Central
region records more deaths from road accidents
Give continent
a new image - High Commissioner
Judge
calls for succession plans
Fast
Track Court dismisses application
Cassette
distributors, retailers on demonstration
President
Kufuor on practices retarding women's contribution
Mills
for UN conference in Brazil
Solicitor
for suspected Ya-Na's killers files for Habeas Corpus
Ghana's total foreign asset base on the rise
Serious
Fraud Office investigating Free Zones Board
Free
Zones Board to adopt a land use plan
Retire
army officer says rebels must not be given sanctuary
NPP
told to let history be its guide
Finance Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, announcing this in Parliament, did not specify reasons for the government’s action, but said the nation did not encounter any loss in the transaction.
Parliament, at its last session, had passed the government’s sourcing of the facility from the consortium, the first tranche of ¢350m which was to be received in October 2002.
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Central
region records more deaths from road accidents
Cape Coast (Central
Region) 26 November 2002- Mr Patrick Ampewuah, acting Regional Police
Commander, on Monday said though road accidents in the region have reduced last
year, the number of deaths resulting from them have so far increased.
He said 146 people
died between January and September this year as against 102 within the same
period last year.
Mr Ampewuah, who is
also the Chairman of the Central Region Road Safety Committee, was speaking at
a day's seminar for about 300 commercial vehicle drivers from the region at
Participants were
taught how to use fire extinguishers, provide first aid to accident victims and
to read and understand road signs.
He called on the
authorities to intensify the campaign against road accidents, especially in the
rural areas where more than 50 per cent of accidents occurred.
Mr Ampewuah also suggested
that spot fines should be re-introduced to serve as a deterrent to recalcitrant
drivers.
In an address read for
him, Mr Isaac Edumadze, the Regional Minister, expressed concern that 27 per
cent of all road accidents in the county involved children of school going age.
He called on Ghanaians
to assist the law enforcement agencies to curb the incidence and appealed to
drivers to be more cautious on the road, especially during the Christmas
period.
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Give
continent a new image - High Commissioner
Accra (Greater Accra)
26 November 2002- Dr. M. M. Phologane, South African High Commissioner on
Saturday called on African intellectuals to harness resources to change the
negative image of the continent.
He said, "
Dr. Phologane, who
said this at the Bishop Herman Old Boys Union Golden Jubilee Ball and Awards
night in
He said the continent
must move from the concept of being the recipient of foreign AID, and donor
support in the mist of abundant natural resources.
The High Commissioner
tasked African intellectuals to rebuild the continent based on a sense of
responsibility, commitment and offer good leadership to the masses whose taxes
had helped mould them.
Professor Ernest
Dumor, an Electoral Commissioner appealed to old students associations to adopt
and resource educational institutions in the country. He said old students
associations hold the key to the development of educational institutions in the
country.
A representative of
the Headmaster congratulated the union for their contributions to the
development of the school. He however, called for more resources to restore the
school to its past glory.
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Judge
calls for succession plans
Accra (Greater Accra)
26 November 2002- Justice George Acquah, a Supreme Court Judge at the week-end
asked institutions and churches to develop sound succession plans to forestall
their collapse after the death of their founders or proprietors.
He said, "as a
judge, I have learnt the subject of succession to be of immense source of
conflict and death in several instances, and like the case of the White Cross
Society, whose leader died without succession plan led to litigation in the
church".
Even as a nation, it
is imperative to have modes of conduct that would engender the development of
high calibre of successors after leaders or owners of companies and churches
were dead.
Justice Acquah, made
the call at the launching of two books - 'Keys to Successful Succession' and
'Rewards of Faithfulness' authored by the Reverend Emmanuel Kwabena Ansah,
Senior Associate Pastor of the Soul Clinic International Church in Accra.
Justice Acquah said
many Ghanaian businesses, which attained success and glamour in the immediate
past, have all folded up or have become mere shadows of their former selves
following the demise of their owners or founders.
"Indeed because
there are no succession plans or clear cut hierarchical structures in most of
these businesses they just fizzle out when their founders die.
"The same is for
nations, who do not have sound systems and institutions for replacing their
leaders; and what happens when they died or are killed, anarchy becomes the
norm."
He said a number of
The other book -
Rewards of Faithfulness, endears Christians to remain faithful to God and their
vocations to receive the rewards of their efforts.
Rev. Ansah said he was
moved to write the first book after witnessing that nearly all the large
companies and commercial enterprises in the country had just folded up or have
become smaller than they started or have just become extinct.
Rev Ansah who is also
the General-Secretary of the National Association of Charismatic Churches
(NACC) said he drew lessons from traditional set-ups and older Christian
denominations in writing the books. He said a number of tertiary institutions
and colleges have adopted the books as textbooks.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 26
November 2002- An Accra Fast Track Court trying a former minister of state on
Monday refused an application for stay of proceedings filed against the court's
own ruling at the Appeal on a special audit report tendered by a prosecution
witness. Dismissing the application, Mr. Justice Stephen Farkye said it was
unmeritorious.
Mr Charles Hayibor,
counsel for Dan Abodakpi, former Minister of Trade and Industry, filed the
application on Friday, 22 November praying the court to stay proceedings
pending the final determination of an appeal at the Court of Appeal.
Arguing the grounds
for the stay, Mr Hayibor said his client was dissatisfied with the court's
ruling on the admissibility of a special audit report tendered on Monday, 18
November by Mr Philip Baffour Awuah, a chartered accountant.
Counsel further stated
that Mr Awuah produced a report that was not only highly prejudicial, but was
prepared solely with litigation. He therefore, prayed the Court of Appeal to
determine the capacity, authority and competence of Mr. Awuah auditing a public
account.
"This, I am
advised, will ensure that in the event that he is found not to have been
appointed by the Auditor-General, then obviously this exhibit will have to be
wholly disregarded as being of no probative value but highly prejudicial and
therefore, ought not to be admitted in evidence," defence counsel said.
Mr Hayibor noted that
the audit report was on the request from the Office of the President, Castle
Annex and was submitted to the National Security Office on behalf of the
Ministry of Finance, and stressed that the report did not mention the name of
the Auditor-General.
Replying, Mr Anthony
Gyambiby, Principal State Attorney, led by Mr Osafo Sampong, Director for
Public Prosecution said they have not been served with a copy of the motion and
prayed the court to grant some minutes in order to obtain the motion and react
to it.
The Court obliged and
stood the case down for one hour. When sitting resumed, Mr Gyambiby prayed the
Court to dismiss the application for stay of proceedings, as it was an attempt
to frustrate the trial of the case.
"If the slightest
thing was overruled by the Court and they are going to the Court of Appeal when
is the trial going to be over?" he asked.
He said the
prosecution witness had repeated several times that he was authorised by the
Auditor-General to audit public accounts, adding if there was any objection it
would have been done during witness' cross-examination.
Mr Gyambiby stated
that even if the defence succeeded in their appeal there was not going to be
any irreparable damage to the applicants. Soon after the ruling, Mr Awuah was
cross-examined by Mr Hayibor. Mr Awuah agreed with counsel that the contract
document was incomplete.
Abodakpi is jointly tried
with Victor Selormey, former deputy Finance Minister who is currently serving
an eight-year jail term.
They have both pleaded
not guilty to seven counts of conspiracy to commit crime, defrauding by false
pretences and wilfully causing a total loss of 2.73 billion cedis to the State
and are on three-billion cedis self-recognisance bail each.
The case for the
prosecution is that between May and December 2000, the accused persons
allegedly transferred 4,000 dollars into the local bank account of Dr Fred
Owusu-Boadu, a consultant, through ECOBANK (Ghana)Limited.
He said the monies,
whose transfers were authorised by Selormey, were to be used as fees for
feasibility studies towards the establishment of the project.
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Cassette
distributors, retailers on demonstration
Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 26 November 2002- The Ashanti Region Cassette Distributors and
Retailers Association has vowed to resist attempts by the Copyright Society of
Ghana (COSGA) to stop them from distributing and selling cassettes without the
GAMUGRAM label.
Members of the
association demonstrated through the principal streets of Kumasi to register their
protest against what members of the association described as harassment by
COSGA and the police.
Speaking to the GNA
after the demonstration, Mr Baffour Manu, Ashanti Regional Vice-Chairman of the
Association, said the action was a prelude to a two-day strike to draw
attention to the unwarranted conduct of COSGA.
He said the
association was not responsible for purchasing the GAMUGRAM and that producers
of music were expected to do so and called on the government to intervene in
the matter to avert any confrontation.
Mr Manu said COSGA and
the Police Striking Force, armed with guns and handcuffs, confiscate cassettes
of members of the association without any justification, about two weeks ago.
He stated that the
association was prepared to face COSGA and the police if they embarked on any
such action again since members bought the cassettes from producers of music
and were issued with receipts.
Mr Manu said COSGA
knew producers who had refused to buy the GAMUGRAM and failed to arrest them
and wondered why distributors and retailers should be harassed.
He said the unilateral
action of COSGA was intended to saddle members of the association with debts in
spite of the fact that they paid income tax to the Internal Revenue Service.
Mr Augustine Charles
Manu, Secretary to the Association, said it would resist any attempt by any
government agency in association with COSGA to cheat producers, distributors
and retailers.
He, therefore, called
on the Copyright Administrator and related officers to stop harassing members
of the association and to resign.
Mr King Sarfo of
Standard Music, an Executive Member of the association, said some agencies
seized cassettes from members though they had receipts covering them.
He cited that Customs,
Excise and Preventive Service officials seized cassettes he bought from Accra
at the Kubease barrier though he had receipts covering them.
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President
Kufuor on practices retarding women's contribution
Accra (Greater Accra)
26 November 2002- President John Agyekum Kufour has appealed to traditional
authorities as custodians of the country's culture to take keen interest in
weeding out practices retarding the contribution of women to national
development.
He said girl-child
education was a priority of the government but the benefits could be realised
quickly if traditional authorities embraced and supported the policy.
President Kufour's
appeal was contained in a speech at the launching of the Women's Initiative for
Self Empowerment (WISE) Wellness Centre at Dzorwulu in Accra.
Mrs Gladys Asmah,
Minister of Women and Children's Affair, on behalf of President Kufour said
cultural practices retarding the progress of women could only be eradicated
with the concerted effort of all and charged Ghanaians to resolve to ensure
equal opportunities for them.
He commended the
efforts of organisations including the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs
and multilateral agencies for raising the status of women.
President Kufour
noted, however, that many of the problems facing women could not be resolved by
the mere enactment of laws. "The whole society must resolve to work at
ensuring that women do not suffer discrimination," President Kufour
stressed.
He called for the
education and empowerment of women to contribute to the country's development
and said gave the government's commitment to support and protect them against
violence.
President Kufour
congratulated WISE for the initiative and urged the organisation to put public
education on top of its programmes.
He advised women and
child rights advocates to design messages that would not antagonise the people
they would need as collaborators in the battle to curb violence against women.
"Make sure that
you are not labelled as people with foreign notions and thus alienate the
conservative elements," President Kufour advised and asked them to
recognise the role of men in the fight against domestic violence.
Mr Emile Short,
Commissioner on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), said the high
incidence of violence against women should be a matter of concern to all
believers in human dignity and national development.
He said it was
difficult to determine the extent of violence because many victims did not
report. The Commissioner called for support for the Draft Domestic Violence
Bill and encouragement for victims to speak out and report violent acts.
"At the
individual level, let us if we are aware that somebody is being abused either
physically or psychologically or otherwise, take responsibility to report the
incident to the appropriate authorities for necessary action".
Dr Sam Jonah, Chief
Executive of the Ashanti Goldfields, dedicated the centre and presented a
cheque of 50 million cedis on behalf of the company to the Centre.
WISE, a
non-governmental organisation dedicated to providing counselling and other
support services to women and children victims of violence was established in
1999.
It has a governing
board including community development experts charged with developing and
evaluating its policies and programmes.
The Centre has
departments for women and children and would offer psychological, legal and
medical assistance to victims of violence.
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Mills
for UN conference in Brazil
Accra (Greater Accra) 26
November 2002- Professor John Evans Atta-Mills, former Vice
President and an
aspiring NDC flag bearer, has been invited by the United Nations Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) to the third inter-regional workshop on
taxation to be held in Brasilia, Brazil, from 3 to 5 December 2002.
A statement in Accra
on Monday said he would make a presentation at the workshop, which is a
follow-up to the UN's Monterrey Consensus. It said the workshop was being
organised by the UN in association with the Inter-American Centre of Tax
Administration (CIAT) and the government of Brazil.
Professor Attar-Mills
would be the only African among the tax experts who would be making
presentations on "Strengthening International Tax Cooperation" from
Canada, India, Chile, The Netherlands, Jamaica and Bolivia.
Other speakers are
from Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Columbia, Mexico, Guatemala, the IMF and the
World Bank. Meanwhile, Prof Atta-Mills has been appointed as a
"Distinguished Senior Associate of the Liu Centre for the Study of Global
Issues" in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of British
Columbia, Canada.
A statement on Monday
said the appointment, which was for a maximum of three years, beginning 01
September 2002, did not require residency in Canada.
Prof Mills would live
in Ghana to conduct his presidential campaign but would travel periodically to
Canada and elsewhere to fulfil the responsibilities of the appointment.
A citation signed by
Frieda Granot, Dean of Graduate Studies of the University said, "Your
contributions to Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues have been enormous.
You have created
awareness in Canada of current African issues and advised public policy on the
New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD).
"We are all
enriched by your willingness to take your message across the country about this
new partnership and Canada's role in it.
Given this
extraordinary contribution, we are grateful that you would continue to work
together with us to see NEPAD implemented by monitoring and advising on it for
Canada and other international stakeholders".
It expressed the hope
that Prof Mills would highlight and help develop opportunities for the Centre
to contribute to West Africa and Ghana with regards to NEPAD, governance, peace
and security, in particular. The statement, added that, scholars in the Centre
would be happy to work on publications with him.
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Solicitor
for suspected Ya-Na's killers files for Habeas Corpus
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo
Region) 26 November 2002- Nana Obiri Boahen, a Sunyani Lawyer and Solicitor for
Yidana Sugri and Jahinfo Pachi, who are under police investigations for their
alleged involvement in the murder of the late Ya Na, Yakubu Andani II, Overlord
of Dagbon, on Monday filed a writ of habeas corpus against the Inspector
General of Police (IGP) and three others.
The three others are
the National Director and Chief Director of Bureau of National Investigations
(BNI) and the Greater Accra Regional Commander of Police. About a fortnight ago
the two were arrested in Tamale and flown to Accra and placed in custody for
their alleged involvement in the murder of the Ya-Na.
In the writ copied to
the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani, the Solicitor said the continued detention
and incarceration of the two amounted to "serious breach and violation of
their fundamental human rights enshrined under the 1992 constitution".
Nana Boahen recalled
that the Wuaku Commission, then probing the Yendi violence ordered the arrest
of the two "but realising its mistake later ordered their release".
The two made
themselves available at the Commission's sittings anytime they were required to
be present, he said.
The Solicitor who had
earlier protested against the arrest and detention of the two men stated that
the Commission had long finished its work and had submitted its report to the
President but the Government had not issued any White Paper in respect of the
Commission's report.
Nana Obiri Boahen
expressed regret that he had not received any response to his petition to the
IGP over the arrest and detention of the two persons.
No criminal charges
have been preferred against the applicants and there is no indication that they
shall be released in the immediate future, the solicitor added.
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Non-traditional
exports earn Ghana more
Accra (Greater Accra)
26 November 2002- The Ghana Export Promotion Council (GEPC) on Monday said
earnings from non-traditional exports were expected to reach 500 million
dollars from some 400 million dollars by the end of this year.
Mr Adu Mensah, General
Manager of the GEPC, said this when he opened a five-day advanced course in
export marketing for 30 exporters in Accra.
He said the Council
was working in collaboration with professionals such as lawyers, architects,
insurance brokers and bankers to export their services.
"Workshops have
been held for these professionals to bring to bear how they could successfully package
their services for the export market."
Mr Mensah said in
order to enhance the supply base of local products, the GEPC through the Export
Production Village Concept (EPV), is assisting producers of beads, kente,
baskets at Dabala, Bonwire and Bongo respectively with technical assistance and
funds from the Export Development Investment Funds (EDIF).
He said the council
has throughout the year held education programmes for exporters to build their
capacity to make them competitive.
Mr Mensah said the
council was undertaking market survey and access facilitation for selected
Ghanaian products in the sub-region, adding that this would enable exporters to
"take maximum advantage of this potential and to realize full benefits of
the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS)".
Mr Mensah said that
since packaging and labelling are major components in the export trade, GEPC is
working with 12 companies to build their capacity to improve their products to
meet international standards.
"It is important
to recognise that the international nature of the export trade has become
sophisticated and demanding that rules governing it must be thoroughly observed
and properly applied."
Mr Sam Ayesu, Deputy
Director in charge of training, GEPC said that participants are expected to be
encouraged after the course to take part in international trade fairs, improve
the packaging and costing of their products.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
26 November 2002- The value of Ghana's total foreign asset base surged at the
end of the third quarter of 2002, but so has claims on government over the same
period.
Statistics supporting
the situation showed that Ghana's total foreign asset base closed at 2,869.9
billion cedis at the end of last year but managed a rise of 3,401.3 billion
cedis by the first quarter of this year, starting the year at 3,076.3 billion
cedis.
Sources at the Central
Bank told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) Business Desk that after several years of
fluctuating, even though within a certain bracket, " the trend now has
been to rise; and we are certain to maintain it and increase the figures."
The total foreign
asset base consist of Gold, Special Drawing Rights (SDR) of Holdings of the
International Monetary Fund, foreign currency and balance with banks, foreign
securities and buildings.
By the close of the second
quarter this year, this had risen to 3,241.9 billion cedis. This figure went up
slightly to 3,568.6 billion cedis in August, but slipped sharply to 3,417.5
billion cedis.
Total claims on
government in the form of government stocks, treasury bills, loans and advances
and revaluation stocks, closed 2001 at 2,473.4 billion cedis.
This jumped to
29,775.2 billion cedis in January this year but strict financial management saw
the quarter finishing at 9,149.3 billion cedis.
The second and third
quarters saw claims on government rising to 15,324.8 billion cedis and 23,324.5
billion cedis respectively.
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Serious
Fraud Office investigating Free Zones Board
Accra (Greater Accra)
26 November 2002- The Ministry of Trade and Industry on Monday said the Serious
Fraud Office is investigating allegations of irregular expenditure of about two
billion cedis on the renovation of the offices and residence of the former
Acting Director of Ghana Free Zones Board.
A statement issued in
Accra in reaction to allegation made by the Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr
Alban Bagbin, in respect of expenditure made by the then Acting Director of the
Ghana Free Zones Board said the Ministry would take the necessary action after
the completion of investigations.
The Ministry said the
expenditure was incurred without the prior approval of the Ministry and the
Board, which is chaired by the Minister.
The statement said the
Acting Director, who was on secondment from the Trade Ministry has been
recalled to the Ministry, while investigations by the Auditor-General
Department and the Serious Fraud Office are currently underway.
It noted that the
Minister of Trade does not have any personal representative at the Free Zones
Board as was being peddled around.
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Free
Zones Board to adopt a land use plan
Accra (Greater Accra)
26 Nov. 25, GNA - The Free Zones Board is to adopt a land use plan that would
ensure that companies producing similar goods are grouped together in the same
location within the export enclave.
In this connection,
the Board is to redesign the original plan of the export zones to conform to
the new vision to allow for the smooth implementation of the programme.
Mr Andy Appiah-Kubi,
the Acting Director of the Free Zones Board, announced this during a visit of
the Board to the project site on Monday to inspect the progress of work.
According to him, the
provision of various infrastructure and services such as good roads, drains,
electricity and water was important to making the zone attractive for potential
investors to locate their companies there.
Mr Appiah-Kubi said
the government's disposition towards the growth of the private sector and the
offer of generous concessions and incentives unparalleled in the sub-region
could help boost interest in the operations of the zones to enhance employment.
The Board members
inspected the progress of construction work on the dual carriage way to the
zones, the drains, and water reservoir and treatment plants.
The World Bank is
financing the water supply and drainage system and the roads at the total cost
of about 102 billion cedis.
Nana Asafo-Boakye,
Co-ordinator of the project, said work on the roads and drains are expected to
be completed in January 2003 and the water reservoir construction, in June.
Mr Dennis Vormawor, a
Board Member, said he was satisfied with the progress of work at the offshore
site but said the provision of water to the zone is one of the critical issues
that government had to deal with.
He said appropriate
steps needed to be taken to ensure that water supply to the Tema township and
nearby communities was not affected.
According to him, one
way to prevent that situation was to build a water reservoir at Michel Camp,
saying the Board would do all it could to ensure that this was carried out.
Mr Vormawor said the
Volta River Authority and the Electricity Company of Ghana would extend
electricity to the companies and expressed the hope that they would enjoy
unimpeded services.
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Retire
army officer says rebels must not be given sanctuary
Ho (Volta Region) 26
November 2002- Maj-Gen John P. Addah (RTD), a former Deputy Commander of ECOMOG
in Liberia, on Sunday said it was imperative for parliaments in West Africa to
put pressure on their governments to deny sanctuary and assistance to rebels
who launch attacks against their neighbours.
He was addressing the
Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Interior and Defence on the
Topic, "ECOMOG experience in conflict management in West Africa", at
a seminar on "operationalizing the ECOWAS Protocol relating to the
mechanisms for conflict prevention, management, resolution, peace-keeping and
security," in Ho.
In attendance were
some senior officers of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), the academia and the
Ministry of Economic Planning and Regional Co-operation. The seminar was
sponsored by the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES).
Maj-Gen Addah said
those who had axes to grind with their governments must do so within their own
countries and not to be allowed to export their internal problems to their
neighbours.
"These things can
backfire", he warned.
He said notwithstanding
the complex challenges, ECOMOG accomplished the task given to it creditably in
Liberia to the admiration of the international community.
Maj-Gen Addah said
that showed the military capability in West Africa to deal with conflicts and
maintain peace, but lacked the logistics support to deal with protracted
conflicts.
The participants
recommended to member countries of ECOWAS to ratify the protocol as early as
possible to enable it to become operational without delay. They also called for
intensive public education on the protocol.
Member countries of
ECOWAS were also asked to establish national Commissions on small arms control
and to give the West African Court of Justice the mandate to deal with human
rights abuses during conflicts in the sub-region.
They called for a
foreign policy on peacekeeping and the status of force agreement between Ghana
and countries involved in peacekeeping operations.
They also recommended
the training and involvement of the media in the coverage of peacekeeping
operations in view of the great influence their reports could have on the
troops and the citizenry back home.
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NPP told
to let history be its guide
Bekwai (Ashanti
Region) 26 November 2002- Mr Fredrick Fredua Antoh, Ashanti Region Chairman of
the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has called on members and supporters of the
party to let history be their guide and avoid internal wrangling likely to
cause problems of disunity and fragmentation.
He said the bitter
electoral defeat they suffered in the 1979 general elections as a result of
their split into the Popular Front Party (PFP) and the United National
Convention (UNC) should serve as a constant reminder to them to remain focussed
and uncompromising on unity and cohesion of the party.
Mr Antoh was
addressing separate congresses of the Asante-Bekwai and Bosomtwe constituencies
held at Bekwai and Kuntanase.
The Regional Chairman
told them that retention of political power in the 2004 polls would only come
through hard work, total commitment, complete loyalty, discipline and political
maturity on the part of all NPP supporters.
He cautioned against
complacency and asked the party's functionaries at all levels to get down to
"serious political organisation to broaden the party's support base".
Mr Antoh advised them
to explain government policies and programmes to the people to help prevent
deliberate twists, misrepresentation and distortion by their opponents.
Mr Kofi Poku Adusei,
Member of Parliament (MP) for Bekwai, asked them to be tolerant of people who
do not share their political views.
''Politics is not
about conflict. You should accept the noise and criticisms of your opponents as
a democratic norm that should not in any way be allowed to distract you.''
"If they were to
praise and agree with us on all policy matters, then there would not be any
reasonable basis for them to contest us in polls."
Mr Poku-Adusei promised
to provide the constituency with a vehicle to strengthen the party's
organisational work and ensure landslide victory in the 2004 elections.
Mr Joe Osei-Owusu, the
out-going Bekwai constituency chairman who did not contest the position, said
although the pace of progress of the country was not as the government had
expected it had made some significant political and economic strides.
He called on the
people to continue to show goodwill and support for the government's
"carefully thought out" policies to bring quality changes to the
lives of all Ghanaians.
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