THERE is this African saying that the elderly will prevent the grain that is being dried from being soaked by rain.
The elderly, by virtue of the wisdom he or she possesses and knowing that the grain could go bad when soaked by the rain, will instruct the children to evacuate it even as the children remain oblivious of the rain.
In African societies such as ours, people have advanced in age and have in the course of their lives acquired more wisdom and experience and are often regarded as sages and the appropriate level of respect and even reverence are accorded them.
Such very wise people more often than not lead good and exemplary lives which the rest of society, especially the youth, are encouraged to emulate.
They are also positioned to offer the requisite level of guidance and counselling to the younger generation, who, if they imbibe such positive values given, grow up to be useful and responsible members of society.
Thus the elderly have a bounded duty to specially mentor, guide and protect the youth against the bad and negative influences of social miscreants and serve as role models whose behaviour and conduct the youth yearn to emulate.
When an elderly person indulges in acts of malfeasance, moral turpitude or other licentious behaviour as would demean or lower his or her stature in the eyes of right thinking members of society, he or she loses the moral right to assert his or her status and to counsel the younger generation.
Only recently we carried a series of exclusive reports which unearthed the great depths of moral turpitude of Mr Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills, who impregnated a 16-year-old girl in the school of which he is the proprietor and elder of the Governing Council and Administration.
After committing this atrocious act, he reneged on his word to the girl to take good care of her, build her a house and get her back to school to continue her education.
These multiple acts of having carnal knowledge of a teenager, impregnating her, breaking the promise to adequately cater for her and get her back to school, constitute an abuse of child rights and accordingly a ringing indictment on Mr Enoch Nii Lamptey-Mills.
His unmasking portrays him as unfit to head an important institution of learning which his late father strove to build by dint of hard work to groom the youth for the onerous task of leadership of the nation tomorrow.
We, therefore, endorse the call by the Minister for Women and Children’s Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, for the national award conferred on him by former President J.A. Kufuor to be revoked and accordingly withdrawn.
The out-of-court settlement ordered by the court which was trying the case has left a sour taste in the mouths of many lovers of justice and fair play.
The question has been posed whether an ordinary man would have walked away a free man as Lamptey-Mills has, if that ordinary man had committed the same act.
National awards are honourable and sacred instruments and should only go to personalities of honourable disposition and conduct.
Leaving such honours in the hands of morally deprived individuals of questionable conduct debase such awards and make them objects of national scorn and derision.
This country deserves better and must do right by all means.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
A NATION WORTH DYING FOR (NOV 6)
THE greatness or otherwise of a nation is a direct function of the quality of its people and what is done to and with them.
Leadership is crucial in this respect because it is strategically well placed to offer the right vision and guidance to the people and authoritatively allocate values (resources inclusive) to society.
It is, therefore, no wonder that in societies where the leader espouses a clear vision of progress anchored on egalitarian principles, is firm but fair in the application of the law to all and lives by example of selflessness and a strong commitment to the pursuit of the national interest, the people will be willing and ready to die for the nation.
Success here is inevitable, because the realisation that the society will recognise and reward the feats they chalk or the general contributions they make unleashes such levels of energy that sweeps away all who stand in the way.
Those who have followed the fortunes of the nation’s Under-20 team, the Black Satellites, cannot fail to realise that apart from trying to make a name for themselves by conquering the world, these gallant boys were goaded on to success by the example and motivation provided by leadership.
Additionally, the feeling they harboured that society would duly recognise and treat them as heroes and thus accord them a dignified place and standing in society presented an added fillip for success.
For a long time since the Starlets 91 conquered the world, victory at the global level has eluded our national teams.
While a variety of reasons could be advanced to justify such relative lack of success, the lack of proper and adequate motivation and recognition accorded those who held high the nation’s flag on the international scene is a contributory factor.
Promises made by the state to motivate and adequately recognise and reward such achievers have, in the past, been largely reneged upon. The promises of the state, which should be deemed sacred and irrevocable, are broken with careless abandon, with little or no remorse.
That is why we are so elated and blown that under this dispensation the government not only amply motivated the Satellites team during the World Under-20 tournament but it has also accorded them a hero’s welcome and rewarded them appropriately.
The decision of the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, to hold back other pressing national assignments to meet, reward and honour our gallant Satellites is a significant morale booster that will unleash the unbounded energies in other Ghanaians to excel, not only in soccer but also other spheres of human endeavour.
We commend the government for not only giving immediate material benefits such as brand new cars to these young people and their handlers but also demonstrating a vision in setting aside funds in investment to guarantee them a sound and safe future.
Stories abound here of many sportsmen and sportswomen who, in the past, chalked up important feats for the nation but who today are regrettably reduced to paupers, with cups in hand begging for crumbs for survival.
This is where we believe the decision by the government to factor such predicament of past heroes into the reward scheme for the Satellites team is laudable and deserves the total support of the people.
We urge that this approach be made a permanent feature of our national life so that Ghana will forever remain a nation worth dying for.
“Ayekoo”, “mbo”, “yiwaladonn” Satellites, you have made us and all Africans proud.
Leadership is crucial in this respect because it is strategically well placed to offer the right vision and guidance to the people and authoritatively allocate values (resources inclusive) to society.
It is, therefore, no wonder that in societies where the leader espouses a clear vision of progress anchored on egalitarian principles, is firm but fair in the application of the law to all and lives by example of selflessness and a strong commitment to the pursuit of the national interest, the people will be willing and ready to die for the nation.
Success here is inevitable, because the realisation that the society will recognise and reward the feats they chalk or the general contributions they make unleashes such levels of energy that sweeps away all who stand in the way.
Those who have followed the fortunes of the nation’s Under-20 team, the Black Satellites, cannot fail to realise that apart from trying to make a name for themselves by conquering the world, these gallant boys were goaded on to success by the example and motivation provided by leadership.
Additionally, the feeling they harboured that society would duly recognise and treat them as heroes and thus accord them a dignified place and standing in society presented an added fillip for success.
For a long time since the Starlets 91 conquered the world, victory at the global level has eluded our national teams.
While a variety of reasons could be advanced to justify such relative lack of success, the lack of proper and adequate motivation and recognition accorded those who held high the nation’s flag on the international scene is a contributory factor.
Promises made by the state to motivate and adequately recognise and reward such achievers have, in the past, been largely reneged upon. The promises of the state, which should be deemed sacred and irrevocable, are broken with careless abandon, with little or no remorse.
That is why we are so elated and blown that under this dispensation the government not only amply motivated the Satellites team during the World Under-20 tournament but it has also accorded them a hero’s welcome and rewarded them appropriately.
The decision of the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, to hold back other pressing national assignments to meet, reward and honour our gallant Satellites is a significant morale booster that will unleash the unbounded energies in other Ghanaians to excel, not only in soccer but also other spheres of human endeavour.
We commend the government for not only giving immediate material benefits such as brand new cars to these young people and their handlers but also demonstrating a vision in setting aside funds in investment to guarantee them a sound and safe future.
Stories abound here of many sportsmen and sportswomen who, in the past, chalked up important feats for the nation but who today are regrettably reduced to paupers, with cups in hand begging for crumbs for survival.
This is where we believe the decision by the government to factor such predicament of past heroes into the reward scheme for the Satellites team is laudable and deserves the total support of the people.
We urge that this approach be made a permanent feature of our national life so that Ghana will forever remain a nation worth dying for.
“Ayekoo”, “mbo”, “yiwaladonn” Satellites, you have made us and all Africans proud.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
A MSOVE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (NOV 5)
THE founder of the our nation, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, made a poignant statement that highlights the contradiction in the state of affairs in Africa today.
According to Dr Nkrumah, while Africa is potentially the richest continent in the world, Africans are the poorest people on the face of the earth.
This clearly brings to the fore the issue of the extent of control and management of national assets and resources and the political will or the lack of it among our political leaders to act selflessly in these matters.
The sale of 70 per cent shares of Ghana Telecom (GT) to Vodafone International last year was, without doubt, the most controversial divestiture of a state organisation in the annals of the country.
It was one transaction that attracted a lot of heated arguments, emotions and sentimentalism across the broad political and social strata of our society, including seasoned economists and entrepreneurs, for a sound and more critical look to be taken at the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) between the government and Vodafone before it was okayed.
Indeed, in the heat of the arguments, many allegations of underhand dealings to hand over GT cheaply to Vodafone were traded.
Not surprisingly, the matter became a political issue, with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), then in opposition, pledging to take a second look at the matter if it won power, while the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and its leading members went to court to stop the deal. The case is still pending.
Last Tuesday, the government formally announced its position on the report of the committee it set up to review the SPA.
We are happy that after many twists and turns, the government has indicated its position based on the recommendations of the committee and signalled its desire to re-engage Vodafone on the matter.
It is also worthy of note that in the said announcement certain controversial aspects of the deal, including the national fibre optic facility, the Ghana Telecom University College, landed and other property of the erstwhile GT, will form the basis for the re-engagement.
So is it with the pledge by the government to look more closely at the operations of GT, particularly the huge debt it accumulated before the deal, to help determine its genuineness or otherwise.
We certainly are not oblivious to the sanctity of contracts nor the need to deepen and sustain the confidence of investors, local and foreign, in our economy as the gateway to investment in the sub-region.
However, we believe that the sale or handing over of national assets, especially those that are of strategic importance, to investors must not be vitiated by corruption or shady and murky transactions that evoke tongue-lashing and questions as to whether the national interest has not been compromised on the altar of parochial interests.
Open and transparent deals which secure value for money and offer new leases of life to such divested enterprises and their workers reflect the national interest and signal government’s desire to do clean business.
We wish to applaud the action by the government in fulfilling the electoral promise it made to Ghanaians.
We, as a people, need to monitor and hold politicians to account for the good things they promise when they are seeking the mandate of the people to govern, so that honesty and decency are injected into our politics for politicians to be more responsible and accountable.
This is the way forward towards deepening and entrenching our democracy and protecting and promoting the national interest.
According to Dr Nkrumah, while Africa is potentially the richest continent in the world, Africans are the poorest people on the face of the earth.
This clearly brings to the fore the issue of the extent of control and management of national assets and resources and the political will or the lack of it among our political leaders to act selflessly in these matters.
The sale of 70 per cent shares of Ghana Telecom (GT) to Vodafone International last year was, without doubt, the most controversial divestiture of a state organisation in the annals of the country.
It was one transaction that attracted a lot of heated arguments, emotions and sentimentalism across the broad political and social strata of our society, including seasoned economists and entrepreneurs, for a sound and more critical look to be taken at the sale and purchase agreement (SPA) between the government and Vodafone before it was okayed.
Indeed, in the heat of the arguments, many allegations of underhand dealings to hand over GT cheaply to Vodafone were traded.
Not surprisingly, the matter became a political issue, with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), then in opposition, pledging to take a second look at the matter if it won power, while the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and its leading members went to court to stop the deal. The case is still pending.
Last Tuesday, the government formally announced its position on the report of the committee it set up to review the SPA.
We are happy that after many twists and turns, the government has indicated its position based on the recommendations of the committee and signalled its desire to re-engage Vodafone on the matter.
It is also worthy of note that in the said announcement certain controversial aspects of the deal, including the national fibre optic facility, the Ghana Telecom University College, landed and other property of the erstwhile GT, will form the basis for the re-engagement.
So is it with the pledge by the government to look more closely at the operations of GT, particularly the huge debt it accumulated before the deal, to help determine its genuineness or otherwise.
We certainly are not oblivious to the sanctity of contracts nor the need to deepen and sustain the confidence of investors, local and foreign, in our economy as the gateway to investment in the sub-region.
However, we believe that the sale or handing over of national assets, especially those that are of strategic importance, to investors must not be vitiated by corruption or shady and murky transactions that evoke tongue-lashing and questions as to whether the national interest has not been compromised on the altar of parochial interests.
Open and transparent deals which secure value for money and offer new leases of life to such divested enterprises and their workers reflect the national interest and signal government’s desire to do clean business.
We wish to applaud the action by the government in fulfilling the electoral promise it made to Ghanaians.
We, as a people, need to monitor and hold politicians to account for the good things they promise when they are seeking the mandate of the people to govern, so that honesty and decency are injected into our politics for politicians to be more responsible and accountable.
This is the way forward towards deepening and entrenching our democracy and protecting and promoting the national interest.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
GHANA-COTE D'IVOIRE MUST LEAD THE WAY (NOV 4)
FRATERNAL relations between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire date back to several decades. As for relations between the peoples of the two countries, they predate the colonial era when, Africa, the object of the greed and insatiable appetite for territory by Western imperialist powers, and its people were totally balkanised.
When Ghana, under the leadership of our visionary and illustrious Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, broke the back of the colonial regime and founded the new sovereign Republic of Ghana on March 6, 1957, it became the Mecca for Africanists who were thirsty to see the back of the colonial order and bring freedom and justice to their long-suffering people.
Notwithstanding ideological differences between Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah and the late Ivorian leader, Houphouet Boigny, the two states and their peoples continued to forge ahead in the decolonisation process, as well as in the bid to build sound and symbiotic economic systems for the mutual benefit of the two peoples.
It is important here to recall the immense contribution the two states made to the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the vanguard of the decolonisation process. Today, it goes without saying that relations between the two states and peoples have reached a higher level.
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are not leading members of only the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) but also the African Union (AU) whose vision, commitment, actions and inaction contribute significantly to shaping the destiny of the continent and the millions of its people.
We recall with a sense of pride the positive collaboration between the two states and Nigeria that culminated in the formation of ECOMOG, a military expedition which intervened in the Liberian civil war.
The intervention not only rescued the Liberian state from joining the unenviable league of failed states but also saved millions of precious lives.
Given all these acts of positive collaboration between the two states, we are happy to welcome the Ivorian Leader, President Laurent Gbagbo, to Ghana on a two-day visit at the invitation of President John Evans Atta Mills.
While Ghana is not new to President Gbagbo, his visit comes at a time of profound global challenge — the crippling global recession which has far-reaching consequences for the entire humanity, especially the underprivileged and marginalised developing nations of which Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are part.
We believe that in addition to intensifying co-operation on the economic front to help improve the lives of the peoples of the two countries, Presidents Gbagbo and Mills will drink from the deep fountain of each other’s wisdom and experiences on a number of issues.
In particular, we pray that the protracted political problem in Cote d’Ivoire which has defied a durable solution all these years will receive due attention so that an amicable resolution of the problem can be found for the huge potential of Cote d’Ivoire to be mobilised for the mutual benefit of our two countries and their peoples.
As we say Amaraaba (Welcome) to President Gbagbo for coming home to Ghana, we also wish to urge the two leaders to endeavour to bring the other African leaders together to forge a stronger African Union so that, like the United States, Africa will stand tall and take its rightful place in the comity of nations as the legendary Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah had dreamt and worked selflessly for.
Once again, welcome home, President Gbagbo.
When Ghana, under the leadership of our visionary and illustrious Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, broke the back of the colonial regime and founded the new sovereign Republic of Ghana on March 6, 1957, it became the Mecca for Africanists who were thirsty to see the back of the colonial order and bring freedom and justice to their long-suffering people.
Notwithstanding ideological differences between Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah and the late Ivorian leader, Houphouet Boigny, the two states and their peoples continued to forge ahead in the decolonisation process, as well as in the bid to build sound and symbiotic economic systems for the mutual benefit of the two peoples.
It is important here to recall the immense contribution the two states made to the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the vanguard of the decolonisation process. Today, it goes without saying that relations between the two states and peoples have reached a higher level.
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are not leading members of only the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) but also the African Union (AU) whose vision, commitment, actions and inaction contribute significantly to shaping the destiny of the continent and the millions of its people.
We recall with a sense of pride the positive collaboration between the two states and Nigeria that culminated in the formation of ECOMOG, a military expedition which intervened in the Liberian civil war.
The intervention not only rescued the Liberian state from joining the unenviable league of failed states but also saved millions of precious lives.
Given all these acts of positive collaboration between the two states, we are happy to welcome the Ivorian Leader, President Laurent Gbagbo, to Ghana on a two-day visit at the invitation of President John Evans Atta Mills.
While Ghana is not new to President Gbagbo, his visit comes at a time of profound global challenge — the crippling global recession which has far-reaching consequences for the entire humanity, especially the underprivileged and marginalised developing nations of which Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are part.
We believe that in addition to intensifying co-operation on the economic front to help improve the lives of the peoples of the two countries, Presidents Gbagbo and Mills will drink from the deep fountain of each other’s wisdom and experiences on a number of issues.
In particular, we pray that the protracted political problem in Cote d’Ivoire which has defied a durable solution all these years will receive due attention so that an amicable resolution of the problem can be found for the huge potential of Cote d’Ivoire to be mobilised for the mutual benefit of our two countries and their peoples.
As we say Amaraaba (Welcome) to President Gbagbo for coming home to Ghana, we also wish to urge the two leaders to endeavour to bring the other African leaders together to forge a stronger African Union so that, like the United States, Africa will stand tall and take its rightful place in the comity of nations as the legendary Osagyefo Dr Nkrumah had dreamt and worked selflessly for.
Once again, welcome home, President Gbagbo.
IMPLEMENT NEW PAY STRUCTURE ON TIME (NOV 3)
FOR some time now the government has given every indication that the process towards the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) is on course.
The Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, has been giving assurances to the various workers groups that the government is doing everything within its power to see to the implementation of the new salary structure to the satisfaction of all.
The new salary structure was introduced by the previous government last year but because of the 2008 general election, it could not hold a stakeholders’ consultative conference to discuss the proposals and smoothen out all the rough edges before implementation.
When the Mills administration came into office in 2009, a three-day consultative workshop on the SSSS was held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) from May 27 to 29.
At that workshop, it was agreed that between September and November there should be negotiations with organised labour on negotiable aspects of the Single Spine Pay Structure, all job holders should be placed on the new pay structure by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and that the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department test runs the new pay structure.
It will be recalled that in June this year teachers in the Ashanti and Upper East regions called on the government to act with dispatch in the implementation of the SSSS.
And now organised labour is not happy with the implementation process.
It says that the road map for the implementation of the SSSS, as was agreed on by the stakeholders’ consultative workshop in May, is four months behind schedule.
The Employment and Social Welfare Minister concedes that there have been delays but he attributes them to the importance the government attaches to the implementation.
According to the minister, a technical sub-committee of Cabinet, headed by the Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, had been set up to ensure that the implementation of the SSSS was consistent with the government’s fiscal and economic policies.
The committee, it is understood, is also considering a memorandum from the Employment and Social Welfare Ministry advising the government on the SSSS before the issuance of a White Paper on the implementation.
Yes, we know that the FWSC has been working behind the scenes meeting various labour groups to resolve their grievances. There have also been a series of meetings between the FWSC and human resource managers of public sector organisations to ensure that all rankings, levels of salaries and allowances are rightly captured in the new salary structure.
But we believe that more should be done to accelerate the process of implementing the new salary structure.
We should not wait for workers to start agitating against the government for delaying the implementation of the SSSS.
Already, organised labour has stated unequivocally that the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy in January 2010 is not negotiable and that it will do everything within its power to bring the new pay structure on board.
The government must do everything humanly possible to ensure that the road map agreed upon at GIMPA is implemented on time.
A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.
The Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Stephen Amoanor Kwao, has been giving assurances to the various workers groups that the government is doing everything within its power to see to the implementation of the new salary structure to the satisfaction of all.
The new salary structure was introduced by the previous government last year but because of the 2008 general election, it could not hold a stakeholders’ consultative conference to discuss the proposals and smoothen out all the rough edges before implementation.
When the Mills administration came into office in 2009, a three-day consultative workshop on the SSSS was held at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) from May 27 to 29.
At that workshop, it was agreed that between September and November there should be negotiations with organised labour on negotiable aspects of the Single Spine Pay Structure, all job holders should be placed on the new pay structure by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and that the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department test runs the new pay structure.
It will be recalled that in June this year teachers in the Ashanti and Upper East regions called on the government to act with dispatch in the implementation of the SSSS.
And now organised labour is not happy with the implementation process.
It says that the road map for the implementation of the SSSS, as was agreed on by the stakeholders’ consultative workshop in May, is four months behind schedule.
The Employment and Social Welfare Minister concedes that there have been delays but he attributes them to the importance the government attaches to the implementation.
According to the minister, a technical sub-committee of Cabinet, headed by the Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, had been set up to ensure that the implementation of the SSSS was consistent with the government’s fiscal and economic policies.
The committee, it is understood, is also considering a memorandum from the Employment and Social Welfare Ministry advising the government on the SSSS before the issuance of a White Paper on the implementation.
Yes, we know that the FWSC has been working behind the scenes meeting various labour groups to resolve their grievances. There have also been a series of meetings between the FWSC and human resource managers of public sector organisations to ensure that all rankings, levels of salaries and allowances are rightly captured in the new salary structure.
But we believe that more should be done to accelerate the process of implementing the new salary structure.
We should not wait for workers to start agitating against the government for delaying the implementation of the SSSS.
Already, organised labour has stated unequivocally that the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy in January 2010 is not negotiable and that it will do everything within its power to bring the new pay structure on board.
The government must do everything humanly possible to ensure that the road map agreed upon at GIMPA is implemented on time.
A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.
Monday, November 2, 2009
EQUIPPING THE GHANA NAVY (NOV 2, 2009)
THE realities of our time dictate that the Ghana Navy is properly resourced to deliver on its mandate to protect the country against aggression in any form.
Today, the Navy’s function of protecting the country against any form of military threat may no longer be considered strategic because Ghana is not at war. However, the threat to Ghana’s territorial waters is now more daunting than ever before in the history of the country.
The threat of the illegal drug trade that has engulfed the West African sub-region and the sophistication in cross- border crimes demand that we put our act together.
Also, the threat posed by pair trawling, especially by foreign-owned vessels, that sweep every tiny fish imaginable, thereby depriving our fishermen of their livelihood, is even more pronounced and can be likened to economic sabotage and territorial aggression against which the country should use all its resources to fight.
Furthermore, the recent oil find in our waters calls for extra vigilance from personnel of the Ghana Navy to protect this important natural resource that all Ghanaians are looking up to to change our fortunes.
If these reasons are anything to go by, then the country cannot hide behind resource unavailability to deny the Navy the requisite resources to do its work in a more efficient and professional manner.
The Daily Graphic welcomes the pledge by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at the 50th anniversary parade of the Ghana Navy in Sekondi last Friday that the government would, within the constraints of the economy and other competing national development needs, ensure that the Navy was equipped within the requisite resources to effectively and efficiently perform its assigned role.
We need to devote more resources to the activities of the Ghana Navy because commercial oil drilling is expected to begin some time next year and we anticipate that these logistics will be required to ward off pirates.
The professionalism of the Ghana Navy will not be enhanced solely by the provision of logistics. The conditions of service of personnel also require attention.
The Daily Graphic lauds the decision by the government to provide accommodation for personnel of the Ghana Navy and we appeal to the government to find resources, including public-private partnership, to undertake this project, and in good time too, to motivate the personnel to discharge their duties more professionally.
Should we fail to tackle the problems of the Navy’s lack of logistics head on and continue to sing the same old song of “resource-scare”, we will be counting our losses, instead of our blessings, with the oil find.
The Daily Graphic believes that we have useful lessons to draw from the experiences of other countries during the preparatory period for the oil boom.
Some oil producers and exporters in Africa did not prepare adequately for the oil find and are, even today, grappling with challenges that threaten the stability of their countries.
We do not need to re-invent the wheel, but benefits from oil will accrue to us if we position all the institutions of state, including the Ghana Navy, to play their roles effectively.
The Daily Graphic salutes the Ghana Navy on the celebration of its Golden Jubilee and urges the government to do all within its mandate to give the Navy a fitting birthday gift.
Today, the Navy’s function of protecting the country against any form of military threat may no longer be considered strategic because Ghana is not at war. However, the threat to Ghana’s territorial waters is now more daunting than ever before in the history of the country.
The threat of the illegal drug trade that has engulfed the West African sub-region and the sophistication in cross- border crimes demand that we put our act together.
Also, the threat posed by pair trawling, especially by foreign-owned vessels, that sweep every tiny fish imaginable, thereby depriving our fishermen of their livelihood, is even more pronounced and can be likened to economic sabotage and territorial aggression against which the country should use all its resources to fight.
Furthermore, the recent oil find in our waters calls for extra vigilance from personnel of the Ghana Navy to protect this important natural resource that all Ghanaians are looking up to to change our fortunes.
If these reasons are anything to go by, then the country cannot hide behind resource unavailability to deny the Navy the requisite resources to do its work in a more efficient and professional manner.
The Daily Graphic welcomes the pledge by the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at the 50th anniversary parade of the Ghana Navy in Sekondi last Friday that the government would, within the constraints of the economy and other competing national development needs, ensure that the Navy was equipped within the requisite resources to effectively and efficiently perform its assigned role.
We need to devote more resources to the activities of the Ghana Navy because commercial oil drilling is expected to begin some time next year and we anticipate that these logistics will be required to ward off pirates.
The professionalism of the Ghana Navy will not be enhanced solely by the provision of logistics. The conditions of service of personnel also require attention.
The Daily Graphic lauds the decision by the government to provide accommodation for personnel of the Ghana Navy and we appeal to the government to find resources, including public-private partnership, to undertake this project, and in good time too, to motivate the personnel to discharge their duties more professionally.
Should we fail to tackle the problems of the Navy’s lack of logistics head on and continue to sing the same old song of “resource-scare”, we will be counting our losses, instead of our blessings, with the oil find.
The Daily Graphic believes that we have useful lessons to draw from the experiences of other countries during the preparatory period for the oil boom.
Some oil producers and exporters in Africa did not prepare adequately for the oil find and are, even today, grappling with challenges that threaten the stability of their countries.
We do not need to re-invent the wheel, but benefits from oil will accrue to us if we position all the institutions of state, including the Ghana Navy, to play their roles effectively.
The Daily Graphic salutes the Ghana Navy on the celebration of its Golden Jubilee and urges the government to do all within its mandate to give the Navy a fitting birthday gift.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
HELPING THE POLICE TO FIGHT CRIME (OCT 31, 2009)
THE caution by the Ghana Police Service to the general public to stay clear of combat zones where violent criminals engage security personnel in open gun battle must be adhered to if we are to win the fight against armed robbery.
The caution is a sequel to the incidents at Ashiaman and the Spintex Road in which residents of those vicinities thronged the streets to see for themselves the shoot-out between the police and armed robbers.
In the end, the criminals had a field day as a result of the crowd that had massed up in the area to witness the police operations.
Professionals as they are, the police had to stop the combat in order to save the lives of innocent citizens.
The Daily Graphic is baffled as to why any person, on hearing gun fire, would, out of curiosity, come within the line of fire, so to speak. But the dangers inherent in such behaviour must be pointed out to the people.
Indeed, the cocking of guns must ordinarily send people running for their lives.
The plea by the police to the public to stay clear of combat zones should be widely amplified by all police establishments to enable members of the public to appreciate the risks they are exposed to during the exchange of gun fire.
We have expressed our concern over the unprofessional conduct of some policemen that culminated in stray bullets killing innocent lives, but it is out of place for the public to disrupt the work of the police, especially during gun battles with armed robbers.
The Daily Graphic is, however, full of praise for the police because in spite of the challenges they face as a result of the rather unfortunate behaviour of a section of the public, they have been on top of their job, as exemplified by their recent fight against armed robbers.
The public should take notice that while we can count on the police to exercise professionalism in the discharge of their duties, the same cannot be said of robbers who, without any regard for human lives, can shoot to kill just for mere material gain.
Therefore, the onus lies on the public to exercise utmost restraint during violent skirmishes in order to protect lives and property.
The Daily Graphic urges members of the public to heed the caution from the police because the hardened criminals might have decided to join the crowd just to escape arrest.
This trick has been exposed by the security forces but members of the public should not consider shoot-outs as movies or fun games to give space to criminals to get away with their nefarious activities.
It is our civic responsibility and duty to help the police to arrest criminals in our society, but we should not at any point obstruct the police in their line of duty.
The caution is a sequel to the incidents at Ashiaman and the Spintex Road in which residents of those vicinities thronged the streets to see for themselves the shoot-out between the police and armed robbers.
In the end, the criminals had a field day as a result of the crowd that had massed up in the area to witness the police operations.
Professionals as they are, the police had to stop the combat in order to save the lives of innocent citizens.
The Daily Graphic is baffled as to why any person, on hearing gun fire, would, out of curiosity, come within the line of fire, so to speak. But the dangers inherent in such behaviour must be pointed out to the people.
Indeed, the cocking of guns must ordinarily send people running for their lives.
The plea by the police to the public to stay clear of combat zones should be widely amplified by all police establishments to enable members of the public to appreciate the risks they are exposed to during the exchange of gun fire.
We have expressed our concern over the unprofessional conduct of some policemen that culminated in stray bullets killing innocent lives, but it is out of place for the public to disrupt the work of the police, especially during gun battles with armed robbers.
The Daily Graphic is, however, full of praise for the police because in spite of the challenges they face as a result of the rather unfortunate behaviour of a section of the public, they have been on top of their job, as exemplified by their recent fight against armed robbers.
The public should take notice that while we can count on the police to exercise professionalism in the discharge of their duties, the same cannot be said of robbers who, without any regard for human lives, can shoot to kill just for mere material gain.
Therefore, the onus lies on the public to exercise utmost restraint during violent skirmishes in order to protect lives and property.
The Daily Graphic urges members of the public to heed the caution from the police because the hardened criminals might have decided to join the crowd just to escape arrest.
This trick has been exposed by the security forces but members of the public should not consider shoot-outs as movies or fun games to give space to criminals to get away with their nefarious activities.
It is our civic responsibility and duty to help the police to arrest criminals in our society, but we should not at any point obstruct the police in their line of duty.
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