The Daily Graphic reports the General Secretary of the National Catholic Secretariat, Monsignor Jonathan Ankrah as saying that the Catholic Church is not against spiritual healing per se but the methods for attaining it.

He says what the church is against is the situation where people apply all kinds of strange doctrines to organise healing sessions in the name of God.

“We need to guard against the situation where people see ‘mammy water’ and witches every second,” the paper quoted him as saying.

Refuting claims that the church is against healing sessions, Monsignor Ankrah said the situation has to do with a conflict between a Bishop and his priest who believes he has super natural powers to heal, the Graphic said.

According to the paper, the General Secretary further explained that whatever happens in the Catholic Church is based on theology, pastoral and liturgical ministries as well as Canon Law. “These bind every body in the church,”

Monsignor Ankrah who said he lectured Fr Frimpong during his formative days, said he feels ashamed by the behaviour of Fr Frimpong, emphasising that, “what he is doing is not what he was thought at the seminary”.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Dominic Andoh is expected to meet all the diocesan priests in the diocese in Accra today in an emergency meeting to discuss the issue after which the position of the Archdiocese will be made public.

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Good showing by GCB

The Daily graphic reports that the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) recorded an impressive performance for the 1999 financial year with pre-profit tax going up by 113.8 percent. The banks pre-tax profit went up from the 1998 figure of 49.5 billion cedis to 105.8 cedis.

In view of the bank’s performance, its shareholders at the bank’s sixth annual general meeting held in Accra yesterday commended the board of directors, management and staff for a good work done and overwhelmingly accepted the proposed dividend of 175 cedis per share put forward at the meeting.

According to the paper, total dividend payable to all shareholders of the bank stood at 28.7 billion cedis.

improved from 76.8 percent in 1998 to 53.5 percent in 1999”, he added.

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Fair trade bill out soon

The Daily Graphic reports in its centre page that a fair trade and competition bill which seek to safeguard the interest of both small and big manufactures in the country in the offing.

The draft bill, which was prepared by the ministry of trade and industry in consultation with the private sector, is also aimed at protecting the consumers against the activities of some manufacturing cartels in the country, the paper reports the minister of trade and industry, Mr Dan Abodakpi as saying in Accra yesterday when his ministry took its turn at the meet the press series.

The paper says, explaining the rational behind the draft bill, Mr Abodakpi said with the liberalisation of the economy, some companies have resorted to unethical practices to stifle their competitors.

“The expansion and competitiveness being engendered by globalisation and liberalisation require the need to safeguard the interest of all economic operators in the country from monopolistic tendencies”, the paper quotes him as saying.

GRi../

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The Ghanaian Chronicle

Tony Aidoo, army in row over VAT

The Ghanaian Chronicle reports in a front-page story that Dr. Tony Aidoo, Deputy Minister of Defence, had had to be escorted under tight security in Lebanon after touching off anger among soldiers on peacekeeping duties with news that they now have to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on stuff they bring home after their tour of duty.

According to the paper, the minister who was on official assignment at the recent medals-award ceremony of GHANBATT 50, informed the soldiers of the development and met a stony wall of silence when the soldiers reportedly refused to answer or ask questions on the new policy.

According to the paper, the Ministry of Defence has slapped VAT on goods brought by returning soldiers on peace keeping assignments and the policy is facing stiff resistance from the soldiers who are also repeating the perennial demands for full allowances paid them by the United Nations.

According to the paper, some military personnel confided in the Chronicle that if the authorities want them to pay VAT, they should pay them what is actually due them.

GRi../

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The Evening news

We have only 5 video cameras – GBC

The Evening News in its front page reports the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) as saying that due to inadequate video cameras, it is wondering how it could provide effective coverage for the December 2000 elections.

The paper quotes Mr Yao Dzekpor, Deputy Director of Ghana Television (GTV), as stating in an interview that “at the moment, GTV has only five video cameras and these can not cater for all the political parties”.

Three of the five cameras are based in Accra, one in the Central Region and the other one in Ashanti Region.

The Evening News says Mr Dzekpor’s statement was in reaction to an accusation by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that GTV did not cover the party’s flag bearer as expected, when he toured the Central Region and the Brong Ahafo Regions.

According to Mr Dzekpor, management of GTV convened a meeting of representative of all political parties last Wednesday and explained to them that although GTV has TV crew in all the Regions, it is constrained by the lack of cameras.

Asked whether the corporation cannot procure its own cameras, Mr Dzekpor said GBC, and for that matter the GTV, is a national public broadcasting service, which depends on the state for funding, adding that GTV should not be blamed for not providing adequate coverage for the various parties in their campaign.

The paper says, reacting to the explanation, Mr. Dan Botwe, general secretary of the New Patriotic Party, described it as unacceptable, saying that despite inadequate cameras, the GTV always follow the first lady during her tours of certain parts of the country”.

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Reform Party unhappy about decentralisation

The Evening news in another story, reports that the National Reform Party (NRP) has criticised the manner in which the government’s decentralisation program is being implemented in the country.

According to the story, the NRP says Ghanaians are fed up with the system in which policies are discussed “at the top and latter, forced down the throats of ordinary people”.

This, the paper says was disclosed by Mr Winfred Osei Owusu, interim national organiser of the party, in an interview with it in Accra.

According to the story, Mr Owusu criticised the Ministry of Works and Housing and the District and Metropolitan Assemblies for not involving their people in matters of privatisation and waste management.

“What happens in most cases is that the very people who are expected to be active participants and partners in policy implementation are left out and it becomes difficult for them to play their roles” the paper reports him as saying.

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Selormey: Government welcomes factual ideas

The Evening News also reports on a call by Mr J.H. Mensah, the minority leader in parliament, on the government to accept opinions from independent professionals to help in the running of the economy.

According to the paper, he was contributing to the motion for the approval of 137,685,810,800 cedis for the services of the Ministry of Finance for the 2000 fiscal year in Parliament on Thursday.

In reaction to Mr Mensah’s call, Mr Victor Selormey, Deputy Minister of Finance said while the government is prepared to accept proper advice, it will reject those that are not based on facts.

Nothing forbids Ghanaians from offering ideas for the development of the economy, the paper reports him as saying.

GRi../

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The Dispatch

‘The Albert Tape’… Trial of joy FM staff and others uncertain

The Dispatch devotes the whole of its front page to the 1999 worldwide report on press freedom by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), which featured 35 African countries including Ghana.

According to the paper, the report on Ghana said in part, “yet, the repressive legal climate did not deter Ghana’s vibrant press from reporting on sensitive issues, including the purchase of a new presidential jet while the country was suffering serious social and economic malaise.”

The paper say, on what has become known as the Albert Tape or Rawlings’ Tape, a result of which eight staff members of Joy FM and the Weekend Statesman were harassed, the report said, “no trial date was set. Some journalists in Ghana seemed confident the case would never come to trial”.

According to the paper, one of the main highlights of the Worldwide Report is that Sierra Leone became the deadliest country to work in as a journalist.

GRi../

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The Free Press

Free fight at NDC congress

The Free Press reports that violence broke out at the Ablekuma Central constituency congress of the NDC, held at the Local Government Training School at Laterbiokoshie last Saturday.

According to the paper, the congress was disrupted by a youth group, accusing the NDC constituency Chairman, Mr. Basha who also doubles as the Regional Vice Chairman of the party, of refusing to pay them 30,000 cedis for each rally held during the Ablekuma Central by-elections.

The paper says a further probe by it indicated that four members of the group were promised that they would be screened for possible selection as a parliamentary candidate for the constituency.

The Free Press mentioned the four as a former MP, Ishmail Bawa, Mr. Kawawa, a former footballer, of the defunct Agona Fankobaa football club, Mr. Vanderpuye, an architect and Commodore Mensah, a former PNDC deputy secretary of agriculture. Mr Commodore is said to have entered the race at the last hour.

The paper furher said, Mr. Kawawa, who was convinced he was going to win to become the NDC candidate, was later prevailed upon to give way to Commodore Mensah since he was considered to be a better candidate.

However hell broke lose when Kawawa's supporters carried him high when he arrived at the congress proclaiming him as the obvious choice of the people, the paper said.

When law and order prevailed after Mr. Kawawa had left, other people carried the former MP Ismail Bawa high describing him as the next candidate for the constituency and refused to accept Commodore Mensah.

Mr Basha is said to have disclosed after what happened that instruments were bought for the youth to keep and play at any party function at no cost to the party, so there is nothing like 30,000 cedis per performance as being speculated by the youth

British businessmen to visit Ghana

The paper reports that a group representing 23 British Companies and members of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry{LCCI} would visit Ghana from 31 March to 6 April this year.

The visit according to the story would be under the auspices of the United Kingdom Government's export support programme and the British Trade International (BTI).

According to the paper, the visitors would hold discussions with their Ghanaian counterparts during the visit.

The group represents a wide range of businesses in the UK including waste management, fire prevention, railway supply, glass and metal louvers and sunscreens, container handling and cargo lift trucks. The rest are geological and geometric surveys and mineral exploration, printing machinery, vehicle spare parts and agriculture, communication and scanning equipment and a host of others.

According to the paper, the LCCI with a current membership of over 3,000 was founded in 1881 to promote the business interest of its members and that of London.

GRi../

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Weekly Insight

Agyekum in big trouble

The Weekly Insight reports that the Police have no clue as to who vandalised the residence of Mr. Agyekum chairman of the erstwhile National Public Tribunal.

According to the paper, sources close to Agyekum say the Vandals, who may have been well armed broke into his house and destroyed everything.

The police, the paper says, admitted that the vandalism took place after Agyekum had written a very revealing book about the abduction and murder of the three high court judges and a retired army officer in 1982.

However the Police sources say that until the identities of those involved have been established and their motives found it will be difficult to provide adequate security for Mr. Agyekum.

GRi../

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Ghanaian Times

Hospital blames police

The Ghanaian Times reports that the Accra Psychiatric Hospital yesterday blamed the Police for the escape of Joseph Osei Agyemang, an accused rapist, brought to the hospital with a court order.

According to the paper, Dr. C D Abbey the Psychiatrist who examined Agyemang said, after the observation, the police was requested to come for the accused person but they failed to turn up.

The letter to the Police, Dr, Abbey said was sent to them a week before the accused absconded.

Meanwhile, the Times quoting another source at the hospital indicated that the accused got wind of the contents of the report and perhaps decided to escape.

The accused was not kept under guard because he had not been sentenced, according to the papre.

The accused was sent to the hospital for psychiatric observation upon a circuit tribunal order, when he made his first appearance in the dock last year, after absconding to Togo while on an enquiry bail.

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Ministry to protect local goods.

In a second story, the Times reports the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Dan Abodakpi as saying that the government was determined to discourage the importation of goods already being produced in the country.

It said, the Minister at taking his turn at the meet the Press Series in Accra, said under the liberalised regime, the government could not ban such products but would make their importation less lucrative, the Minister said.

He explained that tax and other measures were in place to minimise the craving by Ghanaians for imported goods.

The paper further says Mr Abodakpi indicated that in pursuing a free market policy, the government would continue to ensure that the private sector was encouraged through appropriate policy intervention that would guarantee their meaningful participation in the global market.

The Minister reiterated the Ministry's close collaboration with other sectors of the economy to pursue policy options and programmes aimed at the creation of sustainable conditions for the optimum growth, development expansion and competitiveness of the private sector.

Mentioning some of the measures to be put in place to promote the private sector, the Minister is reported to have said that the government would put in place a policy on the purchase of Made-In-Ghana goods by all Ministries, departments and agencies as well as contractors executing government projects.

GRi../

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