 |
| Mr. Daniel Bugri Naabu |
By
Eliasu Tanko
The
New Patriotic Party Northern regional chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu says he will
not stop urging the party supporters to vigorously protect ballot boxes on Election
Day.
Mr. Naabu repeated the call hours after he honoured police invitation to assist
investigations into similar comments he made at Savelugu.
He said the party will deploy at least 40 strongmen to every polling station to
guard ballot boxes on Election Day.
His comments were roundly condemned by individuals and election monitoring
organizations including WANEP.
The NDC party in the region also held a press conference and called for his
arrest.
The police in the region was compelled to invite him following an instruction
by the Inspector General of police (IGP) for a full scale investigation.
He turned up on Saturday, days after the invitation but was granted police
enquiry bail.
However, the chairman immediately from the police station moved to a rally
platform at Sagnarigu and unambiguously encouraged party supporters to “chase,
push down, and collect" ballot boxes from thieves on election day.
"You are all police, because you have interest in there. Therefore you
must make sure you protect it yourself. Therefore the Election Day, the ballot
box, open your [eyes] and look at it well. Don’t allow anybody to change boxes;
don't allow anybody to manipulate the elections. Please anybody who comes to
steal the box chase him, push him down and take the box and hand him over to
the police.
“I’m telling you we won't sit down for somebody to cheat us. We must be awake
and see to it that we protect our interest,” Bugri told the chanting crowd.
When Starr News contacted Mr. Naabu over why he repeated the comments that
nearly got him behind police bars, he said “I will keep on telling people to
make vigilance to protect the ballot box. I will not stop it.
"…Because that ballot box NPP has vote in there. Do we allow those votes
to be taken away, and Ghanaians to vote for us [and] allow NDC to take the
votes, change it and declare the vote for themselves? Master it can never
work."
He said the party cannot entirely trust the police after it failed to arrest
gunmen who fired gunshots at the Electoral Commission’s office in Tamale during
the just ended voters’ transfer exercise.
Editorial
A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT
Every
citizen has the right to go to court to seek an interpretation of the law or
its enforcement.
However,
this right can be grossly abused and its enjoyment can also pose grave dangers
to the society under some circumstances.
For
example persons who feel wronged by the Electoral Commission (EC) have every
right to go to court but when they exercise that right deliberately to
frustrate the EC then there is a problem.
It
is also important to state that the courts also have a duty to ensure that the
exercise of the right of citizens does not create chaos and mayhem in society.
The
Insight urges all parties to all electoral disputes to be guided by the broad
national interest in the exercise of their rights.
Ayariga’s $6m Campaign Fund Claim "Slip Of
Tongue"
— APC
 |
| Hassan Ayariga, APC Presidential Candidate |
The
claim by the disqualified flagbearer of the All People’s Congress (APC), Hassan
Ayariga that he spent a whopping $6million on his campaign was a “slip of
tongue,” the party has said.
“When Dr. Hassan Ayariga said the party had spent so much, the man wanted to
say in cedi but just a slip of tongue. That’s what I know as a fact. I’m the
General Secretary of the party and I will tell you the facts...,” Rasak Poku,
the APC’s General Secretary said.
Ayariga speaking on Starr Chat recently in the aftermath of his
disqualification from contesting the presidential race by the Electoral
Commission due to anomalies with his nomination forms, said he was angered with
his disqualification after spending $6million on campaign activities.
The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) upon hearing the claim wrote to
him to demand his source of funding by close of day Wednesday October 26.
In his reaction to the EOCO invitation, Mr. Poku told Accra FM that Ayariga’s
comment was nothing but a mistake.
“It’s a slip of tongue, nobody is perfect, no matter what; you can have a slip
of tongue but when you have that slip of tongue, a sensible person will tell
you that it was just an error, it was a mistake and this is what I intended to
say and that is what I’m telling you that it wasn’t in dollars because in Ghana
we don’t [spend] dollars, we [spend] cedis,” he said.
He continued that “So, Dr. Hassan Ayariga as serious as he is, there is no way
he will quote a foreign currency knowing very well in Ghana we don’t [spend]
foreign currency but in Ghana we [spend] Cedis, so everything he said was in
Cedis but because he has lived outside for a very long time, sometimes he
mistakenly quotes their currencies, and because he also has businesses outside
Ghana, sometimes he might mistakenly quote some of their currencies but he
wanted to say Cedis.”
GAMBIA WITHDRAWS FROM INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
 |
| Yahaya Jammeh, President of Gambia |
Gambia
has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, accusing
the Hague-based tribunal of “persecution and humiliation of people of colour,
especially Africans”.
Tuesday’s
announcement comes after similar decisions earlier this month by South Africa and Burundi to abandon the institution, set up to try the
world’s worst crimes.
The
ICC was set up in 2002 and is often accused of bias against Africa and has also
struggled with a lack of cooperation, including from the US, which has signed
the court’s treaty but never ratified it.
The
court had been used “for the persecution of Africans and especially their
leaders” while ignoring crimes committed by the West, Sheriff
Bojang, Gambia’s information minister, said on state television.
He
singled out the case of Tony Blair, former British prime minister, who the
ICC decided not to indict over the Iraq war.
“There
are many Western countries, at least 30, that have committed heinous war crimes
against independent sovereign states and their citizens since the creation of
the ICC and not a single Western war criminal has been indicted,” Bojang said.
The
withdrawal, he said, “is warranted by the fact that the ICC, despite being
called International Criminal Court, is in fact an International Caucasian
Court for the persecution and humiliation of people of colour, especially
Africans”.
Gambia
has been trying, without success, to use the ICC to punish the EU for the
deaths of thousands of African refugees and migrants trying to reach its
shores.
The
decision will also come as a personal blow to the court’s chief prosecutor,
Fatou Bensouda, a former Gambian justice minister.
Burundi
had said earlier this month it would leave the court, while Namibia and Kenya
have also raised the possibility.
Over
the weekend, the ICC asked South Africa and Burundi to reconsider their
decisions, which came as a major blow to the institution.
“I
urge them to work together with other states in the fight against impunity,
which often causes massive violations of human rights,” Sidiki Kaba, president
of the assembly of state parties to the ICC founding treaty, said in a
statement.
Alleged war crimes
South Africa’s decision followed a dispute last year when
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir visited the country despite being the subject
of an ICC arrest warrant over alleged war crimes.
Kaba
said he was concerned that South Africa and Burundi’s decisions would pave the
way for other African states to leave the court.
The
tribunal is entrusted with “prosecuting the most serious crimes that shock the
conscience of humanity, namely genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity
and crimes of aggression”.
Luis
Moreno Ocampo, the former ICC chief prosecutor, criticised Burundi and South
Africa, accusing them of giving leaders on the continent a free hand “to commit
genocide”.
“Burundi
is leaving the ICC to keep committing crimes against humanity and possible
genocide in its territory. Burundi’s president wants free hands to attack
civilians,” he said.
He
said Nelson Mandela, the former South African president, had “promoted the
establishment of the Court to avoid new massive crimes in Africa. Now under the
[Jacob] Zuma leadership, South Africa decided to cover up the crimes and
abandoned African victims. The world is going backward.
“The
chaos is coming. Genocide in Burundi and a new African war are in motion.”
BOOSTING TRADE ADVANTAGES: SAVING ON IMPORTS
 |
| Ekwow Spio Garbrah, Ghana's Minister of Trade and Industry |
By
Dora Addy
‘There should be a
policy to have a mechanism in place to decide when and how to import and
export’- K.V.
Thomas, Indian Politician
In
operating on the business trade scene, much has been said about our import
habits; not something to write home about. Presently, the country is exporting
many commodities that have been deemed utterly needless, not just because we
have the ability to produce such commodities for national consumption, but
more, the sheer fact that many of these products were not needed at all; some
even posing serious health risks.
The
country has been identified with many others who would opt for meagre options
in import goods. The continued practice has been questioned as to whether we are
still not able to produce such goods. Although the campaign for the patronage
of made-in-Ghana goods has been on-going for a very long time, the look- out
for something ‘quality’ is a belief that is still much pursued by many.
Not
overlooking the importance of how one must always go with quality, individuals
must also consider the vastness of our resources, and the need to embrace what
we can produce; instilling a strong ethic of national pride and preserving a
culture of national self-belief that would lead to the future growth of the
local manufacturing economy.
Examining
closely how this has come to be, let us also consider how many countries have
had to abandon the importation of goods deemed only harmful to their national
economy.
We
must learn from Nigeria, for example, has done away with the importation of
rice, and now looks to its farmers to produce the staple. Let us consider how
much they will save on imports, and the total good this would have on the
agricultural sector.
While
the wishful bidding of most individuals is fulfilled through unnecessary
importation of some products, the country suffers much on such demands. The
import of toothpick for example is a risible idea, and many other products
follow the list.
These
products are not only placing unwanted burden, individual lives are also
affected and huge resources- both human and natural, remain untapped.
Currently,
there are remains very huge stocks of available resources, which have not even
been considered to serve the national good when wisely identified as useful to
serve the needs of many.
Today,
many nations have intelligently transitioned to developed economies owing to
the ability to fall on their own resources while creating jobs for many through
these ventures. From building simple electronic devices, right up to upscale
finds, industrialized countries know of a secret and are practicing a much
needed philosophy of independence.
It
is observed that, the resort to one’s own resources for industry has been the
blessing of many developed nations. The strong attachment and practice to the
beliefs of producing locally, the adoption of such measures to support local
industry, and the general belief of the manpower available through the locals
are the very tenets that provide for the foundations of a thriving economy.
The
usefulness of the adoption of such policies to support the local industry, does
not in any way undermine the general outlook of the value placed on
commodities; the country’s ability to determine that its people receive only
quality goods and products.
Such
unfounded belief can only center on a group on base reasoning culminating from
the upsurge in global needs and demands.
GLOBALIZATION AND NEEDED
INVESTMENTS
The
extreme need to connect with the rest of the world on trade level cannot be
ignored. Our trade partnerships with other developed countries have been forged
on good grounds, but the quality and necessity of such good should be well
examined.
The need to catch up with the rest of the
world produces a multi-ripple effect that lets on the need to fall on other
goods and services which may not be necessarily useful.
Commonly
in Ghana, the trade in certain used products on the markets has become very
frightening. Inarguably, some of these needs have been created by our inability
to produce them. The logistics to commence and keep industries running can be
difficult, yet some effort can be made.
To
stand tall on the local manufacturing industry, there is the need to seriously
put some endeavors into our investments on production, and this to a large
extent would require the development and training of human capacities to meet
the expected standards both locally and globally.
Across
all levels of human life, some investments must be made grow and support
industries that will serve the needed trade purposes. Strong policies must be
developed and followed-through to support good trade investments.
The
forging of such partnerships for national development is one of the creative
tools for government. Development is reached at its peak and usually at a
faster level. Asking the question of whether there are any good benefits to
reap from, the answer is yes.
But
the need to also develop our value to invest into our own should be a continued
effort. Considering that some of these investors already bring foreign
personnel to handle some of these industries, the employment challenge still
remains unresolved.
Not
strengthening local investment capacities across all sectors has also brought
in much unwanted challenges through government loans that have brought in much
debt.
MAKING IT QUALITY
The
Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA), established in 1969, under Act 396, is
the National Export Trade Support Institution of the Ministry of Trade and
Industry (MOTI), responsible for the facilitation, development and promotion of
Ghanaians exports.
The
GEPA is to ensure that Ghana’s export trade contributes to accelerated economic
growth through strategic aggressive marketing of made-in-Ghana products in the
competitive global economy.
The
country deserves a good spot on the export scene in order to boost the
advantages that lie within the export sector.
Considering
this, it calls for the working of all parts to bring this to a realization;
bringing much quality in what we do would attract major economic benefits
through export.
In
this case, there is the need to carefully put the quality tag all products;
from edibles to non-edibles. A careful investment into all products from
production to packaging is clearly needed to attain the accepted standards for
overseas.
HEALTH HAZARDS
According
to 2013 figures from the United Nations Comtrade Database, Ghana spent $65
million dollars on importing used clothing from the UK. Used clothing comes as
one of the most sough-after merchandizes on the imports radar in the country.
All year, goods from Europe, the United States, and other developed economies
are imported into the country.
According
to reports from Ghana Shippers Authority, the country imported 31,400 metric
tonnes of used electrical products, representing a 74.6% increase, compared to
the 2009 figure of 17,987 metric tonnes.
Certainly,
there are huge risks involved in using second-hand clothing if they are not
well cleaned before exported to Africa.
It
is estimated that some 280,585 cars were imported into the country from
2003-2007. This brings the figure to 70,146 the number of cars imported
annually from Europe, USA, and Asian countries. Consider also how developed
countries have shipped cars into the country, which have necessarily not gone
through, and passed the right safety tests.
While
some food products have trended on the markets, it is also a question to ask
about the health hazards of consuming such products. Turkey tails, entrails and
unwholesome body parts of farm animals,
SAVING THE AGRICULTURAL
REPUTATION
The
backbone of this nation is agriculture, but this sector also suffers badly from
the imports being made. While the primary concern is to preserve this sector
that serves the incomes of many across the country, there is a growing concern
over the imports of such agricultural products which are also produced here.
Creating
a stunted progress for many in the agriculture sector, there are many farmers
losing out in a very big way.
Many
farmers these days are discouraged by low patronage of their products. Poultry
farmers bellow wildly at the huge poultry imports being made onto the markets,
as a whooping majority of Ghanaians have stood strong on the scales of the bad
import trade practices.
Now,
the outlook on some of these agricultural products from abroad tells a lot on
the preparedness to move the country from its state of dependency. It is sad
because although this sector supports the economy largely, it is still
crippling under the pressures of low patronage from the locals.
To
add to the burden, let us also consider how many of our local farmers have to
endure hardships in the attempt to export products overseas. In an attempt to
grow fiscal value, farmers who attempt to export their products have often been
faced with stringent export standards, and so have given up all hope of ever
trading in export.
Currently,
the president, John Dramani Mahama, said at the United Nations, during his
speech, as an account of Ghana’s democratic and economic strides to its peers,
that, the country did not need sympathy, or Overseas Development Assistance,
but rather, fairness in world trade.
It’s
very true indeed. Farmers especially, need to be accorded fairness in export.
Rejecting and placing strict yardsticks on our local agricultural produce is
not only discouraging, but places unnecessary demands on other goods from
overseas, that tell badly on our consumption practices while deflating any good
reasoning that we are self-supportive.
JOB CREATION
While
the economy is tapped to produce goods locally on a large scale, many of the
employment gaps will be filled.
All
over the business sectors in the country, there are still many opportunities to
engage the locals in business.
Elsewhere
in the world, the local industries are applauded for the high employment rates,
accorded to locals. There is no better way to employ locals than to set the
local wheels of industry running.
High
importation trends can be worrying because the majority is in need of jobs.
Government
must rather see how it can creatively put up industries to supply some of these
products needed, while boosting already existing industries.
REDUCING COSTS
A
lot of cost is saved when plans are made to grow the local manufacturing
sector. While farmers are losing out big time, the local textile and clothing
industry is bearing its own load.
Local
producers must be strongly supported while receiving boost from government to
thrive in business.
The
demand on foreign products is a direct effect on the low patronage of local
products here in Ghana. Although we cannot completely cancel some of the
imported products, we should begin to appreciate what we have and also look to
ways of starting production of what needed things that are not available.
LEGALITIES ON
IMPORTATION
The
Basel Convention, which came into force in 1992, bans the export of hazardous
waste including e-waste from developed countries to developing countries for
‘final disposal, recovery or recycling’.
By
law, cars that are older than ten years are said to be over-aged. Stolen
vehicles are returned by the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) when
foreign owners of such vehicles are ready to pay for shipment costs.
It
is our decision what to import into our country. As many countries are looking
to be dependent on themselves by creating a functioning local manufacturing
sector that provides the much needed resources for its people, Ghana should
also learn to do same.
Let’s
also observe that as they slowly wean themselves of foreign dependency, their
economies are affected positively.
Largely
this country can produce much of what we import. We need channel a lot of
investments towards the cause of setting up local manufacturing industries.
We
will earn much-deserved respect. We can get there.
