Friday, August 3, 2012

Fighting the drug menace in Ghana

Pages 22-23: Daily Graphic, July 23, 2012. Article: Albert K. Salia “Traffickers care very little about the sanctions of the criminal justice system. Going to jail is just part of the cost of doing business. It’s a nuisance, not a deterrent” - Kurt Schmoke, one-time Mayor of Baltimore. IT IS a fact that many countries in the world are struggling with how to fight the drug menace. The drug problem is not peculiar to Ghana. However, many of these nations tailor their efforts at fighting the narcotic menace in a well-co-ordinated direction. They have strategic direction in which they pursue the fight of illicit drug trafficking and abuse. Crucial in this exercise is the enactment of a strong legislation and institutions with the requisite personnel to lead the onslaught against narcotic dealers. This is where Ghana appears to be lacking. As of now, there seem to be a lack of clear direction on a national narcotics strategy and thus, leaving the country at the mercy of the international/donor community whereby government accepts all external intervention programmes without local input. The Kufuor administration had good reasons to make narcotic offences unbailable. This has, however, not seen full implementation. Rather, some suspects have been granted bail and one wonders what might have happened to those cases. For instance, two suspects were granted bail on November 23, 2010 to enable the NACOB officials to travel to Panama to conduct further investigations. The question is, did NACOB officials embark on the trip? What was the outcome of their investigations and have those two suspects been acquitted and discharged or the case still hangs around their necks? A former Deptuy Attorney-General during the Kufuor Administration, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh was reported to have accused the NACOB Executive Secretary, Mr Yaw Akrasi Sarpong, of turning himself into an advocate for drug traffickers when the court granted the suspects bail. Besides this zig-zag application of the law, there appears to be no sustained development of personnel of NACOB. Although training is provided, the personnel are not motivateed to develop their careers due to their frequent changes and shuffling from one unit to the other. The argument is that such shuffling will prevent personnel from becoming too familiar with the terrain and becoming prone to corruption. But this is not acceptable because the use of a counter-intelligence unit or what the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority has set up, Internal Affairs, could also be replicated in the organisation to deal with corrupt tendencies can help. The current situation where new officers are appointed after every change of government and they have to take two to three years to build their capacity needs further interrogation. The element of uncertainty regarding changes to be made and the notion of “I will never get to the top”, rather fertilise the terrain for corrupt practices. Besides the well-known difficulties in fighting the drug menace, politicisation of the drug issue has assumed the biggest and greatest challenge in Ghana. It is no longer about how the battle is tackled, but which government or political party is really committed to fighting the drug menace. This in itself is not bad especially when political parties make electoral promises on how to deal with the drug menace on assumption of power. However, the way and manner it is carried out is the problem. The issues are not carried out holistically but tainted with party colours. Informing the public about the government’s effort at dealing with the drug situation is very welcome but telling the public how safe the country has become under a regime is not the way out. The debate should be about policy direction. Afterall, the number of arrests made does not indicate how successful a government has been in dealing with the drug menace. That is because the data released could be interpreted from two major perspectives. First, the more arrests made could be interpreted as the effect of an effective security system in place and secondly, as the result of the high prevalence of drugs in the country. Remaining silent on the issue does not also mean that there are no drugs in the country or the dealers see Ghana as a no-go area. That is why the issue of drugs should be dispasstionately looked at and a national policy crafted. The drug problem goes beyond law enforcement. It has demand reduction and treatment and rehabilitation components. These are the issues that should be addressed. That is why the United Nations, in its wisdom advised that combating the drug threat would require “comprehensive and multidisciplinary” strategies to cover programmes aimed at reducing illicit demand, reducing illicit drug cultivation and drug trafficking, prevent the use of financial and banking systems for drug money as well as promoting the effective treatment, rehabilitation and social reintegration. Fortunately, Parliament recently passed the Ghana Mental Health Bill which should be implemented to the letter to ensure that the treatment and rehabilitation component of the drug war is won. When it comes to law enforcement, the main focus should not be about stopping drugs from leaving the airport and coming into the country but it must as well include stopping criminals from enjoying the proceeds from their crime through the confiscation of their assets. While we still struggle with how to deal with cannabis, cocaine and heroin, the latest on the block is Methamphetamine, a white, odorless, crystalline powder that easily dissolves in water or alcohol.It is taken orally, by snorting the powder or needle injection, or smoking. It is the current moving and most trafficked drug emerging in West Africa with an estimated profit margin higher than cocaine. Recently, two laboratories were shut down in Nigeria for producing methamphetamine. It is suspected that there could be a laboratory in Ghana also producing methamphetamine following the recent arrests of some Ghanaians in Amsterdam, Holland , who had travelled from Accra. As recently as March 21, 2012, three persons were fined by the Accra High Court for attempted exportation of methamphetamine, whose offence is punishable by a fine under our laws. Ghana has a long a way to go in fighting the drug menace and we must all support the Narcotics Control Board in this national assignment. It is not about which government is in power. The ramifications of the drug problem are not bestowed on members of a political party but the nation as a whole. Apart from all that has been said “the drug war in Ghana cannot be fought around Political statements but with professional strategies and structures. If we leave political appointees to tell us what the situation is, we will only get what they want us to believe. The fight suffers from the use of political lenses in the running of the drug control institution; this is why we find ourselves in a stagnant situation. We can decide to do nothing and people will believe we are doing well. After all, the system only gets to talk about the drug situation when there is an arrest. What if we decide not to arrest? It may then mean, there is no drug problem. Or what if we decide to turn a blind eye. There will be no drug seizure reports and as such people will believe we are doing well.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

EIU lauds creation of National Enforcement Body

Page 16: Daily Graphic, May 2, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia THE Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has described the setting up of a National Enforcement Body to monitor adherence to the Code of Conduct for political parties as a positive development for Ghana’s already enviable democratic credentials. The EIU is, therefore, hopeful that with the creation of the body, which has representatives from all sides to monitor and investigate abuses, it could go some way to ensure that the code was followed. In its April report, the EIU said it also gave the body the opportunity to prove that it was a serious institution, stressing that if it, however, “fails to act decisively against blatant breaches of the code, its creation could actually backfire and contribute to the undermining of the election’s legitimacy in the event of widespread scepticism and distrust.” On the government’s decision to boycott the Multi Media Group, the EIU said the decision did the government no favours with the electorate but rather provided an easy target for the opposition groups to claim that the government was acting in contravention of the country’s rights and laws regarding free speech. “That the government backtracked so quickly indicates that the move was probably not fully thought through and the level of criticism it prompted was most likely not expected. Such missteps in an election year serve as a reminder that the ruling party will be vulnerable come December 2012,” it said. It also said that the New Patriotic Party’s accusations of plans by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to rig the December 2012 elections through the manipulating of the biometric register, is setting the “ground for post-electoral attacks by the NPP should it lose the election.” “If this type of rhetoric continues over the coming months, the legitimacy of the election results will be at risk, regardless of whether the polls were free and fair, as so many doubts are being sown within the electorate beforehand,” it said In its April 2012 Monthly Political Scene Review Report on Ghana, the EIU, a UK-based publishing think-tank, noted that in spite of calls for political parties to avoid inflammatory remarks and unfounded accusations, “the opposition, NPP, has been busily accusing the ruling NDC of attempting to rig the December elections through manipulating the biometric voter registration exercise that began in late March”. It said while the Convention People’s Party has expressed its confidence in the registration exercise, “the NPP has accused the NDC of planning to register minors to boost its numbers, as well as ordering its supporters to intimidate NPP members who attempt to register.” According to the EIU, “this type of attack on the registration process before it has even got up to full speed is worryingly symptomatic of the tenor of politics in the country at the moment.” It stated that “Such accusations without proof threaten to undermine public confidence in the election results and lay the ground for post-electoral attacks by the NPP should it lose the election.” Commenting on the establishment of a National Enforcement Body to monitor adherence to the Code of Conduct for Political Parties 2012, the EIU said the institution of the body should be a positive development for Ghana’s already enviable democratic credentials.

INCREASING JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 2, 2012 One of the major challenges that have confronted governments over the years is the high unemployment rate and the need to create more jobs. Although the government is the largest employer in the country, it has not been able to address the unemployment problem all alone due to financial constraints and the high demand from various sectors of the economy. It is in this respect that the private sector or the informal sector has been acknowledged as a key partner in job creation and a reduction in the rate of unemployment in the country. No wonder the private sector has often been touted by successive governments as the engine of growth for the national economy and development. As President Mills reiterated at this year’s May Day celebration in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region, the government was determined to provide the necessary support for the private sector to create opportunity for growth and more jobs. However, the sector has not been able to live up to expectation in respect of job creation, mainly because it lacks the financial wherewithal to expand or grow and, consequently, be well positioned to create more jobs. The lack of financial resources is worsened by the unwillingness of commercial banks to offer loans to operators in the private sector. In instances when the banks offer loans, the rates are so high that private sector players are unable to afford or find it extremely difficult to break even. The DAILY GRAPHIC believes it is time for the commercial banks to change their posturing and design a favourable lending regime for the private sector to enable it to complement the government’s efforts at creating jobs for the people. It is very unfortunate that basic products such as toothpicks, toothpaste, matches and fruit juices that can be produced by small-scale industries in the country are all imported. What that means is that by patronising those imported products, we are creating jobs for people in the countries of origin of the products, while worsening the unemployment situation in Ghana. But if the small-scale industries are adequately supported financially to produce such items, they would also develop the capacity to create more jobs. We, therefore, appeal to the commercial banks to extend a helping hand to the private sector. In the same vein, we urge the government to back its commitment to support the private sector with concrete action by creating the enabling environment for growth. It is even more imperative for the government to go a step further by developing the capacity of the private sector to enable it to measure up to international standards and create the requisite jobs. The DAILY GRAPHIC believes that job creation and the fight against unemployment are a shared responsibility and all stakeholders, including the commercial banks, must play their part to ensure success. We hope this year’s May Day celebration will inspire all stakeholders to contribute their quota towards creating more jobs.

PROVIDING SAFETY ON OUR ROADS

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 3, 2012. ROAD accidents remain a pain in the neck of not only the victims of those accidents who survive them but also their families and the country as a whole. The cost of accidents in respect of losses, time, injury, damage and rehabilitation is so high that everyone wishes there would be fewer accidents. Oftentimes, the bad nature of roads and recklessness on the part of some motorists are blamed for some of the major road accidents. It is in this vein that our governments have always undertaken major road rehabilitation, either by itself or with the assistance of donors, to put the roads in shape to facilitate the easy movement of persons and goods. Many of us have often greeted the inauguration of such roads with joy and happiness. A typical example is the George Walker Bush Highway from the Tetteh Quarshie Interchange to the Mallam Junction Interchange. Unfortunately, a few days after the inauguration of that road, concerns were raised over the safety provisions on that stretch following the death of about 23 people within a spate of two weeks. On Tuesday morning, residents of Mallam woke up to a bizarre accident in which a 40-footer articulated truck overturned from the top to the ground, killing its driver and the mate. That accident appears to be the first of its kind on any of the interchanges or flyovers Ghana has built. We do not think that the accident occurred because the driver was a foreigner and did not know the road very well. After all, a compatriot of his had driven through the same stretch. The Daily Graphic has cause to believe that that stretch of road needs many more road markings and lighting in view of the sharp nature of the interchange. It is true that some of our drivers are careless and overspeed, in spite of the warning signals. But it is also a fact that there are no warning signals to or from either end of the interchange to caution drivers on the dangers ahead. The siting of the directional signs from the Awoshie side of the interchange can be a bother to drivers because of the fact that they are remotely located. It seems our road engineers take some of these markings and warning signs for granted in the construction of our roads. For instance, which of the newly constructed roads has markings for bicycle users? Bicycle riders are seen every day competing with vehicles for the same space. The Daily Graphic believes that the public deserves not only good roads with clear markings but also require more education on road usage. We think the education should not be limited to commercial drivers only but should be started from the basic schools, so that road safety awareness can be inculcated in children from an early age. We think that the department responsible for road maintenance must also endeavour to provide humps, especially at accident-prone areas to compel speeding drivers to slow down. Enforcement of our traffic regulations is also key in preventing and reducing road accidents in the country. The nation and our families deserve better and we think we must all contribute our quota to reduce road accidents.

3 TO STAND TRIAL* For murder of Roko Frimpong, Nii Quartey

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 3, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia A bill of indictment is currently being prepared for the prosecution of three suspects who have been implicated in the gruesome murder of Roko Frimpong, a former Deputy Managing Director of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), and Nii Kwaatei Quartey, a retired member of staff of the Public Works Department (PWD), in 2007. The suspects, who are currently on remand, are Samuel McCarthy, William Agbavor and Atta Kakra. They will be tried on two counts of conspiracy to commit murder and murder. Two other persons, identified as Tahiru Adams and Jonathan Abi, alias Joe, have also been implicated but they are said to be on the run. Police investigations have also established that while Nii Quartey’s murder was a contract killing, that of Roko Frimpong occurred when he resisted the demands of members of a robbery gang, some of whom were later contracted to kill Nii Quartey. The Attorney-General’s (A-G’s) Department has also requested for further information and clarification to help establish the involvement of a seventh person (name withheld). The information being demanded is an analysis of the itemised mobile phone bills of one of the suspects and the seventh person. A number of people have been in and out of custody in connection with the two murders since the incident took place within the Tema and Sakumono catchment areas in 2007. However, the Director of Operations of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr Frank Kwoffie, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the A-G’s Department had recommended the prosecution of the three persons on remand. He explained that the police would always act on any tangible information provided them but indicated that if the information could not be used to hold onto any suspect, then it meant those suspects would be freed. Responding to questions by this reporter in respect of a petition by the late Nii Quartey’s family, Mr Kwoffie explained that rumours and suspicions were not evidence and could not be used in any court of law. Expatiating further on the issue, he said although the deceased’s family believed that it was his rivals who had ordered his killing, there was no evidence to that effect. According to him, the family had always cited alleged verbal threats and the casting of insinuations as evidence that it was Nii Quartey’s rivals who were responsible for his murder. He said all those issues were included in the police report to the A-G’s Department but the department said it could not hold in court, especially when some of the people mentioned in the report also denied it. “The evidence to support the suspicion is crucial,” he added. Mr Kwoffie said what had been established was the fact that Adam Tahiru, one of the wanted persons, was the leader of the killers. He explained that although one of the suspects in custody, Samuel McCarthy, had given a description of the alleged contractor, it did not fit any of those initially arrested who were from Nii Quartey’s rival faction. For instance, whereas McCarthy had put the age of the alleged contractor at between 30 and 40 years, some of the suspected contractors were aged between 50 and 80 years. According to him, Tahiru’s arrest would be crucial in establishing the alleged contractor. In their April 12, 2012 petition to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), the family complained that “the suspects who are moving about freely are a threat to the rest of the family members of the deceased”. The late Roko Frimpong was shot by some unidentified armed men at his Tema residence on June 28, 2007, while Nii Quartey was gunned down at his Tema Community Nine residence on July 17, 2007. Prior to his death, Nii Quartey was involved in a land dispute with some members of his kin at Berekuso. Apart from winning a case in court over the land, he and his rivals had been in and out of the Police Headquarters over the enforcement of the court order.

COMBINING ACCESS WITH QUALITY EDUCATION

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 5, 2012. IT is often argued that education holds the key to development. It is also a fact that although education holds the key to development, the products of education can pose a threat to the security and stability of society if the education we provide our young people does not properly equip them for the world of work later in life. We believe it is in this vein that our governments have pursued various programmes, especially at the basic level, to equip our children, for a carpenter, a mason or any other artisan needs basic knowledge and access to information to perform effectively and efficiently. As an agricultural nation, our farmers can put to better use the knowledge and information shared with them by extension officers if these farmers had some good basic education. Even in the choice of leaders through elections, basic knowledge is desired to enable the citizenry to make informed decisions. That is why giving priority support to basic education should be seen as complementing the development of other sectors, not competing with them. The absence of quality basic education can be seen in the illiteracy level of the population and the slow growth of all sectors of the economy. It is in this vein that we commend the government for its efforts at improving access to education and retention of pupils in schools, especially those in deprived communities, through the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) with the support of Dubai Cares, a non-governmental organisation. While commending the government for such positive measures to improve access to education, we believe attention must also be paid to the quality of education provided the pupils who stay in the schools. It is of no use retaining pupils in schools if we cannot provide them with quality education that will empower them to be of service to themselves, their families and society at large. Often, when results of the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) are released, many parents become worried over what grades their children obtain. In fact, there are a number of communities where schools have scored zero per cent in the BECE over the last decade. The Daily Graphic believes that while addressing the retention issues of pupils, we must also seek solutions to the problem of quality education. We know that efforts are being made to provide shelter for pupils who study under trees. But what efforts are we making to address the problem of the shortage of teachers and ensuring that they provide quality teaching for the pupils? What about the provision of textbooks and other learning materials? The Daily Graphic thinks that the problems in education must be holistically addressed. We, therefore, call on all stakeholders to emulate the gesture of Dubai Cares to partner the government in other areas to provide quality education for our children. We must avoid the situation where we get so many children in school but they end up without employable skills because they did not have well-trained teachers with the requisite knowledge, commitment and motivation to equip them for the world of work.

Drug dealer arrested

Page 3: The Mirror, May 5, 2012. By Albert K. Salia A 38 YEAR-OLD Nigerian, who allegedly outwitted officials of the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB) and other security personnel at the Kotoka International Airport with substances suspected to be cocaine, has been arrested at the Neoplan Station in Accra. John Amechi, who arrived from Venezuela two weeks ago, was arrested at the Neoplan Station at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra at about 10 a.m. on Tuesday. He was on board a nigerian-bound vehicle about to depart for Nigeria. Amechi and the substances, which tested positive after a laboratory test, have been handed over to NACOB for further investigations. The Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police Mr Patrick Timbillah, told newsmen in Accra that following a tip-off, police personnel accosted Amechi at the Neoplan Station. He said some whitish substance concealed in a black polythene bag in the suspect’s luggage was found when a search was conducted at the scene of arrest. Mr Timbillah commended the informant who gave the police the tip-off. He reminded Ghanaians that policing was a shared responsibility and not the preserve of the police alone, pointing out that police operations depended so much on intelligence hence the need for members of the public to see themselves as partners of the police in combating crime.

Micro finance manager arrested for fraud

Page 30: The Mirror, May 5, 2012. By Albert K. Salia THE manager of Gold Consult Micro-Finance Limited, Ebenezer Inkum, has been arrested for allegedly defrauding some clients of the company to the tune of more than GH¢20,000. Inkum claims to have engaged 13 staff members who went round the markets in Accra to convince traders to save with his company for loans in return. Although he claimed to have given out loans to some of the clients, Inkum could, however, not refund the savings of other traders to them. He was arrested after eight of the clients reported his conduct to the Adabraka police. The Crime Officer of the Adabraka Police Station, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Ebenezer Nketiah, told The Mirror that when the police requested for Inkum’s company bank statement, there was nothing in the account. He said investigations have so far revealed that Inkum often told his clients that after saving with the company for between two to three months, they (clients) would be entitled to loans based on their savings. Mr Nketiah said some of the clients have saved between GH¢100 to GH¢3,000. According to him, investigations have also revealed that the company, although registered at the Registrar-General’s Department, was not licenced by the Bank of Ghana to engage in micro-finance activities. Inkum, he said, told the police that the company started operations in October last year. While this reporter was at the Adabraka Police Station, a victim of the Gold Consult Micro-Finance Limited, scam, Mr Francis Sebuna, who heard of the arrest of Inkum, rushed to the station with a letter of guarantee from Inkum for him (Sebunu) to take away three computers and an air-conditioner from the office in the event that he (Inkum) was unable to refund an amount of GH¢524 to him on a day they agreed on. The letter, dated April 24, 2012 and jointly signed by Inkum and Mr Sebunu read: “I Ebenezer Inkum on behalf of Gold Consult Micro-Finance Ltd owe Mr Francis Sebuna (sic) an amount of GH¢525 and promise to pay by Friday, April 27 2012. He has the right to take away three computers and one air-conditioner if I fail to pay the money on the said date.”

Two car snatchers arrested

Page 30: The Mirror, May 5, 2012. By Albert K. Salia TWO persons who allegedly snatched a taxi at Amasaman near Accra a fortnight ago and sent it to Kumasi to sell have been arrested. Emmanuel Asanboh alias Asamoah, 20, and Michael Donkor, 31, were arrested by the Sofoline police in Kumasi upon a tip-off. Asanboh, Asamoah and the taxi they snatched have since been brought back to Accra. Efforts are being made to trace the driver of the taxi whom the suspects claim they hit with an empty beer bottle after which they dumped him by the road side. Briefing newsmen in Accra last Saturday, April 28, 2012, the Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP), Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, said Asanbo and Asamoah claimed that they hired the car from the Aphrodisiac Night Club area at dawn on April 27, 2012, to Amasaman. The driver, he said, allegedly charged a fee of GH¢24. While on their way, Mr Yohuno said, Asanboh, also known as Ziggy, bought a bottle of beer at Domi before they continued the journey to Amasaman. According to him, Asanboh was alleged to have asked the driver to pull up to enable him (Asanboh) answer to nature's call. He said just when the driver did, Asanboh started hitting him with the beer bottle after Asamoah had allegedly pointed a toy pistol at the driver. Mr Yohuno said Asanboh and Asamoah then allegedly dumped the driver by the road side after injuring him, drove the car to the Suame Magazine in Kumasi for sale. Upon reaching the Suame Magazine, Asanboh and Asamoah, he said, were allegedly advised to take the car to the road side mechanics for sale. Mr Yohuno said the Sofoline police were then hinted by some of the mechanics in Kumasi that they suspected that the car being offered for sale was a stolen one since there were no documents covering it. He said when the police in Kumasi moved to arrest them, Asanboh and Asamoah allegedly confessed to have snatched the car in Accra and had brought it to Kumasi to sell.

WELL DONE, EC, BUT …

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 7, 2012. THE 40-day nation-wide biometric voters registration (BVR) exercise officially ended on Saturday, May 5, 2012. If there is anything to go by, then the mad rush of Ghanaians to register, especially during the first three phases of the exercise, is an indication that the exercise has been a success. We must, therefore, pad ourselves on the back. From the technical and human perspectives, the exercise had its challenges but those difficulties seemed to have been overcome as it entered its fourth and final phase. Although official figures are yet to be put out, we believe the Electoral Commission (EC) may achieve its target of registering 12 million voters. The low turnout at various registration centres during the fourth and final phase of the exercise can only point to the anxiety and desire among many eligible voters to have their names on the electoral roll for the 2012 general election which compelled them to register during the first three phases of the exercise. We, however, believe it will not be out of place for the EC to give serious thought to extending the exercise in areas which recorded hitches, including violence, shortage of materials and breakdown of equipment during the first two phases of the exercise. The Daily Graphic is also concerned about the high number of cases of double registration recorded in the first three phases. The 8,000 figure, to us, is on the high side and we urge the EC to clean the register of any unqualified voter. We believe the EC and Ghanaians in general have learnt great lessons from the exercise and should begin taking steps to prepare for the general election in December 2012. The Daily Graphic appeals to the EC to begin to look for solutions to address the large number of voters who may turn up at particular polling stations, especially those stations which recorded high turn-outs during the first and second phases of the BVR exercise. This is because all those who registered at such stations and are desirous of voting must be allowed to do so. That is the only way we will allow the will of the people to prevail, instead of allowing others to impose their authority on us. The Daily Graphic believes that the elections will be peaceful if Ghanaians abide by the rules of the game and are also tolerant of one another’s views. We hope that all the political parties which will take part in the elections have a duty to themselves and the country to appoint well-trained agents to observe the elections on their behalf. That is necessary if the country is to experience vigilance on polling day to avoid disputes over the release of results from the polling stations through to the constituency levels. Most of the confusion that characterised the BVR exercise resulted from the lack of knowledge of the rules and regulations governing the exercise. We need no reminder that the whole world is looking at the way Ghana will successfully organise this year’s elections. The country is beginning to suffer from the unwarranted violence, acrimony and hate speech that is becoming part of our politics as speculators dictate the direction of the economy for fear that the elections may not be peaceful. We cannot afford to do anything to undermine the confidence reposed in the country by our well-wishers, including our development partners.

‘Clergy should not shy away from national issues’

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 7, 2012 Story: Albert K. Salia THE Archbishop Emeritus of Kumasi, the Most Rev Peter Akwasi Sarpong, has urged the clergy not to shy away from commenting on issues affecting the state. “If the church is silent over the ludicrous and perplexing issues affecting the nation; if the church is not to be involved in the affairs of the nation without being accused of meddling in politics, then what is the church for?” he asked, and reminded the clergy not to give in to those who criticised the church for doing politics and being unpatriotic. “If we follow Jesus, we will see and hear Him say that political intimidation, bigotry and deceit are inhuman and that the church must stand up against them,” he said, and stressed that “the church’s role is not to please human beings; it is to please Jesus Christ who has clearly and loudly said ‘Follow me’”. The Most Rev Sarpong said this when he launched the Golden Jubilee of the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) in Accra on Friday, May 4, 2012. The anniversary is on the theme, “NCS @ 50 – The Church in Ghana in Service of Reconciliation, Justice and Peace”. He said if sections of society would condemn and criticise the church for its comments on national issues, it could only be detrimental to the state and stressed that “we Ghanaians must know that without criticism, freedom yields to totalitarianism, justice gives way to exploitation, charity recedes into ruthlessness, peace dissolves into rivalry and hostility”. Although the NCS was established in 1960 as the executive arm of the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC), it was registered as a corporate entity in 1962. With five departments, the NCS is responsible for implementing the decisions and policies of the GCBC. The Most Rev Sarpong said when the church commented on educational or health issues, it was on a complementary basis with the view to assisting the state to fill in where the state fell short, stressing that “there is nothing like Catholic health and government health; it is the same health we are concerned about”. He also said the charge to cast out devils included “the devil of oppression, the devil of hedonism, the devil of political intimidation and deceit, the devil of the ethics that exclude God, the devil of the callous destruction of the family and all that this implies, the devil of new abominable habits entering our country, the devil of diseases, the devil of ignorance, the devil of poverty, the devil of abortion, the devil of rape, the devil of violence, the devil of vendetta”. “It is these and many other devils that the church in Ghana, in pursuit of peace, justice and reconciliation, has waged a relentless war against in the past 50 years,” he added. He noted that the communiques issued by the GCBC did not seek to praise any political party or persons and that they spoke the truth as it was and what they said was accepted and respected by the nation, although “we are sometimes condemned for making innocuous suggestions for the good of the nation”. The Most Rev Sarpong said the question of justice and peace formed part of the church’s mission of promoting human life through education, health and social welfare which alleviated poverty. He said the performance of the Catholic Church so far demonstrated that the church was still needed in the promotion of reconciliation, justice and peace for the country. He, therefore, asked the leadership of the NCS to use the Golden Jubilee celebration to ponder over whether the church in Ghana had “completely lived up to its ideal of effectively being at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace by offering itself as one of the principal agents under the judgement of the enduring values of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: Freedom, justice, peace, charity, compassion and reconciliation”. “In short, have we made the church absolutely necessary by proclaiming, without compromise, the dignity and worth of every person in Ghana?” he asked. In a goodwill message, the President of the GCBC, the Most Reverend Joseph Osei-Bonsu, expressed the hope that the anniversary would lead to a restoration of good relations in the church and in the state. “I would want it to be a year in which justice and peace will be championed everywhere; a year in which people’s human rights will be respected,” he said. The Most Rev Osei-Bonsu paid glowing tribute to the founding fathers of the NCS for their pioneering work in the midst of great difficulties and hardships.

Korle-Bu records 5,000 neurological cases in 2010.

Page 32: Daily Graphic, May 8, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia THE Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital recorded more than 5,000 cases of neurological disorders in 2010. What is alarming about the problem is the fact that out of the more than 100 patients who attended, five of them reported with broken spines. Neurological disorders also constitute about 15 per cent of admissions at the nation’s premier hospital. Although the figures for 2011 are yet to be released, a neuro-surgeon at the Neuro-Surgical Unit of the hospital, Dr Thomas Dakurah, told the Daily Graphic that the figures were alarming and called for urgent steps to address the situation. Neurological disorders are conditions that affect the nervous system, comprising the brain, the spinal cord and the nerves. The disorders cause deterioration in the movement, speech, balance and co-ordination of victims and, at worse, can lead to memory loss. Expatiating on the problem in an interview, Dr Dakurah said although neurological disorders could be congenital, most of them were acquired. He said the congenital problems could mostly be identified in patients suffering from hydrocephalus (patients with abnormal heads), persons born with a swell at the back and myelomeningocoele, a deformity in the spinal cord. He said most of the congenital cases could be helped if the problem was detected and reported early. According to Dr Dakurah, acquired neurological disorders included patients suffering from stroke, psychological trauma as a result of accidents, injury to the head, meningitis, epilepsy and cynosis. He explained, for instance, that persons suffering from hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol, which many people acquire through lifestyles, were predisposed to getting stroke. He said the most common neurological disorders were low back pain, neck pain and numbness. Regrettably, he said, most people who suffered from these disorders believed it was normal but paid a heavy price when they deteriorated into stroke or paralysis. He said it was important that people sought full neurological assessment to determine the extent of damage or disorder before embarking on any form of treatment. He said as a result of space challenges at the Outpatients Department (OPD) of the hospital, the unit only attended to OPD cases every Thursday, from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., stressing. “We sometimes go beyond 11 p.m.” That, Dr Dakurah explained, was because some of the patients travelled from across the country and other parts of the sub-region to be attended to at Korle Bu because the hospital had the expertise to deal with the problem.

SPEAK OUT ON NATIONAL ISSUES

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 8, 2012. THE Archbishop Emeritus of Kumasi, the Most Rev Peter Akwasi Sarpong, might have stirred up a real hornets’ nest when he called on the clergy not to shy away from commenting on issues affecting the state. In time past, communiques issued by the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference (GCBC) and the synods of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana and the Methodist Church of Ghana were often looked forward to by all. In critical times in the past, the pastoral letters of the Catholic Church touched on the conduct of national affairs, such that even non-Catholics sought after them because the epistles offered hope for the future. As recently as during the Kufuor era, the GCBC took a firm position concerning the removal of Religious and Moral Education from the curriculum of basic and second-cycle institutions until it was reinstated. The conference also took a firm position on the issue of voter verification during the just ended biometric voters registration exercise. Although the GCBC continues to address issues of national importance, most of the clergy shy away from commenting on national issues for fear of being verbally attacked or tagged as belonging to one political party or another. Indeed, think-tanks have also recently received their share of labelling and verbal vituperations. But this is where we disagree with those members of the clergy and respected citizens who have decided not to comment on or discuss issues affecting the state. And, as the Most Rev Sarpong said, refusing to comment on national issues for fear of being condemned or criticised by sections of society could only be detrimental to the state. Ghana has had a tortuous journey in its quest for democracy and we cannot afford to let it slip off since, as he said, “... without criticism, freedom yields to totalitarianism, justice gives way to exploitation, charity recedes into ruthlessness, peace dissolves into rivalry and hostility”. We need not also forget the popular Akan saying that he who beats the path will never know that the path is not straight. That is why the Daily Graphic thinks that if our beloved country is to reach its glorious destination, the collective effort of all of us is needed in thought, word or deed. It is, therefore, incumbent on every individual or organisation to contribute its quota to the holistic development of the country. We believe the clergy will be doing this country, their calling and themselves a great disservice if they remain mute on vital national issues. After all, even in critical times under military regimes, our clergy found their voices to talk about issues affecting the state. The Church of God exists to serve and protect its members and not please any political party or persons. The church does not have to wait for conflict, violence or disease to break out before acting. It must seek to prevent them now. For those who have made it a habit of castigating or pouring invectives on our clergy and respected citizens, they must bear in mind that insults do not provide food, peace, health or even a safe haven in times of need. They also need not forget about the critical role played by members of the clergy when the country almost went to the brink after the 2008 general election. Are such critics suggesting that the value of the clergy can only be found in times of crisis? We must appreciate the fact that the key drivers of democracy include freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press, so that citizens are adequately informed and be able to vote according to their own interests.

Desist from comments that incite violence - Baffour

Page 17: Daily Graphic, May 9, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia THE Supreme Knight of the Knights of Marshall, Sir Knight Victor Derx Baffour, has called on Ghanaians to desist from justifying comments that seek to incite violence and conflict in the country. He reminded Ghanaians that the road to the present stable democratic dispensation had been long and difficult hence the need for a greater determination and tenacity of purpose to create and sustain the peace in the country today. He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to work towards the maintenance of peace in the country and ensure that everything that does not promote peace, especially conflict and violence, was put to an end. Sir Knight Baffour made the call in a speech to commemorate the feast of the Knights of Marshall at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Winneba on Sunday. Present at the ceremony were the Deputy Supreme Knight, Worthy Brother Ekow Paintsil, the Executive Secretary at the Supreme Secretariat, Sir Knight John Abraham, and the Supreme Master of Ceremonies, Worthy Brother Mark Taylor. The Knights of Marshall is a Catholic friendly society seeking to promote charity, unity and fraternity in the Catholic Church. Members of the Noble Order, drawn from Saltpond and Agona Swedru joined their counterparts in Winneba to celebrate the feast of Sir James Marshall, through whose efforts the Catholic Church was re-established in Ghana in 1880. Sir Knight Baffour said the practice of democracy was a call to respect divergent opinions and help the people to harness the differences for the total development of the people. He said the existence of different political parties were essential for any true democracy to be practiced, stressing that “The differences in political ideology should, however, not divide us.” Sir Knight Baffour, therefore, admonished that rancour and acrimony needed not to characterise politics in the country since the goal of each political persuasion was to achieve good and peaceful governance. He said any elections in the country should, therefore, be seen as providing an arena for the healthy contest of ideas and not about inciting people against each other. He expressed regret about the violence that characterised the recent biometric voters registration exercise in the country. Sir Knight Baffour urged Christians, particularly Marshallans, not to look on unconcerned since the cost of any civil strife would be too much for Ghanaians to bear. “To avert this looming and disturbing image, it must be the duty of every Marshallan to double his/her efforts towards deepening democratic rule in Ghana and the sub-region,” he said. In line with that, he said, the Knights of Marshall would mount a crusade to caution Ghanaians “against acts, omissions, hate speeches and inflammatory utterances that threaten the peace and stability of our country.” “As we commemorate this year’s feast day, lets us reflect on our roles as Marshallans in the promotion of peace and the entrenchment of democratic rule in Ghana and the West-African sub-region,” he said. Sir Knight Baffour said peace could only be certain when the citizen’s personal freedom was evidently assured because he or she was governed by the rule of law, stressing that “such a milieu exists when democratic rule is entrenched.”

LET’S CO-OPERATE FOR THE GAS TO FLOW

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 9, 2012 THE role of energy in the economic transformation and development of any nation cannot be overemphasised. Indeed, it is one of the most critical factors that have the capacity to drive up or drive down an economy and, by extension, undermine or improve the standard of living of the people. For many years, this country, in the face of rising crude oil prices, has sought to explore the greater use of gas as a cheaper means of meeting its energy requirements. In particular, given that power generation at the Aboadze Thermal Plant using crude oil has proved to be more expensive and, therefore, not cost effective for consumers of power, the resort to gas has been widely touted as the panacea, largely on account of its lower cost. However, this solution has, on many occasions, proved elusive as the supply of gas, mainly from the much talked about West African Gas Pipeline, has, at best, been erratic. In critical periods when the system has been relied upon to deliver the gas, it has failed woefully and, in so doing, disrupted energy production at Aboadze and other areas. For this reason, it is great news that the government has been able to secure $1 billion from the China Development Bank (CDB) to fund the development of gas infrastructure in the Western Region, work on which has commenced in earnest. There is no doubt that the scaling of this hurdle is a huge commercial and financial feat chalked up by the government. The completion of this gas project in the Western Region will, among key objectives, ensure a steady and reliable supply of gas from the Jubilee Field to the Aboadze plant. This will reduce the cost of generating power at the plant, bring down the cost at which power will be sold to the Volta River Authority (VRA) and eventually significantly reduce the electricity bill of consumers. Additionally, the new gas infrastructure will help ensure the steady and reliable supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to consumers all year round and thereby bring more relief to consumers and also promote socio-economic development. This is in addition to the thousands of jobs and the huge incomes it will provide for Ghanaians, particularly those in the Western Region. It is against such a background that we appeal to farmers and other stakeholders at Domunli and other areas in the Western Region where the gas infrastructure is being developed to co-operate with the contractors executing the job to finish it on time. We urge those computing the payment of compensation to the farmers to do a diligent and transparent job, so that the requisite level of peace and tranquillity will exist to facilitate the timeous execution of the project. This, undoubtedly, is one of the biggest national projects which will help transform and bring bigger dividends to the country and we all have a duty to work towards its success.

National Institute OF Health Gives $5m To K-Bu

BACK PAGE: Daily Graphic, May 11, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia The National Institute of Health (NIH) of the United States of America has given a $5 million grant to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to co-ordinate a research into the cause of the increasing kidney-related infections in five African countries because of the alarming rate at which people in their productive ages of 20 and 50 years are developing kidney problems. The study will help establish whether the problem is genetical or there are other causes. Besides Ghana, the other countries included in the study are Nigeria, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa. A Nephrologist Consultant, Dr Charlotte Osafo, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the five-year project would help “us know what is it that is causing this problem among the productive age in Ghana and the rest of the continent”. She said the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital had attended to kidney patients as young as 16 years whereas in the developed countries, many of the kidney patients are beyond 60 years. She said a team from the NIH which assessed the facilities at the hospital were highly impressed with what they saw and gave approval for the release of the grant. “If you compare the chronic cases we have here to those in Europe and the America’s you will observe that whereas their patients are from 60 years and above, ours involve people between the ages of 20 and 50 years,” she said. Moreover, she said, the Dialysis Unit of the teaching hospital of which she is the head, was attending to more patients since 2009 after the launch of the first-ever World Kidney Day activities in the country. According to Dr Osafo, other clinical units, particularly those handling diabetic and hypertensive cases, were referring patients to the Renal Unit for care. She explained that uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension could degenerate into kidney problems. Giving statistics on the number of kidney admissions since 2009, Dr Osafo said out of the 2,332 admissions at the Department of Medicine (Medical Block), 387 representing 16 per cent of the in-patients were kidney related. In 2010, the number increased to 437 patients representing 21.4 per cent of the 2,491 admissions at the department which again shot up to 627 patients in 2011, representing 23.3 of the 2,687 cases of admissions. Dr Osafo said from less than 50 patients who were on dialysis in 2006, the number had increased to 140 cases. The figure, she explained, formed less than 10 per cent of those suffering from chronic kidney problems and had to be put on dialysis. Dr Osafo said the current Dialysis Centre had outgrown its size and needed to be expanded to take on more patients. She explained that the centre was set up to host five dialysis machines but now accommodated 15 machines. She said the centre used to operate three times a week but now ran a 24/7 service to enable it to provide for patients suffering from chronic kidney ailments.

‘POISONOUS’ GIRL IN POLICE GRIP

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 12, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia A 13-year-old junior high school (JHS) student who allegedly attempted to poison her father for frequently molesting her has been arrested by the police in Accra. The suspect is alleged to have put some poison meant for killing rats in a bowl of konkonte her father had sent her to buy for him on May 8, 2012. Although initial reports said the teenager had taken the decision to poison her father for reprimanding her for her alleged flirtations with men, the student (name withheld) reportedly told the police that her father, Frederick Okine, who works with the Ministry of Health, had been molesting her. The suspect, who has since been released to her biological mother, then felt that the only way to end the molestations was to poison her father. The Public Relations Officer of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mr Freeman Tettey, who confirmed the incident to the Daily Graphic yesterday, said Mr Okine’s alertness saved his life. Mr Tettey explained that after taking in the first ball of the konkonte, Mr Okine detected a funny taste in the food and immediately called his daughter to question her. According to police officer, the suspect allegedly informed her father that it was her ex-stepmother who had put some chemicals in the food. But when the father insisted that his ex-wife would not do that, the girl allegedly admitted putting the poison in the food. Mr Tettey said Mr Okine then took the girl to the Tesano Office of DOVVSU where she was arrested. Sources at the Tesano DOVVSU told this reporter that the complainant, after lodging the complaint, had sought to withdraw the case. They, however, said the police would have to investigate the matter to establish the truth or otherwise of the matter.

KIDNEY TRANSPLANT IN GHANA

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 14, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia DOCTORS at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) will begin undertaking kidney transplantation in the last quarter of this year. This will bring great relief to many kidney patients in the country who need kidney transplant but cannot afford the high cost of travelling and transplantation abroad. Since 2008, the nation’s premier hospital has undertaken 12 kidney transplants with the assistance of a team of transplant surgeons from Birmingham in the United Kingdom and the Transplant Links Community. Three of those transplants were performed in April this year. The Birmingham team is expected to perform another batch of transplants in October this year, after which the Ghanaian team will take over. However, Korle-Bu has sponsored the training of a consultant urologist, Dr Bernard Morton, as a transplant surgeon to lead a local team to bring hope to many kidney patients. Currently, the Dialysis Unit at Korle-Bu, which used to operate three times a week, now runs 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service because of the increasing number of chronic patients. An excited Chief Executive Officer of the hospital, Professor Nii Otu Nartey, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, said Korle-Bu would endeavour to provide the logistics and facilities to ensure a smooth take-off and sustenance of kidney transplantation by the Ghanaian team. Throwing more light on the preparation, Dr Morton said the hospital had come a long way since 2008 after the first transplant. He said the initial idea was for the local team to start the transplants after a period of assistance from the Birmingham team, but there had been a lot of ups and downs. He said he was grateful to the CEO of the hospital for standing firm and providing all the encouragement and support for the national project to be realised. He said the team would continue with the usual living donor practice where a living person would agree to donate one of his or her kidneys to a recipient. Dr Morton was hopeful that with time, the country would come up with an elaborate legal framework to support the cadaveric donations. Cadaveric donation is where the kidney of a brain-dead person but whose heart continues to beat is harvested and given out to someone who needs a kidney transplant. He said what the hospital needed was a complete centre, either as part of the Urological Centre or a separate transplant unit, which could be expanded to a tissue transplant centre. Asked about the availability of the requisite human resource, Dr Morton said, “We have demonstrated that we can do it after the first transplant in 2008.” He recalled how he and Dr Charlotte Osafo, a nephrologist consultant at the hospital, had to virtually plan and implement — preparing patients, counselling them and their relatives and handling the post-transplant management issues. He said the team of local personnel had continued to be around and actively taken part in the other transplantations and said the only new development was his training as a transplant surgeon. Dr Morton was hopeful that with time, a complete centre like the National Cardio-Thoracic Centre, the Burns and Plastic Surgery Centre would be set up. That, he explained, was necessary because as the number of patients increased, there would be the need for a separate clinic to handle the cases, stressing that “all those having the kidney transplants will need close monitoring by the doctors and compliance by the patients”. For her part, Dr Osafo, who is the Head of the Dialysis Unit of Korle-Bu, said the local renal team had built the needed experience to support kidney transplant locally. She said besides the transplant, some of the nephrologists at the unit were considering developing a peritoneal dialysis programme, a form of self-administered dialysis, to help ease the pressure on the dialysis machines. She expressed worry over the alarming rate at which people in their productive ages of between 20 and 50 years were developing kidney problems in Ghana. Dr Osafo said the University of Ghana Medical School, in collaboration with other centres in Africa and the USA, had applied for a grant from the National Institute of Health (NIH) to study the genetic causes of kidney disease in Africa. The outcome of that important application, she said, should be known later this year. If successful, then patients with kidney disease would be studied at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

BOOSTING THE SHEA-NUT INDUSTRY

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 16, 2012. FOR a long time, the shea nut industry has remained one of the most neglected sectors of our economy. Until recently, shea nut farmers in the three northern regions were not benefiting from any floor price as pertains in the cocoa industry. And when the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) decided to announce a floor price for the produce as part of the government’s efforts at improving the lot of the pickers and farmers, as well as develop a profitable shea nut industry, the price was so low that the National Association of Shea Nut Farmers, Processors and Buyers raised the alarm bells. That was because the price offered was far too lower than the prevailing open market price and that did not augur well for the players in the industry. When that issue came up last year, the Daily Graphic called on COCOBOD to review the price because offering low prices for a commodity which was priced high on the market was not only a disincentive to the farmers and pickers but also provided fertile grounds for smuggling. We said so with the conviction that the motive for fixing a floor price for shea nut was not to discourage the farmers but encourage others, particularly the youth who often chased non-existent white-collar jobs, to join in the business. Over the years, shea nut farmers in the three northern regions have been going through terrible times, including non-recognition and suffering from snake bites. We believe the shea nut industry remains one basket for economic success and improvement in the lives of the people of the three northern regions. It is a fact that some of us do not appreciate the benefits of shea butter, for which reason we do not attach any importance to the shea nut industry. Shea butter is a medicinal source of healing for burns, sores, dandruff, stretch marks, wrinkles, among many health conditions. It also remains an excellent body lotion during the Harmattan season. Industrially, shea butter is a key ingredient in most cosmetics, moisturising creams, hair conditioners for dry and brittle hair and emulsions. It is also occasionally used in the preparation of chocolate. The Daily Graphic believes the country will benefit greatly from this national asset if we are to invest in it and add value to the produce. That is why we welcome the inauguration by the Vice-President, Mr John Mahama, of the GH¢30 million Shea Butter Processing Factory at Buipe in the Northern Region to process 12,000 metric tonnes of shea butter annually. It is also good to know that the Produce Buying Company has already secured a ready market for processed shea butter in Brazil. This should certainly encourage the pickers and farmers to increase productivity. It is also heartening to know that the project is an initiative of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA). For some time now, the pressure has been on the authorities of SADA to up their activities to enable the people of the three northern regions to realise the benefits for which the authority was set up. While urging the management of the new processing plant to adopt prudent practices to ensure efficiency, the Daily Graphic entreats COCOBOD to review the floor price of shea nut to encourage more farmers and pickers to do business with the board.

WORK HARD TO REBUILD SHIPYARD

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 18, 2012 MANY individuals and organisations have welcomed the decision by the government to resume total control of the Tema Shipyard and Drydock with its re-acquisition of the 60 per cent shareholding of Penang Shipbuilding Company (PSC) of Malaysia. Without doubt, the drydock remains a strategic national asset with great potential for not only the growth and development of the country but also job creation and skills acquisition in this period of increased maritime traffic in an emerging oil and gas business environment. After all, poverty alleviation is all about wealth and job creation. We acknowledge the contribution and vigilance of the workers all these years when the Malaysian firm took majority shares and the management of the company. During that period, there were a number of complaints, protests and management and staff lock-outs. It is, therefore, not surprising that many Ghanaians and labour organisations have commended the government for taking the bold decision to take over majority shares and the management of the company. But we believe re-possessing the company is only one of several measures needed to transform it into one of the best in the sub-region and beyond. While the burden of recapitalising, resourcing and putting in place an efficient management for the company will be on the government, the workers and allied agencies that do business with the drydock also have a crucial role to play to turn around the fortunes of the company. We need no reminder that most state-owned enterprises had to go the path of divestiture because they had become liabilities to the state. They became liabilities because both management and workers adopted I-don’t-care attitudes or ‘this is government property’ stance and could not be bothered by happenings in those firms. As of now, we still have this syndrome in most of our public institutions where workers and management alike care less. And yet, they will be the first to jump at the government for increase in wages and improvement in other conditions of service. The Daily Graphic thinks that this type of business-as-usual attitude should not find its way into the company. We admonish those to be engaged to manage the company to move beyond vigilance and adopt a positive attitude to work to help turn around its fortunes. We believe the company can achieve its strategic objectives if all stakeholders decide to adopt a new work ethic. The company has come far in its life cycle and we believe it is about time it attained the vision for which it was set up by Dr Kwame Nkrumah. The Daily Graphic commends the government for the bold decision it took to re-possess the company. Our prayer is that for once let us demonstrate to the whole world that state enterprises have potential for growth, wealth and job creation.

Korle-Bu Urology Unit under human, space pressure

Page 49: Daily Graphic, May 21, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia THE Urology Unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital is under intense human resource and space pressure from the increasing number of patients seeking consultation and surgery. Records at the unit indicate that the earliest a newly referred patient can see an urologist will be in the second week of August. It has also been established that because of the high number of cases to be operated upon, some patients have been on the waiting list for between one and eight years. The unit has 12 operating days in a year. More than 350 booked patients are attended to during urological consultation every week. The unit holds two consultations every week — Mondays and Fridays. A consultant urologist at the hospital, Dr J. E. Mensah, expatiating on the challenges facing the unit in an interview, said lack of consultation space often made some patients feel shy to discuss their problems, since there could be two or three doctors in the same consultation room attending to different patients. The lack of privacy, he said, often discouraged patients from telling the doctors their problems. They rather preferred to take a doctor’s number to call him later or lay ambush for him after consultation to open up. The 2010 annual report of the hospital indicates that the unit handled 10,644 cases, representing 35 per cent of the 30,401 specialist cases attended to at the Outpatients Department (OPD) of the hospital. There are currently seven urologists at the hospital, including three retired consultants. Consequently, anytime one or two of them are on vacation or sick, the others have to take on additional patients. Urology is a surgical speciality which deals with diseases of the male and female urinary tract and the male reproductive organs. The organs covered by urology include the kidney, adrenal gland, ureter, urinary bladder, urethra and the male reproductive organs — the testes, epididymis, vas deferens, seminal vesicles, prostate and penis. Apart from diseases relating to the prostate, infertility among young male adults, erectile dysfunction, strictures from accidents, priapism (sustained erection of the penis) and bladder cancers are some of the cases handled at the unit. Following the death of three urologists on August 27, 2005 in a motor accident while on their way to Accra from a medical outreach programme in Sunyani, the Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital announced plans to establish a $6-million Urology Centre in their memory. Those who died in one of Ghana’s worst road accidents were Professor J. M. K. Quartey, Dr Isaac Bentsi and Dr Benjamin Osei-Wiafe. But seven years down the line, the sod is yet to be cut for commencement of work, although the drawings for the project have long been presented to the authorities. Dr Mensah said the problem was worse for those patients seeking surgery to resolve their problems. According to him, the priority of the urologist was to deal with emergencies to save lives. Consequently, if a patient could not urinate, the urologists provided an immediate solution by providing him with catheters to facilitate urination. He said the patient who received the catheters would then have to join the queue, possibly for two or more years. He explained that if a patient was booked for surgery and it was cancelled at the 11th hour because of an emergency, that patient would have to be rebooked. As to why there seemed to be an upsurge in urological problems, he said the fear of developing prostate cancer was increasing attendance at the clinic. Moreover, he said, G-U conditions increased with age in men but was quick to add that the problem cut across both men and women, as well as children. He said urologists were diagnosing problems but could not offer immediate solutions because of lack of space. Dr Mensah said many priapism patients attributed their conditions to “African electronics” or juju but explained that it was as a result of the consumption of herbal concoctions and sex-enhancing drugs such as “AK 47”. He said those who suffered from priapism would ultimately have erectile dysfunction and that the solution was surgical. He said the solution to sexual satisfaction and performance was to exercise and not to take in any sex-enhancing drugs. Dr Mensah advised men in particular to report any pain in the penis or acute scrotal pain to a doctor for immediate attention.

WASTE FOR WEALTH

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 21, 2012. THE devastating effects of plastic waste on the country cannot be lost on us. Currently, it is estimated that 1,980 tonnes of plastic waste is generated daily in the country, with 70 per cent of the waste ending up in drains and at open spaces. Research conducted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) indicates that Ghana could earn GH¢1.2 million monthly if it recycles its plastic waste. In the not-too-distant past, calls were made for plastics to be banned, while others thought plastic manufacturers and water sachet producers be levied to enable metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to use the revenue to help manage the plastic waste menace which has become an albatross around the neck of the nation. In the heat of the debate, the Ghana Plastic Manufacturers Association, in 2009, led a team of scientific and plastic waste management experts from the United Kingdom to introduce a plastic degradable technology to the Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama. The technology, we were told, could help solve the country’s plastic waste menace. Three years down the line, we are yet to realise any effective results from this technology. It is for this reason that the Daily Graphic thinks that dealing with the plastic waste menace requires a multi-faceted and integrated approach involving all stakeholders, including the citizenry. Each one of us has a responsibility to help address the challenges posed by the plastic waste menace because we all contribute to the waste. This explains the polluter pays policy which has made very little impact on the environment. We welcome the nationwide campaign launched by the Vice-President to educate the public on the proper handling of plastic waste. The Daily Graphic believes that without the practical support and responsible cooperation of every citizen, no agency will succeed in curbing the plastic waste menace. As noted that by the Vice-President, plastic waste “has become the most pernicious pollutant of our time in terms of its destruction of the soil and choking of drains”. One of the negative consequences of our choked drains by plastic waste is the flooding in the cities, with its attendant loss of lives and destruction of property. While acknowledging the importance of the awareness campaign which seeks to change the attitude of people in the way they handle plastic waste and impress on them the need to use alternative carrier bags, we believe the country also needs the requisite regulations and policies to get the people to conform. In a place such as South Africa, the government has enacted a law that imposes levies on shoppers or carriers of plastic bags with a minimum of 30 microns. The reason for setting a minimum level of microns is to encourage shoppers to use much heavier plastic bags which turn out to be easy to recycle. The Daily Graphic thinks that just as the South Africans are using the levy to help keep the environment clean, we can equally do same here. In order to sustain the campaign, the organisers are not only encouraging the public to manage the plastic waste but have also provided incentives in the form of “plastic for cash”. The Daily Graphic thinks that waste plastics, if managed very well, will not give only cash to the people but also create wealth, as the effects of plastics on agriculture, the environment and livestock will end, thereby raising productivity in those sectors. Yes, bring waste plastics for cash, but, ultimately, let the plastic waste campaign create wealth for all.

Drug trade rakes in billions for criminal gangs

Page 49: Daily Graphic, May 22, 2012. ILLICIT drug trafficking and other criminal activities in West Africa generate $3.3 billion profits to criminal gangs annually. The US Assistant Secretary responsible for Narcotics, Mr William R. Brownfield, who disclosed in a statement on countering narcotics threats in West Africa to the Senate Caucus on Narcotics Control, said cocaine trafficking was one of the most lucrative illicit activities. The other criminal activities are found in human trafficking, small arms, oil, cigarettes, counterfeit medicine and toxic waste. “Transnational organised crime, including drug trafficking, is a major threat to security and governance throughout West Africa. In fact, the U.S. government and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) have estimated that about 13 per cent of the global cocaine flow moves through West Africa,” he said. According to Mr Brownfield, drug trafficking in West Africa had expanded to include heroin and cited the busting of an international heroin trafficking ring from Ghana in July 2011. He said another reason drug trafficking in West Africa deserved particular attention was because of its destabilising impact across the region. He said proceeds of drug trafficking were being pumped into election campaigns in West Africa and fuelling a dramatic increase in narco-corruption. “Criminal networks are co-opting government officials and security forces — the very actors responsible for fighting crime. They seriously compromise the effectiveness of anticorruption and institution-building efforts as they permeate political and state administration institutions and build corrupt networks with state officials to facilitate or reduce the risks and costs of their operations,” he said. According to him, “Competition between government factions for control of drug trafficking profits has greatly increased instability in the region. The potential for drugs to contribute to destabilisation in the region is clearly seen, for example, in the case of Guinea-Bissau, where most of the country’s leadership has been implicated in drug trafficking”. Mr Brownfield said it was in response to those challenges that the US Government developed the West Africa Co-operative Security Initiative (WACSI) to undermine transnational criminal networks in West Africa and to reduce their ability to operate illicit criminal enterprises. He said WACSI offered the first comprehensive US government approach to drug trafficking in West Africa with the first objective of building accountable institutions to help address corruption within the justice and security sectors, high-level corruption of government elites, and the culture of impunity. According to him, “in too many cases, traffickers in West Africa have been able to buy high-level protection for their illicit activities”. He gave an assurance that the US would work with both the government and civil society actors “to strengthen the will and capacity to pursue impartial, apolitical investigations and prosecutions of significant corruption”. “Achieving peace and security requires justice systems, not simply the administration of justice. Arresting drug traffickers and their government facilitators will not cure the problem, particularly if there is not a transparent system of justice in place to incarcerate or rehabilitate offenders,” he said. He cited the establishment of a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Special Investigative Unit (SIU) in Ghana which had been able to conduct sophisticated criminal investigations, leading to multiple arrests, including government officials and international traffickers. “Four of these suspects were expelled into U.S. custody and the leader of the Ghana-based organisation was sentenced to 14 years in prison,” he said. Mr Brownfield said the needs in West Africa were overwhelming and needed a well-focused and coordinated effort to succeed. “We face a difficult task ahead of us, and we recognise the need to partner with all players involved to fight this growing danger. The key to combating drug trafficking and other transnational crime is to undermine the factors that permit it – namely the weak rule of law and entrenched corruption – and the socio-economic factors that continue to drive it,” he stressed.

THE FLOODS ARE HERE AGAIN

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 22, 2012. LAST Saturday, a violent windstorm accompanied by torrential rains hit the southern parts of the country, causing considerable damage to lives and properties. There are indications from the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) that the country should brace itself for more of such storms in the coming weeks, particularly in the rainy season. It is reassuring that the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) seems to have put in place measures to minimise the impact of any disaster during the rainy season. It claims to have obtained excavators and towing machines for rescue operations, as well as embark on educational campaigns to sensitise the public to environmental practices. The question the Daily Graphic, however, hesitates to ask is: How ready are we for this year’s rains? In the heat of last season’s rains, the authorities embarked on an exercise to clear all unauthorised structures on water courses. Unfortunately, some squatters along the Odaw River became the only victims of the removal of unauthorised structures. Even, then, some of the structures are back, while other squatters, especially scrap dealers, conduct brisk business along the drains. What happened to the properties earmarked for demolition because they were on water courses? Have the owners undertaken any major works to prevent a repeat of the perennial flooding of their homes and holding residents in the area hostage? It is a fact that floods come partly as a result of human action, although we cannot hold back the rains. Poor drains, poor solid waste management systems, building on water courses and climate change have all been identified as the causes of the flooding we experience in the country. It is for this reason that the Daily Graphic thinks that our authorities need to pursue programmes and projects that will help change the attitudes of the people. We are familiar with assurances by city authorities to curb the flooding, but nothing seems to happen after the rains have stopped. Procrastination, it is said, is the thief of time. While the Daily Graphic appreciates the work of NADMO and Zoomlion in trying to minimise the impact of any flooding, we urge those engaged on the de-silting of the drains to speed up the processes to help achieve maximum impact. It is also important that Ghanaians do their part by living responsible lifestyles and living by the rules. It is unreasonable to build on water courses and turn around to blame the government for not doing anything to help in times of disaster. It is also not uncommon to find Ghanaians throw garbage into the drains when they can easily put it in refuse bins. We have a long way to go but we can turn things around by respecting the bye-laws of the local authorities with the statutory responsibility for spatial planning and development. With the rains around the corner, we expect the authorities to walk the talk to fix the drains to contain the floods.

KEEPING GLOBAL PEACE

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 23, 2012. GHANA’S role in peacekeeping operations across the globe is well-documented and highly acknowledged. From Lebanon to Kosovo, Liberia to Rwanda, The Sudan to Sierra Leone, our gallant men and women in uniform have exhibited professionalism, commitment, loyalty and courage to maintain peace in those global conflict zones. In our own country, the men and women have always been called upon to restore and maintain peace in conflict areas. Some of them have died in the service of peace. Currently, Ghana is ranked among the 10 largest contributors of personnel for peacekeeping duties in the world. The Daily Graphic believes that Ghanaians can learn useful lessons from the participation of our security personnel in such peacekeeping operations. When their positive contributions to maintaining the peace in conflict zones are known, we tend to lose sight of the negative impact on them. Many of them may suffer from depression, aggressive impulses, alcoholism or nightmares and mood swings in what doctors describe as post-traumatic stress disorder. War or conflict situation is something that Ghanaians should never desire. We know too well that in most conflict zones, societies have been disintegrated, there is massive destruction of infrastructure, while women and children, who are often the victims of war, suffer from undue hardships. Many others have ended up as refugees in other countries, not to mention the loss of innocent lives and the use of scarce resources for conflict resolution Events in neighbouring Cote d’Ivoire, once considered the haven of peace in the sub-region, should stir the conscience of those who may be considering creating conflict situations in the run-up to the December general election. The Daily Graphic acknowledges that maintaining the peace is not the responsibility of any single individual or organisation. That is why we have decided to continually prick the conscience of the nation to contribute to the maintenance of peace in the country. Ghanaians cannot afford to do anything to undermine the peace and stability we currently enjoy on the altar of political expediency. The country has a long way to go in its development agenda and we believe Ghanaians must use their energies in support of reducing, if not eliminating, poverty. Fortunately, our development partners seem to appreciate the strides we are making and are continuously supporting us. The huge vote of money by the Group of Eight industrialised countries (G-8) to support our agricultural sector is evidence of the confidence they have in us as a country. The Daily Graphic believes that the unwarranted violence, acrimony and hate speech that are becoming part of our politics must end now. We, therefore, urge our churches, statesmen and civil society organisations to take a firm position in promoting and sustaining the country’s peace. It will be ironic and unhealthy for us that as a country of excellent peacekeepers, other people will have to be brought in to maintain the peace for us. We salute our gallant peacekeepers for restoring normalcy in many conflict zones.

Cop, 3 others arrested for stealing

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 23, 2012. Story: Albert K. Salia FOUR persons, including a policeman and an ex-soldier, who are said to have connived to extort and rob people of their money and other belongings were yesterday arrested by the police. The suspects — Lance Corporal Martin Agyare of the Police Mobile Force in Accra; ex-Leading Aircraftman, Iddrisu Ato; Harrison Tawiah, a driver, and Agbeko Mannah, a carpenter — are alleged to have embarked on their illegal operations at wee-smoking joints and around automated teller machines (ATMs) of banks where they trailed their victims to rob them. An AK 47 and 10 rounds of ammunition belonging to the policeman were retrieved. The ex-soldier allegedly tore his military uniform when detectives closed in on the suspects at the Achimota Cargo Truck Station where they had assembled to embark on their activities. The Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Christian Tetteh Yohuno, told newsmen in Accra yesterday that the police had a tip-off that some persons, including a policeman and an ex-soldier, had been terrorising people at Tesano, Madina, the Institute of Professional Studies, Adenta, Airport, Dzorwulu and Achimota in the mornings and afternoons. According to him, the information given to the police was that after trailing people who withdrew money from the ATMs, the suspects often created the impression of causing the arrest of those people for some offences, with the pretext of sending them to the Police Headquarters. On the way, he said, the gang of four would collect whatever amount of money those ‘arrested’ had on them before releasing them. Mr Yohuno said at the wee-smoking dens, the gang usually arrested the dealers and created the impression of taking them to the Police Headquarters, only to stop along the way and extort money from them. He said following a tip-off in the morning of yesterday, a team of detectives was dispatched to the Achimota Station to lay ambush there, since the place was said to be the assembling point of the gang. Mr Yohuno said having been given the registration number of the taxi which the gang used in the illegal operation, the detectives pounced on all four suspects when the taxi, with registration number GE 7537-11, was ready to take off with Agyare and Ato in uniform. According to him, a victim of the activities of the gang showed up at the Accra Regional Police Command to identify the suspects. He said the victim alleged that he was attacked and GH¢1,160 and a motorbike were seized from him at the Achimota transport terminal after he had withdrawn money from the ATM at a bank. Mr Yohuno said initial investigations had established that Iddrisu was discharged from the Ghana Air Force on September 16, 2007.

BREAK DUOPOLY IN CEMENT INDUSTRY

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 24, 2012. THE shortage of cement in the country appears to have become a perennial problem. When it strikes annually, those in the building and road construction sectors suffer most. Their projects are unduly delayed, with the attendant increase in project cost. Besides, those engaged to work for individuals or institutions in the construction sector find it difficult to maintain their keep. Often, the producers and dealers have always found one reason or another to explain the shortage – power outages, natural disasters, refurbishment or expansion works at their factories, etc. The Daily Graphic thinks that the shortage of cement is becoming one too frequent for us to bear as a nation. When it happens, it is the ordinary people who suffer most as a result of the high prices that come with the available cement on the market. Sometimes we are tempted to think that the shortage is artificially created by the producers and dealers, with the view to increasing the cost. Currently, a bag of cement is being sold between GHc22 and GHc25 on the market. We are tempted to believe that the duopoly enjoyed by the two major producers of cement may not be helping us, after all. We may have to consider wooing more cement manufacturers into the country to compete with the two cement firms, the Ghana Cement Company (GHACEM) and Diamond Cement. We do not think that the nation deserves this kind of situation when there is a boom in the construction industry. The Daily Graphic appeals to the government, as a major player in the construction sector, to take the bull by the horns to address whatever challenges Ghanaians are facing. The government cannot prevent natural disasters but we believe it can create the environment for individuals to import cement into the country to compete with the existing production firms. There is also nothing wrong with developing local raw materials to serve as an alternative. This is where we expect our research institutions and industrialists to explore the use of local raw materials to build a robust cement industry in the country. The nation may not have undertaken any impact analysis of the cement shortage in the country. However, in the heat of the economic downturn, an estimated 30,000 workers in the construction industry in Jamaica lost their jobs – as a result of the production of concrete blocks and closure of construction sites. Our worry is that any time cement prices go up as a result of shortages, the prices do not come down when the situation returns to normalcy. This time around, we expect the Ministry of Trade and Industry to restore some order into the cement business. That is why the Daily Graphic is urging the government to look into the frequent cement shortages in the country. We should not forget that some of the players in the construction industry may have secured bank loans to embark on projects and any delay means extra cost to them. The benefits to be derived from any construction boom can translate into higher growth, job creation, as well as the expansion of other manufacturing sectors. The Daily Graphic, therefore, thinks that whatever the constraints are, we must put our shoulders to the wheel to address them as soon as possible.

Penile fractures treated at Korle-Bu

Page 27: Daily Graphic, May 25, 2012 Story: Albert K. Salia THERE are emerging cases of penile fracture at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. A penile fracture is the tearing of a membrane (tunica albuginea) of an erected penis. It is often associated with aggressive sex, especially when the woman is on top (joy strick, joy ride) and there is usually a popping sound of the penis when it suffers the fracture. Two people with such cases have already been operated upon at the hospital this year. Consultant Urologist, Dr James E. Mensah, believes the incidence could be much higher than reported because many patients do not seek medical attention due to embarrassment or fear. He said vaginal intercourse is the most common known cause of penile fractures and indicated that the urology unit had, besides the two cases this year, successfully diagnosed and managed eight cases within the last couple of years. “At the time of the fracture, the patient (and sometimes the sexual partner) typically hears a loud cracking noise associated with loss of erection, penile pain and swelling”, he explained. According to him, all the patients gave a clear history of sustaining blunt trauma to the erect penis, hearing a cracking or popping sound, followed by rapid detumescence, sharp penile pain and swelling. Dr Mensah said the condition can easily be repaired if a patient reports early. He explained that after surgery to repair the fracture, patients were discharged, asked to take ciprofloxacin tablets twice daily for seven days and “advised to abstain from sexual intercourse for six weeks”. He said all the patients treated at the hospital had reported getting normal erection and engaging in sexual activity except one patient who at the last follow-up visit said he had not attempted sexual intercourse due to the fear of a repetition of the incidence. Dr Mensah added that failure to report the condition early could lead to erectile dysfunction; a situation that even Viagra could not rectify. He explained that penile fracture was a urological emergency and that immediate surgical exploration and repair offered the best chance of healing and the preservation of erectile function.

AFRICA’S TIME IS HERE!

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 26, 2012 TEN years ago, African Heads of State agreed to transform the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU). To the African leaders, the exigencies of the time required that the OAU, which had been formed with a shared vision for independence and liberation, be transformed into the AU to effectively address the continent’s quest for progress and development. It symbolised our collective spirit and search for unity, dignity and development in Africa. But 10 years down the line, Africans are yet to see any major breakthrough in the shared vision of our leaders of achieving sustainable growth and development, fighting poverty and entrenching democracy, the rule of law, human rights, peace and security. The continent is still confronted with challenges such as political instability, language differences, colonial borders, protectionist tendencies, long delays at entry and exit points, payment systems and bureaucracy. While in Kenya in 2010, the US Secretary of State, Mrs Hillary Clinton, summarised the problems of African countries thus: “African countries have not focused sufficiently on expanding intra-African trade and are missing out on an excellent method to grow their combined gross domestic product”. This year’s AU Day is being commemorated on the theme: ‘’Boosting Intra-African Trade’’, in line with the commitment to fast-track the creation of an African continental free trade by 2017. While we appreciate the theme for the day, the Daily Graphic believes that our leaders must go beyond words and put into action the plans and programmes they themselves have initialled to lead the continent out of the economic woods. They need no reminder that in the world’s most integrated bloc, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), economic integration preceded politics and money followed opportunity, not the other way round. Africa has both the human and material resources to steer itself out of poverty and under-development and become the world’s economic power base if we can bury our artificial differences and come together, especially at this time when the rest of the world yearns to partner Africa. This is Africa’s finest hour to get out of the poverty net. Coming together should not just be symbolised by our leaders meeting to pop champagne, make long speeches and strengthen their personal friendship. It should be about bringing our people together and encouraging them not only to make friends but collaborate and pool their resources to develop the continent. The Daily Graphic believes that bringing Africans together and encouraging them to do business and share expertise will be in line with the vision of the AU: “An integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in global arena.” We think trade is a great tool for growth and development, for which reason all forms of impediments must be removed, and we believe all efforts should be accelerated to promote intra-African trade on the continent. There is the greater challenge of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and coming together on all fronts can help the continent to meet the targets. The Daily Graphic thinks that the significance of the day must help raise our collective resolve and the political awareness of the true state of affairs in Africa.

Extortion from police recruits – IGP SETS UP PROBE

Front Page: Daily Graphic, May 26, 2012 Story: Albert K. Salia THE Police Administration has ordered an investigation into the alleged extortion of money by instructors at the Police Training School in Kumasi. The Daily Graphic, in its May 25, 2012 edition, reported that recruits due to pass out at the training school in Kumasi had accused some of their instructors of allegedly extorting money from them. They claimed that three of the 12 drill instructors at the school had, since January this year, been collecting GH¢10 from each of the 232 recruits every month. But the drill officers denied the allegation, saying it was being perpetrated out of malice and hatred. The Commissioner of Police (COP) responsible for Administration at the Police Headquarters, Ms Rose Bio Atinga, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Paul Tawiah Quaye, had directed an immediate investigation into the matter. She said although the suspected culprits had denied the allegation, the IGP wanted a thorough investigation into it, since it did not augur well for the police. Without any prejudice to the outcome of the investigations, Ms Atinga said the Police Administration would have preferred that the information was passed on to the Police Headquarters for a more clandestine investigation to be conducted, since the problem could be widespread. She explained that when the information was put out in the public domain, the culprits would attempt to thwart the investigations in a bid to cover up. Ms Atinga, however, said the Police Administration was not taking the allegation lightly, hence the investigation. She appealed to members of the public or any recruit who was being coerced into paying money for legitimate services to report the matter to the Police Administration. She said a similar investigation was underway to deal with allegations of bribe-taking by some policemen to facilitate recruitment into the Ghana Police Service.

LABOUR SCENE BOILS AGAIN

Page 7: Daily Graphic, May 29, 2012 MEMBERS of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) have again interrupted the peaceful industrial front with the announcement of a strike over what they describe as feet-dragging by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) in addressing their concerns pertaining to their migration onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS). Not long ago, POTAG was in the news demanding that its members be put on the same level as members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) on the SSSS. It is sad that POTAG did not inform its employer, the Ministry of Education, before embarking on the action. It is interesting that members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) who have similar concerns over distortions in the SSSS chose to protest and lodge an official complaint with the appropriate authorities. The GMA then served a two-week notice to take a firm decision on what action to take if its concerns were not addressed. The Daily Graphic has, on numerous occasions, raised concerns over the frequent industrial actions by workers or groups to force the government to meet their demands. We have always maintained that nobody goes to the negotiating table with entrenched positions. It is our candid opinion that no group of workers should hold the nation to ransom. Whatever the challenges, we believe workers can use the grievance procedure to seek redress. Why would members of POTAG choose to go on strike when students are about to write their examinations? Are they suggesting that they are using the students as their bargaining chip? Ghana’s forward march to economic success seems to have suffered a jolt with the sky-rocketing depreciation of the cedi resulting from the mad rush for the dollar over fears of electoral violence in the run-up to the December elections. The importation of every conceivable item is also responsible for the free fall of the cedi. However legitimate strikes may be, we believe the right procedures must be followed. That is why the Daily Graphic thinks that negotiations hold the key to resolving any misunderstanding, not compelling a party to cede to one’s demands through blackmail, such as the use of strikes. The GMA has shown the way by not only making known its complaints but also following the due process of protesting and lodging official complaints. The two-week ultimatum given may be too short a notice, but we believe the association has shown the way. Even if it decides to embark on an industrial action, which we hope it will not, the GMA will attract more public sympathy than POTAG will. All workers desire better conditions of service, but this should not be done to the detriment of the public good. The Daily Graphic, therefore, entreats all those involved in disputes to explore the benefits of dialogue in order not to disrupt productive activities in the country and retard the development process. We also urge the FWSC, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department and the Ministry of Education to take steps to resolve the grievances of polytechnic teachers. Complaints against the FWSC are becoming one too many and we believe it will be in its interest and that of the nation if it becomes more proactive. We urge members of POTAG to reconsider their action, return to the classroom in the interest of their students and follow the due process to seek redress for their grievances.