Nana Addo Calls For President Mahama To Set C'ttee To Probe Police Brutality.

A group of Ghanaians went on a peaceful demonstration yesterday to press home their demand for a new register. This peaceful demonstration was turned by the police into a bloody affair – water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets.  It is a great shame on our country, and it is a tragedy for Ghana. The democratic gains that our people have made, they are not going back. We are not going back on democracy. We are not going back to police rule in Ghana. We are not going back to one-man rule.”
These comments were made by the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in reaction to the brutal assault meted out by officers of the Ghana Police Service against unarmed civilians who embarked on a demonstration, organised by some pressure groups in Accra, on Wednesday, September 16.
Speaking in Bolgatanga on day 1 of his 2-day tour of the region, on Thursday, September 17, Nana Akufo-Addo stated Ghanaians, after years of dictatorship, have accepted multi-party democracy and will no longer tolerate acts aimed at cowing the citizenry into submission.
“We are determined to continue down the path of democratic engagement and an open society where its citizens can go about their work peacefully. Brute force by the police against unarmed citizens exercising their constitutional rights, should be a thing of the past,” he stated.
He assured all NPP members and sympathisers, and the majority of Ghanaians and stakeholders in Ghana’s electoral process, who are desirous of a new voters’ register ahead of the 2016 election, that, “we want the world to know that no amount of intimidation is going to stop those of us asking for a new register to go about our peaceful advocacy for a new register.”
Whilst associating himself fully with the “excellent statement that has been put out by the General Secretary of our party on this issue”, Nana Akufo-Addo made a demand of President Mahama.
In the wake of this unprovoked attack, Nana Akufo-Addo stated that “I believe the President of the Republic is duty-bound to establish a commission of enquiry to go into the events of yesterday into how come the Police behaved the way that they did, and make the appropriate recommendations.”
The NPP flagbearer further called on Ghanaians to follow the example of the Asantehene, OtumfuoOsei Tutu, who is asking the voices of all Ghanaians to be heard on the matter of the voters’ register, “so it becomes clear what the people want.”
Nana Akufo-Addo, though being of the firm belief that the arguments made by the NPP on the need for a new voters register have proved to be superior and have, indeed, won the day, he stressed that the “reason we are asking for a new register is not because the NPP will gain any advantage.”
The NPP, according to Nana Akufo-Addo, was asking for a new voters’ register because “it will strengthen the credibility of the electoral system and therefore make the outcome of any electoral outcome easy for people to accept. It is the best way of consolidating and guaranteeing the peace of our country and the survival of our democracy, not because it will favour the NPP, but because it will favour our democracy.”
Nana Akufo-Addo made the comments in addressing party faithful, at a meeting of regional and constituency executives, as well as all the newly elected parliamentary candidates and their competitors from the Bolgatanga Central, BolgaEeast, Bongo, Talensi, Nabdam, Navrongo Central, ChianaPaga, Builsa North andBuilsa South constituencies.



 Source: Myjoyonline.com

Oguaa NDC Votes Skirt And Brouse.

Some branch executives and supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Cape Coast South Constituency of the Central Region have threatened to vote “skirt and blouse” in the 2016 general election if the executives of the party prevent a 36 year old banker, Mr Thomas Hughes Amissah from contesting the primaries for the seat of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area.

It was suspected that the regional and constituency executives of the party were trying to manipulate the ground for the incumbent MP of the area, Mr Rickett Hagan who is also the Deputy Minister of Trade to go unopposed.

According to the irate executives and supporters, they would not allow the regional and constituency executives to impose anybody on them, adding, “even the founder of the party never prevented anybody from contesting him”.

Mr Hughes Amissah who is the son of Madam Araba Tagoe, the Western Regional Women’s Organizer of the party picked nomination forms to contest the upcoming primaries in the Cape Coast South constituency.

Many supporters of the party wearing ‘T’ shirt embossed with the image of Mr Hughes Amissah trooped to the streets amidst brass band music and escorted the aspiring candidate to submit his nomination forms at the party office.

Mr Hughes Amissah presenting the forms to the Constituency Deputy Secretary, Mr Joel Eshun accused Mr Rickett Hagan of instigating his supporters to destroy his posters in town and therefore appealed to the executives of the party to advise them to stop in order for his supporters not to retaliate.

He stressed the need for executives of the party to remain neutral to enable any aspiring candidate who would lose the primaries to campaign massively for the one who would emerge victorious.

Confusion nearly rocked the place when Mr Eshun after receiving the forms openly told the candidate that although he had submitted his forms, the executives would study the forms and later inform him whether he could contest the MP or not.

The statement of the Deputy Secretary infuriated the followers of the aspiring candidate who rained insults on the executives.

It took the intervention of Mr Hughes Amissah to calm his supporters.

“The party belongs to all of us, you the executives of the party alone are not the owners of the party so we would not sit down for you to impose anybody on us because of your selfish interest. If you think any of you has collected money from the MP with the promise of making him to contest unopposed, then you better give his money to him or else there will be bloodshed on the day of the primaries” they added

“The regional chairman had openly said he would not allow anybody to contest a one term MP in the region” they said

Mr Amissah stated that being a footballer, he would establish a soccer academy in the area to nurture the talents of people in football when given the nod.

“I will position the constituency well by helping the youth get employable skills, rebrand the constituency as a proper tourist site, helping the youth to venture into aquaculture as well as to give scholarships to needy and brilliant people in the area, since educational standards in the area had been falling due to high poverty level” he added

“I will also boost English, Mathematics, Science and Information Communication Technology (ICT) among the youth in the area” he promised.




 Source: peacefmonline.com

Ghana Officially Classified As HIPC.

After months of speculations, the country is now officially classified as Highly Indebted Country (HIC), data from the Bank of Ghana indicate.
New Bank of Ghana data shows that the country’s debt is now about 71 percent of the total value of the economy.
According to World Bank parameters, if a country’s debt-to-GDP ratio crosses the 70% debt mark, the country is classified HIC.

 Ghana's public debt went up from about 89 billion Ghana cedis in May to about 95 billion as at June this year.
Sources close to the Bank of Ghana are attributing the sharp increase in the public debt to the depreciation of the cedi and not necessarily due to increased government borrowing.
HIPC status means it would be difficult for that country to settle its debts on time.

Grim economic reports by the IMF indicate that Ghana’s current debts level is even higher than the period before the country was declared HIPC around 2001.
If the current public debt is shared among the citizenry, it could mean that every Ghanaian now owes about 3, 600 Ghana cedis.
Economist Dr. Eric Osei Assibey says the situation calls for some aggressive measures to check the country’s rising debts.

 According to the economic and financial data from January to about August, there wasn’t encouraging news from the banking sector.
This is because deposits, total assets of commercial banks and credit extension declined sharply.
Total assets of the banks went down to 54 billion Ghana cedis from 58 billion cedis.
The IMF in June had predicted that the country could be HIPC by December 2015.

 The international lending agency had already classified Ghana as high-risk, debt distress country.
A senior research fellow at the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Dr. Robert Osei also warned the economy may be retrogressing into a Highly Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) status.
Former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Ghana and NPP Vice-Presidential candidate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia last March described Ghana as Highly Indebted Middle Income Country (HIMIC).

Dr. Bawumia
“In fact, Ghana is right back to the debt unsustainability that led to HIPC. However, HIPC debt relief will not be available again”, he said at a lecture on the state of the economy.
But Deputy Finance Minister, Mona Quartey in June ruled out the possibility of Ghana going back to HIPC status.
According to her, government is showing “more discipline” in managing its debts and promised that very soon the rewards of such discipline would become apparent.
 “We are not going to HIPC. We are going into a three-year IMF programme. We have been there [HIPIC] once and we are not going back there”, she told Joy Business.

Mona Quartey
"We move forward not backwards” she encouraged, saying Ghanaians should “declare and decree” positive confessions.





 Source: Myjoyonline.com

List Of Honest Judges Who Refused Anas' Bribes.

Some judges at the superior and lower courts rejected attempts to bribed by Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye investigation team during the investigation into judicial corruption in Ghana. In all, 34 judges and 146 judicial staff have been named in the scandal.

 But Anas Aremeyaw Anas has presented names of some eleven judges who refused to be bribed. “Some even threatened to imprison us for attempting to bribe them,” he said.

 On Joy FM and MultiTV's Newsfile programme, the Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, read Anas' letter to the Chief Justice which contained the list of the honourable judges. Mr Kweku Baako said it is a matter of fairness to celebrate those who were not lured by money and goats.

 Below is the roll of the honourable judges:

Some judges at the superior and lower courts rejected attempts to bribed by Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye investigation team during the investigation into judicial corruption in Ghana. In all, 34 judges and 146 judicial staff have been named in the scandal.

But Anas Aremeyaw Anas has presented names of some eleven judges who refused to be bribed. “Some even threatened to imprison us for attempting to bribe them,” he said.

On Joy FM and MultiTV's Newsfile programme, the Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, read Anas' letter to the Chief Justice which contained the list of the honourable judges. Mr Kweku Baako said it is a matter of fairness to celebrate those who were not lured by money and goats.

 Below is the roll of the honourable judges:

Justice Kwesi Boakye HC, Wa

Bright Mensah HC, Accra
Constance hometorwu HC, Accra
Georgina mensah HC, Accra
Afia serwaa ASARE HC, Accra
Anthony oppong HC, Accra
Felicia DC, Abeka
Charles Kwesi Acheampong DC, Dodowa
Samuel Quartey DC, Ejiusu
Abdul Abullaih DC, Tuobudom
Bright Ajosagi DC,

*HC= High Court, *DC = District Court

Source: modernghana.com

Suspending Afoko Will Muddy N.P.P Waters.

 The decision by the Council of Elders of the New Patriotic Party to ask National Chairman, Paul Afoko to be suspended has been described as a step that could further muddy the party’s waters.

Some political watchers have described the move as one that could deepen the woes of the NPP because instead of healing the party. The decision, they say, would rather infuriate supporters of Mr. Afoko and worsen the cracks within the rank and file of the party.

 The main opposition in Ghana has in the last few months been in the media for all the wrong reasons especially amongst its senior executives. The latest twist to the never ending drama in the NPP was when the Council of Elders wrote to the National Executives Committee to suspend Paul  

  Afoko until after the 2016 elections.

This decision follows reports that he has through various means distracted the party’s focus by throwing spokes into the works of the flagbearer. The letter calling for his suspension was signed by one of the elders C.K Tedam and was copied to the flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo. It indicated that the Chairman huad breached portions of the party’s constitution and must be disciplined.

Sharing his thoughts on the issue to TV3 News, Political Science Lecturer with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Aminu Dramani said “it’s surprising that it is the senior ones in the party who are fighting each other or amongst themselves.

“I would have said that instead of discussing their matters in the media, they should rather deal with it internally or they could muddy the water the more. If they are arguing that he [Paul Afoko] has breached their constitution then they could go to the disciplinary committee look at what punitive actions there are per their constitution.

“Its better that way than to make it look like there is a plot against someone… That way it would be difficult to get to the bottom and resolve the problem. They should remember that the political aim is to win power in 2016.”

 Meanwhile the flagbearer of the party, Nana Akufo Addo has asked all members of the party to desist from discussing the party’s issues in the media.

 Source: modernghana.com