Mr Ahwoi, who is licking his wounds after his
removal from the Local Government and Rural Development portfolio, stated that
a draft of his resignation letter is being prepared to be submitted to
President Jerry Rawlings. According to the sources, Mr Ahwoi is now in London
where the resignation decision has been taken.
The
Guide says that he is at the moment the in charge of a non-functioning Ministry
of Regional Integration, which has no office anywhere According to the paper,
the Ministry also has neither deputies nor directors. The Guide says that many
saw as a demotion, Mr Ahwoi’s removal from his former Ministry after a Cabinet
reshuffle, adding that in the 2000 budget, his new Ministry was allocated only
two billion cedis “to set up the new Ministry”.
The
paper quotes the sources as noting that even though government propaganda
machinery created the impression that Mr Ahwoi has been offered a higher
position, “that actually is not the case”. The Guide notes that as Local
Government Minister, Mr Ahwoi controlled 110 district chief executives and a
budget of billions of cedis.
The
paper says that in 1999 for example, Mr Ahwoi’s then Ministry of Local
Government and Rural Development had a budgetary allocation of 85.73 billion
cedis.
GRi../
March
26 census in Danger
In
its lead story, the Independent says that the March 26 population and housing
census may not come on as scheduled. The paper says that at the centre of the
grim spectre facing Ghana is the acting Government Statistician, Dr Twum Baah,
who workers of the Statistical Service, have accused of mismanagement and is
being labelled ‘a complete misfit’.
According
to the Independent, the workers’ agitation came to a head last Friday, March
15, when a group of picketers from the Ayawaso branch of the Statistical office
stormed the headquarters n Central Accra to demand the resignation of the
acting Government Statistician for non-performance.
The
story says that although security personnel at the entrance of the headquarters
nipped the action of the protestors in the bud, the paper sighted a petition
cataloguing problems that could form the basis of the workers’ growing anger.
According to the picketers, with barely three weeks to the March 26 deadline, a
vital component of the exercise – map work, has not been completed.
One
of the picketers is said to have explained that “the map work, which is the
demarcation of areas into units is the best tool any census officer can get”.
He said although most of the top men at the Statistical office know of the
importance of such a vital component in the census exercise, the demarcations
done so far, do not cover even one-third of the total area of Ghana. The
Independent says that the protestors, who were mostly enumerators, also demanded all monies due them in the course of
their work, warning not to take any job in connection with the census if their
monies are not paid to them.
The
paper quotes sources as indicating that the enumerators had demanded a daily
wage of 50,000 cedis per head.
GRi../
Petty
jealous is killing CP – Dr Delle
The
Evening News reports Dr Edmund Delle, a leading member of the Convention Party
(CP) as observing that petty jealousy among the leaders, is killing the party.
In
its top story, the paper reports Dr Delle as saying that some senior members
who are supposed to know better and unite to champion the cause of the party,
are rather fighting among themselves and undermining each other. The story says
that Dr Delle, who was speaking in an interview, referred to the internal
wrangling and confusion that has plagued the party in recent times and said,
“leading members are suspicious of each other”.
He
warned that if the situation is not reversed, the party would find it difficult
to stand on its feet. The Evening News says that Dr Delle was, however,
optimistic that the party will survive this turmoil and take its place in
Ghana’s political history by winning the December general elections.
GRi../
Goosie
Tanoh questions police over investigations into serial murders
The
Crusading Guide in a back-page story, reports that the spokesman of the
National Reform Party (NRP), Mr Goosie Tanoh, has called for the results of
investigations conducted last year by the Ghana Police into the serial murders
in Accra to be made public.
The
paper says that Mr Tanoh, who was inaugurating the Darkuman branches of the
party in Accra, stressed that women living in Mataheko and other parts of
Accra, live in constant fear since there is no assurance that the culprits would
be found. He is said to have noted that in Ablekuma Central, women do not have
security and cannot go about their normal duties due to the heinous activities
of the serial murderers.
According
to Mr Tanoh, the insecurity in the area has created a situation a where mothers, children and the entire
community live in constant fear for their lives.
GRi../
Klottey/Korley
up for grabs
In
its lead story, the Accra Mail says that the Klottey/Korley constituency in
Accra can be described as “a constituency in a state of flux”. The paper says
the constituency’s state of instability can be seen from the results of
Election ’96, they were as close as they were intriguing.
The
paper gives the breakdown showing Mr David Lamptey, the NDC candidate winning
with 20,000 votes. Mr Gilbert Quartey, NPP – 18,000 votes, Mr Tei Okunor,
Independent – 17,000 and Dr Adolf Lutterodt, PCP – 5000, followed him. In the
presidential, while NDC’s Flt-Lt J.J. Rawlings had 30,000 votes, Mr J. A.
Kufuor, NPP candidate, had 29,000.
The
Accra Mail says that while the NPP front in the constituency is quiet, the NDC
camp is reeling under internecine conflicts. It says Mr David Lamptey, the
sitting MP wants to continue representing the constituency but one Mr Morgan
Cofie-Squire, a mechanical engineer, feels the incumbent cannot deliver the
seat this time round.
The
paper notes that the Klotte/Korley constituency is a highly sensitive one as it
hosts the seat of government, the Osu Castle. It says that it is a matter of
pride for the NDC to hold it one way or the other, adding that the NPP’s
reasons are not dissimilar. The Story says that although the NDC has announced
that as much as possible, sitting MPs would be allowed to contest, the
Klotte/Korley constituency is one that the party stalwarts are quietly,
sometimes even overtly “looking into” for a possible change.
GRi../