3.12.07

Giver and taker wrong, says GJA ......Soli = Bribe

The Ghana Journalist Association is asking its members to file a complaint against event organisers who offer gifts including money to influence their reportage.

The GJA says event organisers have repeatedly been asked to stop offering cash, usually in envelopes, widely know to journalists as ‘soli’. But it says the practise seems to be continuing.

The case against financial inducement was highlighted at a round table discussion, which equated the payments of money to journalists to taking bribes.

Within the Journalist Association executives are divided in their position on the issue. The Acting President of the association in the Ashanti Region says it is not wrong for journalists to accept money from people who appreciate their work.

But the national President of the GJA, Ransford Tetteh says the association’s policy frowns on it and urges journalists not to hesitate to revert to the association if an event organiser offers to give them soli.

Meanwhile the General Secretary of the Advertisers Association of Ghana, Francis Dadzie says it will not be fair to ask journalists to lodge complaints against event organisers.

According to him, pressmen must bear equal responsibility for demanding money from event organisers and said he would be glad to see the day journalists would be bold enough to stand up against monetary offers from people who require their services.

NPP in a Fierce Friendly Fire

The Accra Daily Mail says even as the NPP was toasting itself last Sunday at its national rally at Kasoa, there were growing signs that the ruling party is losing its way in its succession programme. Dissatisfaction, suspicion, fear and even hate have taken over in this mean spirited campaign to succeed President Kufuor.

According to the paper, an agitated chairman of a Brong Ahafo constituency, pleading strict anonymity, last Friday night spoke to ADM on what he described as the "terrible thing happening to our party". He told ADM that a former minister, also the MP for a constituency in Kumasi "descended" on the Brong Ahafo Region to canvass support for a presidential aspirant.

This former minister told the B.A. constituency chairmen that he was campaigning for "the preferred choice of Accra". The significance of "Accra" was not lost on the chairmen and they quickly grasped the meaning.

This former minister, himself the subject of much controversy, leading to his resignation last year, then proceeded to offer "assistance" to the constituency executives to influence them to entice delegates to vote for Accra's choice. Each constituency chairman received ¢10 million, other executive members each received ¢3 million; ¢10 million was also "donated" to each constituency to "help" with the organization of delegate selection. By the end of it all, ¢150 million had been spent on each constituency.

Special mobile phones were also given to each of the executives. The chairman who spoke to ADM said "we were given mobile phones with television". These must be the latest multimedia phones on the market. He departed with the promise that more would follow once Accra's bidding is achieved.

Reports from Tamale and the north, according to the paper, also spoke of lesser amounts and some cheap phones floating about.

It is circulated that now that the delegates are selected, the leading spender is ready to visit each delegate with an envelope containing US dollars!

A Central Region constituency chairman called a source known to ADM and narrated a similar story. According to him the aspirant himself had "descended" on the Central Region and splurged ¢50 million on each constituency with the promise of more to come.

The complaining chairman was grateful for the windfall but concerned about the legacy of such politicking.

This heavy spending is replicated all over the regions and constituencies but in fairness, not by all the aspirants but by a few who have constituted themselves into the elite of "moneycracy" throwing all caution to the wind and openly using money to determine the outcome of this month's congress.

The principle or lack of it in this strategy is to use money and more money where persuasion with ideas fails. So far the party leadership and elders have remained cagey about this development which makes total nonsense of "Zero Tolerance for Corruption", said the paper.

Compounding this murky use of money in the race to succeed President Kufuor is the sinister role being played by some Regional Ministers, Municipal and District Chief Executives. These Ministers, MCEs and DCEs, also claiming instructions from Accra have adopted tactics that can only be described as intimidation and coercion to whip constituency executives into line to ensure a win for Accra's choice.

For some inexplicable reason, it is the RMs, DCE, and MCEs of the three Northern regions who have been targeted in this grand strategy. Recent sackings and appointments have rather heightened the suspicion that Accra may indeed be sending a strong message to MCEs and DCEs to fall in line.

Exercising his right to remain anonymous, a DCE complained to an ADM source that they are on strict orders to deliver their districts to Accra's choice. In an interesting turn of events, this DCE told the ADM source to "use your influence in the media to blow this up because we are under intense pressure." And that is how come ADM got this lead. ADM has since cross-checked with other sources in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale and meetings at the MCE's residence and other places to advance Accra's choice have been confirmed.

In the Upper East Region, the Regional Minister is reported to be rounding up regional and constituency executives to "convince" them to bloc vote on December 22. But the Northern Regional Minister, who is said to be eyeing a running mate slot promised him by another aspirant is "bravely" holding out and is said therefore to be in open confrontation with his MCE who is neck deep in the grand strategy to deliver to Accra's choice.

The above narration could be put down to the intrigues of the cloak and dagger politics of the Third World. Perhaps, but is that not also the genesis of all the trouble spots of the continent?




Source: The Accra Daily Mail

Former NACOB boss calls for fresh investigations into missing cocaine

A former director of the Narcotics Control Board, (NACOB) Mr. K B Quantson has asked government to open fresh investigations into how 2,310 kilograms of cocaine went missing on board the shipping vessel M. V. Benjamin.

77 parcels of the drug each weighing 30 kilograms disappeared on the high seas in 2006, in what is thought to be the biggest cocaine scandal in the country.

Although a committee chaired by the current Chief Justice Georgina Wood was set up last year to investigate the case and other narcotics related matters, the drugs were never found.

Only last week, the fast track High court sentenced two drug barons Issa Abass and Kwabena Amanin alias Tagor to 15 years in jail with hard labour following recorded conversations that linked both men to the lost cocaine.

Mr. Quanson says the Attorney General should also come out to explain why the Police Director of Operations ACP Kofi Boakye is not facing prosecution.

Speaking to Joy News’ Matilda Asante on the question of wether the sentencing of the two suspects Alhaji Issa Abass and Kwabena Amanin demonstrates government’s commitment to check drug trafficking, he said this case is one deterrent one, but except it is followed by an aggressive enforcement system the message won’t go down well.

He also said assets of the convicted barons should be confiscated and followed by a continuous sensitization of the whole country.

Mr. Quantson is also advocating for a national programme through the schools, churches and mosques to sensitise the people because the drugs menace is a problem of the people.

On the missing 77 parcels, Mr. Quantson said every effort must be made to find the drugs.

2.12.07

PNC Selects Mahama Again

Dr. Edward Nasigri Mahama, this morning, was elected as the presidential candidate for the People's National Convention (PNC) at the Party's Delegates Conference held in Bolgatanga. This is the fourth time the PNC has elected Dr Edward Mahama as its flag bearer.

He polled 534 votes to beat the other contestant, Professor Yakubu Saaka who got 400 votes.

The over one thousand delegates drawn from all the PNC constituencies also voted to elect their National Executives. Mr Benard Monah who contested for the General Secretary of the party polled 691 votes to beat his opponents Dr Somtim Tubiga and Mr Santua Niagia who got 154 and 106 votes respectively. The National Organizer went to Mr Bayirga Haruna who polled 362 to beat Mr Abubakari K. Ebla and Mr.Godly Baba Ali who got 318 and 250votes respectively.

The Member of Parliament of the Party for the Bolgatanga Constituency Mr David Apasera was elected as the National Treasurer of the party with 660 votes as against Mr David Nibi who polled 264 votes. Hajia Alima Ajara Ali was elected as the National Women Organizer with 634 votes as against her opponent Ms Patricia Kanji who got 281 votes.

Mr Emmanuel Wilson got the National Youth Organizer with 710 votes to beat his contestant Mr Iddrisu Andani Mu-azu who had 215 votes. The position of Vice Chairman was deferred to a later date due to the uncertainty about the exact number of people contesting the position.

Dr. Edward Mahama in his victory speech said the real winners of the elections was the Party, because of the way it was held peacefully and successfully, and that the elections is a sign that the Party's self inflicted wounds had healed.

He said it was also a victory for Ghana's democracy. Asked by Journalists, after his election whether he was not tired of being the presidential candidate, Dr. Mahama said the commitment of the people kept him going on.

He thanked the security services and the media for their good work and urged journalists not to relent in giving good coverage to the opposition parties.

Mr Adams M. Iddrisu, Upper East Regional Director of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) supervised the election. Meanwhile the elections, which were scheduled to start on Saturday morning dragged on to the early hours of Sunday. 02 Dec. 07


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