WORKERS DEMO STOPS COURTS

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

On Wednesday, January 20, all courts in the country will close for business due to the intended demonstration to be embarked on by organized labour.

Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), which is an integral part of organized labour, has asked its members to join the demonstration that seeks to draw the NDC government’s attention to the economic hardship in the country.

Declared Stance

In effect, judges cannot sit on cases in the absence of court clerks who are all members of JUSAG.

A statement titled, ‘Demonstration by organized labour,’ issued in Accra and signed by Derrick Annan, General Secretary of JUSAG yesterday, said the leadership of the association was asking members to join the demonstration in compliance with the stance declared by organized labour.

The statement said, “On Wednesday, 20th January, 2016, all members of JUSAG shall join the nationwide demonstration at their respective regions. Members are to put on our JUSAG lacoste and red arm bands.”

It asked “all regional executives to ensure the strict compliance of the press statement by organized labour issued on January 15 and provide members with placards for the event. Also, all regional executives are directed to partake in meetings of organized labour in the respective regions.”

The statement however, asked the security department of the Judicial Service to remain at post to ensure protection and safety of the Service’s property and also asked members to “stay tuned” for further directives after the demonstration.

The Police Administration has given the green light for the much-talked-about demonstration to be staged.

This follows a crunch meeting between the leadership of organized labour led by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Greater Accra Police Command at the regional headquarters in Accra yesterday.

The only outstanding issue reportedly left to be sorted out according to a DAILY GUIDE source, was the final meeting place for the demonstrators as the workers are insisting on using the Independence Square in Accra instead of the Hearts Park, to address the workers.

Police Ready

ASP Afia Tenge, Greater Accra Public Relations Officer of the police, said after the close-door meeting, that the police were able to discuss with the leadership of the workers, the routes to be used by the demonstrators.

“Everything went very smooth. The police do not have any problem with what the workers are seeking to do. We have agreed on the routes they are to take,” she said via a telephone interview.

The demonstration in Accra is expected to be replicated in all the regional capitals, according to the organizers.

Welfare And Happiness

TUC Secretary-General Kofi Asamoah at a news conference on Friday had said, “All Ghanaians who believe in the constitutional provision that our welfare and happiness should be paramount in government policy are invited to join the demonstrations.”

He added, “All those who believe we cannot and we should not allow our politicians, whether in parliament or the executive, to take us for granted and to impose all sorts of levies, taxes and fees and prices on us without recourse to our plight and economic circumstances, should come out and join us.”

Killer Tariffs

The recent increases in the prices of petroleum products, killer utility tariffs and the introduction of new taxes have upset the TUC and other labour groups and that is the main reason why they are embarking on the strike.

Labour is asking government to among other issues, withdraw the Energy Sector Levy which they believe had resulted in an ‘astronomical’ and ‘unjustified’ increase in prices of petroleum products at a time the world market price for crude is at an all-time low.

They are particularly incensed that the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) could authorize 59.2% increase in electricity and 67.2% for water at a combined rate of 126.4%.

MAHAMA OUTDOORS EX-GRATIA COMMITTEE

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday, 19 January 2016

President John Mahama has appointed a new five-member committee to recommend his compensation package including emoluments and ex-gratia and that of other Article 71 office holders.

Apart from the president and his vice, other public officers whose emoluments are determined under Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution include Members of Parliament, Ministers of State, the Chairman and Members of the Electoral Commission, and judges among other high-profile officers.

The committee, which has already been inaugurated by the president, has Professor Dora Francisca Edu- Buandoh as the chairperson, with Kwamena Ahwoi, a former Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Dr William Baah Boateng, Mrs Norkor Duah and Ms Lydia Bawa, Insurance Commissioner, as members.

The committee is expected to be assisted by Napoleon Kpoh, formerly of Industrial Commercial Workers Union (ICU), as Consultant and Rudolf Kuuzegh as Secretary.

With the appointment of Prof. Edu- Buandoh, she becomes the fifth woman to head such a committee since the 1992 Constitution came into force and is the fourth such committee in the last eight years.

In recent past, there has been the Prof Miranda Greenstreet Committee set up by then President J.J. Rawlings, the Chenery Hesse Committee set up by then President John Agyekum Kufuor as well as the Ishmael Yamson Committee which was set up by then President J.E.A Mills to review the Chenery Hesse Report.

Later, President Mills appointed Prof Ewurama Addy to determine the emoluments of Article 71 office holder under his presidency before the current Prof. Edu- Buandoh Committee was set up by President Mahama last week.

The persistent setting up of committees to recommend the emoluments of Article 71 office holders has raised eyebrows since in many jurisdictions, it took decades for similar committees to be set up.

Prof. Stephen Kwaku Asare, an America-trained law lecturer at GIMPA Law School, said that “by way of contrast, the compensation package of the USA President has been revised only 5 times since it was first determined in 1789.

“This raises the perennial question of the propriety of allowing a President to set up a Committee to recommend his compensation package and the frequency with which such Committees are set up.

“We must read the Constitution with some common sense (equity) to disallow the President and Parliament from increasing their compensation packages during their term. In other words, whenever a Committee is set up, its recommendations must come into prospective effect.”

He added: “By the same reasoning, we should read the Constitution to bar the President from being able to increase the compensation package of so called independent constitutional officers (e.g., the EC members, Superior Court members, etc.) during his term.

“In light of the above reasoning, we should also read the Constitution to mean such Committees must be established periodically, perhaps every decade.”

WORKERS DEMO LOOMS

Posted on: http://dailyguideafrica.com/workers-demo-looms/

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday, 15 January 2016

Barring any hitch, organized labour, led by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), is expected to embark on a demonstration on Wednesday, January 20, in protest of the economic hardship in the country.

DAILY GUIDE is also reliably informed that the TUC is likely to embark on a sit-down strike after the demonstration to put pressure on the government to reverse the dwindling economic fortunes of Ghanaian workers.

The recent increment in prices of petroleum products, killer utility tariffs and the introduction of new taxes, have incensed the Congress and other labour groups to embark on the demonstration and the strike, a source said yesterday.

Labour is asking government to among other things, withdraw the Energy Sector Levy which it believes had resulted in an ‘astronomical’ and ‘unjustified’ increases in prices of petroleum products at a time the world market price for crude is at an all-time low.

The new Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896) was passed in September 2015 to replace an old one that was in existence for about 15 years and it has made changes to the various tax types while introducing new taxes on sectors that were initially outside the tax net.

They are particularly angry that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) could authorize 59.2% increase in electricity tariff and 67.2% for water at a combined rate of 126.4%.

Immediately the PURC announced the increments, the Steering Committee of the TUC described the action as “insensitive and a stab in the back of the Ghanaian,” but utility providers went ahead to implement them.

“But as has been the trend, for purposes of political expediency, the PURC, acting on the promptings of the government, failed to apply the automatic adjustment formula agreed on by all stakeholders. Now the PURC and the government are calling on Ghanaians to foot the bill that has been occasioned by a political decision,” the TUC expressed in a statement issued late last year.

The statement expressed concern about the impact of tariff increases on industry and businesses as these sectors are already saddled with “too many constraints” and added that the least the government could do was to compound their problems.

“Already, some industrial entities are being over-charged, making them uncompetitive. The committee reiterated the long-held view of the TUC that at this level of national development some subsidies are needed for some groups of Ghanaians who cannot afford electricity and water at the so-called realistic rate,” it advised.

“In addition, for the fourth time this year government has increased the price of fuel cumulatively over 30 per cent. Given the noisy nature of utility tariffs and fuel prices, workers and indeed, Ghanaians, are already reeling from the harsh economic conditions. The committee and the TUC are proposing a dialogue, not only on tariffs but, equally important, on the entire energy and water situation in the country,” it said.

“Even more disgusting is that, every round of tariff adjustments has been formulated on the premise that the adjustments were needed to enable the utility companies to deliver quality and efficient service. Thus far, such promises have turned to be a hoax, an indication that there are other more important issues affecting the provision of utilities than the supposedly low tariffs.”

According to the TUC, employment creation had stagnated due to policies imposed on the government by the Breton Wood Institutions particularly the International Monetary Fund (IMF); and many workers continue to be laid off.

“The slow rate of employment creation, particularly for the youth, constitutes the greatest policy challenge facing Ghana today. A review of budget and economic policy statements for the last several years shows that the employment challenge has not received the needed attention in terms of resources committed to employment creation programmes.

“Government’s net employment freeze policy has worsened the situation. Even though health and education sectors are officially exempted from this policy, we are aware that the Ministry of Finance either deliberately delays or even refuses to approve requests from the authorities in these two sectors to employ more education and health professionals, even when additional personnel are obviously needed in these two sectors,” the TUC said.

OCCUPYGHANA DEMANDS STATUS OF AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday, January 14, 2016 

OccupyGhana, a pressure group, has waded into the NDC government’s controversial acceptance of hardcore terrorists released by the United States from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to Ghana.

They also added their voice to the numerous calls on the Mahama-led government to explain the status of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, who were brought to Ghana by the United States government after being detained for more than a decade on terrorism charges.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by Nana Sarpong Agyeman-Badu said OccupyGhana was demanding answers from the government pursuant to Article 21 (f) of the 1992 Constitution.

OccupyGhana Alarmed

“OccupyGhana writes in respect of the above-mentioned former detainees of the Guantanamo Bay Prison, whom you have confirmed the Government of Ghana (GoG) has agreed to accept to live in Ghana for a period of two years, after which period they may opt to leave Ghana.”

“We of OccupyGhana are alarmed by the conduct of GoG in respect of Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby respectively and demand that you answer the following issues: What are the real names and any aliases of Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby that are known to GoG?”

They said the government should tell Ghanaians the terrorists ‘professional/vocational/occupational backgrounds’ prior to their detention.

“When did GoG execute an agreement with the government of the United States for the acceptance of Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby?” they queried, adding, “Why did GoG make an announcement to Ghanaians of the acceptance of Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby only after FOX News had broken the news?”

Parliamentary Oversight

They also want to know if Parliament or any of its committees at any point in time was briefed on the decision to accept the two, adding, “If Parliament or any of its Committees was involved, kindly furnish the name(s) and the date(s).”

“Are Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby among former Guantanamo Bay Prison detainees who have expressed fears at any time of torture or persecution if they returned to Yemen, their home country? Has Yemen confirmed to GoG that Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby risk criminal trial if they return to Yemen?” they further quizzed.

American Opposition

OccupyGhana asked: “Why did GoG agree to accept Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby when the United States as the country that has primary responsibility for the two and other Guantanamo Bay detainees and former detainees is unable to do so because of strong opposition to settle even a single of the former detainees on American soil?”

“Did GoG consider the fact that some former Guantanamo Bay Prison detainees have joined terrorist organisations on their release before agreeing to accept Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby? Did GoG consider the fact that some former Guantanamo Bay Prison detainees have engaged in ‘propaganda warfare’ by speaking out publicly against their detentions and justifying terrorism before accepting Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby?”

Legal Status

The group further wants the government to tell Ghanaians what legal status the government has given to the two, asking, “Do Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby have a right to work whilst in Ghana?”

OccupyGhana further asked if the two have the opportunity for family reunion whilst in Ghana, adding, “Do Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby have the right to access public services, including housing, education, medical care, socialisation and integration programmes whilst in Ghana?”

They also want to know if the two have voting rights whilst in Ghana and whether the government will grant them residence permits.

“Will GoG grant Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby refugee status whilst in Ghana?  Is GoG aware that restrictions on the movements of Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby whilst they are in Ghana can only be ordered by a court and not the executive branch of Government?”

“Did GoG consider that by agreeing to accept Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby, Ghana and its citizens worldwide can be viewed by terrorist organisations as collaborators with the United States in its fight against terrorists such that the country and its citizens may be targeted for terrorist attacks? Are there any financial gains to Ghana for its acceptance of Messrs Bin Atef and Al-Dhuby?”

AG ANGRY WITH JOY FM OVER AL-QAEDA COMMENT

Posted on: http://dailyguideafrica.com/ag-angry-with-joy-fm-over-al-qaeda-comment/

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The Attorney General (AG) and Minister for Justice, Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, is reportedly angry with Joy FM over a comment the station’s ‘Morning Show’ host, Kojo Yankson, made yesterday.

The comment centred on Ghana’s acceptance of two suspected terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba on the orders of the United States government.

She has requested for the audio tape recording of the programme to enable her ‘advise’ herself over the statement that she was apparently not aware of the law that necessitated the sending of the detainees whom the Foreign Minister, Hannah Tetteh called ‘Al-Qaeda foot soldiers,’ to Ghana.

Ghana’s anti-terrorism law bars entry of suspected terrorists into the country.

“My attention has been drawn to an untrue statement made by the host of the Joy FM ‘Super Morning show,’ Kojo Yankson, on the resettlement in Ghana of two detainees of the US government from the Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay,” she stated in a letter to the station which was copied to the Minister of Communications and the National Media Commission (NMC).

AG Incensed

DAILY GUIDE learnt that after President John Mahama’s news conference at the Flagstaff House on Tuesday following his third anniversary in office, the Joy FM host approached the AG and wanted to know from her how the deal was concluded, especially the applicable law, but the AG is said to have told him that she was not part of the negotiating team and rather it was the Foreign Ministry.

Based on the information, the following morning, Mr Yankson allegedly said on air that the AG was not even part of the negotiations to import the suspected terrorists and that might have incensed Ms Appiah-Opong to request for the audio recordings of the show as she was said to have called for retraction and apology.

Heated Debate

The arrival of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby – both citizens of Yemen – who had been in US detention over a decade –  has sparked heated debate in the country with powerful groups asking the Mahama-led NDC government to return them to the US without delay since they are a national security threat.

Almost everybody in the country has been incensed by the government’s decision to host the suspected terrorists, except appointees and some sympathizers of the NDC government.

While the Christian Council and others are demanding to know why the government took the unilateral decision, the Catholic Bishops Conference say the government’s action was putting the people of Ghana in danger, describing the presence of the detainees as ‘time bomb’ tickling to explode.

President Mahama at the news conference, urged Ghanaians, especially Christians who are against the decision, “to show compassion” towards the two terrorists whilst justifying his government’s decision to import them.

Compassion

In an emotional appeal especially to those who have heavily criticized the move, President Mahama said “I do not think that we should feel ashamed to have done it. We must also look at the side of compassion; I’m a Christian and in the Bible, it teaches us to be compassionate to prisoners; that is even persons who have been convicted,” and questioned the faith of those who have raised issues with the government’s action.

Contradiction

Curiously, President Mahama has said that the two detainees were put in the ‘lowest risk category’ by the US before they were flown to Ghana, which means that they are not ‘harmful’ as many are claiming.

However, he indicated that the two detainees are being monitored 24/7 by the Ghanaian security agencies which puts in doubt the claim that the men are not harmful.

Interesting Revelation

It is emerging that one of the President’s big men that played a very important role in bringing the terrorists to Ghana is Lt General Joseph Henry Smith, a former Chief of Defence Staff, former Defense Minister and currently, Ghana’s Ambassador to the US.

Unconfirmed reports say he was the lead negotiator in the whole deal with the Americans. General Smith has been flown to Accra to be part of government’s team to douse the raging fire.

Anti-Terrorism Law

The NDC government appears to have breached Ghana’s anti-terrorism laws by accepting the Guantanamo inmates.

Under the current Anti-Terrorism Act (Act 762), anybody suspected to have engaged in terrorism or terrorists-related activities is not supposed to enter Ghana.

Section 35(1) of Act 762 states: “The director of immigration or an officer authorised by the director shall not grant an endorsement or authority to permit a person to enter this country if there is reasonable ground to suspect that the person is, will or has been involved in the commission of a terrorist act.”

AL-QAEDA DECISION DANGEROUS – CATHOLIC BISHOPS TELL MAHAMA

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday, 13 January 2016

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference has waded into the controversial decision by the Mahama-led NDC government to accept terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Ghanaian soil, describing the decision as “wrong and dangerous.”

“We, the members of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, have received news of the transfer of two former Guantanamo Bay prisoners, namely, Mahmoud Omar Mohammed Bin Atef (36 years) and Khalid Shayk Mohammed (34 years) to Ghana with great distress and sadness and wish to call on our government to act responsibly and in the interest of the nation by sending these men back to wherever they came from,” the Bishops said in a statement yesterday.

Pentagon Announcement

The Pentagon on Wednesday announced that two Guantanamo Bay inmates with Al-Qaeda ties were being sent to Ghana, the first in a wave of 17 detainees expected to be transferred from the prison. The government later issued a statement confirming that the two terrorists were in Ghana.

The two, who were held for more than 13 years at the detention facility near Cuba, are in Ghana for a two-year stay as part of a deal reached between the United States of America and the Mahama-led government.

Mission in Ghana

A statement issued in Accra and signed by President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev Joseph Osei-Bonsu, who is also the Bishop Of Konongo-Mampong, said “having learnt that of these two former prisoners, Mahmoud Bin Atef fought for the late Osama Bin Laden at one time, while Khalid Shayk Mohammed is known to have trained with the terrorist group, Al Qaeda, we wish to pose these questions, among others, for our government’s response: What is their mission here in Ghana?

“Does their presence not constitute or pose a clear danger to us? If indeed these two persons are harmless and if they have been ‘cleared’ of any terrorist act by the US Government, as our Government and the US Government and some others want us to believe, why were they not sent back to Yemen or Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan where they come from or taken to the USA which found them harmless?”

Urgent Answers

The Bishops further queried, “Did our representatives in Parliament discuss the merits and demerits of their resettlement here in Ghana?” adding, “We need urgent answers to these and other questions because we think that their presence clearly poses a threat to Ghana.”

They said “our government should not take the citizens of this country for a ride by acting in ways that can have serious consequences on the nation’s safety and security.”

The statement said “Ghana has been open to receiving refugees in the past but these two men are not in this category. We think that they are not refugees but time-bombs and so government should do all it can to send them back as soon as practicable.”

Terror Activities

The Bishops said that the upsurge in terrorists activities around the globe, particularly in the West African sub-region where Boko Haram and others are wreaking havoc, should have informed the NDC government to be cautious in accepting to host the high-profile terrorists, saying, “the acceptance of two former prisoners of Guantanamo Bay Camp is surely not a good move in the effort to secure the security of the nation.”

Election Year Security

They said as Ghana heads to the polls this year, “the security of our nation is going to be put to a severe test once again,” adding, “We must understand that Ghana is not immune to the attacks of potential external terrorist forces.

“This year is an election year and we expect our government to focus a lot of attention on helping to secure peace and security in the country by dealing with the above-mentioned and related challenges and not to risk the security of our land by hosting two former terrorists.”

The Bishops called on Parliament, religious leaders, chiefs, opinion leaders and civil society organisations “interested in the security of Ghana to speak against this unilateral decision of the government to accept these ex-prisoners to Ghana and to advise the government to do all it can to send these men back to wherever they came from.”

FOREIGN MINISTER MUST GO – OVER AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Tuesday, 12 January 2016

The United Kingdom branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP-UK) says Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh should resign immediately for misleading Ghanaians on events leading to Ghana’s acceptance of hardcore terrorists deported by the United States from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

There is public uproar over the arrival of Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby. Many Ghanaians are wondering why the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government should strike a deal with the United States to bring the terrorists into the country in the first place.

“The New Patriotic Party UK calls on Hannah Serwaa Tetteh, Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, to resign immediately. Madam Tetteh has misled Ghanaians about why terrorists previously imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay, have been brought to Ghana, thereby placing the whole of Ghana and all Ghanaians at risk of terrorist attack,” a statement issued in London and signed by Nana Yaw Sarpong, NPP-UK Communications Officer, indicated.

According to the NPP-UK, the minister in an official statement, had told Ghanaians that the two hardcore terrorists were not a threat to national security but the NPP-UK says, “She was being economical with the truth.”

Precedence

“This is not the first time Madam Tetteh has made conflicting statements. In November 2014, as Ghana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, she sat on Radio Gold and said that she had thought the jailed socialite Nayele Ametefe (aka Ruby Adu Gyamfi), now serving eight years and eight months in the UK for drug smuggling offences, was carrying gold dust in the luggage she took to London.”

The NPP-UK recalled, “British police and customs officials later certified that the ‘gold dust’ was narcotics: 12.5 kilograms of cocaine, worth nearly £2 million. The same Nayele Ametefe, arriving at Kotoka International Airport to board the plane to London on which she was arrested on 10 November 2014, was given VVIP access by Ghana national security officials through the airport in Accra.”

Already In Town

The NPP-UK branch claimed, “In Madam Tetteh’s statement, the Foreign Minister failed to tell Ghanaians that these two terrorists, Mahmoud Omar Bin Atif and Khalid Salih Al Dhuby, were already in the country. This created the impression that the former detainees were about to arrive and Ghanaians had nothing to fear.”

It noted that it is turning out that the minister did not inform parliament about the arrangement and that that amounted to what it called “gross abuse of power.”

Bin Laden’s Aide

“It has emerged that both men, whether proven terrorists or not, received training in Afghanistan with the Taliban. The Taliban are still waging a war against the democratically elected Afghan government, in tandem with the work of al-Qaeda, which has links to Islamic State and other terrorist groups operating in the Middle East and Africa. In fact, one of the two men now in Ghana was an aide to Osama Bin Laden.

“The government of Sudan took some of these ex-Guantanamo Bay inmates some years ago. Of two prisoners transferred in December 2013, at least one escaped to Yemen to commit atrocities. Another one who was transferred to Sudan in 2012 is now a terror chief in Yemen. The leopard does not change its spots!”

Common Sense

The statement said, “We in NPP-UK believe that common sense rather than financial benefit and personal gain should guide our leaders.  The security, welfare and well-being of the people of Ghana are more important than the interests of our selfish leaders. Our rights cannot be horse-traded for money, or to curry favour with the US government for its support in helping to win elections!”

Danger To US

“We respect the United States and admire its democratic values and freedoms. The United States is the most powerful country in the world. It has military bases everywhere from Europe to the Pacific. If these men are a danger to US citizens, does that mean Ghanaians are second-class beings, and so terrorists should be dumped on us, endangering the ordinary Ghanaian’s life?

“Hannah Tetteh is unfit to be a Minister of Foreign Affairs. She has been untruthful and dishonest. She must go now!” the statement stressed.

EC BOSS UNDER HEAVY SECURITY

Posted on: http://dailyguideafrica.com/ec-boss-under-heavy-security/

By William Yaw Owusu

Monday, January 11, 2016

There was bizarre spectacle at the premises of Joy FM in Accra on Saturday when the chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC), Charlotte Osei, stormed the station for an interview.

In what looked like a crime scene or a war zone, heavily armed policemen and others in plain clothes together with several police vehicles, were seen cordoning off the Faanofa Street linking Kokomlemle and the Accra-Nsawan highway at Avenor Junction at the time the EC boss was granting the interview.

In fact, the situation compounded the problem of motorists plying the area while staff of Multimedia, owners of Joy FM, had a tough time entering their own offices at that moment.

Mr Charlotte Osei talked about wide-ranging issues particularly the thorny issue of whether or not there should be a new biometric voter register before this year’s general election and her appointment at Ghana Reinsurance Company, which is sparking another heated political debate in the country.

The heavy police protection made it look like somebody was after Mrs. Charlotte Osei’s life. Interestingly though, her immediate predecessor, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, moved around town freely, even during election periods and sometimes drove himself.

Throughout the interview Ms Osei appeared to spite the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the party’s stance on the voter register and other election-related matters and said cynically at one point that if the commission dared listen to the suggestions of the NPP, Ghana might end up with an ‘elitist’ register.

She said that the decision to audit the electoral roll, instead of acceding in to the demands of the NPP and other parties and groups for a new register, was still in force.

The EC rejected the NPP’s request for an entirely new register and said it would rather do an audit of the document as recommended by a five-member panel that looked into the issue.

Interestingly, while the EC has declined the NPP’s request, it has opted for the approach which the ruling party – National Democratic Congress (NDC) - is comfortable with (to audit the register) because the commission claimed the Togolese EC even declined to allow it access to its register to verify the NPP’s claim that the Ghanaian electoral roll is fraught with names of Togolese.

It is turning out that the EC did not push its Togolese counterpart hard enough to get the register to enable it (EC) authenticate or otherwise the claim by the NPP that 76,000 Togolese are in Ghana’s register - although an opposition spokesperson in the neighbouring country has claimed that the NPP’s exhibit appeared credible.

According to Mrs. Charlotte Osei, the NPP’s mode of compiling a new voter register requirs that Ghanaians show proof of citizenship, using either a passport, a driver’s licence or a national ID card since the NHIS identity had been found to be illegal by the Supreme Court.

“How many Ghanaians do you think have these? Five million, six million?...I doubt if you can get even 10 million,” she insisted saying,  “for those who do not have a passport, driver’s licence or a national ID card, how are they going to be identified as Ghanaians?”

She said that if a new register were to be compiled the NHIS cards would not be one of the requirements as pronounced by the Supreme Court and old voter ID cards would also not be accepted as proof of citizenship.

She said there are some limitations in the NPP’s approach because the EC could also not use the accepted practice of two Ghanaians testifying to the citizenship of a person who does not have any of the three acceptable requirements.

“We are going to end up with a register that is very elitist and excludes the large majority of citizens. That is not our idea of inclusive democracy and that is not where we think we should be going,” she insisted.

The Electoral Commission has maintained that the absence of a National Identification System is forcing Ghanaians to get a voter ID card because it is the easiest method of identification and added that in countries such as Kenya and South Africa, citizens have national ID cards and therefore do not need a voter ID card to determine citizenship.

She also said bizarrely that a new voter ID might worsen fears expressed by political parties that there are minors and foreigners on the electoral roll because everybody would rush to obtain one, even if they are not eligible to vote. “We are going to bring all the Togolese and minors in,” she noted.

Reinsurance Membership

On the raging issue about whether she is still a board member of Ghana Reinsurance Company, the EC boss said “I’m hoping that whoever made this allegation is going to file some petition, so we will respond when we get there.

“I did resign but I’m not sure that should be the focus; let’s stick to the Constitution,” she added.

RETURN AL-QAEDA TERRORISTS – CHRISTIAN COUNCIL TELLS MAHAMA

Posted on: http://dailyguideafrica.com/return-al-qaeda-terrorists-christian-council-tells-mahama/

By William Yaw Owusu

Monday, January 11, 2016

News about the acceptance of hardcore terrorists deported by the United States from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba to Ghana has incurred the wrath of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG).

The Council said in a statement yesterday that the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government should not hesitate to return Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby to the US because they are a threat to the people of Ghana.

Pentagon Announcement

The Pentagon on Wednesday announced that two Guantanamo Bay inmates with Al Qaeda ties were being sent to Ghana - the first of a batch of 17 detainees expected to be transferred from the prison camp - and the government of Ghana later issued a statement confirming that the two terrorists were in Ghana.

Mahmud Umar Muhammad Bin Atef and Khalid Muhammad Salih Al-Dhuby, who were held for more than 13 years at the detention facility near Cuba, are in Ghana for a two-year stay as part of a deal reached between the United States of America and the Mahama-led government.

Grave Concern

In a statement signed by the General Secretary of the CCG, Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, it said it had “observed with grave concern the lamentations and fears being expressed by most Ghanaians since news broke about the relocation of two Guantanamo Bay inmates with Al-Qaeda ties to Ghana.”

It continued, “As a Council, we associate with the uncertainties and fears this issue has generated among our people, and requests that government should consider immediate recession of the decision and relocate the inmates outside the country.

“The non-engagement of civil society and other stakeholders on such sensitive security issue that affects the common good of the nation has put all of us at risk as the ordinary people don’t know what is required of them in the current potential security threat. In fact, the whole process lacks transparency.

“It will be recalled that in 2007, the United States (US) government wanted to establish its African Command (AFRICOM) in Ghana and most Ghanaians and African countries kicked against it.

“The admission of the Guantanamo inmates into Ghana is no different from setting up an AFRICOM in Ghana.”

Inadequate Consultation

“We are of the strongest view that the inadequate public consultation and broader consensus building by government is exposing our nation and the entire sub-region to terrorist attack, and must be reversed,” the statement warned.

The Council quoted Fox News as saying Bin Atef “is an admitted member of the Taliban and fought for Osama bin Laden, while [the other] Al-Dhuby, trained with Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan,” and that “the two inmates [who have spent close to 14 years in prison] are the first of a group of 17 detainees expected to be transferred out of Guantanamo Bay that includes ‘multiple bad guys’ and ‘Al Qaeda followers.’”

The Council said there are enough evidences “for us to believe that these inmates have Al-Qaeda ties and puts all of us at risk.”

Pressing Questions

The CCG wants the government to tell the people “who is funding their stay in Ghana” and whether their families will be allowed to visit them (terrorists) in the country.

Furthermore, the Christian Council wants to know if they are going to have any public interactions. “Are they going to be camped, restricted or reintegrated into the society as refugees?”it probed.

Also the Council wants to know whether Ghanaians have “been properly educated on public safety and security consciousness in the wake of terrorism,” and whether Ghana has “what it takes to detect and deal with any threat of terrorism.

“We are very much aware that Ghana belongs to a community of nations, which requires her to support international humanitarian efforts such as the provision of assistance to refugees and asylum seekers.

“However, the case of the Guantanamo inmates is entirely different and is not in our national interest. It is our hope and prayer that the president will listen to the lamentations of Ghanaians and quickly relocate the inmates.”

Background Checks

Bin Atef, according to the New York Times Guantanamo Docket, was born in 1979 in Saudi Arabia and fought with Osama Bin Laden’s 55th Arab Brigade and was an admitted member of the Taliban. He was captured in Afghanistan and transferred to US custody about January 2002, after engaging in combat against the American-led coalition.

Like Bin Atef, Salih Al-Dhuby was born in Saudi Arabia and claims Yemeni citizenship, according to the New York Times Guantanamo Docket. The suspected Al-Qaida member was born in 1981 and was captured by Afghan forces in December 2001 following an explosion near Tora Bora. He’s been held in Guantanamo since May 2002.

The decision by the NDC government to accept the detainees has sparked public outcry as many security experts are saying that the government’s decision could open up the country to high-profile security threats.

TOGO REGISTER CREDIBLE

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Friday, January 08, 2016

The Togolese register submitted by the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) to the Electoral Commission (EC) to back its demand for the compilation of a new Biometric Voters Register (BVR) appears to be credible.

This was confirmed yesterday by Masseme Esse, who said he was an advisor to Togo’s main opposition leader, Jean Pierre Fabre.

“I can confirm that I have seen the Togo register presented by the NPP and it is the same that we used for our elections,” he told various radio stations during their morning show programmes.

Controversy over the register was the basis for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) calling on the police to arrest NPP vice presidential candidate, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, for allegedly deceiving public officers.

Three NDC members lodged a bogus complaint against Dr Bawumia at the CID headquarters yesterday, even though their party’s General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia had said he was not ready to report the erudite economist to the police.

EC Rejection

The EC has since rejected the NPP’s request for an entirely new register and said it would rather do an audit of the document as recommended by a five-member panel that was instituted by the commission to look into the matter.

Interestingly, the EC opted for the approach which the ruling party – National Democratic Congress – proposed and seemed comfortable with (that is to audit the register), because the commission claimed the Togolese EC had declined to allow it access to that country’s register to verify the NPP’s claims.

“The Commission was also unable to confirm the authenticity of the Togolese Register used by the NPP in their analysis as the Electoral Commission of Togo declined to provide the EC with a copy of its register or confirm the authenticity of the soft copy of the register used by the NPP,” the EC said in a response to the party recently.

It added, “On November 27, 2015, the EC received a response from the Togo EC stating that they were unable to confirm the authenticity of the register submitted by the NPP as the Togolese register is a security document containing the private information of Togolese citizens.”

Details Emerging

Masseme Esse, who said he was a leading member of Alliance Nationale Pour Le Changement – ANC - (National Alliance for Change), asserted that he had been following the development in Ghanaian politics since the NPP presented the Togo register in August last year.

“The NPP is not lying about the register. What the NPP presented is the exact copy of Togo’s register and it shows all the details as we have it in our register,” Mr Esse affirmed.

He said that some democracy-loving civil society organisations (CSOs) in Togo organised a news conference to raise the issue when the NPP presented the register to the EC in August last year, adding that the CSOs published the pictures of the people who were captured in both the Togo and Ghana registers.

“From our checks, those people were in the register given to us by the commission in Togo. I have seen the Togo register presented by the NPP and confirm they are the same people in our register,” he stressed.

Cross-Border Voting

Mr Esse noted that the issue of cross-border voting had been there for ages, saying, “It is very common for people to cross the border and register to vote in Ghana.”

He said all political parties in Togo were given copies of the register before exhibition and also had it unedited. “It is that register we used for our analysis and strategy before the election.

“It is because we have a register that we raised concerns and which made it easy for the Ghanaian parties to come to Togo and look for the register to solve their issue.”

Mutual Understanding

He said the best way to deal with the issue was for the EC in Ghana to pick representatives from all the parties who would then go to the Togo EC to ascertain the truth “to put matters to rest. The Ghanaian EC can sit down with its Togolese counterpart.”

Mr Masseme Esse pointed out, “I think the Togo EC has no right to refuse or reject Ghana EC’s request to look into the Togolese register in order to solve problems in Ghana.”

Presidential Intervention

He said President Mahama played a pivotal role in calming tensions in Togo last year when a dispute over their register arose.

“The time we were having problems, President Mahama came here to intervene and solve the problem between us. So if Ghana is also having a problem, the Togo EC can help them.”

He said the EC “should know how to go to competent people in Togo and solve the problem amicably,” adding, “We are sister-countries and we are members of ECOWAS and why can we not solve the problem between us?”

He also said his personal view on the matter was that the Ghanaian EC should compile a completely new register to solve the problem once and for all.