POLITICS

Thursday, 20 October 2016

"NDC Will Not Entertain Independent Candidates"- President Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama has denounced the defeated National Democratic Congress candidates, who have filed to contest as independent candidates in the 2016 Parliamentary Election.

He said: “The NDC will not entertain NDC members who contest as independent candidates but it will rather appeal to you to rally behind the NDC candidates to win in their constituencies.”

President Mahama, who was addressing NDC supporters as part of his four-day campaign tour of the Volta Region, said it was unacceptable for the same family to be divided on account of political power.

Disgruntled and defeated candidates in the ruling NDC and the New Patriotic Party have in the past and even this year, demonstrated their rebellion in their parties by breaking away to contest as independent candidates.

In most cases, such rebellions end up sharing the Party’s goodwill with the elected candidates and paving way for other political parties to make inroads in the election.

The call by the President, therefore, is to avoid the situation where their actions could thwart the efforts of duly elected candidates in their bid to win the seats.

President Mahama said although it was practised in the country, it would continue to be an inimical and alien to the NDC as it could serve as a reducing agent for the fortunes of the party and candidates.

He said although the NDC would be retained in power, there was no need engaging in activities that could hamper and dwindle the fortunes and goodwill Ghanaians had given them over the years.

On development projects, President Mahama said the building blocks had been laid in his first term of office and the second term would put the icing on the cake by accomplishing the development dreams of Ghana to make her taller than her peers on the continent.

He mentioned agriculture and job creation as the major components of his next four years of administration and urged the electorate to exhibit a high level of discipline before, during and after the polls.

The President also addressed similar rallies at Golokwati and at Songor in the North Dayi Constituency, where he inaugurated a newly constructed Administration block of the Songor Senior High Technical School.

He later addressed students of the University of Health and Allied Sciences in the Ho Municipality.

NDC's 3rd Spot On Ballot Represents John 3:16 – Asiedu Nketia

The governing National Democratic Congress’ third spot on the parliamentary ballot paper represents John 3:16, General Secretary of the party, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia has said.

John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

“You haven’t heard John 3: 16 before huh? We have already composed songs with John 3:16,” General Mosquito, as Mr Asiedu Nketia is popularly known, told Class FM in an interview on Thursday, 20 October after the balloting exercise was done at the Electoral Commission.

While the NDC took the 3rd spot, their main contenders, New Patriotic Party (NPP) took the 5th spot.

Also, the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) got the first sport while the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) got the second position.

The United Progressive Party (UPP), National Democratic Party (NDP), and the Independent People’s Party (IPP) got the fourth, sixth and seventh positions respectively.

The balloting for the presidential race has been put on hold due to an injunction placed on the process by some aggrieved political parties whose flag bearers have been disqualified from the race.

The full balloting order is as follows:

1. GCPP
2. PPP
3. NDC
4. UPP
5. NPP
6. NDP
7. IPP

Freedom And Justice Does Not Live In A Vacuum - Rawlings Asserts


Ghana’s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings

Ghana’s former President, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings says the national motto of freedom of Justice does not exist in a vacuum but relies on human beings with courage and true qualities to make it meaningful.

Flt Lt Rawlings called for the protection of institutions such as the Armed Forces who have the strength of integrity, loyalty and dependency.

He made the call at the burial service of WO1 Joseph Adjei Boadi, former member of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), at a solemn ceremony in Kumasi last Saturday.

The former President described the Ghana Armed Forces as one of the institutions that believe in freedom and justice with a solid conscience stating, “By the time we were leaving office our Armed Forces had restored the quality and image of being one of the best in the world in terms of being dutiful, determined and conscionable.”

He recalled the fact that when troops from Europe and other parts of the world fled Rwanda during their civil war, only Ghanaian troops, filled with revolutionary zeal, compassion and the passion for justice stayed behind when matters deteriorated.

“Unfortunately some governments see such qualities as a threat to their corruption and will do anything to destroy such institutions,” the former President said.

Flt Lt Rawlings described the late WO1 Adjei Boadi as “rare gem who was extremely efficient, a highly disciplined soldier and materially incorruptible.”

The former President decried the lack of respect for elders and those who have sacrificed for some great causes in the country and recalled remarks by a former General who recently attended a party event only to depart in disappointment because the good frontline seats had all been taken by appointees and party officials without any consideration for the true elders who had sacrificed and literally fought for the nation and party’s cause.

The retired General further lamented the fact that in another party elders, whether they are ministers or not are always assigned front seats in respect and deference to the roles they have played.

The former President remarked that the fact that the General could not be recognized or acknowledged by the new crop is a serious enough indictment.

Churches were not left out of the former President’s critique, stating that though the churches should be the number one institutions of integrity the rot some of them portray is an eyesore to the image of God.

“What has eaten Ghana up so much so that for one to progress he or she has to adopt corrupt tendencies? It is extremely difficult to move forward by doing things the right way,” he lamented.

WO1 Adjei Boadi who died at the age of 71 was a Chief Instructor and Second-in-Command at the Armed Forces Fire Training School before becoming a PNDC member. He lived, served his country at the highest level and died with his integrity intact.

Also present at the ceremony were Nananom, queenmothers and dignitaries including retired Commander Baffour Assasie Gyimah and Peter Anaafi Mensah, former Ashanti Regional Minister.

NDC's 3rd Spot On Ballot Represents John 3:16 – Asiedu Nketia


Johnson Asiedu Nketia

Terkper Storms Parliament Today...

Finance Minister, Seth Terkper

Finance Minister, Seth Terkper, would today storm Parliament to present a Paper on Expenditure in Advance of Appropriation, January to March, 2017.

The Paper when later approved by the Legislature will enable the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Fund to run government machinery for the stipulated three months period.

The 1992 Constitution gives the President the authority to go to Parliament to seek prior approval by a resolution, the withdrawal of moneys to spend for the stipulated three months.

Article 180 of the 1992 Constitution states “Where it appears to the President that the Appropriation Act in respect of any financial year will not come into operation by the beginning of that financial year, he may, with the prior approval of Parliament by a resolution, authorize the withdrawal of moneys from the Consolidated Fund for the purpose of meeting expenditure necessary to carry on the services of Government in respect of the period expiring three months from the beginning of the financial year or on the coming into operation of the Act whichever is earlier.”

Financial experts says this provision is always activated, especially, in an election year where the President is not sure the budget for that financial year will come into force and also which political party may take over the mantle of leadership to govern the country for the next four y

Businesses Are Disintegrating – IMANI

A policy think-tank, IMANI Center for Policy and Education, has raised concerns about the rate at which businesses in the country are disintegrating due to government’s inability to put the right policies in place to manage and expand the business sector.

The organisation disclosed this in a recent report it jointly authored with the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC) on Ghana’s business environment.

The report, which examined major business challenges between 2011 and the first quarter of this year, said there were massive gaps in the country’s micro-economic indicators that stifle the growth of the economy.

The survey showed that access to financing emerged the prime challenge among some five problems that bother businesses; followed by inflation, foreign currency regulations, taxation and also corruption.

IMANI said the cost of credit was the major challenge of businesses and made reference to a World Bank WDI data, which said Ghana’s domestic credit to the private sector as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) increased from 15.1 percent in 2011 to 20.3 percent in 2015.

Growth of real private sector credit grew from 13.1 percent in 2013 to 26.6 percent in 2014 but fell to as low as 3.7 percent in 2015, as contained in the 2016 Budget.

It also considered policies, bills and regulations that were formulated within the afore-stated period and how discrepancies related to these caused limitations.

The report further mentioned that even though some interventions such as the Export Trade, Agricultural and Industrial Development Fund provided credit to some manufacturers, some private sector funding initiatives, including the SME fund which aimed at providing credit, were not implemented because they were linked to the China Development Bank (CDB) loan which experienced hitches.

CEO of IMANI, Franklyn Cudjoe, reminded government of the importance of creating opportunities that would develop the productive sectors of the economy.

He underscored the relentlessly high cost of credit, mounting inflation and the yawning budget shortfall which hindered the expansion of most businesses in the private sector, as well as employment.

Prez Mahama’s Claim Of Media Cabal False - Kweku Baako

The Editor -in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako has dismmised claims by President John Dramani Mahama that there’s a media cabal blocking ‘my transformation’ message from being known to Ghanaians.

The President has expressed displeasure over what he asserts is the control of Ghana’s media by a cabal within the media who are blocking his message of transformation.

According to him, a certain group of people have a hold of the Ghanaian media to obstruct his government’s message and making it difficult for people to know the truth about his administration’s performance.

“It is populism, a certain group has taken control of the media in Ghana and it makes it difficult for people to discern the truth. So as much as you are putting out the information, it is either being blocked or distorted,”he said.

He made this revelation during an interview with Ovation Magazine.

But speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo show Wednesday, Abdul Malik Kwaku Baako stated that contrary to the President’s claims, his government has had enough of media exposure by the pro NDC media who are selling his good works on both mainstream media and social media.

“The President’s statement that there’s a cabal in the media that there’s a cabal blocking his transformation message is so unfair to the media houses supporting the ruling NDC party and the President. In deed let me be honest, if you do an assessment they are doing very well for the transformation agenda, they are selling and marketing what the government has done. If you go to social media they, they are doing very well there, and yet the President says the transformation agenda is not known? then there’s some problem somewhere.

He added: “To say there’s a media cabal…of cause not identified, working against the projection of the transformation agenda is not true. They have had enough media exposure now, all over the place. If the President’s claim is the case, then it erases the issue if indeed the transformation agenda is impacting positively on the people we are lamenting that they don’t feel it, this is an interesting subject for political scientist to interrogate.”