The Pharisees and Sadducees constituted the top echelon of religion in those days, presiding over the most important spiritual decisions of the time. Religion then was not like a shirt you wore on a special occasion only; it was the very way of life daily. If your child was ill and had to be treated, chances are that the diagnosis and prescription came with input from a man-of-God; if you wanted a loan, there was a spiritual twist to it; if you had education, it was there. If the ruling government wanted to levy a new tax, it sought the advice and consent of the prominent local clergy presiding over matters in the Sanhedrin. Since Rome was somewhat a benevolent dictatorship, this arrangement saved it from alienating itself from the masses of the people, while still controlling them through these charlatans; a people who had strong faith in God (not their pastors and priests). The pastors and priests of that time (the Pharisees and the Sadducees) would exploit this strong faith in God routinely, extensively, and later, in the false arrest and murder of Jesus Christ.

It is this toxic environment that Jesus Christ stepped into, one in which the Pharisees and Sadducees had more and immediate access to the rulers, than the people themselves. Being acutely aware, and gripped by the fear, of their own mortality, rulers quickly succumbed to prophesies and proclamations of the Pharisees and Sadducees about continuity of reign or some impending downfall or if they did or didn’t adopt a policy (yes, there were policies then too; they just didn’t call them policies) that was supposedly faithful of faith-filled. By a confluence of historical, current and future events of the time, some of which appeared to mirror these Pharaseeic and Sadduceeic prophesies, rulers found themselves increasingly reliant on the clergy. This close nexus, paved the way for what would be the most telling conspiracy of all time, against God’s Son, leading eventually to His disgraceful death in between two common criminals.

So how does this mirror our experience today? Let’s return to Okomfo Damuah and his ilk for a moment. In those revolutionary days, Okomfo Damuah was probably just a lone wolf, espousing an idea that caught the fancy of the young Flt. Lieutenant who was exasperated by an opulent and a hierarchical society with so much to spend and spare, while many of us credited yorke gari. Still, the fact that Okomfo Damuah had access to the Head of State who was more feared in the wake of summary executions, speaks to the power and attraction of a form of worship that proclaimed the dignity of our local traditions in the context of a single, Christ-centred faith; but Okomfo Damuah didn’t go far enough, and thank God he did not, for the would have been more blood than the Let the blood flow cry of immature university students of the June 4th era. Still, Damuah lacked the hypocrisy, arrogance, power-drunkenness, and most importantly cunning that the current bread of Pharisee-like charlatans have.

Don’t get me wrong – the so-called Orthodox churches have that same conniving history with secular authority as well. For instance, the Catholic Church also had similar relationships with despots like Mussolini, a fascist Italian totalitarian, from which relationship the autonomy of St. Peter’s Square and the Church itself were guaranteed. To date, the Catholic Church is the only religious institution which appoints representatives to countries around the world, with the (yes, you guessed it) Latin-sounding title of Pro Nun Cio, a cute name for Ambassador, whose office is every bit as political as his secular counterpart’s. The principle then, of separation of Church and State, is almost laughable. In the United States, where there are more fights over this principle than anywhere else in the world, clergymen and women have parlayed their mission deep into the corridors of power; that none of their last forty-plus presidents have ascended the presidency without some public profession of their Christian faith is testament to this fact. It is also the country in which the election of John F. Kennedy was almost stymied by a palpable fear that because he was Catholic, the presidency would be answerable to the Pope; it is alleged the Catholic vote was guaranteed in an arrangement between Joseph P. Kennedy (JFK’s father) and the Godfather of the five most powerful mafia families of New York. See how messy this gets? But I digress…. To the Phenomenon of our time.

As I implied, our modern Pharisees and Sadducees are more cunning, perhaps charismatic and have a panache for trickery and stealing of people’s souls and money that far outstrips the crude vituperations of Okomfo Damuah’s sermons. These days, our pastoral men and women start first with A Day of National Prayer and Thanksgiving or a similar variation. Automatically, this seals a solid deal with the intrinsically peace-loving side of the Ghanaian. Look around us, I mean at the other countries in the sub-region. Many have gone to, or have been on the brink of, war, for any number of reasons. Ghana on the other hand has remained relatively peaceful, even at one time, embarked upon two revolutions in less than three years, with dire consequences, yet just managed to avoid all-out war. Don’t get me wrong – peace is good, and war is bad. But when our pastoral citizens reach out to this aspect of our character, they are capitalizing on a predictable aspect of our good nature to dupe us massively in the end. Not only that, many a time in our history, some of our rulers have turned to the clergy for assistance in thumping down dissent in the general populace against undesirable government policy or an issue which is embarrassing to the government.

Perhaps, pastors understand politicians better than we ordinary citizens do, because after the Day of National Prayer and Thanksgiving, the only other people who get a free prayer service from these thieving clergy are the politicians. The Catholic Church does it hierarchically, beginning and ending with the Pope, with the rest of us, including the politicians, falling in the middle. The other churches just go straight to the point – they pray for our leaders; some even mention them by name, and to give a semblance of non-bias, mention both incumbent and opposition politicians. With this strategy, they hedge their bets wisely, immediately guaranteeing that they can tie their religious and political fortunes to the winning party in the next election; at least the record will show that Pastor XYZ prayed for their success too, and thence commences the next tactic for exacting maximum influence over the next incumbent government.

The rest of us do not get any free prayers from these pastors. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, they have a price tag for their prayers. Special Prayers can range from at least Fifty Ghana Cedis (500,000 cedis) to Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (Five Million Cedis). These are merely conservative estimates; I am told that prices far exceed these estimates running into tens of millions. The Cadillac brand of special prayers have their own category and include a very special Holy Oil. The price tag for a quantity that fits a small vial is a million cedis (100 Ghana Cedis). Again, I digress… this is supposed to come under the economics part; I just couldn’t help myself. Please pardon me….

An observed fact of the trajectory of these independent churches is that they have come full circle. In the late 1970s to early 1980s when they burst onto the national scene, their loudest criticism of the orthodox churches, in particular the Catholic Church, was that they were too structured and hierarchical. In very public gestures, they disowned the titles and priestly vestments worn by the clergy in these churches. They claimed Catholics worshipped the Pope, instead of God, and that sitting atop the Catholic Church in a lifetime capacity, the Pope became too powerful. They said these vestments set the clergy apart from their congregants and were excessive. These arguments resonated well with many a Ghanaian faithful who had the coincidence of a revolution that itself condemned neo-colonialism, materiality and hierarchy. It was probably about time that the orthodox churches were held accountable for their management, or even mismanagement of the collective Christian faith. Indeed, it is now clear that many of the problems in the Catholic Church today, were then being perpetrated.

However, as the membership in the new churches swelled and their message of a more puritanical, tongue-speaking and so-called more charismatic form of worship flourished, these churches were suddenly confronted with two very important problems: (1) How to manage their growing numbers; (2) How to tap what was apparently a vast human resource which was practically waiting to zombie at every pastoral command. The answer to both these difficult questions lay in one word – Structure; and with it, the realization that the very structure they had criticized the orthodox churches for, was the only solution to their gathering and growing problem of mass followers.

Suddenly, words like International and World slipped into the name tags of these churches, which in reality were little more than a motley congregation of people in rented school and other premises over the weekends. For many of these pastors, these words were grand and sounded impressive to current and potential members; they also conveyed order. They missed the memo on the fact that the words themselves conveyed an overarching control over subsidiaries, and therefore structure or hierarchy, which hitherto was a forbidden word, now featured prominently in these new churches’ names. Similar appendages were made to the pastors themselves. Pastors suddenly preceded their names with titles such as General Overseer, Main Missioner, etc., but many of these titles still lacked the kind of punch they would have liked. At least, if one looked up these phrases or individual words in an English Dictionary, their definition lacked that specific religious definition and connotation which conveyed power to, and commanded obedience from, church memberships, much like the way the orthodox churches did it. So in the end, the pastors could not help themselves. They just co-opted the word Bishop. Aha!! Now they had arrived, even though none of them to this day has a bishopric (in proper definition). And they were unwilling to stop there – some self-absorbed arched their congregations – declaring themselves Archbishops. If one closely examines the way they use this word in particular, you find that the title is used to mirror their large egos, exemplified in the grand structures which now house their churches. Take a drive on Spintex Road and you will get a real sense of what I am trying to describe here. Still the Bishop/Archbishop title aren’t enough; they have gone further to co-opt the entire set of orthodox church priestly vestments – the Bishop’s staff, episcopal ring, garments and mitre (hat) to match; soon, I think they will transcend these as well. Now when they don these vestments on any occasion, even the Heavens take notice – there’s a new Bishop on the block!!! Only thing is that they look like old wine in new bottles, still shouting, drumming and still enthusiastically stealing from their members, and with more power to boot; and still looking like the pudgy, puny, old orthodox priests they previously criticized. They have indeed come full circle.

One curious little development is the word Daddy. This word used to be a word of endearment used by kids of educated parents, especially, parents who had tasted some foreign, particularly western, lifestyle. Daddy then commanded respect, indicated sophistication or invoked fear, depending on the type of family setup one had. These days, virtually every pastor in any church is called Daddy, and the meaning is nothing close to what I have described above. The word is bandied about between arrogance, benevolent control, lasciviousness, total subservience and plain ignorance. Still it is amazing to behold even grown-ups who could easily mother or father a pastor, refer to him as Daddy. Do they call the women pastors Mummy too? I am yet to find that out.

At this stage, these pastors don’t play in the little leagues anymore; with that kind of power, they now play with the big boys, usually, their political friends, for more power. To be fair pastors are citizens too, and have an obligation to vote and exercise their civic rights and responsibilities. But where do they draw the line between their religious calling and their unabashed meddling in power politics? How many of us ordinary citizens have the luxury of responding with a non-tactile solution to a real, physical problem? How many of us have the advantage of foisting our spiritual view, however ludicrous or convoluted, on another person, with the routine assumption that they must listen and accept that view, and that any action otherwise is in the wrong direction? This is a pretty arrogant presumption that only flourishes because of our individual and collective bondage to these pastors, who are focused on nothing else than the material comforts of this world.

For now, I rest my case on the power and politics of this Phenomenon. We shall return to the subject in due course. Stay tuned for the next installment on the Grand Papa of the series – MONEY.

 ARTICLE BY: FRANCIS DERY

Email: deryfrancis@yahoo.com

He said stewardship, good financial and economic governance practices; and strong accountable institutions are the features when evident in a nation’s governance infrastructure would deliver the benefits of true democracy to all its citizens.

The PPP aspirant was responding to concerns raised by residents of Labawaleshie at a Town Hall meeting on Saturday, that; after queuing for long hours to register and vote politicians into power on many occasions, the electorate are yet to see the benefits of the exercise in their environment and living conditions.

Residents expressed disappointment at how politicians had taken them for a ride in both constituency and national governance for the past two decades, when in power but reached out to them through surrogate party activists in crafty ways with hand-outs to influence and buy their votes during elections.

William Dowokpor, who agreed with the sentiments of the electorate, advised them to persevere in exercising their democratic rights to register and vote. In doing so however, they must be guided by the bitter lessons they have leaned over the years and go for the alternative PPP that would deliver the real change that has eluded them over the years.

He said the alternative PPP had carefully devised a ten-point agenda for governing the country based on good stewardship that will in the shortest possible time, deliver the change Ghanaians can feel in their lives through jobs, quality health care, free compulsory continuous education up to senior high level and stamping out corruption through strong transparent and accountable institutions.

Sharing his vision for the Ayawaso West constituency with residents, William Dowokpor said he would be a “referendum MP”, involving the constituents in its governance. “I come as the “referendum” MP who will involve you in the decisions and contributions I will make in Parliament. We need to get it right this year in Ayawaso West Wuogon or the next four years will continue to be frustrating for all of us,” he cautioned.

The PPP candidate listed the five main concerns of the constituency as:

1. Reliability in utility and Public Services
2. Facilitating jobs for the youth
3. Accessibility of higher education to all
4. Security to life and property and
5. Involving residents in constituency governance

The five issues, which he said were of mutual interest to all residents would be tackled through his strong voice in Parliament and the involvement of the constituents in planning and executing constituency programmes in a truly “all inclusive” ways. “When it comes to solving constituency problems, there will be no party considerations under my stewardship as MP. We will involve whoever is prepared and willing to help us secure our mutual constituency interests” he insisted.

He advised constituents to stay tuned in to the Electoral Commission’s schedules, to ensure that they get registered in order to be part of the discerning electorate that would bring the real change, the constituency and Ghana need in the next November or December elections.

Glucose is a form of sugar in the blood – it is the principal source of fuel for our bodies.

When our food is digested the glucose makes its way into our bloodstream. Our cells use the glucose for energy and growth. However, glucose cannot enter our cells without insulin being present – insulin makes it possible for our cells to take in the glucose.

Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas. After eating, the pancreas automatically releases an adequate quantity of insulin to move the glucose present in our blood into the cells, and lowers the blood sugar level.

A person with diabetes has a condition in which the quantity of glucose in the blood is too elevated (hyperglycemia). This is because the body does not produce enough insulin, produces no insulin, or has cells that do not respond properly to the insulin the pancreas produces. This results in too much glucose building up in the blood. This excess blood glucose eventually passes out of the body in urine. So, even though the blood has plenty of glucose, the cells are not getting it for their essential energy and growth requirements.

Why is it called Diabetes Mellitus?

Diabetes comes from Greek, and it means a siphon. Aretus the Cappadocian, a Greek physician during the second century A.D., named the condition diabainein. He described patients who were passing too much water (polyuria) – like a siphon. The word became “diabetes” from the English adoption of the Medieval Latin diabetes.

In 1675 Thomas Willis added mellitus to the term, although it is commonly referred to simply as diabetes. Mel in Latin means honey; the urine and blood of people with diabetes has excess glucose, and glucose is sweet like honey. Diabetes mellitus could literally mean “siphoning off sweet water”.

In ancient China people observed that ants would be attracted to some people’s urine, because it was sweet. The term “Sweet Urine Disease” was coined.

There are three main types of diabetes:

Diabetes Type 1 – You produce no insulin at all.
Diabetes Type 2 – You don’t produce enough insulin, or your insulin is not working properly.
Gestational Diabetes – You develop diabetes just during your pregnancy.

Diabetes Types 1 & 2 are chronic medical conditions – this means that they are persistent and perpetual. Gestational Diabetes usually resolves itself after the birth of the child.

Treatment is effective and important

All types of diabetes are treatable, but Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes last a lifetime; there is no known cure. The patient receives regular insulin, which became medically available in 1921. The treatment for a patient with Type 1 is mainly injected insulin, plus some dietary and exercise adherence.

Patients with Type 2 are usually treated with tablets, exercise and a special diet, but sometimes insulin injections are also required.

If diabetes is not adequately controlled the patient has a significantly higher risk of developing complications, such as hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis, and nonketotic hypersosmolar coma. Longer term complications could be cardiovascular disease, retinal damage, chronic kidney failure, nerve damage, poor healing of wounds, gangrene on the feet which may lead to amputation, and erectile dysfunction.

Symptoms of Diabetes

People can often have diabetes and be completely unaware. The main reason for this is that the symptoms, when seen on their own, seem harmless. However, the earlier diabetes is diagnosed the greater the chances are that serious complications, which can result from having diabetes, can be avoided.

Here is a list of the most common diabetes symptoms:

• Frequent urination
  Have you been going to the bathroom to urinate more often recently? Do you notice that you spend most of the day going to the toilet? When there is too much glucose (sugar) in your blood you will urinate more often. If your insulin is ineffective, or not there at all, your kidneys cannot filter the glucose back into the blood. The kidneys will take water from your blood in order to dilute the glucose – which in turn fills up your bladder.
• Disproportionate thirst
  If you are urinating more than usual, you will need to replace that lost liquid. You will be drinking more than usual. Have you been drinking more than usual lately?
• Intense hunger
  As the insulin in your blood is not working properly, or is not there at all, and your cells are not getting their energy, your body may react by trying to find more energy – food. You will become hungry.
• Weight gain
  This might be the result of the above symptom (intense hunger).
• Unusual weight loss
  This is more common among people with Diabetes Type 1. As your body is not making insulin it will seek out another energy source (the cells aren’t getting glucose). Muscle tissue and fat will be broken down for energy. As Type 1 is of a more sudden onset and Type 2 is much more gradual, weight loss is more noticeable with Type 1.
• Increased fatigue
  If your insulin is not working properly, or is not there at all, glucose will not be entering your cells and providing them with energy. This will make you feel tired and listless.
• Irritability
  Irritability can be due to your lack of energy.
• Blurred vision
  This can be caused by tissue being pulled from your eye lenses. This affects your eyes’ ability to focus. With proper treatment this can be treated. There are severe cases where blindness or prolonged vision problems can occur.
• Cuts and bruises don’t heal properly or quickly
  Do you find cuts and bruises take a much longer time than usual to heal? When there is more sugar (glucose) in your body, its ability to heal can be undermined.
• More skin and/or yeast infections
  When there is more sugar in your body, its ability to recover from infections is affected. Women with diabetes find it especially difficult to recover from bladder and vaginal infections.
• Itchy skin
  A feeling of itchiness on your skin is sometimes a symptom of diabetes.
• Gums are red and/or swollen – Gums pull away from teeth
  If your gums are tender, red and/or swollen this could be a sign of diabetes. Your teeth could become loose as the gums pull away from them.
• Frequent gum disease/infection
  As well as the previous gum symptoms, you may experience more frequent gum disease and/or gum infections.
• Sexual dysfunction among men
  If you are over 50 and experience frequent or constant sexual dysfunction (erectile dysfunction), it could be a symptom of diabetes.
• Numbness or tingling, especially in your feet and hands
  If there is too much sugar in your body your nerves could become damaged, as could the tiny blood vessels that feed those nerves. You may experience tingling and/or numbness in your hands and feet.

Diagnosis of diabetes

Diabetes can often be detected by carrying out a urine test, which finds out whether excess glucose is present. This is normally backed up by a blood test, which measures blood glucose levels and can confirm if the cause of your symptoms is diabetes.

If you are worried that you may have some of the above symptoms, you are recommended to talk to your Doctor or a qualified health professional.—Medicalnewstoday.com

Indeed, while the Mills administration keeps praising itself for attaining slim macro-economic indices, such as single-digit inflation, the independent but critical observer, standing his/her somewhere and watching, knows the single-digit inflation is just for demonstration effect and has nothing to do with the reality on the ground.  Real inflation, rising along with the increasing prices of commodities, has gone up by the hundreds of percentages since salaries have not kept up with several increases in the prices of petroleum fuels, utilities, and the consequent multiple increases in the prices of general commodities.

Two examples will show what I mean.  One, basic fare, which was 25p in December 2008 is today, 2012, 40p.  Second, Dear Readers constant with this column, will recall my example of a bag of rice going up from GH¢35.00 (December 2008,) to GH¢90.00 (2012.); 157% increase.  It has affected the price of cooked rice on the street – quantity we used to buy for 80p is today GH¢1.50, because the prices of vegetables, fish, meat, cooking oil, etc., have all been affected.  Wele that used to go for 50p is now GH¢1.00; fried fish has gone up from 40p to GH¢1.00, and; meat from 50p toGH¢1.50.  The smallest size of kenkey (or banku) still goes for 50p, but the size is shrinking.

It is convenient for African state administrations to talk about withdrawing state subsidies on petrol fuels, because they themselves hardly go to the pumps.  But those subsidies mean a lot to a people who for decades have been asked to sacrifice for the promise of a better life, which today is as further away than when the promise was first made.

The Mills administration is yet to get a grip on the economy, let alone run it for Ghanaians to taste progress.  That is the fundamental reason Ghanaians are living through ever growing tougher times.  And yet the Mills administration makes it all worse with fuel-price increments at a time people were taking stock of their lives and nurturing hope for 2012.  For many therefore hopes they have already been delivered as still births.

Interestingly, after workers unions raised serious reservations about the increases in petrol fuel prices, the Vice President, John Mahama, met their representatives on Friday, January13, 2011, and announced three measures to mitigate the cost of (people’s) adjustment to the higher prices of everything.  He proposed that public workers will receive their salaries in the middle of January.  As someone asked on radio however, how about the majority of the people who are not public workers?  Still, union leaders and workers are wondering what that measure is intended to achieve, since it will be at least the usual 30 days before the next salary comes; they are thus calling for higher salaries.

A second measure, the vice president said, is the public transport agencies will soon put more buses on the roads.  So what happens in the interim, union leaders have asked.  If you ask me, that is putting the cart before the horse, or should I say, thoughts of how the fuel prices increase will affect the people came to the Mills administration as an after-thought.  Considering how long we the people have trusted national administrations in biting the bullet in anticipation of a better life, we do not deserve to be treated as an after-thought.

Where the insincerity of the Mills administration becomes most obvious is in the third measure.  The vice president promised that all salary arrears will be paid by June 2012.  To simplify the issue, national administration has for over a year been rolling out a Single Spine Salary Scheme to normalise pay levels across all its institutions, agencies and corporations.  While some institutions are yet to make it onto the scheme, those already put on it have serious reservations about a lot of major issues about their new salaries.

What concerns us here is that, those public workers that have been transferred onto the SSSS have their salaries raised, but their back pay for several months are yet to paid; those are the arrears the vice president says will be paid in June.  But see, where is the benefit of you raise salary levels, but before you start paying these you raise utilities and fuel prices, which have pervasive and multiplying effect on the prices of almost all commodities and services?

In a past article I described that as giving money with one hand and taking it right back with the other, but that is only in the case of public workers.  In the case of most private workers, they hardly get any pay raises and whatever additional monies that come their way hardly cover the additional cost of living due to and consequent on the increase in fuel prices; and it is so for public workers too.

Here is a more picturesque rendition of the same fact: After the increase in fuel prices, business people, sellers and service providers also increase their prices, fares and charges.  Retailers and wholesalers collect their higher prices, while paying higher prices for other commodities and services and higher fares and cargo/freight charges.  They and those who own vehicles then pay the higher charges for fuel and national administration reaps the cash.  National administration then uses the cash thus reaped to pay the higher salaries – give away money with one hand and take it right back with the other.

In our part of the world, nothing kills hope for many as does starting a year with increases in fuel prices.  That is so especially when cost of living is always going up and standard of living is always coming down.  Go onto the street any day and ask anyone you come across if living conditions will get better in future and ninety-nine chances out of hundred the response will be negative.

And with the Mills administration going about state business the way it is doing the situation can only get worse.  As I told a friend on facebook, we will be lucky if we are not buying super petrol at GH¢10.00 by the end of the year.  As I write, Iran has threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz through which comes about a third of all the crude oil that on a daily basis must reach the world markets.

Few weeks ago, the US moved its warship out of the Persian Gulf when Iran was about to commence war drills.  Iran has henceforth warned the US to keep its warship out of the gulf, and the US says Iran cannot stop her.  Escalating tension in the Persian Gulf could drive up the price of crude oil.  Again, Iran has threatened to block the Hormuz if more sanctions are piled on her by the west over her (Iran’s) nuclear programme.  The US says it could stop that blockade, but experts say it will take only a war to do that, and it could take a month to end it.  A war in the Gulf will drive crude oil prices through the roof.

Even on-going problems between Sudan and South Sudan, which has led to the shutting down of vital oil pipelines from oil well in the South to refineries in Sudan could push up crude oil prices if speculators on stock markets around the world latch on to it and start their scar-mongering.

We thus need to pray that those incidents do not happen or escalate if they do.

The unfortunate truth is this: If our national administration were running the economy the way an economy should be run, the effect of those external incidents on our economy could be less.  But a national administration that makes money largely from increasing petrol fuel prices (and from borrowing) has not prepared Ghana against anticipated shocks of higher crude oil prices.  In a nutshell, Ti-Kelenkelen is saying if the Mills administration had opened up the economy and indigenous businesses were doing well, employing more people, paying more taxes and expanding, Ghana will not have to increase the price of petrol fuels anytime crude oil prices go up.

It is convenient for African state administrations to talk about withdrawing state subsidies on petrol fuels, because they themselves hardly go to the pumps.  But those subsidies mean a lot to a people who for decades have been asked to sacrifice for the promise of a better life, which today is as further away than when the promise was first made.

Eventually, the problem is that when a national administration fails it is the people that pay the harsh price.  Those in political public office always enjoy fat salaries, perks and per diems, and when they are voted out they enjoy good pensions or fat ESBs.  But the ordinary people are the ones always left to bear the stress of the economic mess.  That, in the mind of Ti-Kelenkelen, is the situation the recent increase in fuel prices has created.  For most, it throws hope out of the window, for this year and for the long-term.

Ghana’s elections

From my personal experiences in the United States and Europe, the mere mention of Africa conjures up images of a continent bedeviled by chronic political unrest and God-forsaken conflicts.

Political instability has been a specter that has haunted Africa for a considerable amount of years.

While some of these perceptions might hold true, it is reasonably fair to argue that countries like South Africa, Ghana, to mention a few, have, in recent times, been beacons of hope for Africa.

In an era where it is hardly an exaggeration to say that political instability has deprived Africa of its rightful place on the economic development bandwagon, it is tellingly satisfying that Ghana has been, thus far, an oasis in the desert of lost hope.

When viewed in historical context, this represents, to a great extent, a major breakthrough in African political democracy. It is no wonder, then, that Ghana’s name has been trumpeted worldwide as a model of African democratic success.

We do not rejoice at the pitfalls of our neighbors; rather, we offer a sincere plea to them to help rid Africa of the negative journalistic coverage.

While these accolades that Ghana has garnered are well-deserved, it would be foolhardy of me to string a conclusion together about Ghana’s arrival at the democratic table, based on five successive peaceful elections.

Five successive peaceful elections will not, in my humble opinion, all of a sudden put Ghana in the ranks of monolithic democracies.

This trend has to be sustained for the world to be convinced of our stiffened resolve to be regarded as an exemplary nation.

It is worth mentioning that our beloved country is not without its fair share of problems. While I acknowledge the ubiquity of tribal, religious and ethnic differences, it will suffice to say that Ghana has done a great job in nurturing its tribal differences into a national pride that has been quite beneficial in ossifying peace in the country.

As election 2012 draws closer, the onus lies on the people of Ghana to cling very tightly to the tenets of democracy that have put us on the path to development (economic success, if you will).

We require a buy-in to the fact that if we let avoidable flaws rear their ugly heads into our fledgling democracy, we will, undoubtedly, be knocked off our democratic and economic perch.

Recent political brouhahas in the Ivory Coast and other countries, should serve as cautionary tales to the people of Ghana.

Even though my hope for Ghana has never been on the wane, I am cautiously optimistic about our ability to make our recent trend of peaceful democratic elections a come-to-stay phenomenon.

This begs the question, “Can we live up to our billing?” With the discovery of oil in the country, there is no shying away from the fact that the future looks bright for Ghana.

Nevertheless, this future, hinges greatly on the ability of our leaders to effectively manage the resources.

Before even thinking about managing the resources, there must be a national recognition of the fact that peace and political stability are, enormously, the founts of economic development.

We know, full well, that a mention of the reasons for Africa’s failure to spring to economic stardom will not be complete without a look at ineffective and oft corrupt leadership.

Our leaders must accept, wholeheartedly, that the future of our dear nation depends on them. There is a crying need for sacrifice and pruning of proclivities for using public office as a conduit to embellish their own pockets.

As president Obama bluntly pointed out on his visit to Ghana, “So I believe that this moment is just as promising for Ghana – and for Africa – as the moment when my father came of age and new nations were being born.

This is a new moment of promise. Only this time, we have learned that it will not be giants like Nkrumah and Kenyatta who will determine Africa’s future.

Instead, it will be you – the men and women in Ghana’s Parliament, and the people you represent. Above all, it will be the young people – brimming with talent and energy and hope – who can claim the future that so many in my father’s generation never found.”

The economic behemoths like the United States, Germany, Switzerland, etc., got there as a result of sacrifice and hard work on the part of their leaders and citizens alike.

We must know that the dogmas of the past are woefully inadequate to the changing present. It is palpably sickening that, for far too long, there has been a wanton disregard for the needs and wishes of the citizenry.

If pre-election campaign utterances are anything to go by, we can say that there is a tell-tale sign that some candidates see the election as a winner-take-all contest. We must consider the advisability of our collective need to maintain peace in the country.

This view is very much in consonance with Obama’s warning, “To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: development depends upon good governance.

That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long.

That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.”

And rightly so, I urge our leaders to steer clear of tribal politics and the propagation of divisive messages.

If this is not heeded, we might fall into the category of the Biblical example of Moses seeing Canaan (economic prosperity), but never really setting foot in its land. I am far from being a prophet of doom. Neither am I a know-it-all. I am just an ordinary citizen who shares in the struggles and successes of my dear nation.

For all I know, my views might be too “pipe-smoking”; even so, I feel a need to air them. What is very assuring, though, is the fact that, with the advent of modern technology (Facebook, Twitter, to name a few), our people cannot be taken for a ride.

A look at recent events in North Africa should provide our leaders with worthwhile examples of the power of our people to rectify the status quo.

The world awaits Ghana’s elections with keen interest. In all likelihood, Ghana will prevail. Let us keep hoisting that “peace flag” we have become so synonymous with.

Let us shoulder the task of making sure that the elections are free, fair, and transparent. Let us make violence and unrest suffer a diminution. We implore the various political candidates to peacefully concede defeat in the event of a loss. We are a people with a common nationality and a common destiny.

This is a test of our democratic fortitude. After all, we are all involved in building our “Motherland.” God bless our homeland Ghana!—Myjoyonline.com

Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom

The executives of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) are behaving like ostriches, hiding their heads in the sand.

As usual, as with the tradition after the demise of its founder and the first President of Ghana, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, they are tickling themselves to laughter and pretending everything is okay.

Of course, the current executives are not entirely to be blamed for the woes of the party, as some of their forebears gave up on Dr. Nkrumah before the cock crowed three times after he was overthrown.

Like the Stockholm syndrome when the hostage suddenly begins to look upon his captor as his protector, former ministers of the First Republic and leading members of the CPP quickly organised press conferences to denounce Dr. Nkrumah and called him names, notably among them was the former Minister of Defence and the man who was appointed Leader of the House and became virtually the Speaker, when the Preventive Detention Act Bill was passed and a political protégé of Dr Nkrumah, for eighteen years, Kofi Baako, the father of Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, managing Editor of The New Crusading Guide.

“It pained me to realise that Nkrumah was not a genuine leader but a fraud of the highest order” Kofi Baako said this at a press conference after the coup.

Dei-Anang, his closest advisor on African Affairs, also realised immediately after the coup, apparently that Nkrumah had all along been pursuing a bankrupt policy on African Unity, and was in his words a ‘political incubus.’

The Young Pioneers, upon whom Nkrumah had lavished such devotion and such luxuries, denounced him even before the cock crowed thrice on the very day of the revolution.

The CPP since then have presented a fragmented front, arguing that the problem was because it was banned after the first coup, and holding any paraphernalia about the party then was illegal.

The only time the party was of any significance in our political discourse was in 1979, when Dr. Hilla Limann won the election in the Third Republic.

Dr. Nduom was a better candidate in 2008; he was spot on; he had the knowledge of this country’s problems and he offered solutions; he was a tested candidate as his records under ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor are bearing fruits even today, and Ghanaians were better-off, with him as a Minister. Unfortunately he was on the wrong ticket surrounded by people who have no vision, no direction and no sense of purpose.

This was primarily possible because most of the actors in the AFRC, who took part in the coup that ousted Acheampong’s regime, were members or sympathetic to the CPP, example, Major Boakye Djan, so the party was more or less imposed on Ghanaians. This is not true.

There was an unfortunate but unavoidable coup in 1981 that toppled the government of Dr. Limann’s corrupt, incompetent and inept government.

Since then, things had fallen apart and the centre cannot hold; it has been one break-away to defectors etc., until Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom came onto the scene. He brought a new lease of life into the party. He introduced and involved the youth in the activities of the party to the chagrin and disapproval of the old guards who won’t let go.

The only good thing that has happened to the CPP, since the introduction of the Fourth Republican dispensation is Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, and now that he has also decided to leave the party, I could only wish them well.

As at the time of writing this article, the only person who has picked his nomination form to contest for the flag-bearership position of the party (CPP) is Lawyer Bright Akwetey, who I think, is no match for Dr. Nduom. The party is going from bad to worse.

Listening to some members of the party, I could only laugh as they are playing down the effect of Nduom’s departure resulting in an already weak party being dazed further given the report of daily and weekly defections of members of it in droves to join Dr. Nduom’s Progressive People’s Party (PPP).

I was listening to the General Secretary, Ivor Greenstreet, in an interview on Citi FM Eyewitness News, when he was asked about the effect the departure of Dr. Nduom would have on the party? His answer was childish, thoughtless, to say the least, that Nduom had little votes from his constituency in the 2008 election, and that he had more votes from the party Chairperson, Samia Yaba Nkrumah’s constituency, so to him, his departure was a comic relief.

I tell him what; often the vehicle we travel in to get to our destination is as important as the driver chauffeuring the car. Dr. Nduom’s abysmal performance was because of the vehicle he travelled on in the last election.

Dr. Nduom was a better candidate in 2008; he was spot on; he had the knowledge of this country’s problems and he offered solutions; he was a tested candidate as his records under ex-President John Agyekum Kufuor are bearing fruits even today, and Ghanaians were better-off, with him as a Minister. Unfortunately he was on the wrong ticket surrounded by people who have no vision, no direction and no sense of purpose.

Dr. Nduom is only following in the footsteps of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who abandoned the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) to form the Convention People’s Party, when he realised that the leadership of the UGCC were moving in a direction that was detrimental to the ordinary Ghanaian.

I think an astute and experienced politician like Dr. Nduom will make a statement in election 2012, and will form a tradition, a heritage, that stood against backwardness and inward looking, as the genesis of the CPP teaches us.

It is not wrong to abandon the ship when it is heading in a direction that would spell doom for you and for millions of your followers. The current executives of the party are allowing their emotions and pettiness to get in the way of building a strong and an alternative party to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The CPP is a shadow of its past, cool heads must prevail in the party. New faces are needed to wake the party up from its slumber. Really, if the Electoral Commission (EC) decides to follow to the latter the codes and ethics of forming a political party, I shudder to think the CPP would be considered one.

But for Dr. Nduom, the party had no offices, its members were fragmented; it took the intervention of Dr. Nduom to open some offices around the country with monies from his pocket, yet some of those who are saying he should be crucified have not contributed a penny to the survival of the party.

The days of belonging to political parties based on sentiments are over, individually and collectively one must contribute meaningfully to the survival and growth of the party. The executives only sit in Accra making ugly noises and forming shadow cabinets, and only interested in the per diems they receive when they attend meetings, like the Inter-Party Advisory meetings (IPAC).

Once upon a time is a phrase that tickles and prepare us for the juice of news and the CPP needs to trace its roots and start asking critical questions about the future of that party. Its present looks gloomy and the phrase once upon a time could apply to them, in the not too distance future.

Did Dr. Nduom betray the party? My answer is a candid no, rather the party betrayed him, when during the 2008 election out of envy and characteristic of members of the party, they decided to let him fight the battle alone. As it is said, the only constant in life is change; he has decided to move on. Posterity would judge him right.

The CPP must see Dr. Nduom as a threat, it happened before when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah broke away from the UGCC to form the CPP, which went on to win independence for Ghana and became the first political party to win elections in this country.

So why are they accusing Dr. Nduom of doing what gave birth to the CPP; betrayal. I don’t call it betrayal, I call it following and adhering to principles.

As with Dr. Nkrumah, who went with many of the supporters of the UGCC, to the CPP, Dr. Nduom is going with many supporters of the CPP, to the PPP.

They can (CPP executives) laugh till their sides split, but I can bet my last pesewa that by the time the party goes to congress to elect its flag-bearer for the 2012 election, the party would not even have a presidential candidate let alone have the money to go into the elections.

The solution to me does not lie with castigating Dr. Nduom who had in my estimation taken a decisive and matured decision—it lies with the hypocrisy of the leadership, they have to go to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum to appease and beg for forgiveness from Dr. Nkrumah for betraying and giving him up, when he needed them most.

I salute Dr. Nduom and wish him well. This is a clarion call to the leadership of the CPP that they can’t hold people to ransom.—Myjoyonline.com

All you do is beg, beg, beg for everything!! You can beg all you want; I am not going to give you my seat. Tempers finally cooled down, and the aircraft took off. Unfortunately, I was sitting next to this white man who, a few minutes ago, had insulted my whole race. With nothing else to do, I turned and asked him “what was all that about”? Apparently, the Ghanaian man was travelling with his “wife”; they had been seated in 1st class on separate rows, and apart. The man had asked this white man to exchange his seat, so the couple could be close. The white man had refused, but the Ghanaian man had persisted with numerous “I beg you”; which eventually took the white man to his boiling point. “So what would it have cost you to exchange your seat?” I asked. His response, the essence of this article was this.

“I booked my flight the last minute, and got the last 1st class seat available, this one. This means it was also available to this man, if only he had asked to be seated close to his wife. He did not, but now comes “begging” for what WAS DUE HIM in the first place.” “That still shouldn’t get your collar up”, I said. “You may be right; unfortunately, I have just finished a month long negotiations with your ministers and government officials over your God-given mineral rights, and what my gold mining company should pay.

I come to your country; see all this poverty everywhere, with wealth right under your feet. Your own government gives only foreign companies the rights and privileges to rape and steal your country blind. For a few thousand dollars, your government officials allow these foreign companies to walk away with: (a) Perpetual tax holidays, (b) Duty free imports, (c) Bloated capital and operational investment costs,

(d) Under-declared mineral output, (e) Minimum wages for local employees doing all the work, but FAT salaries and expense accounts for foreigners who do almost nothing; (f) Exaggerated cost of shoddy school blocks and boreholes instead of meaningful royalty to local land owners and communities;

(g) Destruction of local farm lands with pitiful resettlement payments; (h) Pollution of local drinking water; (i) Destruction of local infrastructure, etc.

We watch our officials give away our gold, oil, bauxite, diamond, etc., for their meagre kickbacks, while we wallow in poverty. It is time we wake up from our slumber, and take what is rightfully ours at the negotiating table. At that time, we can tell Obama and Cameron to take back their gays and aid.

My bosses had counseled me at a briefing before my departure. I was asked to read your Osageyefo’s “Neo-Colonialism”. Then I was told: “be prepared, and the first, to offer the negotiating team, (a) a few thousand dollars each; (b) a center, or a 6-room school block, or a few bore holes for the community; and there will be no mention of the usual above 10% royalties, or an actual government oversight of our operations, or adequate resettlement compensations, etc.”

I did not believe my bosses since I, a mere high school graduate, was coming to deal with officials with Master’s and Doctorate degrees. Imagine my shock and disappointment when these officials, instead of demanding what is INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTABLE COMPENSATIONS AND ROYALTIES for their country and communities, only accepted the 3% royalties, and with ALL KINDS OF GIVEAWAYS, and then came to me later BEGGING me to deposit “something” in their foreign accounts (numbers written on pieces of paper). I do not want to hear the phrase “I beg you” again.

The irony here is that these so-called Educated people, after negotiating away the country’s wealth, and depositing their “something” into foreign banks, turn round to go and BORROW their own money from the IMF, World Bank, or “Donor” countries/ “Development Partners.” Do you remember the number of PhD beneficiaries, and the destinations of the Mabey & Johnson kickbacks? It amazes me that your intelligentsia, ministers and presidents, who have studied, or have travelled oversea, still don’t get the idea that “There is no free lunch”. There are no “donor countries” or “development partners.” The foreign mining companies take your minerals for next to nothing, deposit their haul into their banks, and then turn round to loan the same to our governments, again with ridiculous conditions. Such as “no subsidized” basic education.

Surely, companies like Anglogold and Newmont are contributing to our economy, I offered.

“At what price? Have you been to Obuasi recently to see the devastation and destruction of once a beautiful city? Newmont has over 740 sq.km concession in Ahafo; what did the Ahafos get in return for Newmont’s ANNUAL revenues of over $750,000,000? Almost NOTHING!!

This is exactly what your first president was talking about in “Neo-Colonialism“. Have you read that book? He asked me. I was ashamed to answer “No.” “I don’t blame you; none of your “Educated” officials at the negotiating table had read it. That book ought to be a must-read textbook in your schools and colleges, so that you can understand how foreign companies and governments strive to rob you blind, just as before. Only this time, their methods are cloaked in one-sided “agreements” with the connivance of your “Educated” Managing Directors, Ministers, and Presidents. “How can you accuse our officials of complicity?” I asked defensively. Has your media asked why the MDs of the Ghana Chamber of mines keep defending the mining companies, or how a Ghanaian, working for a Ghanaian/British joint company in Ghana earned the “Order of the British Empire (Sir)”? Can you imagine these foreign companies, under the watchful eyes of your govt. officials, paying the indigene 5 pesewa (GH¢0.05) ground rent for their acre of concessional land after they have hauled away GH¢1,000,000 from the same acre?

The big companies, Newmont and AngloGold, are not even ashamed to connive with your gov’t officials to sidestep paying the increased 5% royalty. They are paying the 5% based on ancient gold price of $300.00/oz instead of the current worldwide price of $1500.00/Oz., SHORTCHANGING YOUR PEOPLE $75,000,000 in the process. Unfortunately, your negotiating officials are happy to giggle to the foreign banks with their thousands, accompanied in some cases by “Dr”s and “Sir”s.

Even the Chinese are getting in on the act, albeit ILLEGALLY. They are threatening communities with guns and firepower, AND YOUR MILITARY LOOKS ON UNCONCERNED. Your media is just as bad. With buffet lunches or dinners and a few Cedis in their pockets, your print media become the propaganda machines of these mining companies. They tout the few boreholes and the 6-room schools, but leave out the callous treatment of local employees and residents, and the destruction of the environment. The airwaves are SILENT on all this. Wacam is the lone voice for the people. Why don’t your media support Wacam by broadcasting and educating the masses, especially the officials that (a) The United Nations does not approve of foreign companies robbing the indigenes full benefits of their God-given mineral and oil deposits. (b) Before Rawlings, foreign mining companies in Ghana could not hold more than 40% interest in their partnership with the government; now the Ghana gov’t holds ZERO percent, while they hold 100%,; and therefore do not account to any authority.

A 50% annual return on investment (ROI) for the first 7 years, is generally considered EXCELLENT. Foreign mining/oil companies in Ghana and the rest of Africa, are PERPETUALLY hauling away over 400% return on their investments, without any regard to the plight of the indigenes.

I feigned sleep, so he stopped talking. I was actually reflecting on all that he had said. I realized that YES, we had become too “give me, give me”; “I beg”, “I beg you”; “My Christmas box”; “Give us something for water”.

I am reminded by this my brother’s analogy. His cat will “meow” for some food, usually crumbs, in his bowl outside. The bowl of food will attract the resident mice. One would think the cat would opt for the juicy mice, NOO. He would lay there and watch the mouse eat all his food, and then come back “Meowing” for more crumbs.

We watch our officials give away our gold, oil, bauxite, diamond, etc., for their meagre kickbacks, while we wallow in poverty. It is time we wake up from our slumber, and take what is rightfully ours at the negotiating table. At that time, we can tell Obama and Cameron to take back their gays and aid.

ARTICLE BY: NANA KOFI

The torture is being carried out by officially recognized military and security entities as well by a multitude of armed militias operating outside any legal framework.

“After all the promises to get detention centres under control, it is horrifying to find that there has been no progress to stop the use of torture,” said Donatella Rovera, Amnesty International’s Senior Crisis Response Adviser, from Libya.

“We are not aware of any proper investigations into cases of torture, and neither the survivors nor relatives of those who have died in detention have had any recourse to justice or redress for what they have suffered.”

“While many detainees have described their experiences of torture to us, some have proved too scared to speak – fearing harsher torture if they speak out – and just showed us their wounds.”

Detainees, both Libyan and foreign nationals from sub-Saharan African countries, told Amnesty International they had been suspended in contorted positions, beaten for hours with whips, cables, plastic hoses, metal chains and bars and wooden sticks, and given electric shocks with live wires and Taser-like electro-shock weapons.

The patterns of injury observed by the organization were consistent with their testimonies. Medical reports seen by Amnesty International also confirmed the use of torture on several detainees, a number of who died in custody.

The majority of detainees being targeted are Libyans believed to have stayed loyal to Colonel al-Gaddafi during the recent conflict. Foreign nationals, mostly sub-Saharan Africans, also continue to be randomly detained, including in connection with their irregular legal status, and some are tortured.

The organization found that detainees were usually tortured immediately after being held by local armed militias and subsequently under interrogations, including in officially recognized detention centres. To date detainees have not been allowed access to lawyers. Several told Amnesty International they had confessed to crimes they had not committed just to end the torture.

In Misratah, detainees continue to be tortured in an interrogation centre run by the National Military Security (Amn al-Jaysh al-Watani) and in the headquarters of armed militias.

On 23 January, Amnesty International delegates interviewed detainees in Misratah who had been tortured only hours earlier. One man, still in detention, told the organization:

“This morning they took me for interrogation upstairs. Five men in plain clothes took turns beating and whipping me… They suspended me from the top of the door by my wrists for about an hour and kept beating me. They also kicked me.”

Another detainee told Amnesty International he was beaten on wounds which he had sustained the month before at the hands of the militia. He said:
“Yesterday they beat me with electric cable while my hands were cuffed behind my back and my feet were bound together. They threatened to send me back to the militia who captured me, who would kill me.”

Deaths in custody

Several detainees have died in the custody of armed militias in and around Tripoli and Misratah in circumstances that suggest torture.

Relatives of a former police officer and father of two from Tajura, east of Tripoli, told Amnesty International that he was detained by a local armed militia in October 2011 and they had been unable to obtain any information about his fate for about three weeks, until he was allowed to call his wife.
A few days later his family was informed by a hospital in Tripoli that his body had been brought in.

Images of the body seen by Amnesty International show extensive deep bruising all over the body and limbs, as well as open wounds on the soles of the feet apparently caused by falaqa (beating on the soles of the feet), a torture method frequently reported in Libya.

The most recent death in custody as a result of torture known to Amnesty International was‘Ezzeddine al-Ghool, a 43-year-old army colonel and father of seven, who was detained by an armed militia based in Gheryan, 100 km south of Tripoli, on 14 January.

His body was returned to the family the following day covered in bruises and wounds. Doctors confirmed that he had died as a result of the injuries he sustained. Several other men who were detained at the same time as him were also reportedly tortured. Eight of them sustained serious injuries which required hospital treatment.

Amnesty International said that it has received reports of other similar cases which it is investigating.

Lack of investigation

Despite repeated requests by Amnesty International since May 2011, the organisation said that the Libyan transitional authorities – both at the national and local level – have failed to conduct effective investigations into cases of torture and suspicious deaths in custody.

The police and the judiciary remain dysfunctional across the country. Amnesty International said that while in some areas courts are reportedly processing civil cases, so-called “sensitive” cases related to security and political issues are not being addressed.

Instead a range of mostly unofficial bodies, with no status in law, including so-called “judicial committees”, have been carrying out interrogations in various detention centres, outside the control of the judiciary.

“So far there has been a complete failure on the part of those in power to take concrete steps to end torture and other ill-treatment of detainees and to hold accountable those responsible for such crimes,” said Donatella Rovera.

“We don’t underestimate the challenges faced by the Libyan transitional authorities in establishing control over the multitude of armed militias operating throughout the country, but we must see them taking decisive action on torture. In the interests of building a new Libya based on respect for human rights, this issue cannot be left at the bottom of the pile.”

Amnesty International called on the Libyan authorities to urgently:

• Order the closure of all unofficial places of detention and establish mechanisms to bring all places of detention under the control of the authorities and to ensure effective oversight over detention procedures and practices;

• Ensure that prompt investigations are carried out into all known or reported cases of torture and other ill-treatment, immediately remove suspected perpetrators from any functions dealing with detentions pending the outcome of the investigations; where there is sufficient admissible evidence, bring suspects to justice in fair trials and without the possibility of the death penalty;

• Ensure that all detainees are allowed access to lawyers;
• Ensure that detainees undergo regular medical examinations and that medical certificates describing any injuries possibly resulting from torture are provided to the detainees and to the judicial authorities.

GII a local chapter of Transparency International which is seen in the eyes of many Ghanaians as offering an impartial advocacy service of holding public servants to be transparent and accountable, cannot afford to be perceived as being bias in the Woyome’s case which has engulfed the government and the country.

The President of Ghana, in his attempts to provide answers to Ghanaians since the Woyome’s saga broke, commissioned the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) to investigate all the issues of judgment debt payment to Woyome and others. A clear terms of reference has been given to the EOCO and their investigations have earnestly commenced. And therefore all and sundry including GII should by now have seized hopping from one radio station to the other making prejudicial commends on the case.

It’s therefore incomprehensible or inconceivable that GII will organise a hastily press conference in the middle of an investigation process ordered by the President of land; demanding the President to come out with what he knows about the Woyome’s case and the developments that led to the removal of the former Attorney-General, Mr. Martin Amidu and the resignation of his predecessor, Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu.

First of all, if the President had knowledge in one way or the other about the Woyome’s case, the obvious question to GII is why the President would have ordered that the case be investigated by the EOCO. Secondly, to dispel any lingering doubts about his knowledge or otherwise of the matter, in answering a question posed by a journalist on Monday, 9 January 2012 at the seat of government Castle-Osu, he was emphatic that he had no knowledge nor ordered the payment of the judgment debt to Woyome.

With the action taken by the President thus ordering the investigation of the matter and in front of the Ghanaian press and the whole world denying knowledge or ordering payment of the judgment debt to Woyome; GII and the likes should in all openness, fairness and objectivity, give the President the benefit of the doubt and allow the investigative process to run its natural and just course.

It is really unfair and against natural justice that people or institutions who should know better attempt to conjecture or create the impression that President Mills and its government intents cover up things.

One may disagree but can understand why the NPP or other political parties would want to be opportunists and take undue advantage of the Woyome’s case to maximize their electoral fortunes especially in an election year. But it is unpardonable for organisations such as GII to indulge in such unacceptable behavior.

Why are GII and the likes not in equal measures take on the NPP politicians to submit themselves to the EOCO investigations and stop thwarting the President and EOCO efforts by running to take cover in the law Courts.

Again, if Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) is demanding answers from President Mills on the sacking of Mr. Martin Amidu, why are they not calling on the former Attorney General to substantiate his explosive statement of allegations of ‘gargantuan crime’ against mother Ghana by people within or who have access to the government.

It is also distasteful and most unfortunate the manner in which GII and the likes are desperately trying to link the dismissal of Mr. Amidu and the resignation of Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu to the Woyome saga.

One cannot comprehend why GII is so sure of the unsubstantiated allegations made by the former Attorney General (AG) Mr. Martin Amidu but doubts the sincerity and the actions taken by President Mills to provide answers to the very questions posed by GII in their hastily headline grabbing press statement.

Similarly, it defies logic that GII and its ilk could not or cannot see that the outburst of the former AG in the public whether with or without the prior knowledge of his employer, though bold and honorable was a sackable offence. President Mills was within his constitutional and employment rights as echoed by the Ghana Bar Association in its press statement, to have dismissed the former AG as an unruly employee. The AG ought to have resigned immediately after his press conference because his position or continuous stay in the government was untenable.

In fact, if even the former AG was not sacked, it would have been against natural justice for him to have publicly accused some individuals and be allowed to bring those individuals to book; since he was no longer seen to be impartial by his actions.

GII also has no basis for calling on President Mills to stop the EOCO investigations into the Woyome’s case since the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) is also conducting its investigations into the matter. GII reasons for calling on the President Mills to halt the EOCO investigations are absurd and preposterous.

There are no legal or moral issues that should prevent two parallel investigations taking place in the Woyome’s case. This springs to mind the press hacking scandal in the UK, which led the Prime Minister of the UK ordering a commission of inquiry into the matter, while at the same time the Police are conducting their separate criminal investigations.

GII should not been seen to be joining the NPP and other individuals to show gross disrespect to the President of the land. Demanding accountability and transparency from the President is one thing, but showing gross disrespect towards the President of land is not or cannot in any circumstances be acceptable.

My advice to GII is that, they should be seen to be playing a neutral role and be patient for the outcome of the investigations by EOCO. Anything short of this, GII will discredit and do damage to its image as a transparency organisation.—Ghanaweb.com

ARTICLE: ATUGIYA, DAVID

David Atugiya-The author is a Human Rights and Social Justice Campaigner, Finance and Management Consultant; Specialist in NGO and Millennium Awards Fellow.

Facebook makes most of its money through advertising

The company plans to file papers with the US financial watchdog on Wednesday, according to the Financial Times and the Wall Street Journal.

The flotation later this year would raise about $10bn, they reported.

This would be one of the biggest share sales seen on Wall Street.

It would dwarf the $1.9bn raised by Google when it went public in 2004.

It would still, however, be some way short of the $20bn raised by carmaker General Motors in November 2010.

The reports suggest that Morgan Stanley will be the lead underwriter for the sale, with Goldman Sachs also expected to be heavily involved.

Rumours of Facebook’s so-called initial public offering (IPO) have circulated for many months, and the company has maintained it will not comment on the subject.

The reported valuation would make Facebook one of the world’s biggest companies by market capitalisation.

“Facebook a brilliant achievement, but $75-$100bn? Would make Apple look really cheap,” said Rupert Murdoch on Twitter.

The company was started by Mark Zuckerberg and fellow students at Harvard University in 2004 and has quickly grown to become one of the world’s most popular websites.

It makes most of its money through advertising.

As a private company, Facebook does not have to publish its accounts, but reports in January last year suggested a document sent by Goldman Sachs to its clients showed the firm made a net profit of $355m on revenues of $1.2bn in the first nine months of 2010.—BBC