Height Advantage

By Ekow Mensah

Can you believe this?Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, former Member of Parliament and a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) says Nana Akufo Addo has many advantages in the contest for the leadership of the party.

And one of those advantages is the fact that he is “a shortman”.

“Being short is one of the greatest advantages that Nana Akufo Addo has in this race” he said.

He added “when short people grow old, it is difficult to tell. They can still walk straight and carry on the pretence of being young.

“ I tell you, this is the great advantage  of Nana Akufo Addo”  he said on Adom Fm.

 Mr Kofi Jumah is one of the leaders of the NPP who has declared support for the candidature of Nana Akufo Addo.

Others include, the General Secretary, Mr Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, and former Member of Parliament P.C Appiah Ofori.

Nana Akufo Addo is now 69 years old and would be 72 years old at by 2016.

If he wins the elections he will be 76 years at the end of his term.

Mr. Appiah Ofori has described those opposed to Nana’s candidature on grounds of age as “idiots” and “irresponsible “.

He compared Nana Akufo-Addo to President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and said emphatically that “Nana is much younger than Mugabe”

Mr. Appiah- Ofori was speaking on Radio Gold’s morning show.

He said he would firmly support the candidature of Nana.

Mr. Owusu Afriyie has said that he would support Akufo Addo even if he is in a wheel chair.

SFG DAMNS US EMBASSY

A Statement On The Us Embassy’s Call On Ghana To Condemn Syria

US Ambassador Gene Cretz

The United States is at it again; doing what it does best-bullying dependent nations to toe its bellicose line of action in international politics.

A case in point is the call on Ghana by the United States embassy to join the so-called international community to condemn Syria on its alleged use of chemical weapons against its own people.

The United States so far has not been able to provide any shred of evidence directly linking the Syrian government with the chemical attack thus the use of such bland statements and words like “unclassified intelligence”, “the Arab league has decided to hold the Syrian regime fully responsible for this crime”, “the regime must be legally and morally held accountable for this heinous crime”.

These are barren claims that do not get to the substantive issue already stated: Where is the evidence?

The US has not been able to provide this evidence yet would want to bully the Mahama administration into condemning Syria. The most ridiculous of these statements is from Secretary John Kerry, “The question is not what we know but what we are going to do about it”. In other words there is no reason to establish the facts of the Syrian government guilt in this matter. What is important is to obey orders. If this does not smack of arrogance and disrespect for Ghanaians what else can it be? Can anybody think of the Ghanaian embassy in the U.S asking the White House to do the same thing?

But need we be surprised? The history of the U.S in its relations with other governments is replete with such lies. In the Iraqi war it claimed Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but when it finally occupied Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction except the ones which existed in the mind of George Bush.

While spewing bellicose language, the U.S is at the same time also commending Ghana for its commitment to the rule of law, democratic processes, and peaceful resolution of the election dispute. If the U.S is indeed interested in the peaceful resolution of the problems why is it massing up its arsenal in the Mediterranean, and why did it torpedo all attempts at a peaceful resolution of the Syrian conflict?

Clearly the U.S is not interested in peace except the kind of peace that leads to the mass destruction of life, property and displacement of populations.

As Socialists, we understand that war is an inherent feature in the capitalist system of production especially its variant monopoly capital.

We know the end result of the bellicose stance of the United States is to provoke a war with Syria to bolster the profits of the military industrial complex; throttle the genuine struggles of the Arab people against Israel led by Syria and eventually attack Iran.

The Socialist Forum of Ghana would therefore want to state that for as long as capitalism exist the working class would always be enlisted by the ruling class to fight wars for the beneficiaries of capitalism i.e, the owning class.

The Forum unreservedly condemns the United States for trying to bully the Ghana Government into condemning Syria; and showing gross disrespect to Ghanaians.

………………………………………

Aidan Adongo

For Convener.

Contact: 0234405848

 DISCRIMINATION

- US EMBASSY AGAINST MUSLIMS?

National Chief Imam, Sheik Omar Nuhu Shaributu

By Christian Kpesese

A group of Ghanaian Muslims who have won the American Visa Lottery have accused the America Embassy of discriminating against them in granting visas for no apparent reasons.

 The victims numbering about 300 claimed that they have fully met all the requirements necessary to be granted visas including clearance affidavit from the Police of any criminal records, and a medical report at the instance of the embassy.

According to the victims all conditions prescribed for the process including passing interviews have also been satisfied and they could therefore not understand why they have been put on hold by the embassy for several months.

The applicants maintained that, it is only Ghanaians bearing Muslims names that are being put on hold; and wondered why the US Embassy is discriminating against them.

They also alleged that other applicants who applied together with them bearing other Ghanaians names have all been granted their visas except them (the Muslims).

The frustrations of the victims are understandable since the opportunity will end soon. The year long Visa lottery exercise which began in 0ctober, 2012 will end by the close of September, 2013.

The applicants are very much worried because the embassy has not issued any official document disqualifying them; and yet, has refused to grant them their visas when the end of the exercise is almost near.

As evidence the victims produced several checklists issued by the American Embassy on different dates since January, 2013 bearing Muslim names who have been asked to hold on as the basis for their fear, and prove of the allegation of discrimination against them.

 Almost all the checklists indicated that the applicants have indeed met the requirements and are only awaiting results of the administrative process for the issuance of visas since January, 2013.

  Unfortunately for these applicants, the embassy has not issued any notice whatsoever to indicate when exactly the administrative process will end for the results to come out to enable them access their visas before travelling to America in order to beat the deadline.

``I am afraid and worried because I have spent $ 330.00 non-refundable visa processing fee, and GHC500.00 medical examination fee which I will not get back despite the fact that I met the entire requirements to be granted visa’’. Said, Alhassan.

``What the US Embassy is doing is not fair; this is clear discrimination, why are they threatening us like that?’’. Issah lamented.

 Issah is one of the frustrated victims whose visa has been placed on hold since January 2013.

The victims have concluded that, the American Embassy is deliberately refusing to grant them the visas because they are considered by the US as a threat.

They however appealed to the Consulate to act promptly to enable them realize their dream.

Checks conducted at various Travels and Tour Organizations in the country who served as consultants to the applicants to validate the allegation confirmed the woes of their clients bearing Muslim names in accessing American visas.

According to the consultants, they have received complaints from their clients who bear Muslim names about the discrimination being meted to them by the US embassy.

When contacted the Information Officer at the Public Relations Department of the US embassy Jeanne Clark debunked the allegations and said the embassy has not and will not discriminate against any group of people.

According to her, the congress mandated Visa Program annually made available up to 55,000 Diversity Visas (DVs) to persons who met the eligibility requirements from countries with low penetration rate to the US.

She stated that all entries received from all regions across the world at the end of the exercise are individually numbered and then subjected to a computerized random selection process till the required number is met.

 The selection process she noted cannot be interfered with to warrant any form of discrimination let alone against Muslims as being alleged.

``All entries have equal chance of being selected’’. She said.

She also claimed that the applicants were each given a letter at the selection interview explaining their status.

Madam Clark indicated that, Muslim dominated countries with low penetration rate to the US have been greater beneficiaries of the program.