Sunday, May 31, 2009

BRIGHT DAY FOR GHANA (MAY 30, 2009)

GHANAIANS widely applauded the news from Bawku in the Upper East Region yesterday to the effect that the leadership of both factions in the conflict had embraced one another in public and jointly pledged to work together to bring durable and lasting peace, stability and prosperity to Bawku.
The breakthrough, which followed earlier meetings President John Evans Atta Mills held separately with the leaders of the various factions, opens a new chapter in the inter-ethnic relations among the diverse groups of people in the area, as well as enhanced prospects for the socio-economic advancement of the area.
Indeed, such was the joy for all that President Mills offered a prayer of thanks to God Almighty and prayed that God should fill the hearts of the rival factions with love, peace and understanding so that instead of permanently being at each other’s throats, they would join hands and work to develop the area and in this way improve the quality of their lives (see front page).
We are returning to the subject of Bawku for the second time in two days because of its importance to our national security and development.
The resumption of the conflict within the last few years has claimed many lives, maimed and crippled hundreds of others and destroyed property estimated at millions of Ghana cedis. The cost of the conflict becomes prohibitive when one factors in the man-hours lost on the farms, in offices and shops and other business enterprises over these years and their effects on national development.
This is not to mention the millions of cedis spent by the government in containing the situation and the negative image it has carved for the area in the minds of people in and outside the country.
The real import of this positive development is that it provides a good opportunity to break the animosity that has existed between the various rival groups and thus ushers in a new beginning for the people to see one another as folks inextricably bound together by common problems and the same destiny.
Should this new positive attitude and thinking endure, the collective resources, energies and expertise of the various groups that had hitherto been committed to war and destruction, can now in an atmosphere of peace and oneness be channelled into productive ventures to create more jobs, better incomes and wealth for the people, regardless of whether they are Kusasis or Mamprusis, Moshies or Bisas.
A return to peace and order in the area would also pave the way for the government to push ahead with its development plans and programmes, including critical investment in agriculture, agro-processing, cottage industries, etc., all of which would put more resources in the area and more money in the pockets of the people and in this way contribute significantly to the enhancement of the living standards of the people.
While we commend individuals, groups and institutions including the government, NGOs, traditional rulers and opinion leaders and the Inter-ethnic Peace Council for their contributions to breaking this deadlock, we would nevertheless appeal to everyone, including the rival groups, the government and peace committees not to go back to sleep in the belief that the storm is over.
This is the critical phase in the peace process that needs all the vigilance, encouragement and support to get through to its logical conclusion.
We wish to congratulate the long-suffering people of Bawku on this breakthrough and to urge them to jealously guard and protect these hard-won gains by closing and solidifying their ranks.
It is only the people of Bawku who can bring durable peace and prosperity to the area and now is the time!

Friday, May 29, 2009

LET THERE BE PEACE IN BAWKU (MAY 29, 2009)

THERE are many people in this country, including the well-educated, who do not know that long before the apartheid system in South Africa was used to oppress and exploit Black people, there was here, in the then Gold Coast, specifically in the northern part referred to as the Northern Territories, a system akin to the apartheid system.
The colonial rulers, as a matter of deliberate policy, carved out the Northern Territories and kept the area as a reservoir of cheap labour to service the cocoa and mineral economy of the southern part of the country.
Not only were the people of that area deliberately kept uneducated to serve this patently discriminatory policy but they were also quarantined and prevented from moving to the other half of the country. Any citizen of the area who wanted to go to the south had to secure a special permit from the District Commissioner allowing him or her a limited period of stay for a specific purpose.
It is, therefore, no wonder that there is a half century or more gap in education between the northern and southern parts of the country. This is a fact.
This brief exposition helps to explain not only the disparities in education, socio-economic and cultural development between the north and the south but also why the area has certain peculiar problems to which reactions by the people are often not understood and appreciated by others outside the region.
While the Bawku chieftaincy crisis does draw from this development of the general lack of development of the north, other factors such as the intrusion of politics into traditional and cultural matters have contributed to aggravating the matter.
The result has been that Kusasis, Mamprusis, Mossis and others who are all collectively victims of an unjust system that has left them poverty stricken, under-developed and lagging behind in education and the acquisition of skills and technology are, instead of joining hands to confront these problems, dissipating their precious energies and resources in killing, maiming and destroying one another, as well as the little property they have.
We are not oblivious of the depth of people’s sentimental attachment to chieftaincy and its accompanying values, but if we must kill, maim and destroy ourselves in the name of chieftaincy, will that make our own cause and that of our society any better?
Should it not be that chieftaincy should exist to serve and advance the interests and aspirations of the people and society, rather than the institution serving as an instrument of division, destruction and death?
It is in this respect that we doff our hats for President John Evans Atta Mills for meeting the leaders of both factions in the Bawku conflict in their own backyard and dialoguing with them on the way forward to an amicable resolution of the problem for durable peace in the area (see story on page 17).
We are particularly heartened by the counsel of the President that stresses not only the need to always resort to dialogue and the law to resolve problems but also the recognition that they are all brothers and sisters who can peacefully co-exist and work together to advance their communities for their mutual good.
We hope that this sincere and forthright interaction with the President will help create a platform where, through dialogue, the people of Bawku will talk to one another, reach some understanding and open a new chapter that emphasises their fraternity and commonality of destiny.
Bawku has shed enough blood of its sons and daughters and, like other parts of the disadvantaged north, needs to galvanise every energy and talent for development to bridge the developmental gap and make life better for all.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

PROTECTING OUR FORESTS IS PARAMOUNT (MAY 28, 2009)

IT has been said time and again that when the last tree dies, the last man dies.
This is a truism, as the symbiotic relationship between man and forests stretches far back to creation because the forests provide not only fruits but also food and meat for human consumption.
They also contribute significantly in moderating and even influencing the climate. Indeed, in areas where protective forest cover has been removed, rainfall has been known to decrease.
This, without doubt, has had pronounced effects on agriculture, whether it be the cultivation of crops or raising of animals, ultimately reflecting on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and by extension the national economy.
It is no secret that in our part of the world two main factors — bad farming practices and the indiscriminate felling of trees for sawn timber for domestic use and export — have combined to deplete our forests and forest reserves at an alarming rate.
Today, as a result of these destructive activities, it is said that we can only boast about 10 per cent of the forest cover we had in the last century and that if the current rate of destruction continues, this country can completely lose its entire forest cover and within a decade become a net importer of wood.
It is in the face of these life-threatening developments that we lend our unflinching support to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, in his pledge to wage an all-out war against illegal chainsaw operators who alone have laid to waste hundreds of thousands of hectares of forest within the last few years.
The revelation, which came up during the minister’s tour of a forest reserved, that even the most treasured of the country’s forest reserves had not been spared the unfettered destructive activities of these chainsaw operators is heart rendering (see pages 24 and 25).
The battle against this illegal chainsaw menace is not new. Indeed, over the years a number of measures have been announced to bring these destructive activities under check.
While some margins of temporary success have been achieved here and there, these gains have not been as comprehensive and sustainable as would be required to bring it under control.
In many instances, after a few weeks of the rigorous enforcement of the law, during which some recalcitrant illegal chainsaw operators are arrested, their lumber seized and trucks impounded, the enforcement regime relapses and the culprits and trucks are released to return to ply their illegal trade, this time with greater vigour.
We need to strengthen the working relationship among forest guards or wardens, the police and other law enforcement agencies and the communities in which these timber species are felled.
Such co-operation, anchored in the strength of the belief that we all have a shared interest in protecting our forests, will enhance the enforcement of the law against these nation wreckers.
With the savannah region now being degraded into a desert and our forest areas fast being transformed into savannah, the time to act with all the seriousness and determination to nip this national canker in the bud is now.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

DURATION OF SHS (MAY 27, 2009)

THE controversy surrounding the duration of the senior high school (SHS) course appears to be gathering storm after Professor Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, the Chairman of the committee which drafted the 2001 report on the country’s educational reforms, waded into the debate.
According to him, the forum the Education Ministry was calling to help determine the duration of the SHS was uncalled for because the issue had already been determined in the past when the committee under his chairmanship toured the entire country and collated views and memoranda from all stakeholders who overwhelmingly endorsed the three-year duration (see front page).
Earlier, both the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools (CHASS) and the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) had taken opposing positions, with the former opting for four years and the latter three years.
While both sides of the argument do have their relative merits and demerits, additional issues ought to be factored into the debate to help us arrive at a durable resolution that will protect the interests of the stakeholders — students, parents, teachers, the government, etc.
The first issue or question to raise is, what is so overwhelmingly bad or wrong with the three-year period for us to jettison it for the four-year term when it has generally served us well for all these years?
Again, given our current deficit economic situation, can we get the requisite resources within the short space of time available to put up the infrastructure needed to meet the demands of the additional year?
Moreover, can parents and guardians meet the cost and pressure of the additional year that their children and wards will spend in school?
If we find it difficult to address resource and other constraints in a three-year system, does it not stand to reason that we will be overwhelmed by problems if we opt for the four-year system, with its resultant challenges?
While we believe that reverting to the three-year duration will serve the interests of all better than the four years, we nevertheless wish to respect the decision of the Education Ministry to organise the forum to get fresh views from stakeholders and the Ghanaian public on the way forward in this matter.
In giving Ghanaians another opportunity to contribute ideas in respect of this important matter, the government’s hand will not only be strengthened in the taking of a final decision on the matter but it would also have stretched its democratic credentials and respect for the views, interests and aspirations of the people.
We appreciate that owing largely to years of under-funding and poor salaries for teachers in public schools, students in such schools have come out worse and this will not change, whether the SHS duration is three or four years, if the same conditions persist.
We want to urge the government to devote more attention and resources to these areas so that even in the three years SHS, both access and quality of education can be improved.
We finally urge the government to pay attention to the findings and recommendations of the Anamuah-Mensah Committee, especially on issues relating to the foundation of the educational system from the kindergarten, through primary to junior high school levels.
A superstructure erected on a solid foundation can stand, no matter what.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

AFRICAN UNITY IS THE ANSWER (MAY, 26, 2009)

UNITY is strength, so goes a popular adage.
Indeed, there is so much wisdom in this saying as it, more often than not, reflects in the true life situations of people and institutions.
When the founding fathers of the Africa in the personalities of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Jamal Abdul Nasser, Ahmed Sekou Toure, Patrice Lumumba, Modibo Keita, Emperor Haile Sellasie, etc, lit the torch that would liberate the African continent from the yoke of colonialism, they undoubtedly drew a lot of encouragement from this saying.
When Ghana, under the dynamic leadership of Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah, attained independence in 1957, the first in sub-Saharan Africa to do so, only about half a dozen states on the continent could lay claim to such sovereign status.
Being completely inundated in the sea of imperialist powers whose insatiable appetite for the control of overseas territories and resources had shown no sign of diminishing, these trailblazers of African liberation had to craft and rely on the unification of the independent states then as a means to the eventual defeat of the colonial order.
It came as little wonder, therefore, when, at the dawn of Ghana’s independence, Osagyefo declared at the then Polo Grounds that Ghana’s independence was meaningless unless it was linked with the total liberation of the African continent.
Thanks to the wisdom, vision and unbending determination of these leaders, and with the solid support of the people, the first phase of the quest for the total freedom of the African people has been won with the political liberation of the entire continent.
Today, the bigger and more sophisticated battle for the African continent is that of overthrowing the last vestiges of colonialism — neo-colonialism.
While most Africans are generally agreed on the ridding of the continent of its precarious economic dependence on these nations, the means for attaining this lofty goal has remained a contentious issue since the days of the founding fathers of the OAU when the issue split the continent along the Casablanca (radical group) and the Monrovia (dovish group) blocs.
Be that as it may, there cannot be any doubt about the fact that the battle against under-development, economic marginalisation and dependence and their attendant vicious circle of poverty and misery of the African people can only be won if and when the continent unites.
The history of the United States of America (USA) and more recently the European Union (EU) should tell us that the timid and uncommitted steps taken so far on the part of African nations cannot get us to the unification goal in the next 50 years.
Africa needs to change the integration gear into a faster one as the rest of the world, from the USA, through the EU to the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), are moving ever faster.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, put it at the commemoration of the AU Day in Accra yesterday, the widespread feeling among African people is for continental unity now, with their total involvement (see pages 24 and 25).
The continent today needs leaders with vision and the requisite political will to integrate and not those who see themselves as petty chieftains clinging on to small enclaves they love to call and view as their bona fide territories.
We would want, on this occasion, to ask all Africans to ponder over this irony of why Africa is the richest continent on earth but its people are the poorest in the world.
Disunity is our bane and in unity lies our salvation.
The time for that unity is now!

MAKING LIFE BETTER FOR OUR PEOPLE (MAY 25, 2009)

TO say that water is life is to speak a truism, for one cannot imagine existence, let alone the flourishing of life, without water which, in essence, has no substitute.
While this vital natural resource may be abundant, especially in the tropical world, not much of it is potable and, therefore, good for people to drink.
Large quantities of water, especially those held in open spaces, are contaminated as a result of the activities of human beings. These may include the flow into these water bodies of faecal and other waste organic matter or industrial effluent, all of which are injurious to the human body when ingested.
In many developing countries such as ours, less than half of the populace has access to safe and potable water. In most parts of rural Africa, the percentage even drops to as low as 10 per cent of the populace.
As a result of this limited access, large segments of the populace use contaminated water and in the process they are made prone to contracting water-borne diseases such as guinea worm, bilharzia, buruli ulcer and others.
These diseases, the cost of treatment, as well as the opportunity cost of the inability of the victims to be economically productive, exact a significant toll on national productivity.
This not only reduces the volumes and value of goods and services produced nation-wide but also impacts adversely on the people and thereby contributes to the sustenance of the vicious circle of poverty.
It is in the light of this that we are happy that the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at the weekend launched a 17-million euro peri-urban, rural and small town water and sanitation project designed to improve both sanitation and water supply to the people of the Brong Ahafo Region (see pages 20 and 21).
There can be no doubt about the fact that for the people of the Brong Ahafo Region, this is a crucial and most welcome intervention by the government, especially given the fact that only about 53 per cent of the population has access to water that can be categorised as safe and potable. It will, no doubt, contribute to improving the conditions of life and economic status of the beneficiary communities.
We are particularly elated that as part of increasing the access of the people to this vital resource, the government has scrapped the previous policy which required beneficiary communities to contribute financially to the cost of water supply.
This will enable those who cannot enjoy the facility on account of poverty or inability to pay to benefit and in this way improve the conditions of life of the people.
There are many more areas in the country where greater numbers of our people are denied the benefit of the safe use of this vital resource and our hope, therefore, is that this kind of project will be extended to as many other areas of this country as resources will permit.
We would also want to appeal to those executing the project to endeavour to provide value for money and service for the beneficiary communities so that they will treat the facilities, when completed, as their own so that the facilities will serve them longer.
Any resource spent on improving the supply of potable water is an invaluable investment from which the whole nation will reap incalculable benefits.

PROTECTING OUR OIL REVENUE (MAY 23, 2009)

THE exploration of oil and gas in many countries has not been very beneficial to the citizens of those countries. Oil power has attracted migrants of all kinds of skills and race to oil-rich countries on the continent, particularly Nigeria, Libya, Equatorial Guinea and Angola.
Oil revenue in some of these countries have been put to good use, thereby improving the well-being of the people. In other countries, the exploration of oil and gas has been a curse rather than a blessing.
Since Ghana discovered oil in commercial quantities in 2007, the country has become the attraction of investors from far and near. Today the Western Region is the most important investment destination in Ghana, although that region has, over the years, produced the bulk of our exports.
When we discovered oil in commercial quantities last year, many friends of the country cautioned Ghana to try and avoid the pitfalls that have bedevilled some oil rich countries on the continent.
Our governments have since put in place the necessary framework to maximise oil revenue for the good of the country. Some of the suggestions are the setting up of an independent authority to manage the oil revenue, security arrangements to protect the oil fields and safety nets to protect vulnerable groups in the drilling communities.
President J.E.A. Mills yesterday outlined some of the measures that would be put in place to protect the country’s oil resources to include the acquisition of two naval vessels to check negative practices that would undermine the country’s oil and gas endowment.
At an oil and gas forum organised by Zenith Bank Ghana, in collaboration with Vintage Visions in Accra, the President said, “Ghana’s new-found wealth cannot be handled whimsically.”
Apart from the exploration of oil and gas, there will be other offshore business opportunities that can be harnessed to enhance the well-being of the people.
If harnessed properly, the oil and gas in the country will end Ghana’s over-reliance on donors to balance its budget. And that is why the necessary structures should be put in place to avoid the siphoning of oil revenue for personal gain.
It is an undeniable fact that the oil business is characterised by corrupt practices and it is necessary for all Ghanaians to be vigilant so that the benefits from this God-given gift will help to take us on the path of economic challenges.
The DAILY GRAPHIC draws attention to major environmental challenges that are likely to hit the Tano Basin and other areas where oil and gas will be explored in commercial quantities. The regulatory bodies in the country should not shirk their responsibilities in ensuring that all companies exploring oil and gas abide by environmental regulations.
We call on the government to also resist the temptation of abandoning other sectors of the economy in the belief that oil will rake in a lot of revenue for development and suggest that oil exploration should complement other sectors such as cocoa production, gold mining and tourism that this country has relied on to develop since the colonial era.
It is the hope of the DAILY GRAPHIC that we will guard jealously our oil revenue, just as we have protected our fledgling democracy since 1992, so that Ghana will also be a shining example in the exploration of oil and gas on the continent.
For us, the exploration of oil and gas can be only a blessing and help to take the country out of its present economic challenges.

Friday, May 22, 2009

MAKE CORRUPTION RISKY BUSINESS (MAY 22, 2009)

ACORRUPTION in public service has been identified as a major obstacle to national development.
In most developing countries, including Ghana, politicians have always touted their commitment to the fight against corruption but they achieve very little when offered the opportunity to govern for lack of the political will to do so.
Article 286 of Ghana’s Constitution states that “a person who holds public office... shall submit to the Auditor-General a written declaration of all property or assets owned by him, whether directly or indirectly, (a) within 3 months after the coming into force of this Constitution or before the taking of office, as the case may be; (b) at the end of every four years, and (c) at the end of his term of office”.
When President J. E. A. Mills assumed office, he gave his appointees seven days to declare their assets and pledged to initiate the necessary legislative reforms to make all his appointees accountable to the people.
Under the present legal framework, members of the public do not have an idea of the assets of public office holders, including their elected representatives, until there is an issue before a competent body of enquiry.
Another obstacle that confronts the fight against corruption is the tendency on the part of the public to point accusing fingers only at politicians.
But under the law, other public office holders who are to declare their assets include top civil and public servants, justices of the superior courts of judicature, ambassadors and high commissioners, members of governing boards and heads of corporations.
If the Auditor-General’s Report on the public accounts of the country is to make any meaningful impact, then the fight against corruption should even include low-grade officers such as storekeepers and accounts clerks in the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Over the years, the reports have contained startling revelations of the wastage in the public service and yet after scrutiny by Parliament, we don’t have any evidence of the prosecution of any public official indicted for embezzlement or misappropriation.
It is against this background that the initiative by the Auditor-General’s Department to include asset declaration forms in the appointment letters of public office holders under the Public Office Holders (Declaration of Assets and Disqualification) Act should be supported by all anti-corruption activists.
It appears that as a people we are paying lip service to the fight against corruption because there is no reward and sanctions regime in place to motivate people to do the right thing or deter them from bribery and corruption.
It is the wish of the DAILY GRAPHIC that as more organisations such as the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition get involved in advocacy programmes against corruption, the government will muster the political will to deal with the canker.
First of all, the government should be able to deal with its own appointees and functionaries who fall foul of the law in order to send the right signals to other corrupt officials that they will not be spared.
We think that Parliament should not make the public hearings of the Auditor-General’s Report a public relations gimmick but demonstrate to the whole world that as the body charged with holding the purse string of the government, it will spare no effort to get public officials to account for the taxpayer’s money.
Fighting corruption is a Herculean task but if the majority of the people declare support for the government’s initiative to break the back of social vices that stand in the way of national development efforts, the battle will be won.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

LET'S HAVE CALM ON LABOUR FRONT (MAY 21, 2009)

RECENT events speak of uneasy calm on the labour front. Doctors in public hospitals in the nation’s capital and other urban centres have embarked on a work-to-rule action to put pressure on the government to review their salaries and service conditions.
While the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) are engaged in negotiations to resolve the issue, some members of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) are gearing up to express their frustration at the delays in the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).
Against the background of the labour agitation, the government has decided to organise a forum at the end of this month to discuss the implementation of the new salary scheme for public sector workers.
The DAILY GRAPHIC thinks that the forum is a step in the right direction, since it will provide the platform for all stakeholders to discuss the sticky points so that we can decide on a more rewarding scheme for workers.
Building such national consensus on the process of the implementation of the SSSS cannot be ignored because collective ownership is very crucial for the success of the scheme. The scheme will be an exercise in futility if a section of society calls for its speedy implementation, while others kick against it.
As of now, the doctors have raised concerns over the SSSS, while teachers are pushing for its speedy implementation. Such diametrically opposing views by the two groups can adversely impact on the fortunes of the scheme.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that dialogue remains the most plausible way to deal with any differences and chart a way forward. As the stakeholders go into the forum, we would like to advise them to approach the issues with open minds.
Entrenched positions by doctors, teachers or any group of workers at the forum will not be helpful in our quest to find solutions to the problems of the implementation of the SSSS.
We should learn to bend backwards to make way for the smooth implementation of the scheme if our compromises will serve the larger interest of the society.
We are aware that in other jurisdictions, salaries reflect one’s qualification and experience. We are also mindful of the fact that industry, the type and size of organisations, productivity and the risk associated with particular work are some other factors which influence the incomes of workers. The premium we put on some of these factors in determining the incomes of workers will go a long way to resolve the difficulties in the implementation of the SSSS.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the participants in the forum to take into consideration the impact of the global financial downturn on the country’s economy. Elsewhere, workers have decided to cut down on their incomes in order to stay in employment, otherwise they risk losing their jobs.
We commend the government for taking the decision to engage the stakeholders in a public discourse to remove any impediments in the implementation of the scheme. The forum should not be regarded as an event but a process of continuous engagement between the government and labour until all the bottlenecks are removed for the smooth implementation of the scheme.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

GIVING THE POLICE A NEW IMAGE (MAY 20, 2009)

THE new Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, has given strong indications of building a law enforcement machinery that will provide approved and acceptable services for all its stakeholders.
We know that the task ahead of the IGP is Herculean, in view of the fact that previous attempts at reforms faced internal resistance.
The irony of the situation in the Ghana Police Service is that whereas the personnel complain of lack of a clear direction to bring about improvement in their conditions, they resist any attempt at reforming the service.
The police are perceived by some members of the public as corrupt and, indeed, certain research data reveal that the Ghana Police Service is one of the most corrupt institutions in the country.
A committee set up to probe the service in 1979 drew the conclusion that it stank, while the Justice Archer Committee which looked into the service some years later also did not give any positive impression about police personnel.
We can understand the reasons for the low morale in the Police Service. A visit to any of the barracks of the service gives a rather dehumanising spectacle of the conditions under which the personnel live.
Some of the personnel who have the means have improvised structures just to accommodate themselves and their families, while others live in single rooms with their families, with its health implications.
Vehicles and other logistics such as communication gadgets are inadequate to help the police to discharge their duties more effectively.
The Ghana Police Service is a key institution in the fight against crime. That being the case, the public have always been encouraged to support police personnel in crime combat. To demonstrate its readiness to partner members of the public in the fight against crime, the Police Administration has posted bold notices at all police facilities that say that the public is an ally.
Unfortunately, certain actions by some personnel of the service do not give any signal that they want to live by their own slogan. More often than not, the actions of the police show that the public is, regrettably, their foe.
Another factor which is inhibiting crime combat is the inaccessibility of sprawling neighbourhoods because of inaccessible roads, unnumbered houses and streets. Therefore, anytime the police have to respond to distressed calls, they spend precious time listening to directions on phone.
Again, the criminals are becoming more sophisticated than the police. On many occasions they are able to outwit the law enforcement agencies. It is about time the police devised new techniques in crime combat in order to break the back of criminals, particularly the hardened ones such as cyber fraudsters, armed robbers and drug addicts.
Whatever the challenges are, the DAILY GRAPHIC believes that crime combat can only be successful if the members of the public collaborate with the police.
The criminals live in our communities. They also have relatives and friends who can help the police to take the fight to them if they provide information on the hideouts of the criminals.
The DAILY GRAPHIC wishes the new IGP a successful tenure. It is our hope that with support from the rank and file of the police, Mr Quaye will be able to reshape the image of the police for the better.
We congratulate the new IGP on his appointment and wish him well in his new endeavour.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

OBAMA'S HISTORIC VISIT (MAY 19, 2009)

COME July 10-11, 2009, Ghanaians will welcome President Barack Obama of the US to the country for a two-day official visit which will mark another turning point in the long-standing relations between Ghana and the US.
What makes the visit more profound is the fact that it is the first to Africa by President Obama since assuming office in January. President Obama is the first Black American President and it is interesting that both he and President Mills campaigned on a platform of change and the electorate found favour with their pledge to better the lot of their people and voted for them.
Relations between the two countries date back to 1961 when the US government dispatched the first batch of US Peace Corps volunteers to Ghana. Since then, the bonds of friendship have grown from strength to strength, except during the period of military regimes.
With Obama’s visit in July, the number of sitting American Presidents who have visited Ghana will reach three, after President William Jefferson Clinton in 1998 and President George Walker Bush in 2008.
The visits of American Presidents have always brought good tidings to Ghana. The visit to Ghana by President Clinton coincided with his administration’s decision to roll out the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) which opened the sluice gate for Ghanaian businessmen and women to export locally produced items to the US market.
On his visit to Ghana in 2008, President Bush also announced a number of initiatives to improve on the economic well-being of Ghanaians.
If he follows the trail blazed by his predecessors, it is likely President Obama will announce similar initiatives during his visit.
Our optimism stems from the early indications he has given which suggest that Ghana will occupy a strategic place in the relations between his administration and Africa.
Ghanaians have a lot to learn from President Obama, whose campaign catch phrase was “Yes, We Can”. He brushed aside all the odds against him to emerge as the first African American President of the USA.
For President Obama to choose Ghana as the first point of call, over and above Kenya where his father comes from, should gladden the hearts of all Ghanaians. The visit is also ample endorsement of Ghana’s democratic credentials. It has become an outpost of democracy and civil society in a volatile West African sub-region.
The programme for the American President’s visit is yet to be made public, but what is certain is that our august visitor will hold bilateral talks with President Mills.
It is our expectation that President Mills will discuss with him issues such as the credit crunch and its effects on Ghana’s economy and how to deal with them. Again, the security of the West African sub-region, the Millennium Challenge Account and prospects of the emerging oil industry in Ghana will certainly feature in the discussions between the two leaders.
As we wait for the visit, we should begin to put our house in order. We should not wait until a few days to his arrival before we begin to keep the city clean, repair our street lights and beautify our environment.
We urge our traditional leaders and the people to give a rousing welcome to the American leader. We are hopeful that the visit will be mutually rewarding and beneficial.

Monday, May 18, 2009

MOTIVATING PUBLIC OFFICIALS (MAY 18, 2009)

THE conditions of service of the country’s public office holders have remained the focus of discussions in the media since the issue of ex gratia for appointees of the former government became public knowledge.
Undoubtedly, the debate started during the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic when loans were provided for Members of Parliament (MPs) to own cars.
During the First Parliament, the public did not see anything wrong with cars for MPs, except that the MPs described the gesture as not being dignifying enough because while members of the Executive were given brand new cars at no cost to them, the MPs were asked to pay for their second-hand cars.
Subsequently, the policy was revised and MPs were given loans to acquire brand new cars. Then came the Greenstreet Report that recommended certain packages for members of the Executive, the Legislature and other public office holders.
Public outcry against the recommendations of the Greenstreet Report was quite muted but the same public was outraged by the recommendations contained in the Chinery-Hesse Report.
But, at is to be expected, the debate has been politicised. The refrain again is that after all the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government paid ex gratia so when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has done it, what is wrong with the policy?
But the thrust of the matter is whether the procedure was right or the government can sustain the policy.
In our present circumstances where the people are being called upon to tighten their belts because of economic difficulties, it will be difficult to defend the packages contained in the Chinery-Hesse Report.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that there are useful lessons that all public office holders can learn from our circumstances and the hullabaloo that has greeted expenses claimed over four years by some MPs in the United Kingdom (UK).
Like the UK case, the Ghanaian situation also demands that our public office holders take the lead for a review of their conditions of service to show that they are worthy of public trust.
While the debate rages on, the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Sumanu Bagbin, has stated that MPs will insist that the government should provide them with official vehicles, instead of giving them loans to purchase such vehicles. This has introduced a new dimension to the debate and it is likely to draw the ire of the public.
Members of the public are not against any support for our public office holders in the discharge of their duties. The taxpayers are saying that the time has come for all public office holders to be considerate in their demands to ensure that the country’s burden can be shared by all.
We know our democracy cannot endure without an independent and vibrant Parliament that can hold the purse string of the government in order to promote public accountability. But that agenda to resource Parliament to discharge its duties effectively should not be at the expense of the basic needs of the people for whom accountability in governance is key.
the time has come for the government to consider monetising all the incentives made available to our public officials so that they can be adequately paid to own their houses, cars and other facilities to lead comfortable lives.
That way, the state will be spared the trouble of always being called upon to provide “free things” for our public officials, at the expense of the “bread and butter” issues that confront our people every day.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, urges President J.E.A. Mills to extend the mandate of the committee he has set up to review the Chinery-Hesse Report to look at how to monetise the incentives for public office holders.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

THE GAMBIA MUST LISTEN TO REASON (MAY 16, 2009)

GHANAIANS have expressed joy at the decision of the UN and the ECOWAS Commission that the government of The Gambia pay compensation to Ghana for the killing and disappearance of Ghanaians in that country.
The International Investigative Panel of the UN and the ECOWAS Commission that looked into the killing and the disappearance of the 40 Ghanaians in July 2005 said the compensation should be looked at by the governments of Ghana and The Gambia.
Although the decision of the panel will not restore the lives of the 40 Ghanaians, at least it is soothing that their families are inching to justice in this protracted diplomatic row.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Alhaji Muhammed Mumuni, who returned to Accra on Thursday with the good news, said the panel concluded that the government of The Gambia was responsible for the protection of the human rights of all persons on its territory and it was, therefore, liable for the incident, regardless of whether those violations were committed “de jure or de facto”.
The Daily Graphic thinks that there are still some grey areas that must be resolved in this saga to pave the way for the families of the deceased to secure justice in accordance with international law.
Even though the panel has implicated The Gambia in the killing of the 40 Ghanaians, it did not set out clear parameters by which compensation is to be paid to the families of the victims.
However, the panel recommended that both governments agree to the establishment of a mechanism to assist in determining the total amount of compensation or any appropriate form of redress, identify individuals who should receive compensation and the amount that should be paid to each based on agreed criteria.
Our prayer, however, is that this arrangement towards the payment of compensation will not be bogged down by unnecessary bureaucracy and diplomatic bottlenecks, such that relatives of the victims will have to wait for many more years to be duly compensated.
It is said that for public opinion to be effective, it must be sustained, and for this reason we commend all civil society groups, particularly the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), for mounting pressure on the previous government and the Mills administration to pursue the matter to its logical conclusion.
We hope that The Gambia, which has frustrated Ghana in its quest to resolve the misunderstanding that arose from the killings, will now see good reason and co-operate with the international community for the peaceful resolution of the problem.
We also urge the government not to relent in its commitment to the resolution of the matter, consistent with international law, so that the cries of the relatives of the deceased for justice will not be in vain.
The DAILY GRAPHIC uses the opportunity to sound a note of caution to all to use The Gambian episode as a wake-up call and desist from employing unlawful means to seek greener pastures elsewhere.
We, however, express delight at the government’s intention so far in The Gambia saga and express the hope that it will do everything in its power to work towards the final resolution of the mater.

Friday, May 15, 2009

REFORMING OUR PRISONERS (MAY 15, 2009)

THE Ghana Prisons Service has begun investing in basic and second-cycle education as a way of providing prison inmates the opportunity to acquire further education.
The initiative is meant to make the country’s prisons centres of reformation instead of institutions for punishment.
The good news is that hundreds of prison inmates are already studying towards second-cycle examinations scheduled for 2010.
For a long time, prison inmates have been ignored by society and consigned to the four walls of our prisons to waste their talents, even if they have skills that can be useful to society.
Interestingly, some of the able-bodied inmates who are languishing in jail committed offences such as stealing farm produce or domestic animals for which they could have been committed to community service or suspended sentence.
The trend in our penal system imposes pressure on the budget of the country, resulting in the limited resources being spread thinly to cater for people who, otherwise, could fend for themselves.
It appears that our penal system places emphasis on retributive justice instead of a conscious effort to reform the inmates of our prisons. Thus, some ex-convicts deliberately fall foul of the law so that they can return to prison to enjoy the produce from the farms they helped to cultivate.
Our prisons have facilities for the acquisition of skills in some vocations such as carpentry, masonry and tailoring but sometimes ex-convicts are unable to put those skills at the service of society because of stigmatisation.
The DAILY GRAPHIC concedes that some convicts are discharged as hardened criminals who terrorise society because they feel that society is responsible for their predicament.
Yet there are others who come out of the prisons with a better attitude to life as, in some cases, they become men of God or born-again Christians.
The fundamental problem is that although our prisons are also to serve as centres of reformation, prisons authorities and even society at large think that every prisoner must face retributive justice.
Needless to say, those who make life uncomfortable for society must be made to face the appropriate sanctions to serve as a deterrent to other undesirable elements in society. But, by and large, the prisons were built to help in the character reformation of criminals.
The DAILY GRAPHIC calls for an overhaul of the penal system such that our prisons will help in the rehabilitation of prisoners so that they can be integrated into society after serving their jail terms.
The good news, however, is that prison authorities and other institutions such as the Methodist Church recognise the humanity in prisoners. Prisoners have rights, except that their movement has been restricted.
The Methodist Church has initiated moves to assist in the rehabilitation of prisoners in four prisons — Kumasi Central, Manhyia, Amanfrom and Yeji — in order to reshape their character for service to themselves, society and God.
We need the services of all Ghanaians in the reconstruction efforts of the government and for this reason prisoners who demonstrate enough remorse and are prepared to conform to the norms of society must be helped to contribute their quota to nation-building.
The colonial mindset of looking at our prisons as centres for punishment and to teach people where power lies must be a thing of the past because the history of many great nations is replete with stories of great prisoners who were discharged to become great leaders in society.
Our prisoners can also contribute to nation-building, if we make the right investment in them so that their prison lives will mark a change in their lives.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN ELECTORAL PROCESS (MAY 14, 2009)

CONCERNS have again been expressed over the bloated nature of the country’s electoral roll. Prior to Election 2008, the Electoral Commission (EC) expressed apprehension about the figures on the electoral roll, which it described as “statistically incorrect”, but it could do very little to cure the defect in the register.
Ghanaians were witnesses to the near stampede that characterised the limited registration exercise last year. Close to the crucial Election 2008, all manner of people, including minors and some foreign residents, were encouraged to register or did so voluntarily because the laws of the land would not be made to bite.
There were accusations and counter accusations from the political parties and electoral officials in their attempts to pass the buck for what went wrong. The blame game became so intense that some miscreants decided to take the law into their own hands by causing mayhem in some places such as Accra, Tamale and Kumasi.
At the time of the registration exercise and the exhibition of the register last year, the attitude of the political parties was not encouraging enough, giving the impression that they were not interested in a credible register. Although the parties accused one another of wrongdoing at the least opportunity, they were not prepared to assist the EC to put things right.
Today, we must thank God that the political parties accepted the outcome of the 2008 elections, despite the fact that the EC itself acknowledged that the figures on the electoral roll were not “statistically correct”.
The near confusion that greeted the results from the Ashanti and Volta regions should be a wake-up call to all peace-loving Ghanaians that the time has come to clean the electoral roll to avoid multiple voting and impersonation that normally undermine public confidence in electoral competitions.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is not too sure that Ghanaians will in future respect electoral outcomes when it has been acknowledged that the basis of the contest is flawed. Now that all political parties have recognised that any future election based on the current register can undermine the political process, the work of the EC will be less problematic.
The future of our democratic process and the stability of our country will depend on the peaceful conduct of elections in the country. Therefore, we should try as much as possible to avoid creating the fertile ground for the outcome of electoral contests to be disputed.
Indeed, there cannot be any justification for an electoral roll of 13 million registered voters in a country with a population of 22 million. It is imperative now for a complete overhaul of the register, such that any future register will reflect the voter population in the country.
The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that when the EC takes the decision to replace the voters register, it will not be politics as usual and that all the political parties will lend their support in the national interest.
The country has come a long way since we ushered in democratic governance. The time for experiment should be over because if we ignore the drivers of good governance, the consequences can be too costly to accommodate.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, calls on the government to adequately resource the EC to carry out its mandate of conducting regular elections that will not be disputed by the contestants.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

STOP THE MENACE (WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 2009)

IN times past, the richest and most powerful and influential people were those involved in wars of conquest or who owned large mining concessions across the globe.
Presently, however, the source of wealth for one of the richest people in the world — Bill Gates — is information and communications technology (ICT). Thus the world has become what is now known as the global village because by the click of the mouse of a computer all kinds of information can be accessed.
The World Wide Web (WWW) holds the key to any meaningful development process, as the volume of information it generates can help in the promotion of knowledge and enlightenment in society.
ICT has reduced the drudgery associated with any human endeavour today. Degrees are awarded to thousands of people across the globe through distance education. Banking is also made less cumbersome through e-banking; trading activities made simple through e-commerce, while health professionals are able to diagnose health problems and offer prescriptions through the use of communication.
The WWW can also be used for negative things. Cyber fraud is on the ascendancy today because of the availability of Internet cafes across the length and breadth of all urban centres in the world.
Individuals, banks and other organisations have lost millions through the inappropriate use of the Internet.
Just when Ghana is taking steps to deal with the traditional cyber crime, a more deadly variation of computer fraud emerges, this time known as ‘sakawa’.
Not only is ‘sakawa’ creating other challenges for ICT; it is also trying to distort our value system. Suddenly, some of our youth who must be in school have found ‘sakawa’ the best ally and the easiest way to gain access to wealth and fame.
Young people who should be in school have abandoned the classrooms to spend their time in Internet cafes trying to work on their “preys”. Even more disturbing is the practice whereby some of the youth use the Internet for pornography, thereby corrupting their moral values.
The situation has become more frightening in recent times because of witchcraft, superstition and juju.
Reports have it that in order to convince their victims, the ‘sakawa’ boys adopt all kinds of methods, such as sleeping in coffins or tombs, parading in the streets naked under the cover of darkness, as well as abstaining from bathing for days.
The ‘sakawa’ phenomenon has assumed a serious dimension that requires an immediate intervention in order to maintain society’s programme to nurture our youth into responsible adulthood.
The DAILY GRAPHIC concedes that the Internet in particular and ICT in general have very positive influences on the society, provided it develops interventions to deal with the challenges.
We share in the concern of the authorities of the Ghana Education Service (GES) for an emergency national response to safeguard the future of schoolchildren who find the phenomenon of ‘sakawa’ more attractive than the classrooms.
The DAILY GRAPHIC calls on the security agencies, educational authorities and parents to collaborate to flush out those who are determined to corrupt the integrity of the WWW. Parents have a major role to play because their children come home with the cars and the money that they make through ‘sakawa’ but instead of questioning the source of this material wealth, the parents encourage their children and share in the glory.
Parents will help to contain ‘sakawa’ if they despise the easy way by which their children want to make it.
‘Sakawa’ must not be allowed to destroy the fabric of our society, particularly the future leaders, and we must act now to nip it in the bud.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

LET'S SAVE NHIS NOW (MAY 12, 2009)

FOR some time now the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has been facing some challenges which require urgent attention.
Right from the take-off of the scheme in 2004 till today, the teething challenges associated with all new projects keep mounting. Almost five years into the scheme, its managers are confronted with challenges associated with national patronage, prompt payment to service providers and an acceptable drug list.
Although there was no unanimity at the time of the passage of the NHIS Law, majority of Ghanaians still believe that the scheme offers the best alternative in health financing in the country.
Testimonies from some beneficiaries across the country show that in spite of the challenges, the NHIS is a better health financing initiative than the cash-and-carry system. That is why we must not allow the NHIS to collapse.
We are worried about reports from the Akyem Oda Government Hospital in the Eastern Region that the NHIS has not been able to settle debts owed the hospital, a situation which threatens its operations.
We are equally disturbed by reports that the newly introduced billing system under the scheme is prone to fraud.
The Mills administration has pledged to review the scheme in order to re-position it to deliver the best health delivery services to the people. Also being considered as part of the review process is the one-time payment option of the insurance premium.
The DAILY GRAPHIC urges the government to "hit the ground running" on its pledge to review the NHIS so that the bottlenecks in the system are not allowed to kill public confidence in the scheme.
Already reports of embezzlement of funds by some scheme managers and their collaborators and the inability of the NHIS to reimburse service providers for services rendered are creating doubts in the minds of the public about the sustainability of the scheme.
The scheme managers should not allow people's scepticism about the change over from cash-and-carry to the NHIS lead to cynicism such that those who have paid premiums will decide not to renew them for fear of the collapse of the scheme.
Such a development will lead to disaster and create more challenges for the government's plan to provide cheap and affordable health services for the people.
The health sector is already bedevilled with problems such as inadequate health facilities in the country and how to provide attractive motivation packages for health professionals to stem their exodus to seek greener pastures abroad.
It is our expectation that the National Health Insurance Authority will re-energise the scheme, in view of the numerous challenges, in order to encourage the public to continue to patronise it.
The health needs of the people must be of paramount concern to all, particularly the government, because a healthy workforce is required for national reconstruction efforts.
The DAILY GRAPHIC concedes that the challenges in the sector are legion but they can be tamed if the government takes immediate action to clean the "stables".
Let’s save the NHIS now!

Monday, May 11, 2009

THE NATIONAL INTEREST MUST PREVAIL (MAY 11, 2009)

ONLY last week we had occasion to express misgivings at the wanton disregard for and abuse of state property, especially by many of those into whose care such property has been entrusted by the people.
We are returning to the subject, specifically to the issue of state vehicles, in view of the serious concerns the public has expressed over the matter and the serious implications — political, economic and social — it has for our national development.
It is an undisputed fact that state property can legitimately be in the hands of people when it is properly authorised by an accredited official or officials.
Where such property is in the hands of people who lack the legitimacy to continue to do so, the authority vested with power to hold them in trust for the people has a duty to retrieve it and put it to public use.
It, therefore, goes without argument that any official, former or present, who is holding a state vehicle without due or proper authorisation does not even need anyone to remind him or her to return such a vehicle.
It is only right and proper to do so out of respect for one self and in compliance with the law.
Given the rather precarious nature of our economy, coupled with a huge deficit and the global economic crunch that constrains foreign inflows, it is the duty of the government, and indeed in the national interest, for every vehicle in wrong hands to be retrieved and properly allocated and utilised for the benefit of the nation.
It has been reported, for example, that some cars bought for over $50,000 are sold for $6,000 in less than two years outside what the regulations stipulate.
If the state has to spend additional funds to procure new cars for new ministers and other public servants to enable them to function, this will undoubtedly be an extra burden on taxpayers.
We believe this burden is not only unfair but also unnecessary and even avoidable.
Such funds could be used by the government to improve infrastructure in our hospitals, public schools and communities across the country to improve the standard of living of our people.
It will be in the national interest to retrieve the vehicles and the government can count on the support of the millions of fair-minded Ghanaians in this direction.
We would want to take this opportunity to call for a rethink of this policy of selling vehicles to government appointees and public officials at the end of their service, with the view to ensuring that the national interest, as opposed to the selfish private interests of a few individuals, prevails in the course of such transactions, if at all.
It does not make economic sense for the state to buy cars at $50,000 or more for ministers who keep them relatively idle for just a year or two and then turn round, under the guise of this policy, to buy them for as low as $6,000.
We are happy that since the ultimatum was given by the government for former government appointees holding state vehicles to return them, the response has been encouraging (see front page).
We would want to believe that not only will those who still have state cars in their possession return them immediately but also that we, as a people, will draw useful lessons from this needless car controversy so that the right things can be done in future in the supreme interest of the nation.
Present government appointees should bear this in mind.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

RECIPROCATE GOVT'S GESTURE (MAY 9, 2009)

LAST week young doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) laid down their tools to press home their demand for the payment of their fuel allowances which had not been paid for the past 18 months. The consequence of the strike was that patients who deserved medical attention were denied that essential service through no fault of theirs.
It is gratifying that the authorities of KATH, acting on the instructions of the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, managed to raise funds to pay the fuel allowances of the young doctors.
Coming on the heels of the strike is the handing over of 126 saloon cars to the Ghana Health Service by the Ministry of Health for distribution to health workers. The consignment, which is the first batch of 600 cars which have been ordered by the government for health professionals this year, is intended to alleviate some of the transportation difficulties facing health professionals.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is not against doctors demanding better conditions of service; we only find it unacceptable when they lay down their tools without regard to the Hippocratic Oath which they swear on becoming doctors.
It is instructive to state that under the oath, doctors swear among other things to solemnly, freely and upon their honour to maintain the utmost respect for human life and not to use their medical knowledge to violate human rights and civil liberties, even under threat.
While the DAILY GRAPHIC concedes that doctors deserve their due, we are worried that oftentimes they renege on the promises they make under the Hippocratic Oath.
We know that despite these challenges, society will continue to accord health workers the pride of place because of the essential services they offer the people.
The provision of cars and the promise by the Ministry of Health to embark on affordable housing schemes for health professionals are all part of efforts by the government to make them comfortable and motivated to protect us against disease attack and untimely death.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is fully aware that human needs are insatiable and individuals and groups will continue to fight for more so that they can fend for themselves and their families better.
In addition to good health, it is incumbent on the state to provide good accommodation and food for the people in order to develop a healthy labour force to champion the cause of national development.
Presently, the ends are competing for the scarce resources and the government has to find a way to share the national cake such that nobody will be disadvantaged.
Other working people, such as teachers, civil servants and farmers, all require better conditions of service in order to survive the grim economic conditions of our times.
Although we concede that health is important, health workers should not make themselves a special class of people who must be treated differently. They must reciprocate the gesture of the public who made the training of health professionals possible through the payment of taxes.
The provision of the vehicles and the promise to provide affordable housing may not be all that the doctors need, but they are good signs that society is prepared to give them more incentives. It is left to them to reciprocate these sacrifices with uninterrupted services.

Friday, May 8, 2009

THIS IS DISGUSTING (MAY 8, 2009)

THE nation’s major health service provider, the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, is in the news again for the wrong reasons.
After the recent hullabaloo over the malfunctioning elevator at the Maternity Block which forced the Health Minister, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, to issue an ultimatum to ensure its repair, the nation is being greeted with the sad news that surgery at the National Cardiothoracic Centre has been suspended following the theft of an 80-metre gas conveyor at the centre.
According to the Director of the centre, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, the centre would need GH¢20,000 to replace the gas conveyor whose theft took place about two weeks ago.
Established in 1992, the Cardio Centre has greatly enhanced medical services in the country and contributed in no small way to the hailing of Korle-Bu as a neuroscience centre of excellence in West Africa.
Fact is that before its establishment, Ghana could annually send only six patients abroad for treatment at a cost of $120,000 each, but now it takes between $8,000 and $10,000 to treat the same illness in the country, with relatives of patients required to pay only half of the cost.
Currently, the centre handles about 500 cardio cases annually and it had been the hope and prayer of every well-meaning person that more support will be given the centre to enable it to improve service delivery to the people.
The DAILY GRAPHIC is, therefore, saddened that a few saboteurs have managed to stall operations at the centre by the theft of the copper pipe through which compressor air is supplied to the equipment.
What is even more worrying is the fact that the authorities at Korle-Bu created conducive conditions for the crime to be easily committed. The question is: Why should an area where such an important cable has been laid be left without adequate security lights all these years?
Apart from taking immediate steps to find money to replace the copper pipes and bring the all-important centre back to life, the DAILY GRAPHIC also suggests that security lights must be erected and the area put under 24-hour surveillance to avert a recurrence of such a shameful act.
The greatest tribute we can pay to the men and women through whose vision, determination and effort the foundation for Korle-Bu was laid is to help to make the hospital the best medical institution in Africa and one of the best in the world.
The theft of the copper wire has put the health of heart patients at risk and this unfortunate situation must be addressed immediately to retain public trust in the centre.
Korle-Bu has built a reputation as a centre of excellence and the finest source for the restoration of good health to our people. No matter the challenges, every Ghanaian is proud of this record.
In view of this, all of us owe it a duty to protect this national facility. It is crucial.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

GIVE UNTO CAESAR WHAT IS CAESAR'S (MAY 7, 2009)

ONE of the key constraints to the accelerated development of the nation has been the comparatively low revenue base of the economy.
This, in part, is explained by the fact that only a small section of the productive sector of the economy, principally the formal sector, is captured on the records of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and, therefore, carry the disproportionately larger burden of tax. The larger number of income earners who are not captured in the tax net obviously do not pay taxes.
Given the rather extremely low voluntary tax compliance levels in our society and the lack of logistics by tax collection agencies and a system to consistently enforce compliance with tax laws, the nation ends up collecting lesser tax revenue than it otherwise would have.
One of the handiest prescriptions for dealing with this low collection of tax revenue is the widening and broadening of the tax net. In other words, the large number of those who are not caught in the tax net should be captured and taxed accordingly.
Over the years, efforts have been made by governments to rope more people into the tax bracket in order to expand the national revenue base.
Even though these efforts have registered some positive results, a lot more individuals and groups are still let off the tax hook.
One noticeable group, in this respect, has been the religious bodies.
While the country’s laws, principally the Constitution in Article 94, do confer some tax exemptions on religious bodies, this has been misconstrued as a total and open-ended exemption which, therefore, entitles any religious body, even if it is engaged in profitable and productive business, not to pay tax.
Evidence abounds in our society of many religious bodies, especially churches, engaging in serious business activities in which individuals and the church itself earn not only good income but also handsome profits.
In the name of religion, and under the guise of doing charitable work for God and man, these institutions and individuals who earn incomes like the heavily taxed labourer or civil and public servants in the formal sector do not pay even a pesewa as tax.
We believe that these categories of entities and individuals qualify to pay tax and that if they have been let off the hook in the past the time is now to rope them into the tax net.
Indeed, many of these entities and individuals earn more income and make more profit than their counterparts in the formal sector who are taxed to execute social projects which are beneficial to all.
We, therefore, wish to lend our total support to the Commissioner of the IRS, Major Daniel Ablorh-Quarcoo, in his effort to rope in religious institutions and individuals earning income and profit to pay tax (see pages 24 & 49).
The nation, in addition to its traditional problems, today has a global economic downturn and unprecedented deficits to deal with and it is only through the widening of the tax net that more revenue can accrue to the government for it to execute projects such as infrastructural development and other programmes for the benefit of all.
The religious bodies, in conformity with the Gospel, should “Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s”.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

LET'S CHANGE ATTITUDE TOWARDS STATE PROPERTY (MAY 6, 2009)

THE Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Albert Abongo, has disclosed that GH¢2.7 million is to be spent on renovating government bungalows to accommodate Ministers of State.
The minister, who explained that it would take at least one month to execute the job, decried the level of neglect of the bungalows, most of which are reported to be in a dilapidated state (see front page).
The lamentations of the minister, as well as those of many others before him, paint an unmistakable picture of the reckless and lackadaisical attitude people have adopted towards state property.
For a good number of people, including very well-educated and highly placed officials, state or government property belongs to no one in particular and, therefore, its mishandling must not evoke the undue concern of anyone.
In other words, to such people government property is everyone’s property to which no one person or group is entitled to be so unduly concerned about as to demand answers from those occupying them about their usage.
So it is not uncommon to see people misusing state properties, be they bungalows, vehicles or others, with many people looking on helplessly as if they have no stake in such properties or have no duty towards their safety.
Indeed, there have been instances when a few conscious and patriotic citizens have raised questions on such misuse of state property and have virtually been abused, harangued, taunted and called names. These actions have often petrified them into submission.
It is difficult to fathom how the state, especially in difficult economic times such as we find ourselves, has to devote a whopping GH¢50,000 to renovate just one bungalow which only a month or two ago was occupied by a minister or another government official.
Were those bungalows in such a horrible shape when the said officials occupied them? If not, what happened to such property within this short period of time to warrant the state expending this huge amount to renovate them?
It is an open secret that not only do many people occupying such state bungalows fail to take good care of them while they occupy them but they also at times pillage as many of the furnishings in the bungalows as they can on their exit, leaving them bare.
Recent examples of this behaviour by all manner of public officers have not painted a good image of us as a people.
We call on the Water Resources, Works and Housing Ministry to endeavour to get to the bottom of these matters by, among other things, fishing out those who looted the items from the bungalows, retrieving them and bringing such officials or officers to book.
We should also be interested in determining whether the rapid deterioration of such state bungalows has anything to do with the conduct of those who occupy them and to let the law take its course where necessary.
It is no longer acceptable to continue devoting such huge sums of money to renovate state bungalows every eight years when a new batch of government appointees are to take up residence when, with the proper orientation and enforcement of laws and accountability, we can save money and divert it to other productive areas of the economy.
We need to take steps to avoid such situations of allowing state bungalows to fall into ruins as we see now. The time to act and act boldly is now.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

CALL OFF THE STRIKE (MAY 5, 2009)

JUNIOR doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) last week embarked on an indefinite strike in protest at the non-payment of accumulated fuel allowances due them by the hospital authorities.
The strike, apart from its limited scope, has nevertheless impacted negatively on the otherwise smooth and timely delivery of services to the thousands of in-patients and out-patients who throng the hospital daily.
Many patients have had to wait for far longer hours than was previously the case before seeing a doctor, with some reportedly returning home without being attended to.
We can sympathise with the junior doctors that the relatively longer delay of their unpaid arrears dating as far back as 2006 gives them the pretext for taking action to secure their interests. What has been legitimately earned must be paid on time.
This notwithstanding, we believe that the junior doctors could still have exercised a little but more restraint for the matter to be dealt with comprehensively.
It is on record that neither the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, nor the Chief Executive of KATH, Dr Nsiah Asare, was given a hint of the breakdown of ongoing talks to resolve the matter, which could have precipitated the strike.
Again, unlike the previous situation where the talks were not backed by substance, this time with the intervention of the minister, a concrete programme of action had been drawn up not only to begin clearing the backlog of arrears but also to pay all up and prevent their recurrence in the future.
Indeed, KATH authorities have since announced a schedule of payments and a similar agreement reached under the auspices of Dr Yankey through negotiations with the junior doctors of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital has put paid to negative sentiments that could have degenerated into agitation and eventually to strike action.
The timing of this strike was also unfair to the minister, given the efforts he has injected into finding amicable solutions to these problems that long predated his assumption of office.
If the junior doctors have had to wait since 2006, largely on account of assurances that were not backed with concrete and verifiable programmes, why would they take strike action now, when a clear and demonstrable evidence of dealing decisively with the matter has come from the current leaders of the health sector?
We urge the junior doctors to reciprocate these positive gestures by, among other things, calling off the strike now, so that full and normal delivery of service at the hospital would resume.
In making this appeal, we are conscious of the need to reciprocate the efforts of our leaders in the various sectors, who show sufficient understanding of and commitment to the timely and amicable resolution of problems or grievances of workers.
The problems in the health sector are many and complex and this calls for a keen sense of understanding and co-operation from everybody to bring under control these problems to ensure a more cost-effective health delivery system for the benefit of the people.
We once again appeal to the junior doctors and all health sector workers and in fact all workers to have the patience for the government to come out with a salary structure that will be satisfactory to all.

Monday, May 4, 2009

FREEDOM WITH RESPONSIBILITY (MAY 4, 2009)

Media practitioners, friends of the media and lovers of free expression across the world yesterday marked World Press Freedom Day with a number of ceremonies to highlight the challenges confronting practitioners and the need to expand the frontiers of freedom of expression.
In Ghana, media practitioners, under the aegis of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), are organising a number of events to help sensitise the public to the role of practitioners in the growth and sustenance of our democratic process, as well as to the difficulties and challenges confronting them.
The role the media plays in the political, economic and socio-cultural development of nations the world over cannot be overemphasised.
Within the broad ambit of informing, educating and entertaining the public, media practitioners, as part of their social contract with the people, are enjoined to hold the feet of government to the fire of accountability.
In fulfilling this important function, the media will not just be living up to its constitutional obligations, but will also be protecting and promoting societal or national interests.
This, without doubt, forms the basis for the creation and sustenance of a fairer, more just and accountable government, and in this way, for the building of a more democratic and harmonious society.
It is, therefore, largely in recognition of these attributes that the media is often referred to as the Fourth Estate of the Realm, holding in check the powers, functions and activities of the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary, the three traditional arms of government.
The media and its practitioners have contributed significantly to our bid to entrench democracy as the system of governance in the country in the past one-and-a-half decades.
Journalists have been at the vanguard of the exposure of all sorts of ills in our society, ranging from corruption and abuse of office by politicians and administrative officers through the tyranny and plunder of the nation’s resources by an array of unaccountable leaders to outmoded customary practices that inflict incalculable harm on the citizenry and infringe their fundamental human rights and freedoms.
These and other commendable acts notwithstanding, a number of shortcomings, including unprofessional conduct such as deliberately biased and mischievous reportage, acceptance of bribes and gifts (soli) to project some and debase others, the concoction, peddling and defence of falsehood and self-serving interests have combined to tarnish or undermine an otherwise impressive image of the journalism profession.
We are happy that media practitioners themselves, through their professional association and individual media houses, have already accepted the challenge, and are organising seminars, workshops and lectures to help improve on the orientation and skills of practitioners, and in this way enhance journalistic standards.
It is also heart-warming that, through Mr Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, Deputy Minister of Information, the government has given the assurance that there would be no government interference in the professional work of the media, and that the passage of the Freedom of Information Act would be given an added urgency.
This should not only accord journalists ready and easier access, but also more space and unhindered latitude to carry through their professional duties.
We salute journalists on this occasion.

WORKERS WELFARE PARAMOUNT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (MAY 4, 2009)

RALLIES and marches were held across the world yesterday to mark International Labour Day.
The day, which is to show international solidarity with the working people of the world, is a pivot around which the collective interests and aspirations of the working people the world over is articulated.
It is also an occasion for organised labour to point the way forward not only in respect of improvement in remuneration and working conditions of workers but also on the formulation and adoption of policies and programmes by the government and decision makers at workplaces to sustain jobs and enterprises.
In Ghana, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and other allied labour organisations organised an impressive march to mark the day, which was attended by the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at the Independence Square in Accra.
The clarion call from the workers at the parade, as had been with previous May Day parades, was for the government, as the single largest employer in the country, and employers in the private sector, to endeavour to increase significantly the wages and salaries, as well as better their conditions of service.
To the government, the workers specifically called for the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure, the restoration of the End-of-Service Benefit and the implementation of the new pension scheme under the New National Pension Law 2008.
There can be no doubt about the genuineness of the demand for improved wages and conditions of service for workers, especially given the appreciable increase in inflation and consequently the rise in the cost of living stretching back to the last half of last year.
These and other factors have contributed to the eroding of the purchasing power of workers and their dependants.
We are happy to note that President Atta Mills, in recognition of the legitimacy of these workers’ demands, has already indicated the resolve of the government to meet these demands, including the acceleration of the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure, which would, in addition to enhancing wages, also address the gross distortions in earnings of workers across the labour spectrum.
We also hasten to add that the recent increase in the minimum wage by the government and the pledge to progressively review workers’ remunerations to attain the ideal of paying workers living wage need the commendation and support of workers.
It should not be lost on us that we are currently stuck in the quagmire of global economic meltdown and a weak and very shaky domestic economy with an unprecedented fiscal deficit.
These, without doubt, would constrain our growth and our ability to generate the requisite resources to support any excessive demands.
Some of the surest ways out of this predicament is for us, as a people, to reduce waste and inefficiency to the barest minimum while stepping up productivity in our various workplaces.
We can only move forward together to overcome these challenges when we recognise that the destiny of workers, the government and other employers are closely linked and intertwined and that we need to forge a close and harmonious working relationship to float together.
We wish to take the opportunity on this important day to salute our hard-working people, who have sacrificed throughout the years to bring this country to where it is now.

Friday, May 1, 2009

TAKE ANOTHER LOOK AT STATE VEHICLES (MAY 1, 2009)

FOLLOWING closely on the heels of the government’s announcement that it is reviewing the sale of 14 state bungalows to some former government functionaries, private individuals and entities is the directive to immediate past government appointees in possession of state vehicles that are less than two years old to return them.
The latest announcement has caused an enormous furore, threats of court action by some individuals who contend that they did no wrong in acquiring those vehicles and notices of defiance by some who are being requested to top up their payments before they can legally take possession of the vehicles.
According to a Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, more than 50 of such vehicles are in the possession of former government appointees. Out of these, 18 are said to be less than two years old, while the rest were under-valued.
So far, none of the people, both current and past government officials, who have spoken on the issue has quoted any law guaranteeing the sale of state vehicles to their users on leaving office and, therefore, it could be assumed, for now, that the practice is a convention until later proved to be otherwise.
Be it as it may, a circular dated February 23, 2005 and issued by the then Chief of Staff, Mr Kwadwo Mpiani, to ministers of state and regional ministers and copied to all chief directors and regional co-ordinating directors directed that state vehicles sold to users on their request should not be less than two years old and their sale should not create difficulties to the organisations.
It is obvious that the objective was to forestall a situation where fairly new state vehicles would be sold to state functionaries whose tenure of office had ended and a situation where the sale of such vehicles could cause a mobility and other problems for the state institutions to which they were assigned.
What better safeguards could there be than these?
It will be good, therefore, for those former appointees who have adopted a rather confrontational approach to the directive to calm down and co-operate with the new government to establish that, indeed, the sale of the vehicles to them is not at variance with the convention of selling state vehicles to their users.
Happily, three former government appointees, namely, Mr Andrew Awuni, former Press Secretary to former President Kufuor; Alhaji Abubakar Siddique Boniface, former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, and the former Upper West Regional Minister, Mr George Hikah-Benson, have responded to the government’s ultimatum to return state vehicles in their possession (see page 3).
It will also be advisable for the Mills government to make public its findings on issues only after the facts had thoroughly been established to avoid maligning former appointees.
For the larger public, these developments — the sale of state vehicles and bungalows to government appointees at the end of their tenure of office — bring into sharp focus once again that it is becoming a norm for such appointees to become the automatic beneficiaries of good cars and in some cases good houses, in addition to their ex gratia, at the end of a four-year term of office.
For sure some high public officers too enjoy the benefit of buying their cars on retirement but comparatively some of these public and civil servants serve for long periods of time, some of them, 20 years and more.
But no matter how one looks at the issue, it’s about time we took a second look at this practice of selling state vehicles and bungalows to former government appointees and public civil servants so that if we would want to maintain it, the state would not ultimately be the loser.