Minority Leader, four ex-ministers to refund GH¢94,080

Five ex-ministers in the Kufuor administration and the current Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, have been ordered to refund a total of GH¢94,080 as overpayment made to them in their ex-gratia computation. The directive, which follows the Auditor-General's Report on the Verification of Payments of emoluments for ex-ministers and Members of Parliament (MPs), drew an angry reaction from the Minority Leader when the Daily Graphic contacted him for a response. He dismissed the news as "a childish prank by the NDC government to create disaffection for members of the NPP". Those ordered to refund the money are Mr Christopher Addae, GH¢ 17,936; Mr Samuel Kweku Obodai, GH¢17,936; Mr Kyei-Bonsu GH¢20,848; Mr Ernest Debrah, GH¢19,424, and Mr Kofi Osei Ameyaw, GH¢ 17,936. It follows a request by the Office of the President, by a letter dated March 29, 2010, requesting the Auditor-General to conduct an audit verification of Emoluments for Ex-Ministers and MPs to advise on whether there were shortfalls in payments made by the Office of the President, whether there were any overpayments by Parliament and whether there was a basis for reconciliation of the various payments. Reacting to the Auditor-General's finding, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu expressed surprise that the affected persons had not been notified but added that it would be interesting to know the basis of the said computation, adding, "We will react appropriately when the details are made available to us." The Auditor-General, after carrying out the requested verification, submitted that there were no shortfalls in payments made by the Office of the President but that there were some under and over-payments made by Parliament. That was also dismissed by the Minority Leader, who insisted that each MP was paid about the same amount of gratuity and wondered how "only the five of us could have been overpaid". "The purpose of this prank is obvious but this cannot intimidate us," he added. It would be recalled that President John Evans Atta Mills, after the submission of the Ishmael Yamson Report on the emoluments of Article 71 office holders, requested that payments be made to a category of holders who served between January 7, 2005 and January 6, 2009. It made the categorisation of distribution as follows - four months' consolidated salary for each completed year of service or pro rata to calculate the end-of-service benefit (ESB), installation grant of one month's consolidated salary, and resettlement grant of one month's consolidated salary for each completed year of service. That request was conveyed to Parliament by a letter dated November 5,2009. According to the audit report, payments were made to ministers who were not MPs, saying those were paid all their benefits by the Office of the President. It said ministers who were MPs were paid their ex-gratia by Parliament and their installation and resettlement grants by the Office of the President, while MPs who were not ministers collected their ESB and installation and resettlement grants from Parliament. The report said the Office of the President paid the ESB and installation and resettlement grants to the 43 ministers who were not MPs, adding that they received the full amounts as calculated by the Office of the President based on the presidential directive. It said the monthly salaries used for the computation of the ESB of 59 ministers were less than their approved monthly consolidated salaries, thereby resulting in total under-payment of GH¢411,632 being made to 54 of the 59 ministers. It said the names of five of the 59 ex-ministers appeared again on the list paid by Parliament, although they had had their installation and resettlement grants paid by the Office of the President, stressing that by "this repetition, the five ex-ministers have been paid the installation and resettlement grant twice". In respect of the installation and resettlement grant, it said after setting off the under-payments against the over-payments, GH¢648, 710 had been paid to 176 MPs who were not ministers. "The under-payment and overpayment by Parliament were as a result of the computations not going through any audit verification before being submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for the release of funds for the payment," the report said. Source: Daily Graphic/Ghana

NDC flagbearership: Mills would obviously be retained

President J.E.A. Mills         Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, special aide to President Mills, has counseled members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who are thinking of contesting the president for the flagbearership of the party to rescind the decision suffer an embarrassing loss. According to him, it would be a waste of time and money for anyone to contest Mills because he would deliver on his promises and convince Ghanaians to retain him in power. He added that it would be unnecessary for the NDC delegates to decide otherwise. After being accused of not managing the economy well and acting too slowly, some members of the NDC have also warned of the party losing power to the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) if President Mills is retained as the NDC's presidential candidate for the 2012 elections. Recently, a member of the party who failed to win the youth organizer position of the party and said to be a Rawlings loyalist, Mohammed Abdulai Mubarak, (Ras Mubarak) wrote in an article that the President “no longer has grassroots support and is certainly unpopular with young voters”, adding that “there are irrefutable reasons why he cannot lead the NDC into victory in 2012.” But speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme Monday, the presidential aide, who obviously disagreed with the above assertion, noted that the president would have taken Ghana to the ‘Promised Land’ by 2012. Turning his attention to the NPP, Nii Lantey urged flagbearer aspirants to focus on marketing themselves to their delegates instead of capitalizing on the ‘failures’ of the Mills administration as a measuring rod because some people did the same thing in his party and it did not help them. He was certain that President “Mills’ election victory come 2012 is indisputable”. By: Dorcas Efe Mensah/myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Sipa Yankey takes CHRAJ to court

Dr Sipa Yankey   Former Health Minister Dr. George Sipa-Yankey has taken legal action against the Commission on Human Rights and Administration Justice (CHRAJ). The suit is challenging CHRAJ's decision to suspend public hearings into the Mabey and Johnson bribery scandal. CHRAJ suspended the hearings last week after some of the other former public officers alleged to have been bribed by Mabey and Johnson filed a writ challenging the jurisdiction of CHRAJ to investigate the the matter. But Dr. Sipa Yankey, who resigned to clear his name, is insisting that CHRAJ should hear his case. His lawyer, Kwame Gyan, told Joy News’ Cyrus deGraft-Johnson after filing the suit at the Human Rights Court he was seeking an order of certiorari to quash the decision of CHRAJ to suspend the investigation indefinitely and an order of mandamus “to compel CHRAJ to give Dr Sipa Yankey a hearing.” Mr Gyan said Dr Yankey is eager to get his name cleared because the former minister “is a young man, a very reputable professional [who] had a very reputable position which he had to relinquish to come and clear his name. We are pursuing other efforts in the UK in the same regard of clearing his name and we need the man to have time and the energies freed up so he can pursue that effort in the UK and then also move on with his life.” Asked if Dr Yankey is still nursing plans to return to public office, the lawyer said “that is the prerogative of the President.” Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana *Fiifi Koomson contributed reporting

NDC chairman in Bunkprugu Yunyoo shot

A raging dispute among members of the party there is said to be the cause of the shooting The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman for the Bunkprugu Yunyoo constituency in the Northern region has been shot. Kampion Yenikoa was shot in the left shoulder by unknown assailants at his home last night and is receiving treatment at the Baptist Mission Hospital. The reason for the attack is unknown. However, some constituency executives say the shooting may be the result of some internal party disagreements. The victim is said to have been shot when he approached his motorbike which he had parked outside his residence. Constituency secretary, Jagong Tahiru cited an incident where a sympathizer of the District Chief Executive warned that “all constituency executives were at risk” for calling for the dismissal of the DCE. According to him, sympathizers of the DCE had been incensed by the call for the dismissal of the chief executive. Mr. Tahiru said the incident has left the executives living in fear because no arrests have been made although police officials have visited the scene of the shooting. “It’s actually life-threatening,” Tahiru told Joy News. Source: Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Mills must be changed, he cannot lead NDC to victory in 2012 - Rawlings loyalist

Ras Mubarak thinks President Mills is not a perfect candidate for 2012 In spite of getting interest rates down, Prof Mills has not been able to turn round the Ghanaian economy. Health Insurance is in trouble and he has been weak on national security. Ras Mubarak A Rawlings loyalist, Mohammed Abdulai Mubarak, popularly called Ras Mubarak, has warned of dire consequences if the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) fields President Mills as its presidential candidate for the 2012 elections. He said the President “no longer has grassroots support and is certainly unpopular with young voters. President Mills has failed to rise to the occasion. He would not have the support of many members of the party across the country. There are irrefutable reasons why he cannot lead the NDC into victory in 2012.” Ras Mubarak said this in article he wrote last week and sent to media houses. He said of the NDC is careless and reckless enough to put up president Mills against any candidate in the opposition New Patriotic Party, the NPP will come back to power undeservedly. “The NDC needs a candidate who when elected President in 2012 can give hope to all Ghanaians, someone who can reconnect with lost constituencies in the NDC. “Our country deserves a President who can ‘think anew the theory for a 21st century social democracy’ and get things done whilst the sun is still up,” he wrote. Ras Mubarak contested the National Youth Organiser position of the ruling party and lost. Following the defeat, he claimed the winner, Ludwig Hlordze, had the tacit support of President Mills, adding, mobile phones and money were distributed to delegates and that accounted for his defeat. Last year, speculations were rife that there was a rift in the ruling party regarding the presidential candidate for 2012. To settle the issue, the President maintained he would run in 2012 but critics such as Ras Mubarak think that will spell doom for the party. The National Youth Organiser aspirant, confirming his call for the fielding of a different candidate, said the President had failed the party and the people of Ghana. “Prof. Mills' government has failed to exploit its early opportunities and carry the nation along. The government has alienated public support and there is a sense of unease even among Prof. Mills' uncritical supporters. Government has been shooting from the hip on a number of issues.” “In spite of getting interest rates down, Prof Mills has not been able to turn round the Ghanaian economy. Health Insurance is in trouble and he has been weak on national security. We are still far from being able to finance our development and have turned to the IMF/World Bank for the same bail outs and wrongheaded guidelines that haven't brought us much since independence. Ghanaians are still paying high taxes in return for inefficient social services,” he stated tersely. He told Peace FM Tuesday, that the President had marginalised some experienced hands in the ruling party “because they have not been sycophantic enough”. Touching on the many reported cases of protests and violent seizures of public facilities by irate youth of the NDC, Ras Mubarak said “The spates of peaceful and violent protests against the government by youths of the NDC are a verdict on Prof. Mills' failures. His reputation as an honest man is not in doubt. Even his most virulent critics know that he is a man of integrity, but he is a disastrous leader.” He said there was nothing wrong with the protests, for “Civil disobedience is permissible under our laws.” He warns of serious consequences if some four NDC youth who were arrested at Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa for locking up offices of the National Health Insurance Scheme are prosecuted. Referring to the President’s mantra that he is moving slowly but surely, the avowed critic said “Moving slowly is incompatible with our reputation as a party that gets things done, it is unworthy of the NDC.” Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Opinion: There will be consequences for the government if...

Mubarak: President Mills is a disastrous leader The main opposition party is reviling in the irony that youths in the ruling National Democratic Congress, NDC have turned their guns on the government. You can't blame them, that's a mark of their indifference. Citizens of Ghana have a patriotic duty to stage protests on any issue. And that was just what some members of the National Democratic Congress in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa constituency in the Central region did. They staged a non violent protest - Civil disobedience is permissible under our laws. The police have a right to constrain individual freedom when it threatens to do harm to others. Unfortunately, the police picked up the wrong people. They arrested four of the leading protestors. It would be interesting to see what charges they proffer against them. But there would be serious consequences for government if the Deputy Constituency organiser of the National Democratic Congress in Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa and three others are processed for court. If government does not listen to what the youth of the National Democratic Congress think is wrong with them, they (the young men and women of the party) won’t listen to government when government tells them what is wrong with them. Current events in government are a huge disappointment for many who had hoped for a better Ghana under President Mills. The electoral victory of 2008/9 was an opportunity to fight for those who cannot fight for themselves; to give hope to the youths who were let down by the NPP. President Mills made huge mistakes by ignoring some persons who could have helped him bring succour quickly. He has recently alienated his constituency and that is quite a shoot from the hip. The youth in the NDC feel the ladder of opportunity has been kicked away by their own government and many feel it has become hard to make a way up under the Mills government. If the NDC allows the growing deluge to continue, it would get a sound beating from the opposition in the next election. The only way to avert this impending calamity on the nation (If NPP won 2012) is to have a candidate in 2012 who can answer the problems of all Ghanaians. The spates of peaceful and violent protests against the government by youths of the NDC are a verdict on Prof. Mills' failures. His reputation as an honest man is not in doubt. Even his most virulent critics know that he is a man of integrity, but he is a disastrous leader. The stakes are high. Ghana can lead the way on economic prosperity in Africa. We have the innovators, the engineers and enthusiasm. What the people of Ghana need is leadership; not the type that was characterised by erosion of responsibility under Mr. Kufuor or the "slow but sure" leadership by President Mills. Moving slowly is incompatible with our reputation as a party that gets things done, it is unworthy of the NDC. Despite the disappointing showing from President Mills, it would be quite drivel to argue that, he hasn't achieved anything in nearly two years. Unlike his predecessor, John Kufuor, John Mills has done a remarkable job in eschewing greed and his policy on agriculture is encouraging. He deserves praise on a number of things which are positive. I am pleased that he is the President and certainly a better one than the alternative we were given by the New Patriotic Party in the last Presidential election. However we have to judge the achievement and failures of Prof. Mills based on the magnitude of the challenges he inherited and how he's responded to those challenges. If Malaysia and other nations that hitherto were less developed than Ghana many years ago can rise after years of sustained conflict and natural disasters to make advancement in technology, why can't we? Are they or any other race/country in the world better thinkers than we are? The NDC has an obligation to give the nation a bold leader. The transgressions of the opposition New Patriotic Party are still fresh on the minds of Ghanaians, but the prospects of anyone from that party becoming president in 2012 is no joke. Ghana would be damned if the NPP regained power. The concept of "property owning democracy" they copied from Mrs. Thatcher did not create any investment in the future. And that is why they were booted out. Their "property owning democracy" created hotels and plush homes for Mr. Kufuor and his henchmen. But it is dead duck if President Mills led the NDC into the 2012 contest. He no longer has the grassroots support and certainly unpopular with young voters. In the eyes of the youth of NDC, President Mills has failed to rise to the occasion. He would not have the support of many members of the party across the country. There are irrefutable reasons why he cannot lead the NDC into victory in 2012. I would keep some of the reasons to myself for the sake of my reverence for the President. The NDC needs a candidate who when elected President in 2012 can give hope to all Ghanaians, someone who can reconnect with lost constituencies in the NDC. Someone who is the best candidate for the main political parties and a unifier. Our country deserves a President who can "think anew the theory for a 21st century social democracy" and get things done whilst the sun is still up. Prof. Mills' government has failed to exploit its early opportunities and carry the nation along. The government has alienated public support and there is a sense of unease even among Prof. Mills' uncritical supporters. Government has been shooting from the hip on a number of issues. In spite of getting interest rate down, Prof Mills has not been able to turn round the Ghanaian economy. Health Insurance is in trouble and he has been weak on national security. We are still far from being able to finance our development and have turned to the IMF/World Bank for the same bail outs and wrongheaded guidelines that haven't brought us much since independence. Ghanaians are still paying high taxes in return for inefficient social services. There is danger in doing little or moving slowly to solve the nation's problems. The NDC as a party has to begin to look for successor who can save the nation. Our time is today. Credit: Ras Mubarak mmubarak79@yahoo.com

7 journalists narrowly escape lynching by NDC youth at Karaga

About seven journalists were nearly lynched Friday morning by supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress at Karaga in the Northern Region. The journalists are currently seeking refuge at the local police station, protected by only one police officer while efforts are being made to seek reinforcement from Tamale. One of the hostage journalists, Stephen Zoure told Joy News’ Dzifa Bampoh the other journalists are tensed fearing for their lives. He explained that the District Chief Executive for Karaga, Mr Abdulai Mohammed Sandow, invited them from Tamale to cover a programme in the district. He said when the journalists were about to enter the town, they hit a roadblock mounted by angry supporters of the ruling party. Nosy journalists as they are, a Metro TV cameraman attempted to take shots of the irate youth but that infuriated the demonstrators who pounced on them. They were rescued by an old ex-policeman, according to Mr Zoure, who rushed them to the police station for protection. He said the group mobilized and besieged the police station, surging forward and trying to break into the station to beat the hell out them, but the lone policeman, supported by the District Bureau of National Investigations officer, kept them at bay. It took the intervention of some elders of the town to calm tensions while reinforcement is being sought. Mr Zoure, who reports for the Daily Guide newspaper, said they were entangled in a crossfire between the NDC youth and the DCE. According to him, the youth had been told that the DCE was bringing in journalists to sort of expose them and that was why they wanted to vent their anger on the journalists. The Karaga DCE has had frosty relationships with supporters of the NDC in the area who accuse him of contract grabbing and working against the interest of the party. The party executives have made persistent calls for his removal, the latest coming only last Saturday when a delegation of party leaders, led by Vice Chairman Kofi Portuphy met with constituency executives of the party in Yendi. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana