President's Whereabouts Revealed At Last!

Never went to Canada ...

Was in London to "tie up a few things" ...

NDC citing President for contempt of parliament

Members of parliament from Ghana's opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party are citing President John Kufuor for contempt of parliament for failing to explain to both parliament and to Ghanaians his whereabouts with his widely publicized, but aborted foreign trip.

The NDC claims came after a persistent refusal by the president's office to explain his whereabouts, especially as the country faces floods that threaten a loss of lives and property. The NDC concludes that President Kufuor has not only deceived parliament, but also imperiled the people of Ghana.
From the capital Accra opposition Member of Parliament Haruna Iddrisu tells reporter Peter Clottey that President Kufuor did not adhere to the country's constitution.

"Ghana is governed by the constitution, and article 59 of the constitution imposes an obligation on the president of Ghana. The president is mandated to notify the speaker of parliament in writing when he wants to leave the country. Under the standing orders of parliament, any misleading information is contemptible.

What we are aware off, the president never went to Canada, yet no official explanation has been given as to his whereabouts between the periods that he should have been in Canada, and to the extend that no official explanation have been given, and his whereabouts is unknown. We only can conclude strongly that he deceived parliament, and he deceived the people of Ghana, and that to me is contemptible," Iddrisu pointed out.

Iddrisu agreed that although there is a possibility of the president's plan suddenly changing, he is obligated by law to explain his whereabouts. "Yes, but he owes Ghanaians a duty and the standard of care in explaining his whereabouts. To the extend that he does not explain where he was, I think that one would want to cite him for contempt for giving misleading information to the speaker of parliament and to the people of Ghana," he said.

Iddrisu said the opposition party would know its next line of action to take when the president or his officials fail to respond to their request. "Our constitution is clear on it (going against the constitution), we are for now demanding an official explanation from him and from his spokes people. If he refuses, then we would know the next line of action. But we are clear in our minds that his conduct is in contempt, and a breach of the privilege of parliament," Iddrisu noted.

Meanwhile, the government has dismissed the opposition's claim as unfounded and misleading. From the capital Accra, Ghana's deputy minister for information Frank Agyekum tells reporter Peter Clottey the president's whereabouts are not clandestine. "It is true that the was an announcement that the president was supposed to go to Canada and then onwards to the UN. But what happened was that, at the last minute the trip to Canada was aborted because he was supposed to sign an agreement with the Alkan group of companies.

But the MOU (memorandum of understanding) to that wasn't finished before he set out for the trip. So when it came to his notice we thought it wasn't worth it having to do the trip anymore. The president then was in the UK in London and he took the opportunity then instead of coming back home to tie up a few things and then move on to the UN because he was supposed to address the UN," he said. Agyekum agreed that the presidency should have come out with a statement to explain the president's whereabouts, but he denies the president's whereabouts have been shrouded in secrecy.

"Yes, perhaps a statement should have been issued immediately to explain the circumstances and we regret that, that wasn't done. But that was not because the president was trying to hide anything or anything clandestine was taking place. It's just that well, in this world sometimes tings do not work the way you want them to, but that is the explanation,"" Agyekum noted.
Clottey Interview With Haruna Iddrissu
Listen to Clottey Interview With Haruna Iddrissu
Clottey Interview With Frank Agyekum
Listen to Clottey Interview With Frank Agyekum

NPP holds unity rally Today

Asamankese in the Eastern Region will on Sunday play host to the myriad of flagbearer aspirants of the ruling New Patriotic Party, where a rally has been scheduled.

Party executives, including leader President J.A. Kufuor, Chairman Peter Mac Manu, General Secretary Nana Ohene Ntow, National Organiser, Lord Commey and Regional Chairman, Yaw Gyekye Amoabeng are all expected to grace the rally under the theme, 'Moving forward in Unity', which seeks to offer a common platform for all the about 18 aspirants.

The party intends to officially outdoor the aspirants, each of who is allocated five minutes to propagate his presidential campaign message to the huge crowd expected to be at the Asamankese Methodist Park venue of the rally.The aspirants are Nana Akufo-Addo, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, Felix Owusu-Adjapong, Dan Kwaku Botwe, Boakye Agyarko, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Alan Kyerematen, Kofi Konadu Apraku, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, Mike Oquaye, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong, Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, and Arthur Kennedy. Barfuor Adjei-Barwuah, Ghana’s Ambassador to Japan, is the latest to declare an interest in the race to lead the NPP to Elections 2008.

He has already picked nomination forms.The Eastern Region was also the host of a similar rally when in 1998, the party descended on Nkawkaw to introduce its then six aspirants, including President Kufuor.

I'm Not Dead,....... I'm Alive!

POOR RECORD keeping within Ghana's judiciary was made manifest yesterday when a Tarkwa-based magistrate was declared 'dead' by the President of the Association of Magistrates and Judges of Ghana (AMJG), Mr. Justice Joseph Bawah Akamba.

The incident took place at the 28th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the AMJG in Accra.Justice Akamba mentioned the name of Mr. Kwame Gyamfi Osei, a magistrate at Tarkwa, who was present at the meeting, among members of the association who died in the course of the year.He therefore called for a minute's silence to be observed in their memory.Apparently shocked by the pronouncement, colleagues who were sitting by the virile and healthy-looking magistrate shouted, "He is here.

He is here", while he himself rose energetically declaring, "I am here, I am alive", amidst rib-bursting laughter from all present, including Chief Justice Mrs. Georgina Theodora Wood.After the spontaneous laughter, president of the association resumed his speech by apologizing profusely to Mr. Osei for declaring him dead when he is alive.Mr. Justice Akamba then deplored the poor record keeping within the judiciary which had made him commit that unusual blunder."Record keeping in the service is so appalling and I'm glad it has happened this way. This is a true reflection of the sentiments on the ground. I am very sorry."He narrated how difficult it was for him to get the right records from judges and magistrates to prepare his speech.The AMJG President, who used the occasion to congratulate the Chief Justice on her appointment, asked her to work with members of the association as she could not do the work alone.

To members of the association, he said, “All should be on board because when we share the same vision and direction, we get to our destination quicker.”According to Justice Akamba, the judiciary had performed creditably despite the numerous challenges it faced. Though the conditions of service of members had improved remarkably in recent times, he called for further improvement to meet the rising cost of living.He asked members to practise “true internal justice” within the judiciary “so that it doesn’t only seem that we only dispense justice and democracy but practise it as well”.

Justice Akamba advised his colleagues, saying, “Let’s do away with archaic procedures” which caused undue delays in justice delivery.For her part, Mrs. Wood promised the judges and magistrates that the reforms started by her predecessor, the late Justice George Kingsley Acquah, would continue despite the challenges faced by the service.She promised the judiciary that there would be frequent refresher courses for members to be conversant with modern trends, and warned that those who failed to attend the courses would be sanctioned appropriately.“Foreign trips and courses will not become the preserve of a select few including my own self,” she added.

The Chief Justice encouraged magistrates and judges to use Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) methods to clear the backlog of cases, adding that the system would enable them to deal expeditiously with criminal cases.She thanked her colleagues for their support and goodwill since she assumed office, and expressed the hope that they would work assiduously as they had always done.A Supreme Court judge, Mrs. Justice Sophia O.A. Adinyira, who chaired the meeting, called on her colleagues to ensure that all in society had access to justice.“We as the custodians and enforcers of the Constitution need to constantly remind ourselves that the achievement of the concept of access to justice depends heavily on the way and manner we administer justice.

“Despite the financial and infrastructural inadequacies that are facing the Judicial Service, we as judges and magistrates must continue to dedicate ourselves to building a truly independent, competent, efficient, and an effective judicial system.”Dr. Alfred Doku of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Cardiothoracic Centre took the justice dispensers through a series of prevalent diseases and ways to prevent them.Twelve retired members of the association were honoured.
Source:Daily Guide

Ata Mills @Asafutufiam festival...Pix Report