CPP WILL WIN 2016

Prof. Edmund Delle

By Ekow Mensah

Professor Edmund Delle does not want to be left out the horde of politicians who see nothing but victory for their own political parties on December 7, 2016.

He said “Nobody should take us for granted. We are contesting this election to win and we will win massively and send Greenstreet to the Flagstaff House as President of Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana”.

In an interview at the manifesto launch of the Party, Professor Delle said only the CPP has the answers to the social, economic and political problems confronting the people of Ghana.

“Our manifesto shows the way to prosperity for all Ghanaians irrespective of their political, social and economic background”, he said.

“We are an Nkrumaist party and that means that the welfare of the people, the ordinary masses is our only goal”.

“We are not like the other political parties whose sole concern is to maximize the profits of big businesses and leave the ordinary citizen poor forever”, he said.

Professor Delle promised that the CPP will continue from where Nkrumah left in 1966 and take Ghana to the very apex of development and prosperity.

Editorial

2016 ELECTION

The 2016 election is fast approaching and in less than four weeks; the people of Ghana will have to make significant choices of persons and organisations which will superintend over the national development process for four years.

These are not easy choices and they ought to be made very careful.

Perhaps recent examples around the world can teach us a few important lessons about how we should all approach election 2016.

In the United States of America, a most unlikely candidate, Donald Trump has just been elected as President with dire consequences for his country and people.

Not too long ago the people of Nigeria also elected a President who in less than six months earned the nick name “Go Slow”.

Even the wife of this President proclaims that she will not campaign for him again.

There is the case of Boris Yelsin who was also popularly elected but reduced the Russian people to nothing more than willing appendages of the West.

Whatever choices we make on October 7 will have consequences and we must make them with clear minds.

NO WATER FOR PALESTINE

Ramallah, occupied West Bank - EnasTaha, a resident of the Palestinian village of Kafr al-Deek in the occupied West Bank, has become desperate.

“Since the [water] crisis started in June, the municipality has been able to supply water for only one hour twice a week,” Taha told Al Jazeera. “I am checking the weather forecast every day; they announced rain three weeks ago, but it has not come yet. The only thing I can do is to pray to God.”

Many West Bank communities are facing similar problems, amid an acute water shortage that has lasted for months. In the Salfit, Jenin and Hebron governorates, some villages have gone as long as 40 days in a row without running water.

In mid-July, residents in the Bethlehem area staged a sit-in for days to protest against the shortages, sparking clashes between Palestinian youths and Israeli forces.

“It is a very stressful situation. I have to consider and prioritise every single drop of water I use,” Taha said. “We have barely enough to drink, cook, shower and use the bathroom. Sometimes I don’t do the laundry or clean the house for weeks. It is hot and dusty. This is exhausting.”

We have been facing shortages for decades, and the reason is not natural, but man-made – meaning the Israeli occupation and Israeli control over water resources in the Palestinian territories.DeebAbdelghasoul, PWA’s director of the water resources department.

Some Palestinians have joked that the water bill collector comes to their homes more often than water. As demand rises, the cost of drinking water has skyrocketed, with some families spending up to 30 percent of their meagre incomes to purchase it.

Israel implements a policy of water cuts each summer, but this year, it reached an unprecedented peak. In early June, Israeli water company Mekorot informed the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) of summertime supply cuts totalling more than 50 percent – and the cuts, while not as dramatic, remain in effect today, more than a month after the official end of summer.

“We are in regular contact with [Mekorot] to find a solution, but they constantly give us different excuses, such as the increase in demand, rising temperature, etc,” DeebAbdelghafour, the PWA’s director of the water resources department, told Al Jazeera.

The notion that the region is suffering from water scarcity is a myth, he added:

“We have been facing shortages for decades, and the reason is not natural, but man-made – meaning the Israeli occupation and Israeli control over water resources in the Palestinian territories.”

Israeli officials have stated that water resources are shared equally in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, a unit in the Israeli army, noted that Israel provides 64 million cubic metres of water to the Palestinians annually, even though it is only obliged to provide 30 million under the Oslo accords.

However, disparity is evident in the lush gardens, parks and swimming pools in illegal Israeli settlements. The key difference is that Palestinian villages in the West Bank are not connected to the national water grid, relying instead on local underground supplies.

Palestinians living in remote areas have been hit the hardest by the ongoing water crisis, as access roads are often poor and the additional costs of delivery result in higher prices.

“We need special 4×4 trucks to drive on the unpaved roads, and it can take up to two hours to reach the communities,” said Hafez Hureini, a resident of at-Tuwani village and leader of the South Hebron Hills Popular Committee.

Over the summer, Israeli media reported that illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank were also suffering from daily disruptions to water supplies, prompting the Israeli government to establish a new drilling site, Ariel 1, which would provide 250 cubic metres of water per hour.

AbdelrahmanTamimi, director of the Palestinian Hydrology Group for Water and Environmental Resources Development, said that this was not where water was needed the most.

“The wells should be drilled where there is important demand, such as north and south of Jenin, south of Hebron, or northwest of the Jordan valley. Why in Ariel, I wonder, as a hydrologist? There is already a well there; they can simply improve its capacity … [This measure] was definitely not designed to supply Palestinian communities,” Tamimi told Al Jazeera.

In the meantime, Israel has accused Palestinians of tapping into pipes, with the Israeli Water Authority asserting that 5,000 cubic metres of water is stolen every day by Palestinians.

“We are aware there is water theft … However, we should ask ourselves why are the people stealing water? Simply because they are thirsty,” Abdelghafour said.

At the same time, increased water demands owing to growing Israeli and Palestinian populations is stretching the limits of existing water infrastructure. Most of the water network was installed in 1967, when Israel occupied the West Bank. Today, the diameters of the pipes are inadequate, and the system is reaching the end of its life cycle.

“Even to upgrade infrastructure in Area A and B is a headache,” Abdelghafour said. “They [Israel] impose long and complicated procedures in order to issue permits to import the smallest pieces or equipment.”

Data released by the Israeli Water Authority shows that a large expansion in agriculture in the settlements has led to an estimated rise of 20 to 40 percent in water consumption this year.

“The [Palestinian Authority] has no solution for the water crisis. In my opinion, Israel has used this summer to put more pressure on us to purchase desalinated water, so they can allocate groundwater for the settlements and their future expansion,” Tamimi said.

Since 2005, five desalination plants have been built in Israel, now producing approximately 50 percent of the country’s water supply.

“We don’t want to substitute water from desalination plants for our historical rights to all shared water resources,” Abdelghafour said. “Once we have our basic rights, based on equitable allocation of resources and international law, then we can think of other development options, such as desalination or treatment of waste water.”

The original source of this article is Al Jazeera

 A REFLECTION OF CALMNESS IN GHANA

Nana Akufo Addo, NPP Presidential Candidate

By Dora Addy

‘It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it’ – Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States.

Ghana has long stuck to democratic principles of governance, and adhered to international standards of running its people; the adoption of a constitution that spells out the rights of its people, as well as determining the powers of rulers.

The strategic devices that aims at securing a productive society, through peace, are the very instruments of a functioning government; all departments and arms of government, contribute to the peace effort within any country.

The strong supports to uphold the national efforts at sustainable peace is what has been the assignment of all past governments in the country.

In advancing and sustaining our peace efforts, we should always remember history; it is good to have a reference point, to avoid future repetitions of those errors to national development, while painting images of a brighter tomorrow.

Conflicts do bear a severe outcome on national development, and pushes back any good records achieved prior to those unrests. Having unrest is a sign that there is deficiency in the manning of security within a territory; probably a lack of finite information of the security apparatus.

Since winning independence nearly six decades ago, our experience with civil unrest has been incessant and somewhat sporadic, especially after the first overthrow of the constitutional government of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

As we celebrate International Day of Peace, it is good to make some reflections and considerations on both problems and solutions to national peace.

COUP D’ETATS

Coup d’états continue to riddle most African nations today. Many have been displaced by violence, and what is left of such nations are only memories of things past. While it takes a lot of effort-both financial and social, to build a lasting democracy, it also takes just a few men to destroy what has been built.

Ghana has had five events of coup d’états, and one failed attempt, and one failed attempt, all spanning from February 1966 to December 31, 1981.

President John Mahama

The overthrow of any constitutionally chosen leader underscores the weak security around that leader, and the frail support systems that are to help maintain a serene public order. No man comes into power, only to be subverted. But that has been the case over the years, with many Ghanaian leaders.

Coup d’états are not only vile in nature; but to an extent, also speak loudly of the strong democratic practices, before any occurrence of civil unrest. Largely, coup d’états determine the outlook of a people on their states, and more, the quality of any people.

With armed knowledge about the effects of conflicts, any good citizen would immediately understand the implications of violence and refrain from it.

CONSTITUTIONS

Constitutions provide a great way to secure peaceful leadership and governance. Although they can be subverted, they however provide the strict measures to which public and its structures must be organized, and more, the meting out of severe punishments to offenders of national security.

Ghana has had five constitutions from independence; the 1957 Constitution, 1960, 1969, 1979 and the present 1992 Constitution, which has provided the much-needed rights for many.

Whenever there is war, the existing Constitution of that country has been overthrown as well. Constitutions therefore represent the democratic stand and authority of any given state.

PUBLIC UNREST THROUGH DEMONSTRATIONS

Violent protests first hit the nation, at the time the country was called British Gold Coast,  where in the 1948 riots, civilians and soldiers were killed in a five-day public disturbance.

In demonstration of the high cost of living in Ghana, especially the creation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) many Ghanaians mobilized themselves for the ‘Kumepreko’ demonstration in Accra, in 1995, in the capital, Accra. The scene was a bloody one and many innocent lives were lost.

The Kokomba-Nanumba conflict in Ghana, in 1994 was sparked by the use of farmlands against landlords. The conflict left about 2,000 people dead, while about 150,000 lost their homes, according to refworld.org reports. The Rawlings administration quelled the fight by 1995. But by then several people had lost their livelihood, although the government had tried incessantly to push for peace talks.

Although non-violent, the current power crisis in Ghana has sparked many protests, and many other sectors have been affected by protests. Currently is the ongoing debate about the sale of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), which has already drawn protests from its workers.

Recounting civil unrest and its popularity with the masses, there have been instances where some of these incidences have arrested international attention. The severity of public unrest reaches an overwhelming level when such occurrences cause the deaths of other people; those involved and others who may not be included.

In Ghana public protests have been used very often to register dissenting views. Though it becomes violent sometimes, it is one of the popular means to get the attention of rulers. Violence in itself, is not a favourable means to address the problems that affect people. Violence is not the best weapon to use to provide solutions to the problems in society.

But very often, when the needs of people are not being addressed through the use of good communication, violence becomes the best weapon.

TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

To manage a public system without a good level of accountability would always breed strife and contention among the people.

One of the best ways of ensuring peace is to allow leaders to be accountable to the people. The masses need to feel included in the running of national affairs. The masses want to believe they are being treated fairly and that irresponsible men in government are being brought to justice when they go against the law.

The Government of Ghana, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has helped to facilitate approval of the National Anti-Corruption Action Plan (NACAP), in order to promote transparency and accountability in its service to the people.

Through the same effort 35 state attorneys have received training on the prosecution of corruption and money laundering cases.

Transparency and accountability should be used genuinely in modern governance.

ELECTION VIOLENCE

Electoral violence has deep effects of starting national conflicts. The Centre for African Democratic Affairs (CADA) has mentioned that events currently threatening election operations in the country are likely to lead to chaos and violence if care is not taken.

The group also mentioned that events of violence during elections in the past four years had been violent, and mostly perpetrated my militant groups. Unfortunately, there has been no prosecution of any kind, and this only encourages others to indulge in violence, the more.

The Centre for Democratic Development (CDD) has also mentioned that violence could erupt again, in relation to the Talensi, Upper East, violence that broke during the bye-election of a Member of Parliament.

The northern regions of Ghana are much prone to election violence. While other regions may experience some violence, the three northern regions bear the highest records.

ARMS CONTROL

The proliferation of arms is an issue to consider, when protecting peace. The easy access to arms by civilians is a great danger to public peace. Especially during this election period, great care must be taken to avert violence, because, many civilians now have access to dangerous weapons.

Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah

The National Commission on Small Arms (NACSA), was established by an Act of Parliament in 2007, (Act 736), to deal with matter on Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW), and among other things provide sensitization to the public on the dangers of proliferation of small arms to our peace, security and development.

Arms are being manufactured in Ghana, raising more concerns about national security, and while every region in the country has a manufacturing company, the National Commission on Small Arms (NACSA), working to control arms in the country, is tightening securities at national armouries, enhancing weapon marking and tracing, and also increasing intelligence gathering to enhance the work of security agencies.

The NACSA has also embarked on a number of interventions to prevent arms proliferation in Ghana, amongst which the current laws on arms and ammunition will be reviewed, to meet international best practice.

MEDIA

The media in Ghana wields a lot of power, and is provided with lots of freedom to do its work. However, the media must take upon itself, the responsibility of protecting national peace.

 The media has the power to hold or break peace. Public perceptions are greatly influenced by media. Information is abundant and so are media forms. While some media aspects are more controlled by law, example the print media, other sources of information coming from more free sources as social media, are less curtailed and to a large extent can create conflict through the free expressions it exhibits.

Media can be prone to propaganda through its use by certain political figures to manipulate information. While content is being fed to the masses, it must be noted the kind of information been given; whether it is genuine, or just to incite others to criminal actions.

True media practice must fight for national peace, and not reinforce circumstances that will create national violence.

Setting the agenda for public discourse is a process that should be done with public security in mind. Accuracy, truth and fair reporting must be the hallmark; the standard setting for any journalistic venture.

THE QUALITY OF THE MASSES

The tenets of Government that provide information to the public, National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) for example, are also strengthening efforts to sensitize the public about national affairs. This year for instance the NCCE held a week-long event to promote democracy and peace in Ghana in its Constitution Week.

The 2009 poll results drew a protest because the then ruling party had lost, and its supporters were furious.  However, the resort to the courts to settle the dispute brought much peace.

With improvement of the quality of the masses, an achievement largely related to media activities in sensitizing the people, the country is getting better, and most people have come to understand the implications of conflicts and violence and would rather refrain from it.

In adopting effective measures to retain peace in the country, we are still very cautious of the possibility of violence. The country has gone to great lengths to entrench the much-needed systems that would avert future coups, through involving all in the running of government, and developing policies to better the lives of the citizens.

The continuous efforts to provide education to the masses, the strong entrenchment of human rights, the adoption of peaceful means of resolving conflicts and the provision of platforms of accountability spells peace. But retaining calmness is a teamwork between rulers and the ruled; each playing an effective and determined role to ensure peace.