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

Former President Kufuor speaks on Sudan elections

Former President Kufuor Former President John Agyekum Kufuor, has stated that the African Union does not favour any of the contesting political parties in the impending general elections in Sudan. A statement signed by his spokesperson, Mr Frank Agyekum said, the Union's interest was the smooth conduct of the elections to help Sudan to return to peace and stability. Sudan goes to the polls from April 11 to April 13 this month for the first time in more than 25 years to elect a President and a 450-member National Assembly. The statement said speaking at a Press Conference at the Grand Holiday Villas in Khartoum, Sudan, former President Kufuor, who led a 50-member AU Observer Mission, said the delegations are in Sudan as impartial and neutral election observers who did not owe any allegiance to any of the contending parties. President Kufuor explained that their duty is to observe the conduct of the elections in accordance with the AU's Declaration Principles governing elections in Africa. The 50-member AU Observer Mission is expected to determine at the end of the elections whether it was conducted in accordance with the constitution and laws of Sudan. The Mission includes National Electoral Commissioners, Members of the Pan-African Parliament, members of the Economic, Social and Cultural Council of the AU and representatives from Civil Society Organizations. They are also expected to determine the credibility of the whole electoral process in terms of providing a level playing field to all parties in their access to the media, movement and freedom of choice. The European Union has also sent delegations to observe the elections. Source: GNA

Voice from Afar: Ghana must be resurrected

Author: K.B. Asante My people of Kwahu are right in celebrating Easter with more gusto than they mark Christmas. Birth with all its mysteries leads to life. Can death then wipe out this great life into oblivion by one gasp of breath? As we bring the Easter festivities to an end, therefore, let us maintain our vision of the life eternal and abandon that existence which begins and ends with self. Let us promote the good life through our offspring, those around us and humanity at large by rescuing our country from the unfortunate depths to which it has sunk. Ghana must be resurrected! At Achimota I was fascinated by the South Pacific volcanic eruption of Easter Island when the art master dwelt briefly on the islanders’ burial platforms and their surrounding statutes. The islanders appeared to take death and burial as seriously as we take them in Ghana. I then read about Christmas Island but became unhappy. The island was said to be discovered by a Dutch admiral on Easter Sunday in 1722, hence the name. I asked myself: “Did not the island exist before western adventurers?” I was not surprised about what I subsequently learnt because if you discover or find something out of the blue, you use it as you like. And this was precisely what happened. Easter Island was annexed by Chile in 1888 after the inhabitants had been converted to Christianity. Thereafter, the natives of the island were confined to one village where they had 5,000 acres of land for subsistence farming. The rest of the island with 30,000 acres of grass-covered land was leased to a company for grazing of sheep and cattle. I was surprised that a country named to commemorate the victory of life over death was bled to oblivion by human greed. Today, I wonder whether our country is not bleeding through the short-sightedness and greed of our own people in high places. It is difficult to understand what is happening. The majority of the country appears to be devout Christians. And our Moslem brothers and sisters are also strong in their faith. Is it that we practise the outward forms of our belief with its rites and shows to the neglect of deeper meaning? I am afraid there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that some priests or religious leaders mislead the people for gain. As life gets burdensome, they promise not only redemption but riches. “The Lord will provide”, they say. “You give and He will replenish what you contribute 10-fold”. Stories about the fleecing of the poor are difficult to believe. It appears that it is not only the little-educated who run away from facts and succumb to the natural characteristic of wishful thinking. One example will suffice. An organisation with many big brains and professionals has started constructing a building. It now appears that it does not have enough funds and has no plans nor capacity for raising the extra money required. Apparently some are relying on faith. “If you have faith it can be done”; “with God everything is possible”, they appear to argue, even if they do not come out explicitly. Yes, we need faith. Yes, we can do a lot with determination and confidence. But you cannot get money out of empty or unwilling pockets. Good analysis and planning are necessary. It is after one has used the brains and hands given by God that one can confidently ask for the blessings of the Almighty. And so let us move forward with the real Easter spirit. Lying, cheating and stealing may lead to abundant life but they kill the soul. Misleading the poor and underprivileged destroys the innocent life. The country is poor, under-developed and appears to be sinking because we favour the immediate and not the future. Ghana has a great future provided we work for it. Ghana must be resurrected! Credit: K.B. Asante/Daily Graphic

Editorial: The quest for a Better Ghana

Sunday, Christians all over the world celebrated the most important event on their calendar — the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead — which forms the very foundation of the Christian faith. Indeed, for Christians, the resurrection is significant for many reasons. First, it is one of the major pieces of evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; second, Jesus’ resurrection represents an assurance that we have forgiveness from our sins. As Paul contended, “If Christ hath not been raised from the dead, our faith is futile; we are still in our sins” (1 Cor 15:17). Third, the resurrection tells the world that the Kingdom of God is ruled by a living sovereign and, fourth, Jesus’ resurrection proves that physical death is not the termination of human existence. God, who is the Giver of life, has power to reanimate the human body and Christ’s triumph over the grave is Heaven’s pledge to us that we too shall be raised some day. The fifth significance and perhaps the most powerful is that the Lord’s resurrection previews the ultimate victory of Christianity over all its enemies. Sadly, however, we continue to grope in the dark, despite the huge price of redemption paid for us by the Lord Jesus Christ and the great assurances that come with it. Wars, famine, poverty and man’s inhumanity to man seem to have eroded any confidence in the future. The story on our continent is no different and Rev J. N. N. Ocquaye of the Grace Baptist Church, Sakumono, hit the nail right on the head in his sermon on Sunday when he traced the woes of Africa to failed leadership. In terms of resources and endowments, Africa is blessed with all the resources that make for greatness — human, material and ecological. A continent so well endowed has actually no business with poverty. African history has been one sad story ever since. So why has Africa consistently failed to engineer an escape from poverty? Why is Africa a cauldron of conflict, wars and death? Why is Africa entertaining a forlorn, dysfunctional and conflict-ridden conglomeration of failed states in its geo-polity? Why does Africa sustain the last frontiers of hunger, ignorance and disease? And why has it failed woefully to contrive a road map to a more prosperous existence for its teeming population? Everything comes back, again and again, to corruption and misrule. Instead of galvanising the people for peace, development and progress to reflect the very nature of God, majority of our leaders only exhibit greed for power and wealth, to the detriment of the people they govern. Our dear nation is also not without teething problems. Economic, educational and social issues aside, our chieftaincy institution, which used to be the centre of a cultural showpiece, is now gradually grinding into disarray. From Bawku in the Upper East Region, through Yendi, Bimbilla and Buipe in the Northern Region to Tuobodom and Techiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, as well as many coastal towns in the Greater-Accra and Volta Regions, are hydra-headed conflicts that do not make for peace and unity. But no matter how appalling the situation may appear to be, we cannot throw up our arms in despair. That is why the Daily Graphic thinks that all of us — as a people and as a nation — must resolve here and now to use this year’s Easter celebration to mark a turning point in our individual lives and in the life of the nation at large. No freedom comes without a price. And just as God allowed the shedding of the blood of His only begotten Son for the purchase of humanity’s freedom, so must we be prepared to give our all to change the destiny of our dear nation. In our quest for the better Ghana agenda, no sacrifice must be too big or too small for anybody. Let us, therefore, from this moment straighten out all spheres of our lives for the betterment of the nation. For, together we swim or sink. Credit: Daily Graphic/Ghana

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

Slavery in Africa today

By Lord Aikins Adusei

Although slavery was abolished more than a hundred and forty years ago and all countries in Africa are now politically free, there is a new form of slavery in Africa today which is cruel, harsh and severe like the one which took place about five centuries ago. This new slavery is like unquenchable fire ravaging in a dense but dry forest consuming everything on its path. This new slavery which is consuming Africans and decimating them is poverty.

Despite decades of independence, availability of natural resources and existence of technology to make good these rich resources, Africa is still the poorest continent on earth. Today Africa is a continent where majority of the people live on one or two dollars a day. Africa is a continent where people die for lack of food, potable drinking water, and against common preventable diseases. It is a continent where malnutrition abounds and few children under the age of five survive the menace of the six killer diseases. It is a continent where child mortality is high and life expectancy is low. It is a continent where people walk several miles for water and children have no access to education and medical care.

It is a continent where rural life is nothing but a condemnation to poverty, misery, desperation and hopelessness. It is a place where people live in mud/thatched houses with bamboo/raffia leafs as roofing sheets.

It is a continent full of wars and armed conflicts. It is a continent where democracy and rule of law are a myth.

It is a continent full of dictators and kleptocrats; a continent where corruption is handsomely rewarded and achievement is shunned; a place where entry into public life/service is a means to acquiring wealth.

From Cape Town in South Africa in the south to Tunis in Tunisia in the north the story of poverty is the same. In all these countries there is lack of financial resources and economic opportunities. There is lack of food and potable drinking water; there is lack of health, housing and accommodation facilities; there is the poverty of landlessness and employment. Access to education, health and other basic infrastructures is limited to just a few. In Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Malawi, Mauritania, Sudan and Eritrea people lack basic food and water and are at the mercy of UN food aid. In Sierra Leone, DR Congo, Nigeria, Liberia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Equatorial Guinea the people lack basic health services and 8 out of ten of the population have not seen a dentist before. People are landless; they have no access to education, employment, housing and accommodation; they live in harsh and unforgiving political environment; they face threat of viruses and diseases such as HIV/AIDS, E.Bola and malaria.

Africa today is the worst place for a child to be born or grow up due to poverty and lack of opportunities. There are many cities, towns and villages where children go to school without food or eat once a day, something unimaginable in Western societies. Due to poverty most children under five are malnourished and underweight. The children are not properly clothed or sheltered. They do not receive much attention from their parents. Due to the pervasive and extreme nature of poverty, children prematurely become adults at the age of ten sometimes even less. They take on the responsibility of adults; scavenge for food and work to bring home income to support the family. As a result absenteeism in schools are high as many students swap their education for income generating activities such as fishing, farming and hawking, an act that continue to fuel and perpetuate the poverty cycle. They suffer many abuses silently in the hands of those who employ them and many are maladjusted. In the villages and in the rural areas kids walk bare footed to school and even to church or mosque. In most rural areas students have to study with lantern because there is no electricity. In the rural areas children have no class rooms and have to study under trees. Today in Sierra Leone as in many places in Africa a child is more likely to die at birth or die before reaching the age of five.

Like their children, the existence of poverty and lack of economic opportunities make parents worry about what they and their family will eat as the evening approaches. Most parents struggle to feed their children and many have to credit food in order to feed their families. Parents are frustrated when they cannot cloth their kids or pay their fees and more agitated when they cannot pay their rents and face ejection. There is nothing so humiliating and insulting than not been able to feed, cloth and provide accommodation for ones family, act which is exacerbated by the culture in Africa.

Life in an African city is a great struggle and a constant battle for both young and old. There are no safety nets like unemployment benefits, council accommodation for homeless people etc. Many workers have no savings, and those without jobs are at the mercy of their distance families, friends and love ones. Slaved to poverty and helpless, these men and women have very few options: commit suicide in their own countries, run away from their children or battle the seas to reach Europe. Many in Europe will now understand why men and women battle dangerous seas for days often without food and water to reach Spain, Malta or Italy to seek employment, something they have been denied by their slave masters in Africa. This also explains why Africans will offer their services for any type of work so far as they are paid. The disturbances that took place in Egypt, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast in 2008 over food shortages and price increases is jut the tip of the iceberg.

There are many things that those in the West take for granted such as undisrupted and constant supply of electricity, water, availability of jobs and affordable food, clothing and council flats. In Africa items such as cars, fridges, flat screen TV, laptops, camcorders, cameras and most electronic gadgets is a luxury. When one does not know where the evening meal is going to come from can he think about buying a TV set? That is how bad the situation is in Africa.

It is not only individuals who are poor but communities, villages, towns and cities as well. In some communities there are no schools and children have to walk several kilometres a every school day in order to attend the nearest school which may be 5 or 10 kilometres away. In some communities you can only travel once a week as the only vehicle in the village leaves and comes once a week. There is no tap water. A town or village is lucky if there is a borehole. In most communities humans and animals share the same unprotected water source. Wells and streams are polluted and because the people have no alternatives they are forced to drink it. As a result water borne diseases are rampant, and deaths from such diseases are daily occurrence.

In some communities there are no hospitals, clinics, health centres or pharmacy and patients have to travel several kilometres to nearby towns before they can receive treatment or medical help. In these communities people always pray that nothing catastrophic happens in the night as that will mean automatic death. In these communities pregnant mothers are always at risk of death as there are no ambulances, and roads are poor and vehicles are scarce. This explains why child mortality is high. In the towns and villages there are no electricity and that means no economic activity that requires electricity can survive in that environment. Farmers have no place to sell their produce as there is no market infrastructure. They therefore rely on the ‘generosity’ of market women from the cities who troop the villages to buy the products at whatever price they want.

In cities where public services (utilities and amenities) are relatively available, there are always shortages of essential medicines, equipments, beds, vehicles and specialised professionals in the hospitals. It is common to find patients sleeping on bed mats on the floor of hospitals while nurses and doctors go about their normal duties. In the big cities it is common to hear news that patients have absconded from the hospitals before they are officially discharged because they are poor and cannot pay their bills. As a result patients are now detained after getting well till they pay their bills. Constant disruption of water and electricity supply is a headache for hospital officials, factories and households. It is common to find waste bins filled to the brim and tipping.

Almost all the open gutters are choked and anytime it rains flood begins to threaten the people. In these cities very few houses have their own toilet facilities as a result majority of the people rely on public toilets which are themselves very few and untidy. Some of these toilets stink so much so that one has to take a bath or shower immediately after use. Due to pressure on these few toilets they are always in poor shape. In Accra lack of toilet facilities especially along the coast have forced people to use the seashore as a place of convenience. A visit to Dutch Hotel in Nungua in the morning, afternoon or evening reveals a large army of men, women and children easing themselves not far from where this beautiful hotel is situated. In Nima, Ashaiman, Nungua and James Town all suburbs of Accra, it is common to find human excreta wrapped in polythene bags and thrown into gutters, bushes and onto the street. In the cities there is the problem of managing waste, sanitation and sewerage. All these impact negatively on the health of the people and explain why life expectancy is very low.

Shortage of accommodation means that people have to pay five times what their counterparts in the villages and towns are paying. People in the big cities always pray that rain does not fall in the evening or in the night as that will mean homeless people and hustlers will have to forfeit their sleep. In Accra, Lagos, Kano, Kampala, Nairobi and other major cities across the continent people live in the woods, sleep in metal containers, kiosks and makeshift structures and slum dwelling is very common.

High unemployment in the cities fuelled by rural-urban migration has forced people onto the street. In Accra you can find hawkers of all kinds taking advantage of the ever present traffic jam to sell bread, chewing gum, ice water, apple and those who have nothing to sell engage in crime, and other social vices. A walk through the major streets of Accra, Lagos, Kumasi, Lome, Conakry, Freetown, Abidjan, Nairobi, and Kampala, Arusha, Monrovia and major cities in South Africa reveal how poverty has forced millions of people to beg for food and money. The problem is very disturbing when one looks at the disabled community. Roughly more than half of the beggars in Accra for instance are people who are disabled.

Who are the slave masters?

The slave masters in Africa today are the politicians, their cronies, the business elite and the well connected. Together they have hijacked and exercise full control over all the resources including land, labour, capital and revenues from all economic activities. They determine who should eat and who should not. They determine who should get a job and who should get sacked. They determine who gets a place to sell in the market and who should be kicked out. They determine who should get a contract and whose certificate should be withdrawn. They decide which roads should be constructed or resurfaced and which one should not. They determine which village or town gets connected to the national electricity grid. They determine which region or district receives funding for projects.

The slave masters determine who should own which business and who should have a share in that business. You cannot get a certificate to operate a business unless you grease the palm of a politician. You cannot get a contract unless you know a politician in the ruling government. You are treated differently if you know the regional minister, the governor or the district chief executive (DCE). As far as one knows a cabinet minister he can do whatever he likes and nobody dares question him. It is always the poor and the have nots who get prosecuted and jailed while the politicians and their cronies who commit atrocious crimes against the state live in their mansions to enjoy their booty. Contractors do substandard works, collect hundreds of millions of dollars, give politicians their share and that is all. So a road whose live span is twenty years has to be resurfaced after just two years. Like the slavery of old, the politicians, their families, the businessmen and the well connected are not hurt by the storm of poverty in the continent but their slaves who make up the majority of the population do. These corrupt politicians and their associates are holding the people captive with their ill-conceived economic policies and programmes thereby giving them no chance to develop. The politicians in Africa call themselves saviour of the people and have names and titles like Junior Jesus, Servants of the Poor, but they are all lies. None of them cares for the poor but their own stomach.

The people are poor because the slave masters have decided they should remain so, as monies meant for their development have been stolen and are sitting in Banks in Switzerland, Luxemburg, Jersey Island, and Britain.

What will you say when people have no access to food, water, electricity; have no access to education and health facilities; cannot pay their rents and fees for their kids; have no jobs and no savings; have no access to toilet facilities and have to put up with horrible smell everyday?

I have witnessed poverty in Africa and although I did not witness the slavery in the Americas, I have learnt enough about it and I can say with confidence that the poverty in Africa today is the modern version of the slavery that took place about five centuries ago.

There is the need for concrete and aggressive poverty reduction strategy and move away from the do-nothing approaches to problem solving to solution driven policies that will actually enable Africans to deliver themselves from the tentacles of poverty.

NPP opens nomination for prez aspirants

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT FLAG-BEARER?

Accra, March 31, GNA - The National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Wednesday said it had opened nominations for presidential aspirants from Wednesday, March 31 to Friday, May 7. A statement issued in Accra by Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, General Secretary of the NPP, said vetting of aspirants would close on Wednesday, June 2.

It said the decision taken at its first National Council meeting in Accra on Wednesday, March 31, was in agreement with Article 12 A (1) and (2) of the party's Constitution.

The statement requested members who qualify under the Article 12 (A) (4) of its constitution and wished to be the party's presidential candidate to apply for the forms at its headquarters.

It said: "There shall be a special electoral college if there are more than five aspirants and this is scheduled for Saturday, July 3." "If there should be a run-off, it shall be held on Saturday, August 28."

The statement said: "If however, there are no hitches regarding the process, then the special congress shall be held on Saturday, July 3. "

Kufuor’s Men In Court

Kwadwo Mpiani and Osei Akoto Sammy Crabbe, the former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), yesterday appeared before an Accra Fast Track High Court, Financial Division, to answer charges of causing financial loss to the state. The former Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani and two former ministers under the Kufuor Administration, Dr. Richard Anane and Anthony Akoto-Osei, who were to be charged with him, were however absent. Crabbe was not charged and the facts of the case were not read to him, as the three others were yet to be formally served to appear before the trial Judge, Justice Bright Mensah. The trial Judge said he would adjourn the case to enable the others appear before him today. The former government officials are expected to be charged in connection with their respective roles in the formation of the Ghana International Airlines (GIA) which allegedly resulted in huge financial loss to the nation. Mr. Crabbe, also a minority shareholder in GIA, was represented by Michael Kwame Boateng, while the state was represented by the acting Director For Public Prosecutions (DPP), Gertrude Aikins. Later in an interview with the media, Mr. Crabbe said even though he was not formally notified, he heard about the writ on radio and called his lawyer to go with him to the police where he wrote his statement and was charged with conspiracy to cause financial loss, causing financial loss, conspiracy to steal and stealing. He confirmed that the others have not been served, adding that he spoke to one of them who said he was not aware of what was going on, explaining that some of them were in their various constituencies but would appear if they were served. Yesterday, former Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani explained that he was not in court because he was not aware of any charge of causing financial loss to the state, as being reported in some sections of the media. He added that although he met the Criminal Investigations Department of the police about 10 days ago, he had not been served with any summons or charged to appear before a court. However, accompanied by lawyer Owusu Fordjour, they met the police CID yesterday and even though he is not formally charged, he is expected to appear in court this morning. “It is news to me that I am being told that I have refused or I didn’t [go to] court. I have not been charged by the police. “If they charge me and I know the charge, then I’m sure I’ll tell my lawyers what to do. I know from my heart [and] my conscience that I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t know what they are going to charge me with,” Mr Mpiani told Joy News yesterday. In a 13-point statement of claim filed by the Attorney General’s Department, the four former government officials and five others, reportedly at large, were allegedly to have conspired to cause losses to the state in millions of United States dollars. Former Roads and Highways Minister, Richard Anane, Samuel Crabbe, former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NPP, and President of Unger Oaks Limited, a previous member of the minority shareholders of the Ghana International Airlines Limited (GIAL), have been accused of agreeing to act together with a common purpose to willfully cause financial loss to the state to the tune of USD$ 4,900,000.00. They were also charged with conspiracy to and willfully causing financial loss to the state contrary to sections 23 (1) and 179A (3) (a) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). The second count charged Messrs Anane and Crabbe with willfully causing financial loss to the state to the tune of USD$4,900,000.00 between August 2004 and January 2009. Dr Anane is also charged with defrauding the state of Ghana by false pretences contrary to section 131 of the Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act 29). He reportedly falsely represented to cabinet on September 9, 2004 that GIA-USA-LLC, made up of World Transport Group and Sentry, had the capacity to join government in creating a new airline, as a result of which by false representation, he got cabinet’s approval to liquidate Ghana Airways. Former Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Anthony Akoto Osei is also charged with willfully causing financial loss to the state for causing to be released USD$ 2,326,275.00, USD$673,725.00, USD$400,000.00, USD$1,600,000.00 and 1,239,285.35 between October 2007 and January 25, 2008 to GIAL without authority. Dr Akoto Osei is also charged with causing financial loss to the state by guaranteeing or causing SSNIT to release USD$15,000,000.00 to GIAL without securing the loan or obtaining parliamentary approval at a time minority shareholders had allegedly abandoned the company. The writ also charges Dr Akoto Osei with deceit of public officer contrary to section 251 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29) for allegedly falsely making representation to parliament to approve SD$15,000,000.00 purportedly as additional money to fund the equity of the government of Ghana in GIAL. Kwadwo Okyere Mpiani, former Chief of Staff at the Castle, has also been charged with causing financial loss to the state for causing to be released an amount of USD$6,000,000.00 to GIAL in September 2008 without authority. Samuel Crabbe, J. Ralph Atkin, now at large and H. Kirk Heaton also at large, have been charged with conspiracy to steal and stealing for acting together with a common purpose to dishonestly appropriate the property of GIAL and dishonestly appropriating an amount of USD$1,900,000.00 belonging to GIAL. In another development, DAILY GUIDE has gathered that former Finance Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo has not been charged with causing financial loss to the state, as earlier reported. By Fidelia Achama/Daily Guide

NPP opens nomination for prez aspirants

WHO WILL BE THE NEXT FLAG-BEARER?

Accra, March 31, GNA - The National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Wednesday said it had opened nominations for presidential aspirants from Wednesday, March 31 to Friday, May 7. A statement issued in Accra by Mr Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, General Secretary of the NPP, said vetting of aspirants would close on Wednesday, June 2.

It said the decision taken at its first National Council meeting in Accra on Wednesday, March 31, was in agreement with Article 12 A (1) and (2) of the party's Constitution.

The statement requested members who qualify under the Article 12 (A) (4) of its constitution and wished to be the party's presidential candidate to apply for the forms at its headquarters.

It said: "There shall be a special electoral college if there are more than five aspirants and this is scheduled for Saturday, July 3." "If there should be a run-off, it shall be held on Saturday, August 28."

The statement said: "If however, there are no hitches regarding the process, then the special congress shall be held on Saturday, July 3. "

NDC sympathizer suspects foul play in trials of ex-gov’t appointees

A lawyer and sympathizer of the National Democratic Congress is questioning the choice of judge selected to adjudicate cases involving former government appointees accused of causing financial loss to the state. David Annan believes too many cases have been referred to the same commercial court and to the same judge when other courts and judges are available. In an interview with Joy News’ Dzifa Bampoh, the lawyer said there are six fast track high courts and other commercial courts in the country and wondered why one particular court and judge has been selected consistently to hear cases involving past government officials. He however did not mention the name of the judge nor impugn the appointee authority, even though evidence thereof is not far-fetched. David Annan was responding to allegations of political witch hunting by some NPP sympathizers as four of its high ranking members have been hauled before court to answer charges of stealing and causing financial loss to the state in the case of the Ghana International Airlines. The four are before an Accra Fast Track High Court presided over by Justice Bright Mensah. Mike Ocquaye a lawyer and member of the NPP accused government of hastily hauling its political opponents to the law court without following proper procedures of law. For instance, he said government failed to officially charge and serve writs of summons to the accused persons in the Ghana International Airline saga, but somehow expected them to appear in court based on media reports. And when they failed, the state prosecutor accused them of running away from justice. This he said is unacceptable, adding, if you have not been officially charged, how do you know which court to appear and which charges your lawyers will mount a defence on? he quizzed. But David Annan said the arguments by Ocquaye are completely out of place. He stated that the police had made several efforts to contact the accused persons and to charge them accordingly but were given wrong information about their whereabouts. If anything, the accused persons are guilty of deceit of public officials, he said. He was not happy with the choice of judge selected to sit on the matter and did not fail to register his protest. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com