President Mills Cannot See The Problem

By Sydney Casely-Hayford, Sydney@bizghana.com

As far back as July 2009 I wrote a piece on the Quality Grain Rice saga, which triggered a $22million loss to the Government of Ghana.  I wrote that piece under a series which I themed “A Guide to Corruption”.  The link to the article is here.  http://www.modernghana.com/news/230489/1/a-guide-to-corruption-in-ghana.html

When Mr. Atta Mills was made Vice President and put in charge of the economic management team, he inherited the Quality Grain Rice project. He later testified to a court presided over by Justice D. K. Afreh in April 2003, that “ …. throughout my four years as vice president, there was no project which occupied more of my time than this Quality Grain Project”.

There were many red flags all over the case at the time and they were all ignored.  The government failed to join in several suits against Ms. Cotton.  They (Government) did not accept the FBI’s (who finally prosecuted and jailed Ms. Cotton in the USA) invitation to sue Ms. Cotton.  Prof. Mills said the reason for inaction was because the Government “had a “trump” card” – a deed of indemnity and a floating charge on assets.

The Hydra-Headed Woyome, Caveat Emptor

By Sydney Casely-Hayford, Sydney@bizghana.com

We are going through a Governance litmus test.  At the end of 2012 Ghana will have transitioned its fledgling democracy to a nation state where the rule of law has finally become a true pillar for fighting corruption; and politicians will finally realize that we will change our Government when we are dissatisfied with economic progress and governance.

Woyome has made history and the NDC Government will remember him not for the word “gargantuan” in the media but the impact he will have on our democracy from the ghc518million gifted to him.

Beware bards bidding to take charge of court

 By Christopher Caldwell, New York Times

When Youssou N’Dour announced this week that he would run in Senegal’s presidential elections next month, the singer probably surprised his neighbours more than his western fans. Mr N’Dour is Senegal’s most famous citizen. He has performed with Peter Gabriel and Sting. He cuts a more imposing figure on the world stage than Abdoulaye Wade, who at 85 is running for a third term as president. In poor countries, singers have often been tribunes of the people. They find themselves drawn into politics. Two singers ran (or tried to) in Haiti’s last election. The polygamist composer Fela Kuti thought he would make a good president in Nigeria three decades ago and so did the salsa musician Rubén Blades in Panama in the 1990s. Mr N’Dour comes from a family of west African griots, or praise-singers. Why shouldn’t he run?

Stigmatization: a diversionary political strategy

By Prosper Yao Tsikata

The recent revolting development in Ghanaian politics, whereby stigmatization of certain individuals for perceived or real “abnormalities” is fast becoming a diversionary scheme to distract from the gigantic developmental issues that confront our country.

When news broke out in the run-up to the 2008 general elections that then National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate, John Evans Atta-Mills, was sick and hallucinating, party aficionados saw it as a propagandist scheme by the ruling government to stigmatize him in order to declare him unfit for the highest office of the land. While there are constitutional provisions that prohibit the sick from holding office, especially if the sickness potentially impedes his/her ability to discharge the duties of the presidential office, the accusation could be regarded as speculative in the absence of any tangible evidence.

Jarreth Merz’s Movie : An African Election

ADDRESSING THE FLAWS OF ORGANIZING ELECTIONS IN AFRICA By Ben Ofosu Appiah

After watching Jarreth Merz’s internationally acclaimed movie, An African Election, and all the commentary and interviews about it, I realized how close we were to violence in 2008 presidential and parliamentary elections. One interview that caught my attention was the one conducted by Paul Adom Otchere of Metro TV. The interviewer made a lot out of having cameras in the EC strong room and I ask myself: What’s the fuss about having cameras in the EC strong room?

Jarreth Merz did a great job by filming the EC strong room during the 2008 elections for his acclaimed movie; “An African Election”.

Côte d’Ivoire: Gbagbo’s ICC Transfer Advances Justice

Promptly Investigate Ouattara Camp’s Crimes as Well

(Nairobi, November 29, 2011) – The transfer of former President Laurent Gbagbo to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague for his alleged role in international crimes during Côte d’Ivoire’s devastating post-election violence is a major step toward ensuring justice, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch called on the ICC prosecutor to move swiftly on investigations for grave crimes committed by forces allied with the current president, Alassane Ouattara.

The Dangers of Military Commercialisation in Ghana

Credit: IMANI Ghana (syndicated through www.Africanliberty.org)

After our initial “alert”, we had resolved at IMANI not to comment again on the decision by the Ghana Armed Forces to set up a holding company as a mechanism for owning and running commercial enterprises.

It is clear that there has emerged a certain elite consensus about the matter, and till now no one has pointed us to an explicit law or regulation that prohibits the military from engaging in business with profit as the focus (let us not split hairs over the matter, commercial enterprises have profit and monetary reward to shareholders as their cardinal objectives).

Sunyani-Memeneda ne FONKAR

By Sydney Casely-Hayford, Sydney@bizghana.com

In the Akan tradition swearing a great oath is a marked feature of court procedure.  Employed as a way of bringing to the notice of a chief, for punishment of a wrong-doer, an offence that has been committed.  An oath usually alludes to a misfortune or disaster of the past, which involved a considerable loss of life to the tribe.

In Akwapim, the main oath is called Wukuda ne Sokode and refers to the great loss by the Akwapims in a town called Sokode about a hundred years ago.  The Great Oath of Ashanti is Kormante ne Memeneda.  It refers to the great loss of lives and defeat of the Ashanti by the Fante in Kormante on a Saturday.

Most oaths refer to tragic events of a kind in the history of an organized group.

Our Political Leaders Must Seek ‘Intellectual Wisdom’ from the Electorate

By Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang, Hull. UK.

Since time immemorial, Ghanaians have been speaking with their chests out to portray to the whole world, especially their counterparts in the sub-region that they are indeed unique creatures. They base their pride on the rich human resource, abundant natural resources, cultural heritage, religious tolerance and even the democratic environment that they have nurtured. Before 1957, the country was called the Gold Coast (Land of Gold) in apparent reference to the abundance of gold deposits along her coast. Currently, Ghana ranks second to South Africa in gold production in Africa. Talk about politics and the proud Ghanaian will boast that Ghana was the first to win political independence in the sub-Saharan Africa.

The NDC Is Not NDC Without It’s Core Values: Probity And Accountability

By Ben Ofosu-Appiah, Tokyo, JAPAN

With the NDC delegates conference in Sunyani over and the endorsement of  Attah Mills peace is supposed to return to the party and all factions are supposed to join hands, close ranks and work together in unity. However it is easier said than done and it looks like it is not going to be easy to mend fences.  The refusal of Nana Konadu to concede defeat, congratulate the winner, raise his hand, give a concession speech and pledge support to Mills for the 2012 campaign is something that is going to hurt the NDC as 2012 approaches. Nana Konadu should have been graceful in defeat and Mills humble in victory.