NCA Must Revoke Licenses Of Radio Stations That Incite Violence

The Forum of Governance and Justice (FGJ) has called on the Nation Communication Authority (NCA) to revoke the licenses of all Radio stations that in one way or the other incite violence through their medium.

FGJ made this call in relation to the reckless ethnocentric comments made by Kennedy Agyapong on Oman FM in connection to the recent disturbances in the Odododiodoo constituency and the aftermath of his arrest by the Police CID

“We make this call based on the fact that some Accra based radio stations were actively inciting people and were used to mobilise party supports in Accra as well as other regions of Ghana to invade the Police Head Quarters, where Kennedy Agyapong was being questioned by the Police CID. Such radio stations are a danger to our national peace and stability,” a statement issued by the group read.

The group made references to the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, adding that the a catastrophic event was largely enhanced by radio stations.

“Let us point Ghanaians to a telling case study; the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. The genocide, among the most appalling catastrophes of the 20th century was largely enhanced by radio stations. Prior to the genocide, radio stations were used to dehumanise potential victims. During the genocide, radio was used by extremist to mobilise and coordinate killings.”

“Clearly, the comments made by Hon. Kennedy Adjapong cannot be defended under any circumstance. Declaring war and calling on people of one ethnic group to harm people from other ethnic groups is genocidal and should not be tolerated.”

The group advised that the police should not only focus on Kennedy Agyapong’s comments but also on the radio stations which were used to mobilize party supporters in Ghana to invade the Police Head Quarters and courts as well.

“Yet, we must not just focus on his insensitive comments, for which he should be duly held accountable; we must also take action against media outlets, especially radio stations, which have developed the worrying habit of abusing the right to free speech. This right, which includes freedom of the press and other media, should not be used to promote hate speech and to incite violence. “

Read More

EC Officials Must Inform And Not Misinform Ghanaians

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has called on Officials of the Electoral Commission to inform rather than misinform Ghanaians about the on-going Biometric Registration exercise.

NUGS made this call in relation to an incident which occurred at the University of Ghana Legon Hall Registration Centre on April 12 where some students who were trying to register, were turned down by EC officials for not possessing their old voter’s card.

The EC earlier advertised that Ghanaians who do not possess a passport, driver’s licenses, National Identification Card or the old voter identification card, could get two other people who knows them to guarantee them to register. The EC’s rules and regulations stipulated that an individual could guarantee for only five people and not more than that.

According to a statement issued by NUGS, all attempts to have two people to guarantee for the Legon students proved futile.

The EC officials, as narrated in the statement, noted that the two people who are supposed to verify for anyone with a missing voter card are to testify whether one is sane, within and beyond the threshold of eighteen (18) and whether one is a resident of the area and not to stand in for the missing voter card.

The Student Union therefore in the statement said it finds it very disastrous and would endanger trouble if the Electoral Commission does not call its men and women to order.

"NUGS is also by this statement, appealing to the EC to solve the problem of communication which is blurring the quality of information given to the public,” the statement further read.

"We are also calling on all Ghanaians to report any official of the Electoral Commission who provides contrary opinions with regards to the exercise thereby disenfranchising people for punishments to be meted out to them. It is only by some of this act that our democracy gets strengthened.”

Read More

Demands by Striking Pharmacists Cannot Be Met

In spite of the ongoing strike by Government Hospital Pharmacists, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) boss, George Smith Graham has said that the demands of the health workers will not be met.

Most government hospital pharmacies have been closed to patients since March 30.

The pharmacists are protesting what they say is the indiscreet grading of their jobs under the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), resulting in reductions in their monthly remuneration, and for others some unexplained deductions.

But Mr Graham said the FWSC has gone through a lot of processes as far as part of the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure is concerned but about the Pharmacists, most of them did not like the grade that they were placed under.

"…the Pharmacists did not like the grading that the consultant had done so they decided to do a job re-evaluation and after the job re-evaluation they rated themselves lower than what the original consultant rendered," Mr Graham recounted.

"Initial works by the original consultant placed them lower but after certain considerations we decided to place them at certain levels. Having done that, we placed them appropriately and we placed them at levels that in our view make sure that it is aligned with the institutional structures at least to bring harmony…"

A meeting called by the sector ministry on Tuesday to try and resolve their grievances failed to end the industrial action.

The pharmacists have refused to cooperate and rather chosen to discuss their complaints with the sector minister but the Chief Executive of FWSC stated categorically on a local radio station that "they can speak to the minister alright but I can say with all certainty that the grades of the pharmacists will not be touched."

Meanwhile the Striking Pharmacists vowed to step up their strike following the remarks by the FWSC.

Read More

NPP Needs To Be Honest In Their Political Debates

The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper Kwesi Pratt Jnr has called on commentators of the New Patriotic Party to be honest in all political debates.

Mr Pratt made this appeal in relation to recent comments by some NPP propagandist that "people don't eat inflation".

The Mills lead administration upon assuming office within the period of three and a half years have been able to bring inflation down to a single digit - as low as 8.5 per cent, the lowest the country has never seen in the past 20 years-.

Mr Pratt contributing a discussion on a local radio station recounted that the NPP propagandists have claimed and continue to claim that as at the time when they took over power in 2000, inflation was hovering around the 40 per cent mark and after 8 years, they brought inflation down to 18.1 per cent before handing over power to the ruling party NDC.

"It took the NPP 8years to bring inflation from around 40 per cent to 18.1 per cent but the NDC since assuming power in 2008 have reduced inflation from 18.1 per cent to 8.7 per cent, which is still less than half the figure they inherited . Yet the NPP considers this a very very significant achievement," Mr Pratt quizzed.

"When you listen to the NPP propagandist, their retold is simply that people don't eat inflation. If inflation was not important, how come that in their manifestos for 2000,2004 and 2008 election they emphasized the point that it was absolutely important to reduce inflation to single digit? If inflation is not important, why then did they highlight it," Mr Pratt noted.

He further quizzed that "why do the NPP up to date still insist that one of their major achievements was to half the rate of inflation whiles they were in power."

"I think some honesty in discussions relating to this area is required, some honesty will do all of us some good," Mr Pratt said.

Read More

EC To Register 12 Million Voters In 40 Days

The Electoral Commission (EC) has revealed that 12 million eligible voters are expected to be registered in the upcoming nationwide biometric registration exercise.

The exercise will run from March 24 to May 12, 2012. The nation-wide registration exercise will take place at over 6,000 centres involving over 45,000 officials, the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr Afari Gyan has announced.

Speaking at the Institute of Democratic Governance (IDEG) election forum in Accra, he assured various political parties that “the time for the biometric voter registration is enough”.

Dr Gyan said “a lot of political parties have said that the time is not enough to complete the registration but the EC can deduce from the pilot exercise that was carried out that 100-120 registrations per day is doable.”

Dr Gyan noted that just like Nigeria had a bit of difficulty in the initial stages of their Biometric Registration exercise, the EC has also anticipated some problems that occurred in the early stages of the exercise.

“Nigeria initially had problems but after three days, they became so accustomed to the machine that they could do it rapidly”, he indicated.

“The EC has also anticipated some problems that could occur in the early stages of the exercise and cause it to delay,” he said.

He revealed that some people by the nature of the work they do, have lost the fine lines their fingers and therefore making it very difficult to get their fingerprints.

“During the pilot exercise there was this person we tried to register for more than 20 minutes to get only one fingerprint. Sometimes others also have greasy fingers so we ask them to go and wash.”

“These are all lessons that we’ve learnt -including the fact that after three or four people have placed their fingers on the slab, we must clean the slab and we have put in place the necessary measures in place to avert them ,”Dr Gyan assured.

Read More

Asamoah Gyan to receive famous placenta treatment

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has recalled the Serbian traditional healer to get Black Stars striker Asamoah Gyan fit for the AFCON 2012 tournament.

Gyan will undergo the traditional horse placenta treatment to get himself fit before Ghana’s first match of the tournament .The striker was ruled out for three weeks after suffering a hamstring injury while playing for his club Al Ain.

The desperate Ghanaian striker said he is ready to try the traditional Serbia treatment in order to be fit and get Ghana her first title in 30 years.

"The head coach has spoken to me about her and talking about her history she has been able to heal more Premiership players and during the World Cup she worked with us and according to the players it worked so I can't wait to meet her," Gyan said.

"Maybe it will work because I also want to play in the Nations Cup. I want to help my country. It's been a while since we won the trophy which is what everyone is expecting."

Mariana Kovacevic, the Serbian healer,worked a miracle for John Mensah during the 2010 World Cup. She is also known to have healed Arsenal striker Robin van Persie and many others.

Read More

Ghana will win AFCON 2012 not because of Egypt, other ouster

Veteran coach Emmanuel Kwasi Afranie has stated that Ghana would win the trophy of the upcoming African Cup of Nations tournament base on determination, hard work and commitment on the part of the players.

He however hinted that Ghana was not going to win the cup because of the missing out of countries such as Egypt, Nigeria and Cameroon in this month tournament.

Coach Afranie as he is popularly called said he has been hearing a lot of Ghanaians saying that since the tough teams like Egypt, Nigeria and Cameroon could not make it to the Cup of Nations this time around; Ghana will win the tournament hands down.

According to him, that is a ‘dangerous mistake’ because there are still some equally good teams like Mali, Senegal and Cote d'Ivoirepresent in the tournament.

“Any other team that has qualified to the tournament has equal chances of winning the cup but for Ghana to win, it will depend on how serious we take the competition. In terms of experience and formidability, we have what it takes to win. If we fight hard enough, we will sail through the tournament and bring the Cup home,” Mr Afranie said.

Mr Afranie who was part of the squad that won the African Cup of Nations 30yrs ago –that was the last time Ghana won the tournament, said “it is about time Ghana won the tournament again”.

“It has been 30yrs since we won the cup and I’m happy I was part of the team that won it. I would love to see us win it again,” he happily stated.

Touching on Ghana’s talismanic striker, Asamoah Gyan’s injury-hamstring, Mr Afranie said depending on the tactics the Black Stars coach Goran Stevanovic wants to adopt, he (Mr Afranie ) does not think the should have a problem replacing the injured striker.

“In the absence of Gyan, the coach should vary his tactics and involve more people from the midfield who are hard and can score goals”, he advised.

Mr Afranie therefore appealed to Ghanaian media to leave coach Goran Stevanovic alone so he can deliver as he promised.

The renowned coach indicated that: “The media men and Ghanaians in general should leave the coach alone to do his job. Let us support him to do the right thing. If he panics and becomes nervous, he will make wrong decisions which will affect us all. We are paying for him always. I don’t think he wants to disgrace himself after making a promise to resign if we do not reach the final stage. If Ghana performs well, it will enrich his CV.”

Read More

NDC youth wing is alive and fighting on to Victory in 2012

The Deputy Minister of Information Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has said that the youth wing of the National Democratic Congress is alive, strong and matching on to victory in 2012.

Mr Ablakwa made this statement at the National Theatre when he was addressing the Greater Accra youth wing of NDC.

He noted that when their opponents gather their young ones, they teach them how to kill themselves and preach to them a strange doctrine ‘all die be die’. However, when the NDC gathers their youth, they talk about life; they talk about progress and development.

“For the youth of the NDC, we want to live to enjoy the good works of Professor John Evans Attah Mills so that in some generations to come we will enjoy from the better Ghana Agenda. That is why today we won’t be discussing progress that we have made,” Mr Ablakwa said.

“We will be analyzing the challenges that will pop up and also we will be strategizing for victory 2012.”

He stated that if a critical look is taken at the New Patriotic Party (NPP), one will be left with no other conclusion that as young people that –the NPP- is not a party to look up to.

“Any political party that has so an abysmal record, that all their doing is to wait for you to make a mistake, for you to have just one mysterious cocaine disappearance and they start singing ‘yen nyinaa ayƐ pƐpƐƐpƐ’,that is not a party for the young people of this party to look up to.”

“… that tells you that they are aware that they failed so trebly that all their doing is lying in wait for us to also blat so that they will rejoice and tell the electorates that we are all the same.”

Touching on some developmental projects the NDC has carried out in their action year, the Deputy Minister made mention of some of their greatest achievements. Some of these achievements include;

1. Achieving single digit inflation and sustaining it for the longest period ever in the history of this nation.

2. For the first time in the history of the country, the economy is growing at 13.6 per cent.

3. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has granted Ghana the highest loan budget of 3 billion dollars which has never happened in the history of this great nation.

4. As part of their commitment to fight crime and narcotics, the Vice President of this country opened a new forensic science laboratory at the Ghana Police Headquarters.

5. Under the leadership of the NDC, the constitutional review committee has submitted its final report to the President John Evans Attah Mills and it is the first time in this country.

6. Two weeks ago Accra was listed as one of the six clean cities in Africa according to the All African clean city index.

7. In a report released last week, Ghana has been listed as one of the top ten tourist destinations for 2012.

8. The Single Spine Salary structure is now at a completion level of 98 per cent. Every Ghanaian worker is better off today than they were yesterday.

The Minister added that in a football match, those who always want to disrupt the match are people who know that they cannot win the match. “Nana Akuffo-Addo wants to carry the football and go away campaigning for ‘All die be die’. We must not allow him; we know we are winning all the goals to show that we are winning come 2012.”

Read More

There is nothing special about Mills visit to US, Canada

The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper Kwesi Pratt Jnr has pointed out that over the past few years, there has not been a president of Ghana who has not visited the United States (US) more than three, four, five times and therefore he does not see anything special about President Mills visit to the US.

There have been so many reports in the media questioning the authenticity of President Mills vacation in the US and his interaction with the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Mills cleared the cloud of doubt when he was interviewed from US by Radio Gold.

He asked the Radio Gold presenter why he would lie about his visit. “I was there in the company of the Chief of Staff who has also come for certain assignment and we had some very lengthy discussion. They can always check with the UN department.”

Mr Pratt said on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji show that he made his earlier statement – I don’t see anything special about Mills visit- because Ghana is not an Island and therefore needs to engage with the rest of the world “especially the rest of the world who appear to have some interest-negative or positive- in our country.”

He noted that it is important that we as a country engage with the media and people of the US in order to ensure that their propaganda efforts aimed at disabling Ghana and preventing us from controlling our natural resources are dealt with adequately.

Mr Pratt maintained that before the President went on his leave , every aspect of his trip and how he was going to spend his vacation was publicized.

“It is important however to make the point that the President’s visit was publicized way back, long before he left. We knew exactly when he was leaving, we knew that he was going to visit Canada , we knew how long he was going to spend in the US and indeed also we know he is returning to Ghana on the 14th or 15th of December. So there is nothing about the President’s visit which has been kept a secret. Everything about his visit has been in the public domain.”

He said he was so down hearted by the attempt to propagandize the President’s visit and feels worse by the peddling of rumors by General Secretary of the largest opposition party the NPP, which is seeking to capture power come 2012.

Sir John, the General Secretary of the NPP leveled strong allegations against the President; saying President Mills did not meet with the Secretary-General of the UN. This conclusion was made because the UN website apparently did not put up any information that the President has been met immediately.

Mr Pratt questioned that “what is there about the UN Secretary-General the whole President will fake a meeting with him. Does he have all the solutions to the problems that confront us?

He told the show host that he feels so scandalized by the whole development and feels more scandalized by the suggestions that the President is having Kidney failure and as a result, he has been moved to Cuba for medical treatment.

Read More

Ghana climbs up 4 places in FIFA ranking

Ghana has climbed up four places in the latest FIFA world ranking, putting the Black Stars in the 29th position in the World.

Things are looking good for the Stars on the African continent as they are ranked second behind Cote d'Ivoire after defeating Gabon 2-1 in a recent International friendly. Algeria is in the third position and Egypt in the fourth position

Ahead of the 2012 African Nations Cup which will be jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in January, Ghana’s current position could be considered a plus as they prepare for the tournament.

Spain, Netherlands, Germany, and Uruguay respectively, still remain the top four teams in World.

Read More