People's Assembly

People's Assembly held
The Government of Ghana has held a "People's Assembly" to mark the 9th anniversary of the 4th Republic and the first of the Kufuor administration which took over the reigns of government exactly a year ago today, 7th January 2002.

President Kufuor addressing a large gathering at the Accra International Conference Centre, the first of its kind in the history of this nation, said the past year was used to clean the system and the economy which he said he met in total shambles.

In his rather short address, preceding the questions, Kufuor touched on what he called "demystification" of the Castle, the seat of government, which according to the President used to put fear in a lot of hearts during the times of the past government.

The President also spoke on the police and attempts being made by his government to reorganise the service to live up to expectation.

Kufuor told the Assembly that at the time he took over as President, the strength of the service was reduced to a mere 16, 000, moral collapsed whilst facilities available to them drastically reduced. The president said the enumerated problems of the police service resulted in lack of law and order.

To solve the problems, Kufuor said recruitment exercise is in progress to increase the number of the service to meet the increasing security demands of the country. Again, he told the Assembly that the transportation needs of the service will be addressed this year.

According to the President, security remains a priority to his government and therefore everything possible will be done under his regime to strengthen the security forces and for that matter the police service. Kufuor said, professionalism and motivation in the Ghana Armed Forces is regaining grounds and urged the army to continue to exhibit a high sense of professionalism and remain loyal to the state.

On the economy, Kufuor said lot of strides have been made. "We did better than pass mark." "We are moving in the right direction and making some positive gains."

According to him, there have been positive achievements, inflation and interest rates have been dropping and the general business climate has improved, adding, "we have good reason to be proud of our progress thus far."

"This year marks the real beginning of the manifestation of wealth creation," Kufuor said, but warned that "we are not yet out of the woes," tougher measures would be taken to put the economy back on track.

He said within the next few months, the government will be making use of the benefits accrued from the controversial HIPC Initiative. Kufuor also noted that, "Rome was not built in a day," the solution is in the acceptance of the challenge by both government and society.

From Joy Online

The People’s Assembly organized by government as part of activities marking the ninth anniversary of the Fourth Republic has been described as unprecedented, sending President Kufuor, once again, into the history books. Beyond that however, the partisan nature of such functions clad under a national ceremony was not absent.

Identifiable party functionaries resplendent in the red, blue and white colours of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) occupied more than half of the seats in the auditorium. There was near confusion, as party supporters who arrived in busloads could not get space in either the main auditorium or the upper floors.

Clearly not prepared to sit outside or be left out of the ceremony, they demanded and were later allowed to occupy the committee rooms of the Accra International Conference Center where television sets were placed for their viewing comfort. Also worth noting was the fact that majority of the people invited were party functionaries and did not therefore ask probing questions.

Conspicuously absent were leading members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). Some senior party officials claim they were invited to a cocktail planned for tonight, and not the People’s Assembly. Present however were representatives of the National Reform Party, the People’s National Convention (PNC) and the CPP’s Presidential Candidate in the last elections- Professor George Hagan, who is now the Chairman of the National Commission on Culture.

Also present was the Agogohene, Nana Akuoko Sarpong who although has links with the NDC, said he attended the function in his capacity as a member of the National House of Chiefs. Dr. E. A. Ayirebi- Acquah who was a member of the PNDC/ NDC administration as well as members of the Diplomatic Corps were present.

Government Subjected To Public Scrutiny At People’s Assembly

President Kufuor led his whole government to the Accra International Conference Centre today for a question and answer session with a cross section of the Ghanaian populace. The occasion, referred to as the People’s Assembly was the high point of events marking the ninth anniversary of the Fourth Republic. The People’s Assembly was a departure from the usual national parade held at the Independence Square to mark the anniversary.

The difference is not only in the venue, but the form, as the media and the public for the first time in the history of the country had the opportunity to directly ask the President questions and got responses immediately. It was an unprecedented event, sending President Kufuor, once again, into the history books. He is now the first sitting Head of State to subject himself to probing questions from the citizenry in a public arena.

The Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress, Akwasi Adu Amankwa describes the decision to appear before the people and answer questions as an act of courage. The President’s address before the questions were asked could pass for an abridged sessional address as he touched on everything from law and order to the economy.

The large audience at the Accra International Conference Center listened attentively as millions watched on TV and listened on radio throughout the country. The short address was punctuated with applause from the audience, as he spoke about the gains of his administration in the past 12 months he has been at the helm of government. The President said every action he has taken has been in the interest of the country, especially the numerous foreign trips he has been criticized for.

According to him, each foreign trip he undertook has been worthy and purposeful. The President wanted Ghanaians to know that every effort is being made to put the economy back on track citing the reduced interest rates from 50 to about 38 per cent and inflationary rate from 40 to 23 per cent as major indicators. He was however quick to add that a lot more remains to be done.

The President told Ghanaians that he is counting on the support of every Ghanaian to achieve the government’s objectives. The public had a lot of questions to ask and members of the government had quick answers with the President answering most of the questions.