JINAPOR PLEDGES: “I WON’T LET AKUFO-ADDO DOWN”

Abu Jinapor

By Godwin A. Allotey

Samuel Abu Jinapor, a newly appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, has promised not to let President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo down for the trust reposed in him.

Akufo-Addo in announcing his administrative staff named Mr. Jinapor and Francis Asenso-Boakye as deputies to the first female Chief of Staff, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare.

He also made other appointments including his Secretary, Director of Operations, Director of Communications at the Presidency among others.

An elated Jinapor while expressing his excitement over the appointment on the Point Blank segment on Eyewitness News, said he will discharge his duties as expected of him.

“…this is extraordinary confidence he’s reposed in me, it’s not a decision that is taken lightly so you dare not let the president down. I intend not to let his government down, I intend not to let the people of this country down, and for that matter not to let myself down. I intend to bring the best that anyone can on the table in this regard,” he added.

Some members of the New Patriotic Party, which will take over the administration of Ghana on January 7, 2016, took to social media to criticize Akufo-Addo’s decision to appoint Jinapor for such a position, prior to the official announcement.

But in his response, Mr. Jinapor said he takes such criticisms in good faith because it challenges him to even do better.

“There were those observations, apprehensions and criticisms; but this is the way I come to it; I think that everybody is entitled to their view in a democracy and therefore I respect the views expressed. We all cannot agree on a particular issue. The most important thing is that the President-elect had expressed enormous confidence in me and I’m very grateful.”

“There are many others who want the president to succeed and therefore they are allowed to have apprehensions and anxiety. I just take that as a challenge and the way I see it is to first of all not to let the president down,” Mr. Jinapor added.

About Jinapor

Samuel Abu Jinapor is 33 years old. He first graduated from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics.

He earned a Bachelor’s of Law from the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, in 2010, and was subsequently called to the Ghanaian Bar as a Solicitor and Barrister of the Supreme Court of Ghana in 2012.

In addition, Mr. Jinapor is expected to earn a Master’s Degree in Law (LLM) in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) from the Faculty of Law, University Of Ghana, in May, 2017.

He is a member of the reputable commercial and corporate law firm, Messrs. Kulendi @ Law. He has been since his undergraduate days, a close aide of the President-Elect.

Editorial

CALL THEM TO ORDER

The “Invisible Forces” were a menace to opponents of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s opponents when the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was languishing in the opposition.

These perceived opponents were molested, beaten and wounded by the so- called “Invisible Forces” who were reported to have set vehicles ablaze on some occasions.

Many people decided not to have anything to do with the NPP on account of the conduct of the “Invisible Forces” and Dr Mohammed Chambas, the Representative of the UN secretary-General in West Africa made a call for all private militia to be disbanded.

Whiles some party leaders condemned the actions of the invisible forces, others justified the hooliganism.

A few days ago, there were reports that the “Invisible Forces” were on the rampage at the Flagstaff House where they assaulted a police officer and tore his uniform into shreds.

Other reports spoke of acts of hooliganism committed by some members of the forces at the Passport Office, NADMO and the Tema Harbour.

The Insight condemns these unlawful acts which can plunge Ghana into chaos and urge the Akufo –Addo administration to call them to order.

All private militia ought to be disbanded immediately.

NPPS 2017 BUDGET OUT SOON

Ken Ofori Atta, Finance Minister Designate

By Ekow Mensah

Reliable sources within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) hint that Nana Akufo Addo has put together a very strong team to prepare the national budget for 2017.

Although the exact date for the presentation of the budget to parliament has not been disclosed, public expectation is very high and it is strongly believed that it will bring about substantial relief to many Ghanaians.

The team believed to be working on the budget include, Mr Ken Ofori Atta of Data Bank, Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo former Minister of Finance, Mr Anthony Akoto Osei, former Minister of state for Finance and several others.

It is expected that a substantial reduction in petroleum prices and utility bills will be announced in the budget.

The NPP has also promised to reduce corporate tax from 25 percent to 20 percent.

It is expected to remove import duties on raw materials and machinery for production within the context of the ECOWAS common External ((CET) Protocol.

The special import levy is to be abolished along with the 17.5 per cent VAT on imported medicines.

The 17.5 per cent VAT on Financial Services, 5 per cent VAT on Real Estates sales as well as the 17.5 percent  VAT on domestic airline ticket are also to be abolished.

The Akufo Addo government has also promised to reduce VAT from micro and small enterprises from 17.5 per cent to 3 per cent. The Government may also announce the allocation of funds for free secondary schools.

 It is not clear whether budgetary allocation will be made for promised projects such as one dam for every village in the Northern and the provision of US $1 million for every constituency.

Leading members of the NPP, including Nana Akomea, Director of communication have hinted that big projects such as the one district one factory promised by Nana Akufo-Addo may have to wait.

Nana Akomea said on “Metro TV” that those big projects will need more serious planning and execution.

Whatever the NPP does with 2017 budget, it has to bear in mind that the expectation of the people of Ghana are very high.

MINORITY SPITS FIRE ON AKUFO ADDO’S INAUGURAL SPEECH

President Akufo Addo 

Below is the full text of a statement issues by the minority Caucus in parliament on President Akufo Addo’s inaugural address.

On the 7th of January 2017, the newly elected President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, delivered his Inaugural Speech as the fifth President of the Fourth Republic in consonance with the tenets of established protocols of the State. 

However, it has emerged that upon a careful reading of the written text of the said speech, His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo failed to publicly acknowledge certain key sources of material information as contained in the speech in question. Further scrutiny so far reveals that several paragraphs in President Nana Addo’s inaugural address contained word for word liftings from speeches ever presented by President John F. Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush Jnr. and President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Minority in Parliament like most well-meaning Ghanaians is deeply saddened and outraged by this development which has brought Ghana shame and subjected us to intense ridicule.

This monumental plagiarism scandal which has now assumed international dimensions with major global news networks including CNN, BBC, AlJazeera, Reuters, Washington Post, Metro News, Nairobi News, Vanguard of Nigeria and Yahoo News all casting Ghana in bad light has clearly tarnished the image of Ghana abroad and brought upon this great nation untold embarrassment never witnessed in the aftermath of a Presidential inauguration.

It is depressing to observe that the goodwill that Ghana had been enjoying within the international community since our successful December 7 election and transition all appear to have been squandered by this singular act of sloppy intellectual theft.

It is indeed shocking that for a presidential campaign that anchored its core message on competence and incorruptibility will on its first day in office fall short of its pledge in such a spectacularly disgraceful manner.

If the NPP Government cannot exhibit competence in writing its own speeches, how can we trust them to have the competence to fulfil their numerous promises to the electorate? If the NPP Government engages in intellectual property theft on its first day in office, how safe are the resources of this country that have been freshly placed in their care?

Even more worrying is further evidence of plagiarism now coming to the fore pointing to a consistent pattern on the part of President Nana Akufo-Addo dating back to his days as opposition leader.

Another video also  in circulation exposes how then Flagbearer Akufo-Addo lifts statements during his 2013 post Supreme Court verdict address  from Former US Vice President Al Gore's speech after the US Supreme Court verdict on that country's election dispute. 

We urge President Nana Akufo-Addo and his speech writers to be original and realize that they have now formed a Government and it is expected of them to put a stop to this unfortunate practice as it will be very difficult to get away as they may have gotten away in time past. We also expect the new President to exercise diligence and circumspection before reading or signing anything put before him to avoid even more severe consequences to our dear nation.

Considering that this inaugural address was made before us in Parliament in compliance with the Constitution and same having been captured by the Hansard Department as part of the official records of Parliament, the Minority demands that the now infamous plagiarized inaugural address be withdrawn and expunged from Parliamentary records with liberty to resubmit another speech not tainted with fraud and reflecting all attributable sources. The sanctity of Parliament must be respected and preserved and it is our expectation that the new Speaker of Parliament the Rt. Hon. Prof. Aaron Michael Oquaye who thankfully is an academic of some repute will better appreciate the full ramifications of what is before us.

We also wish to remind President Nana Akufo-Addo that Ghana operates an Executive Presidency as clearly stipulated in Articles 57 and 58 of the Constitution and therefore the apology of his Communications Director notwithstanding, we expect him to take personal responsibility and assure the good people of Ghana that he will take concrete steps to ensure that this nation is spared any similar embarrassment in future.

Ghanaians expect of their leaders to, at all times, defend the good image of Ghana, therefore, it is our hope that we will all take steps to mitigate and rescue Ghana - the black star of Africa from the web of ridicule that our nation is being subjected to all over the world and we must not fail them.

Issued in Parliament House on Monday 9th January, 2017 in the year of our Lord on behalf of the Minority Caucus and signed by:

Hon. James Klutse Avedzi
Deputy Minority Leader.

FIDEL CASTRO: A CHAMPION OF SOLIDARITY

Commandante Fidel Castro

By Nuria Barbosa León | internet@granma.cu

 “Fidel not only belongs to Cuba, he belongs to this world of ours, to Our America,” stated eternal President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez Frías, August 13, 2001, while we Cubans know that our leader was bound by neither limits, borders, space, or time.

We were witness to his vocation for solidarity, there following a natural disaster, an act of injustice, a people in need of healthcare, or youth desperate to study. He understood that poverty is eradicated through cooperation, not with bombs.

He made internationalist solidarity a pillar of Cuban foreign policy, and offered support to national liberation movements in Latin America, Africa and Asia in the 1960s.
Algeria was the first country to benefit from Cuban assistance in December 1961, as it fought against French colonial rule.

Another of Cuba’s noteworthy internationalist efforts was the support it offered Angola between 1975 and 1988, when thousands of Cuban combatants helped the young African nation to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity against the schemes of the former Apartheid regime in South Africa, equipped with modern weaponry supplied by western capitalist powers.

The Cuban Revolution, led by Fidel Castro, also supported Vietnam’s resistance to U.S. military intervention in their country and once victory had been achieved, opened up its educational institutions to train thousands of Vietnamese in diverse professions.

The island also welcomed militants from Latin American leftist organizations, forced to seek refuge from persecution by military regimes in the 1970s.

The island’s main contribution has been in the health sector, which has treated and healed millions of disadvantaged people worldwide. In 1960 Cuba sent healthcare professionals to Chile following an earthquake which destroyed the country. By 1963 the first medical brigade had been created, composed of 55 collaborators, who traveled to Algeria to help the people of that nation.

Since then the island has helped to improve health indicators in 158 countries; while some 50,000 professionals are currently offering medical services in over 60 nations worldwide. Other noteworthy results include the country’s Comprehensive Health Program, which has benefited communities across Central America, after the region was hit by a hurricane in 1998, as well as Operation Miracle, which has provided eye surgery to people with few resources in various countries of the so-called Third World.

Meanwhile, the Henry Reeve International Contingent of Doctors Specialized in Disaster Situations and Serious Epidemics, was founded on September 19, 2005, on the proposal of Fidel after Hurricane Katrina struck the southern United States. Although this offer of solidarity assistance was rejected by the country’s President at the time, George W. Bush, the initiative led to the establishment of another 40 brigades, which have responded to emergency situations in 23 countries.

Furthermore, the commendable work of Cuban doctors who combated the lethal Ebola epidemic in West Africa and the mortal cholera virus in Haiti must also be highlighted.

Cuba has trained almost 40,000 health professionals worldwide. Also deserving of mention are the thousands of foreign post-graduate students who have received tutorship and advisory services from Cuban teachers. Likewise, over the last 17 years more than 27,500 students from 89 nations have graduated from the Latin American School of Medicine, a project created by Fidel on November 15, 1999.

Regarding education, in 2003 Cuba designed and implemented the Yo, sí puedo (Yes, I can) literacy method on the proposal of Fidel Castro, with the aim of ending illiteracy worldwide. This program has enabled Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua to eradicate this scourge over the last decade.

The method is implemented in various countries across the continent and world, is available in several languages including French, Creole, Guaraní, and Maorí, and continues to provide thousands with the gift of reading and writing.

During the closing ceremony of the Wold Solidarity with Cuba Encounter, held in Havana on November 25, 1994, Fidel stated, “When we were helping revolutionaries in Central America, the U.S. said that they would lift the blockade if we stopped helping them. Such a thing never crossed our mind. On other occasions they told us that they would be willing to lift the blockade, if we stopped helping Angola and other African countries, and it never crossed our minds to negotiate our relations with other countries. At other times, they said that they would lift the blockade if we broke-off relations with the Soviet Union, and such a thing never crossed our mind, because we are not a party or political leadership that negotiates its principles. At this price, the blockade will never cease to exist, because it’s a price we are unwilling to pay.”

At that time and throughout his life, Fidel vehemently defended Cuba against every form of U.S. aggression. His speeches were exceptional lessons to help guide the masses in how to free ourselves from global capitalist domination.

He met with young people from around the world and the U.S. itself, who defying the criminal laws of the economic blockade of the island, traveled to the country to learn about Cuba’s reality. He spoke with them for many hours, explaining that the Revolution needs the participation of all in every trench, across the entire Planet. Fidel was, and is, an ally of global solidarity. 

“Fidel believes that heaven on Earth is possible,” stated Brazilian friend Frei Betto; we say: “Fidel made heaven on Earth possible, and vice versa.”

BEFORE WIKILEAKS AND EDWARD SNOWDEN, THERE WAS BOBBY FISCHER

Bobby Fisher

Bobby Fisher was indefatigable in his search for the truth. Throughout his life, Fischer looked for a vehicle to take him there. He found one: Chess provided the impetus or means. It does not surprise that later in life he often referred to the game as his 'great paradox'. Soon after his miraculous victory in the mid 70s at Reykjavik Iceland over Russian Grandmaster, Boris Spassky, when he became the youngest World Chess Champion, Bobby Fischer vanished from the global spotlight; without reason he dropped off the world stage.

The media were miffed; and not just those journalists who covered chess. The world's largest media conglomerates, and especially the big three American TV networks were at a loss for words. Other than "Where is Bobby Fischer?" they had nothing to say. None of them offered a plausible explanation as to Fischer's sudden disappearance from 'stardom'. All combined, the MSM could not proffer a cogent thought on what to do about their own irony. The anchors seemed lost. They needed Fischer. Out of their own selfish desires, journalists went on a quest. Like a spring spider's web, they spread out all over the globe looking for him.

Years later, several reporters had sightings of Fischer. So they claimed. Fischer, though a celebrity, was no longer easily recognizable. His appearance had changed. Some said drastically. Whatever reputed photos they published, many or even most depicted Fischer as a recluse. From the grainy snapshots, Fisher looked sullen. Other news outlets referred to him as a 'bum'. How easily people forgot. Fischer's former flatteries all but vanished. The media no longer saw him as a chess prodigy. Americans stopped rooting for him. People lost interest around the globe. In fact, the opposite happened. At first, the insinuations crept in at a snail's pace. It was not long before the 'movement' gained momentum. In no time, the world's media felt little compunction about demonizing him. In America, Fischer went from hero to goat, in less than a New York minute.

Why did the MSM have a change of heart?

Why did the MSM have this abrupt change of heart? Why would so many 'journalists' now cast him in such a pall? Why would his former legion of media as well as chess supporters now smear Fischer with such vitriol when they normally reserved such biased reporting for only villainous outlaws? Instead of answers, media circles stooped even lower. They muddied their own dirty laundry with outright lies. The networks now officially deemed Bobby Fischer as an undesirable maniac. On camera, he was adjudged not just paranoid nor a man afflicted with schizophrenia. Oh no! He was worse than that. In their eyes, Bobby Fischer had gone rogue. Fischer was un-American as Benedict Arnold was earlier. They implied Fischer had defected. He had committed the unpardonable act: he had gone over to the other side. To many, Fischer was essentially a bona fide Soviet agent. Without providing corroborating evidence, the media conjured up the false image that Fischer now spied for America's Cold War enemy.

Could the MSM get away with their acts?

Could the MSM get away with their slanders and libelous acts? They did. Fischer, other than his own personal journal scribbling, did little or nothing to refute the lies. However, why was he so laconic in public? Only now, after his recent death did any intrepid reporters go digging for the truth. It did not take them long either to uncover bobby Fischer's 'untold' story. People close to him, which were not many, provided the insights. From interviews with his former manager, a close career confidant, and his sister, a very different Bobby Fischer emerged. True enough, Fischer early in his adult life felt he was 'followed'. He often complained about his frequent 'tails'. In his travels Fischer always searched his apartment for the 'bugs' or electronic listening devices. When it came to revealing the source about his suspicions that others were spying on his 'activism' and looking into his personal 'beliefs', Fischer offered his candor freely. He did not suspect the Soviets. That meant only the opposite side of the equation was true: his own government did not trust him. Fischer went further. He called them by their names: the CIA, the Pentagon, and the State Department. However, he stopped short. Fischer did not provide the specifics: dates, proof discovered, or any substantive evidence that he even approached the authorities or lodged a complaint.

Regardless of what the MSM may mislead you to believe about this remarkable man and great American, Bobby Fischer remained true to his convictions. He stayed resolute in his search for the truth. Rather than cave to his critics and accept that he was 'sick', Fischer found absolution: he renounced his U.S. citizenship. After seeking political asylum, Iceland, the host country of his most famous achievement granted Fischer full citizenship. It was a fitting tribute.

Montresor