Print Media Review for Oct. 22

THE DAILY GRAPHIC – THURSDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2003

1. STATE OF EMERGENCY LIFTED IN 4 DISTRICTS – PGS. 1 & 3

President Kufuor has lifted the State of emergency in four districts in the Dagbon Traditional Area, following the expiry of the current declaration.

They are the Tolon-Kumbungu, Savelugu-Nanton, Gushiegu-Karaga, and Zabzugu-Tatale districts.

According to an official release issued in Accra, the President’s decision was guided by the improving security situation in the Traditional Area.

It said, however, that reports from the security agencies and the Regional Security Council had counselled against the lifting of the state of emergency in the Tamale Municipality and the Yendi District.

According to the release, the situation in these areas would be kept under constant review and changes would be announced as the situation improved.

2. ACTS OF VANDALISM ON IPS CAMPUS …. 4 TO BLAME…CLAIMS STUDENT BODY – PGS. 1 & 3

The paper reports that, students of the IPS have voluntarily reported four of their colleagues to the Governing Council as the brains behind the destruction at the school on Monday, which led to its closure on Tuesday.

They are Frederick Bossman, Robert Torgbenu, Jeffrey Akuffo Dadzie and Oppong Mensah Kwadwo Sakyi, who are all at large.

Meanwhile the Governing Council of the school had considered the plea of the students and agreed to re-open the school tomorrow.

According to Mr. Idris Egala, Chairman of the IPS Council; the NUGS President and the SRC of the school had agreed to sign an undertaking to the effect that should there be any problem those on the campus should be held responsible.

3. “TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GHANA’S CONDUCIVE ENVIRONMENT” – PG. 17

Dr. Magong Phologane, South African High Commissioner to Ghana, has urged his compatriots to take full advantage of the conducive atmosphere created by the government of Ghana and invest in the country.

“We are safe in this country where rule of law, respect for human rights and constitutional democracy abound, coupled with the government’s declaration of a policy of Golden Age of Business,” he noted.

He made the call when a nine-member delegation from the South African mining sector paid a familiarization visit to the Ghana Chamber of Mines in Accra.

According to him, the move by the government had culminated in the proliferation of South African companies in the country.

He said as part of its avowed intentions to make investors undertake their legitimate business without much hindrance, the government had established, the Ministry of Private Sector Development to specifically deal with private sector issues alongside other existing institutions.

4. PRESIDENT COMMENDS GHANA’S CONTINGENT – BK. PG.

President Kufuor has commended Ghana’s contingent to the 8th All African Games in Abuja for their record achievement but advised them not to rest on their oars.

He said the monumental performance at the games had restored the confidence of the country in international athletic engagements that should spur the athletes on to achieve more laurels in the next Olympic Games to be staged in Athens next year.

He gave the commendation when a section of the athletes called on him at the Castle, Osu.

He was full of praise to the medal winning athletes wondered and why athletes should use their own resources to fly down and compete for the nation.

Such practices, he noted does not motivate the athletes to give out their best, and therefore, dreaded the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports to reimburse all athletes that travelled down with their own money.

THE GHANAIAN TIMES – THURSDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2003

CORRUPTION IN THE JUDICIAL SERVICE? 30 FILE COMPLAINTS NONE AGAINST JUDGES YET – PGS. 1 & 3

According to the paper, the public have began lodging complaints on alleged unfair treatment and corrupt practices in the judiciary with the Complaints Unit of the Judicial Service.

This is ahead of plans for the Chief Justice, Mr. Justice George Kingsley Acquah to officially open the unit. Already, 30 complainants have been registered out of which 11 have been thoroughly investigated by the unit.

Reports of five of those investigated are currently before the Chief Justice awaiting further directions.

Mr. Wilham Abowu, head of the Unit, disclosed this in an interview with the paper in Accra.

According to him, most of the complaints were on alleged deliberate attempts to delay cases, unavailability of document of proceedings, loss of exhibits, execution of bail bonds and difficulties in obtaining rulings.

RANDGOLD: WE’LL TURN OBUASI DEEP AROUND – PG. 1

Randgold Resources yesterday said that it is capable of running the Obuasi “Deeps into profitability when given the nod to partner Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC).

Mr. Roger Cable, board chairman of Randgold Exploration, which has a major stake in Randgold Resources, made this known at a media interaction in Accra.

He said, “the company will not need to import expertise from outside to develop the Obuasi Deeps since Ashanti already has the technical expertise to explore the mine.”

He was of the view that “Ashanti is not broke.” “Rather what Ashanti needs is a liquid partner who will turn things round.”

He said the company was getting ready to raise its bid from the 1.5 billion dollars that it had earlier brought onto the table.

3. “MPS’ PAY AMONG THE WORST IN THE WORLD – PG. 3

Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey, speaker of Parliament has observed that Ghanaian Parliamentarians are among the least paid in Africa.

According to him, while Parliamentarians in Kenya receive 7,000 dollars, a month as salary, their Ghanaians counterparts have to make do with 300 dollars a month.

He lamented that though Ghana is not the poorest country in African, they are among the least paid.

He was launching the “legislative”, an official newsletter of Parliament in Accra.

He called on politicians to do something about the “starvation salaries” of workers in the country because the people elected them to better their living conditions.

4. PARLIAMENT UNHAPPY WITH ECOWAS MPs. – PG. 3

According to the paper, members of Parliament yesterday expressed concern about their being kept in the dark about proceedings in the ECOWAS Parliament and urged Ghana’s representatives to constantly hold discussions with them to enable them to articulate Ghana’s concerns better.

They noted that Ghana’s representatives to that Parliament refused to brief them on proceedings when they returned home neither did they hold discussions with them prior to the sitting.

The MPs made the call after a motion brought before the House by Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu calling on members to adopt a report of the Parliamentary delegation to the second ordinary session of the ECOWAS Parliament held on September 3—13, 2002.

DAILY GUIDE – THURSDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2003

AFARI-GYAN IN BIG TROUBLE – AS CID PROBES $58,000 CASE – PG. 1 & BK. PG.

According to the paper, it is reliably informed that the police CID is investigating the case in which an amount of US $57,975 belonging to Ghana’s Electoral Commission (EC) was paid to the bank account of a private association and withdrawals made from it.

A source close to the CID of the Ghana Police Service which disclosed this to the paper indicated that the decision to refer the matter to the CID was taken because the management of the EC has failed to provide satisfactory answer to the Auditor-General’s humble request.

According to the paper, the source related that since the Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA) is a non-governmental body, made up of other African countries which organize general elections, the International Police (Interpol) would also be invited to look into the matter.

THE EVENING NEWS – THURSDAY, 22ND OCTOBER, 2003

GOVT PLAYING POLITICS WITH HIPC …. MAHAMA – PG.

Dr. Edward Mahama, leader of the PNC, has accused the government of playing politics with the well-being of the nation by declaring that it will take the country out of the HIPC initiative by June next year.

“They are playing politics with it just to be voted back into power. The question to ask is what have we gained from HIPC”, he said.

According to him, the country had not benefited in anyway since entering the initiative.

He noted that poverty and unemployment were still high which signified that the economy was as bad as it could be. He was speaking in an interview with the paper in Accra.

NATIONAL DEMOCRAT – THURSDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2003

1. GOV’T PUTTING PRESSURE ON COURT … TO HAVE VICTOR SMITH NAILED – PGS. 1 & 2

The paper says it is now clear that the NPP Government is bent on not only shutting up former President Rawlings but also his special aide, Mr. Victor Smith.

According to the paper, to achieve its goal, the government has started interfering in the judiciary process in the case of Kweku Baako Jnr. vrs. Victor Smith, which has resumed at an Accra Circuit Court.

The paper says, in the substantive case which begun last year, the complainant, Mr. Baako Jnr, Editor of the “Crusading Guide” is claiming that the former President’s aide had written a 5-paragraph document threatening him (Kweku) and Mrs. Margaret Amoakohene, a lecturer with death unless they stop their attacks on the former President.

Mr. Victor Smith has pleaded not guilty to these charges.

2. STOP EXPERIMENTING WITH PEOPLES LIVES – PROF MILLS TELLS KUFUOR – PGS. 1 & 3

The paper reports that, the flagbearer of the NDC for the 2004 Presidential elections, Prof. Mills has asked the NPP government to stop experimenting with the lives of Ghanaians.

He said “it had become evident with the three years of the NPP administration that the government was bereft of ideas to power Ghana to economic freedom”.

He made these comments while addressing supporters of the party in the Zongo Communities of Koforidua and Suhum as part of his tour of the Eastern region.

THE INDEPENDENT – THURSDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2003

DRIVERS SABOTAGE CASSAVA FACTORY – PG. 1 & BK. PG.

According to the paper, recent investigations into the activities of the Ayensu Starch Company (ASCO), have exposed a trend, which has serious implications for the success of the PSI on cassava.

A visit by the paper to some Gomoa towns including Gomoa Nduem, Gomoa Fomena and Gomoa Nkoranza, all in the Central Region saw heaps of rotten cassava abandoned by the company.

According to the paper, further investigations revealed that the company has duly issued receipts to the owners from whose farms the cassava was harvested to enable them collect their monies from the company’s headquarters at Kasoa, while the cost of the cassava becomes a loss to the company.

It added that, the drivers who had to go for the cassava failed to do so with the excuse that they had been heaped on branch-routes and thus left the cassava in the bush.

THE GHANAIAN VOICE – THURSDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2003

CENSOR FOREIGN FILMS … EFFAH-DARTEY – PGS 1 & 3

The Deputy Minister of Local Development, captain (rtd) Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey says a major step should be taken towards the re-orientation of the youth, to culture conscious.

Captain Effah-Dartey made this suggestion when he opened a two-day workshop for 65 District Planning offices of District Assemblies and Regional directors of the Center for National culture at Elmina.

The workshop was on the theme “culture and Development”, in the five regions in the southern sector of the country.

He also suggested that foreign films must be subjected to critical censorship before being put on media screens, thereby “censoring such films from the local television stations”.

THE STATESMAN – THURSDAY, 23RD OCTOBER, 2003

?38M FOR SECURITY FENCE FOR RAWLINGS’ HOUSE – HE PRESENTS BILL TO GOVT – PGS. 1 & 3

The paper reports that the former President Rawlings, has just presented an invoice of ?38M to the government. This represents the cost of mounting barbed wires of the high walls of his official Ridge residence, Accra.

According to the paper, Rawlings’ special Aide, Victor Smith said the work was necessary to strengthen the security of the former President “which is the responsibility of the state”.

He said, the contractors presented the ?38M bill to him, after completing the job “but I told them I didn’t have the money to pay so they should go to the PWD or government”.