Parliament Is A Rubber Stamp - MP

Hon P.C. Appiah-Ofori, the Member of Parliament for Asikuma Odoben Brakwa has stated that the current parliament is a rubber stamp, dedicated with blindly approving all that the government pushes before it. He has also stated that the current government only rewards those who sing its praises, and that all those who dedicate themselves to offering criticism of government policies and programmes can only expect to be denied the right to serve in government.

Hon. P.C. Appiah-Ofori, who is a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) made these claims during a news programme on an Accra based radio station on Wednesday.Speaking to newsmen in reaction to a recent report by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) that there is a perception that parliament is a rubber stamp, Hon Appiah Ofori expressed his agreement.“Yes I agree with the CDD. When a motion is brought into parliament members make it a case of towing party lines so therefore vote on party lines,’ Hon. Appiah Ofori said. He said that the phenomenon does not allow development for Ghana. Explaining his point, he said that the former Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) passed the Minerals Law in 1986 which was too favourable for the mining companies.He said that when the NPP came to power it decided to change the law and he suggested that a clause be put in the law to make it mandatory for the mining companies to retain a high percentage of their earnings in Ghana.“I did all I could but none of them supported me. After the motion was off the table some of the MPs came to me and said P.C. what you said was true,” he said. He said that the MPs refused to support him because they were afraid.“They are the people who get the ministerial positions,” he said.Asked if expressing critical thought would militate against one getting a position in government, Hon. Appiah-Ofori answered in the affirmative, and said that he did not go to parliament to get a ministerial position, but to serve.“My people did not vote for me to go and enrich myself, they voted me to go and help build the country for the voters to also enjoy the good life. So when government brings the policy and it is not good for the people of Ghana I will not support it,” he said.
Source:Searchlight

All Prez Aspirants Urged To Declare Assets

Dr Kwaku Osafo, a developing economist, has launched his bid to be elected as the presidential candidate of the Convention People's Party (CPP) for Election 2008 and challenged all aspirants to publicly declare their assets."I urge all presidential aspirants of all political parties to publicly declare their assets now and all selected presidential candidates to declare publicly within three months of being selected.""Whoever wins the presidential elections should publicly declare his or her assets before taking office," Dr Osafo said in Accra on Wednesday.Dr Osafo is the second to publicly declare his intention to contest the CPP presidential slot after Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, a former Director General of the Ghana Health Service.Other aspirants are Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom, a former Minister of Public Sector Reform, Mr Bright Akwetey, a lawyer, and Mr George Opersika Aggudey, CPP's presidential candidate in Election 2004.Dr Osafo said under his presidency all ministers and senior officials appointed should publicly declare their assets within three months of taking office "to demonstrate our fight against corruption.""For the first time in the history of this country, I am declaring the hardware of my assets and the means of their acquisition even as a party presidential aspirant to demonstrate in no uncertain terms that corruption will not be tolerated in my administration."He said his administration would enter into agreements with international banks, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to divulge secret accounts of the president's ministers and all high government officials including the police, military and the judiciary."Corruption, stealing of public funds, sheer graft and greed have eaten into our modern political fabric and should be thoroughly dry cleaned," Dr Osafo.Dr Osafo published his assets in a booklet he made available to journalists.He said he generated his income as a World Bank expert for 8 years and later as Economics Advisor for the African Development Bank."My total income during this period was between 1.3 to 1.5 million dollars from which my various investments were made. As president I shall duly inform the Ghanaian public every year on the state of my assets and liabilities," he said
Source:GNA

Doctors Find Herbal Cure For AIDS

A group of Ghanaian doctors and ethno-botanists and their collaborators in the US have moved closer to global fame with their discovery of herbal medicines for the cure of the dreaded HIV/AIDS and Hepititis B.The group staked their claim after 11 years of intensive research in Ghana and the US into the herbal medicines, which have proved potent in subduing the AIDS virus after several tests on some HIV infected persons in Ghana and the US.The discovered HIV/AIDS herbal medicines are known as MAB Formula One, which kills the virus, and MAB Formula Two, which is an immune booster or immune modulator.Although significant advances had long been made in the research, which began in 1996, the researchers had kept their discovery close to their chest until last Saturday when Dr Jacob Akumoah-Boateng, the Medical Director of MAB Medicare Centre, a private health institution in Accra, under whose auspices the research is being carried out, spilled the bean at a ceremony to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the centre.Giving further details on the discovery later in an interview, Dr Akuamoah-Boateng said the Ministry of Health had taken samples of the herbal medicines for further scrutiny after which the group would launch them on the local and international markets.“Even as I’m speaking now, there are a lot of patients on the medicine. There are a lot of bed-ridden patients who are now doing press-ups”, he claimed, adding that the condition of most of the patients in Ghana and the US had improved after they started using the medicine.According to Dr Akuamoah-Boateng, the research had produced 15 postulations out of which 12 had been approved by international bodies.He said the remaining three postulations had not been approved because there was no discovery that could be used as a basis for their approval.Dr Akuamoah-Boateng said various tests had been done at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine at Mampong-Akuapem and internationally acclaimed health institutions in the U.S, such as Corning Hospital in New York and Maryland Medical Laboratory in Baltimore.An acute toxicity test carried out at Mampong affirmed that the herbal medicines were not poisonous and had no side effects.A report on the phytochemical analysis and safety assessment of “MAB Formula I”, carried out by the centre, said it was established in the acute toxicity studies that the laboratory animals needed to consume almost 59 times the normal adult dose (one tot or 30ml) twice daily in order to produce an acute toxic effect.“MAB Formula I is, therefore, safe according to the dosage indicated by the manufacturer”, the report said. A similar conclusion was made by the centre on the “MAB Formula II”.Dr Akuamoah-Boateng said the test kits used for the research were imported from a company in Germany called Boris Wellcome, which was a world leading producer of research test kits.He explained that the research test kits under reference helped to show the presence of the virus in the blood and the detection of anti-bodies, unlike other tests which normally centred on only the detection of anti-bodies, which were the products of the virus.Dr Akuamoah-Boateng said at the initial stages, the test was conducted on three occasions after which it was found out that the virus was no longer present in the blood, however, the anti-bodies were still present.He said, baffled by the outcome, the group decided to carry out further research in the US where they managed to do a viral culture test, which he explained as a very specific and determined test to culture the blood at every stage of the three-prong tests.He said at the end of that research, it was found out that the virus and the anti-bodies were missing.According to Dr Akuamoah-Boateng, the application of orthodox medicine in the treatment of HIV/AIDS was such that although the potency of the virus reduced, the treatment could not be stopped until the death of the patient because the virus would re-emerge if the medication was stopped but that was not the case with the herbal medicine.Earlier at the fifth anniversary of MAB Medicare Centre, a renowned broadcaster, Mr Joe Lartey, who represented the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh I. C. Quaye, advised residents of the area to eschew politics and take advantage of the National Health Insurance Scheme to benefit from free healthcare.
Source:Graphic

Starlets Succumb To The Might Of Spain...U 17

Spain was Physically Superior...... Spain 2-1 Ghana Scorers: D. Aquino(67') Saddick Adams (80') Bojan (116) Live Links: Others for US/Canada Viewers Ulsan, South Korea -- They say that the pressure of being among the favourites makes the task of winning a tournament all the harder. If that is indeed the case, then both Spain and Ghana fully deserve their places in the semi-finals at the FIFA World Cup Korea 2007. All that remains to be decided when the duo meet at the Ulsan Complex Stadium on Wednesday is who will have the honour of contesting Sunday's Final and who will have the consolation of battling for third place.
The stakesThe Iberians had to dig very deep to shake off France in the quarter-finals. The boys in blue dominated for long periods by adopting a simple tactic - keeping the ball. And it was only when coach Juan Santisteban switched things around in the second half that Spain got into the game and showed their teeth up front, something they will certainly need to do against the Ghanaians. The major doubt surrounding the Spanish is how they will react after expending so much energy in last Saturday's gruelling duel with the French.
The Black Starlets should be much in fresher condition after comfortably disposing of Peru. Sellas Tetteh's side have also improved since the tournament began and appear to be peaking at just the right time. Much will depend on how Ghana's potent strike duo of Ransford Osei (five goals to date) and Sadick Adams fare against the solid Spanish defence, marshalled by in-form keeper David de Gea.
The playersNeither Ghana nor Spain have any suspension problems. Ghana boss Tetteh has a full squad to choose from after Francis Boadi served out his one-match in the quarters, while opposite number Santisteban is still waiting on midfielder Jordi's ankle injury and defender Alberto Morgado's muscle strain.
The pastThe Ulsan clash will be the fifth meeting between the sides at a FIFA U-17 World Cup. With two wins and two draws so far it is Ghana who have the edge, the most important of those triumphs coming in the Final at Italy 1991, where they won 1-0 to land the first of their two world titles in the category.
The two sides met earlier on in that competition, drawing 1-1 in the group phase, a result they repeated at the same stage at New Zealand 1999. The Africans' other victory came at Egypt 1997, where they beat the Spanish 2-1 in a group match.




The words"The main challenge facing us will be physical, as Ghana are a very tough side and they have not had to work as hard as we have. We also need to be intelligent. When we've got the ball we need to move it around and try to frustrate them, and when they have it we need to be on our guard and try and hit them on the counter." Juan Santisteban, Spain coach.
"Possession is vital to us because we struggle when we don't have the ball. It's going to be very hard because Ghana aren't like other African sides who are physically very strong but lack a little technique. They've got both things." Jordi, Spain midfielder.
"Our finishing needs to be a little sharper because we can't afford to miss any chances that come our way against the Spanish. It could cost us dear if we do. All the same, I'm convinced we can play good football against anyone, even against a team as strong as Spain." Sellas Tetteh, Ghana coach.
"We know we've got what it takes to reach the final. Spain are a good side but we are determined to beat them and go for the title. Although we are playing really well, there is always room for improvement, and we hope to step up another level against the Spanish." Ransford Osei, Ghana forward.
Source:FIFA

...To Hell With Your Fake Polls...

Former Press Secretary to President Kufuor and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential aspirant, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, has rubbished all opinion polls including the recent one purportedly carried out by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) on who is likely to win the party’s presidential slot.From the very early months of this year, there have been several polls carried out by so many agencies, which different polls claims this or that aspirant is leading the pack of presidential hopefuls as the party prepares for its congress starting December 22, 2007 to pick a candidate to lead it to ‘war’ in the 2008 general elections. And not in any or all of those polls is Kwabena Agyapong mentioned as a serious contender let alone leading the pack of eighteen aspirants.He has thus branded all those polls as the works of lazy people. According to the tough-talking aspirant, he would not waste his time mulling over the countless opinion polls on the chances of the various aspirants, since the so-called pollsters of all those reports only sit in Accra, and conduct surveys that are not representative of the population of party delegates across the length and breadth of the country.Speaking to the Independent newspaper yesterday on the purported BNI report, which put him nowhere among the leading contenders, and even went on to suggest that, “he is a young politician full of ambition, but has a small bony chest,” Mr. Agyepong stated categorically that, he does not care about any BNI report. Speaking in a way that clearly portrayed his disregard for the so-called BNI report, Mr. Agyepong was forthright in pointing out that, rather than waste his time on meaningless polls, he prefers to focus on his campaign, which he knows is going on successfully.Speaking in the affirmative, Mr. Agyapong pointed out that he is not the least perturbed by the BNI report, since that cannot replace the views and preferences of the numerous NPP delegates, who will make the life-changing decision on the D-Day. The party delegates, not the BNI, will decide on the floor of the congress, he stated confidently. Casting further doubts on all opinion polls conducted so far, the former presidential spokesperson dared all pollsters to produce even three items on the questionnaires they claim they distribute to potential delegates to fill in all the 230 constituencies.That is the material they used to collect data, upon which they are making those claims, isn’t it, he queried, so let them publish that too for all to see, he dared them. He suggested that a good number of the potential aspirants get annoyed anytime they hear of these supposed opinion polls, because it is not a true reflection of what is on the ground. According to him, his is confident of winning because he has worked very hard in the constituencies, and that the delegates are buying his message. He added that, he is not going to indulge in any lazy politics based on lazy polls conducted by lazy pollsters.The supposed BNI report, which is being serialized by the Ghanaian Observer newspaper, puts former Foreign Minister, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo in the lead. The survey further stated about Kwabena Agyapong: Even though the party faithful and most especially the leadership of the party know him, he is seen as politically immature”. It adds, his detractors describe him as arrogant and someone who would make an insignificant impact come the party’s presidential primary.
Source:The Independent

HIV/Aids Increases in Ghana

There has been an increase in HIV/Aids in Ghana this year, in spite of increased education on preventive measures to curb the prevalence of the disease.Speaking to the ADM yesterday, the Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Aids Commission, Eric Padwura said the Commission's statistics for the 2007 Sentinel Survey show that the rate of HIV infection among pregnant women has increased from 2.7% to 3.2%. The national prevalence rate has also gone up from 2.1% to 2.2%.The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Awuku-Amoah, said the Commission is aware of the challenges involved in reducing the infection.He said an amount of ¢30 billion will further be disbursed in the fight against the spread of the disease.He however, expressed worry about the fact that most young people are not listening to the education campaigns for safe sex. He said most young people have not been using condoms and the cause of the increase can be attributed to refusal among young people, mostly to change their behaviour.Despite the increase, he said the Commission will not relent in its efforts in educating the public to adopt behaviour change to curtail the spread of the disease in the country.
Source:Accra Mail

Media should make NPP flag bearer campaign civil - Botwe

Mr Daniel Kwaku Botwe, an aspiring presidential candidate of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Tuesday appealed to media houses, particularly those affiliated to the party, to be circumspect about their comments on the aspirants to maintain unity within the party after the December 22 Congress. The use of the media to scandalize presidential aspirants, he said was an unhealthy democratic practice, as it had the potential of undermining the Danquah/Busia political philosophy and create a difficult task for the party to manage after the Congress in the event of one such personality wining the flag bearership slot."The party will hold media houses and presidential aspirants whose conduct and comments overtly create tension and mar the cordial and peaceful relationships that have existed within the party responsible," Mr Botwe, a former NPP General Secretary and Minister of Information, told the Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra.Mr Botwe, who is also a former Minister of Information, lauded the efforts and contributions of journalists towards the democratic development of the country, but noted that recent unguarded publications and comments on the airwaves posed a big threat to our democracy. He urged the media to adhere to the ethics of the profession, champion the cause of the vulnerable, create a level playing field for all contestants and ensure that the public were objectively informed on issues to make the right choices.Mr Botwe also expressed concern about the poor working conditions of most journalists, especially those in the public sector and called on the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the National Media Commission (NMC) to champion a crusade for a review of the salaries and service conditions of journalists in relationship with the salary structure of other workers in the country.On his presidential ambitions, he declared that he was on course. "I have a very competent team working tirelessly across the country and am confident that our efforts would result in massive vote (for me) at the Congress."Mr Botwe dismissed rumours that he would step down to support another candidate as "wicked" and called on delegates and sympathisers to lend him the needed support.He said there was no iota of truth in the rumour that he was only "testing the waters" and would later support one of the nearly two-dozen candidates in the race."I am still in the race and will never withdraw," Mr Botwe stressed. "I am not stepping out of the contest. I will give Ghanaians my time-measured plans aimed at developing the country for social and economic development."Mr Botwe noted further that no one went to war in anticipation of being killed or being vanquished and said adequate measures were in place to ensure he won the primaries convincingly. He said as former General Secretary and organizer he knew how to galvanize support for votes, adding that he placed these abilities at the party's disposal, which culminated in the 2000 and 2004 electoral victories.Mr Botwe said the 2008 elections would be keenly contested hence the party needed someone who had been with the people through difficult times to retain power.He said if he had the mandate he would continue to offer selfless leadership to the party, adding that if he became president, he would offer dedicated leadership to the nation and the world. "That's why I continue to appeal to delegates to translate their support into votes on December 22 at the Congress," he stated. Mr Botwe explained that he would continue to pursue a campaign, which would ensure decency in the party, stressing that the rank and file demanded nothing but a clean campaign in the primaries because "we cannot afford to disappoint our members".He said he had a lot of passion for the nation and would ensure that Ghanaians experienced accelerated development after 2008, since the Kufuor Administration had laid a solid foundation for economic take-off. "But this calls for a leader who has the capacity to lead effectively and I rightly fit into that," he said.Mr Botwe said, however, that in spite of the economic gains achieved, there was still a high degree of poverty in the rural areas. "As I went round the villages, I saw the vast difference between the rich and the poor and I think an NPP government under Dan Botwe will seriously look at that," he stated. 4 Sept. 07
Source:GNA