Alan 'remarries' NPP?

The end to the Alan Kyerematen resignation debacle which hit the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is almost in sight as the aggrieved runner-up in the party’s December 22, 2007 congress agrees to sheath his sword and cooperate with a committee empanelled yesterday to study his concerns.

This latest development is a sequel to last Sunday’s President John Agyekum Kufuor-brokered meeting and dinner with the trio of Mr. Kyerematen; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, NPP presidential candidate; and Peter Mac Manu, party National Chairman; over the sore subject.

The Sunday meeting was a follow-up to a similar one on Friday between the President, Alan and Nana Addo at the Castle, where the setting up of the committee was agreed in principle.

The meetings, the first intervention by the President in the subject which has topped the local political chart for close to two weeks now, appear to have broken the jinx which featured in the internal NPP feud.

Shrouded in confidentiality, the names of the 5-member committee is under wraps, as curious media personnel scout abortively for details about it.

The committee whose terms of reference is to receive in writing the concerns of the aggrieved Mr. Kyerematen and make appropriate recommendations on same, was inaugurated at an undisclosed location yesterday, an indication that proceedings from the engagement would as much as possible be kept away from the prying eyes of the media.

Alan, whose body language spoke volumes about his willingness to rescind his decision and return to the fold of the NPP during Sunday’s engagement with top party leaders at the President’s Airport West residence, was tasked to submit his concerns in writing, which until now, have remained verbal and seemingly uncoordinated.

He was asked to give specific instances where his supporters were subjected to intimidation and alienation instead of general comments.

In order for the committee to discharge its terms of reference adequately by dealing with the man at the centre of the row as a member of the NPP, Mr. Kyerematen was asked to withdraw his correspondence of resignation forthwith to pave way for fruitful dialogue.

The explanation for this was that his concerns cannot be legally considered when in reality he has opted out of its fold with his resignation which took immediate effect from the day the letter was submitted to party chairman Mac Manu.

In the absence of this, he would have had to re-apply for membership so his worries can be studied as a man belonging to the fold of the NPP, a procedure that would take more time to comply.

Yesterday’s developments differed from previous botched attempts at getting Alan to rescind his decision when he for instance promised to cooperate with the committee and to tackle the tasks bestowed on him to facilitate the work of the probe.

Pundits have predicted that Alan, former Trade and Industry Minister, from the seeming positive signs on the ground, will in the next few days re-join the Nana Akufo-Addo campaign in the scheduled Volta and Western Region tours, especially since he did not object to any of the tasks bestowed on him by the top party persons who engaged him for the marathon dialogue.

Mr. Kyerematen, fondly called Alan Cash evoked mixed reactions when he announced his resignation from the NPP two weeks ago citing harassment of his supporters in the party.

The man who came second in the race to lead the NPP in the forthcoming presidential poll was persuaded to return to the party to no avail, as he said there was no going back on his decision.

The founding chairman of the NPP, B.J. da Rocha, who was tasked with mediating in the impasse, frustrated and embittered by Alan’s media announcement that there was no going back when according to him both of them were still engaged in negotiations and had agreed not to make any public announcement on the issue, described the former Trade Minister’s action as a bluff.

Alan, he said in a statement last Friday, should be allowed to go and return no more, because according to him, he is a loose cannon whose activities could be inimical to the interests of the NPP.

A­ccording to Mr. da Rocha the concerns of Alan when juxtaposed against those of others within the party who too have grievances but have not taken the exit route, is infinitesimal.

Questioning the loyalty of Alan to the party, he stated that the NPP should not concentrate on the concerns of one man when the task of winning an election is staring the political grouping in the face.

Mr. da Rocha’s robust statement coincided with another from the Presidency, signed by Ambassador D.K. Osei last Friday.

The correspondence from the Presidency asked all stakeholders and party supporters to remain calm as a way out was being sought to the concerns of Mr. Alan Kyerematen.

The Presidency also asked that nothing should be done to inflame passions as regards the Alan issue.

Source: Daily Guide

Patron of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP)

Dr. Obed Asamoah, Patron of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), has suggested to the constituency executives of the party to try as much as possible to adopt the concept and principle of consensus building to elect members of parliament for their constituencies.

He said the concept was to prevent disputes among the rank and file of the executives and supporters in the constituencies and promote unity and harmony at the grassroots levels to canvas for more votes for the party in the 2008 elections.

Dr. Asamoah made the suggestion at a meeting with regional and constituency executives of the DFP in Wa after a two tour of the region, organizing party structures and also to introduce the presidential candidate of the party, Mr. Emmanuel Ansah Atwi to the executives.

He said the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was desperate for power and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) was also afraid of victimization and this was why the DFP was formed to arrest the situation and bring a lasting peace to Ghanaians.

He therefore appealed to women and the youth not to feel intimidated or afraid of the risk of politics, but to come forward and embrace the DFP to change the culture of politics of lies, vilification and half-truths in the country.

The DFP would give more leadership roles to women and the youth to unearth their potentials, if given the mandate to rule the country in the December 7 general elections.

Dr. Asamoah advised supporters of the DFP to talk on issues, values, policies and programmes and avoid following the habits of bad politics, pointing out that politics must respect religious values, principles, actions and attitudes.

On the agriculture, Dr. Asamoah said poverty was high among many farmers and gave the assurance that the DFP, if voted into power, would tackle the problem through the provision of subsidies on agricultural inputs as well as finding of markets for their produce.

He lamented that Ghana depended on imports to sustain its people due to over liberalisation of the market, resulting in the collapse of local industries and creating high unemployment in the country.

The DFP would embark on an “agricultural revolution” that would make farming attractive for the people and produce more to feed the nation and for export.

Mr Ansah Atwi, presidential candidate of the DFP, said the approach adopted by the NDC and NPP administrations to eradicate poverty had been wrong.

He said both parties had done lip service to the agriculture sector, which had been identified as the mainstay of the country's economy

He said the DFP would introduce a green revolution on agriculture to eradicate poverty through the construction of dams and subsidising agricultural inputs

The DFP administration would also use the Agricultural Development Bank and rural banks to register farmers to benefit from government credit support to increase food production.

Mr Ansah Atwi noted however that for Ghanaians to benefit from the good policies and programmes of the DFP, there was the need for the maintenance of peace in the country, especially during this electioneering year.

He appealed to all political parties to preach peace to the people during their campaigns to ensure that the December 7 elections were violent free.

Source: GNA

Kufuor meets Alan & Nana Addo

President John Agyekum Kufuor yesterday held a three-hour meeting with the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Mr. Alan Kyerematen, runner-up in the flagbearership race.

The latter’s recent resignation from the ruling party, which received massive media coverage, was copiously discussed during the marathon session.

The meeting ended with a decision to empanel a committee to probe the allegations made by Mr. Kyerematen, with a view to reconciling the feuding stakeholders in the party, according to a release signed by Ambassador D.K. Osei, Secretary to the President.

President Kufuor, in his maiden public reaction to the resignation, appealed to party members and the public to desist from acts or statements likely to as he put it, “inflame passions”.

A dinner in which the trio partook pointed at a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Source: Daily Guide

Alan cash resigns from NPP

A failed presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Alan Kyerematen has resigned from the party.

He reportedly presented his resignation letter personally to the chairman of the NPP, Mr. Peter Mac Manu.

The reasons for Mr. Kyerematen’s resignation are yet unknown.

Until now, he was responsible for Identifiable Groups in the campaign team of the flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo.

There have media speculations suggesting Mr. Kyerematen is under pressure to contest the December elections as an independent presidential candidate.

Although the speculations are unconfirmed the latest move can only serve to reinforce them.

Mr. Kyerematen has also been linked to a new political party recently outdoored in Kumasi, the Reformed Patriotic Democrats.

It has also been rumoured that the former Trade and Industry Minister will be contesting on the RPD’s ticket for the presidency.

Mr. Kyerematen contested the flag bearership of the NPP with 15 others and came out the first runner-up.

There was supposed to be a run-off since none of the aspirants obtained the 50 per cent plus one as required by the NPP constitution to win the contest.

But Mr. Kyeremanten conceded defeat to Nana Akufo-Addo who polled the most votes saying it was in the interest of the party.

He pledged his support for Nana Addo and called on his supporters across the country to do same.

Now he has resigned from the NPP with details regarding his resignation very sketchy.

Stay tuned for new developments on Mr. Alan Kyerematen's resignation.

joyfm

EC concedes error on voters’ register

The Electoral Commission (EC) has conceded that there might be an error on the voters’ register that was given to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) by its office.

The NDC has claimed that it has obtained a copy of the voters’ register from the EC which contained a larger number of registered voters in parts of the Ashanti region than what the EC has publicly declared.

The NDC then accused the EC of bloating the register, and called for an enquiry into the matter.

Another political party, the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) has corroborated this claim by the NDC, which it supported with a letter from the EC, indicating the EC has given the party a copy of the voters’ register.

As a result, the EC set up a three-man committee internally, to investigate the matter. The political parties, however, have asked the EC to include them on the committee, a demand the EC has declined, saying it will bring the parties in only when it is necessary.

Speaking to Joy News, Mr. Samuel Yorke Aidoo, Acting Head of Public Affairs at the EC, said, the EC welcomes the interventions of the NDC and GCPP, and added that the EC is making its own internal investigations and it has faith in the committee to do a good job. He also said any issue raised by the parties would be examined and properly addressed.

He said, because the putting together of a voters’ register is a collective affair by the EC which is a human institution, errors could occur just as in any human institution and therefore, he does not think that the matter should be blown out of proportion.

Mr. Yorke Aidoo admitted on the news that there could have been an error, because the EC is susceptible to making mistakes and promised that the internally constituted committee should be able to detect any error, if indeed there were errors and effect the necessary corrections before the voters’ register is opened for revision by May 2008.

Alleged bloated register is not authentic - Afari-Djan

Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Djan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), on Tuesday said the document purported to contain massive increases of eligible voters in Ashanti Region between 2004 and 2006 was not authentic.

"The fact of the matter is that those huge figures being circulated are not authentic and I have given the correct figure to all representatives of the parties," Dr. Afari-Djan told the media after an Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) meeting held in Accra. The meeting convened to discuss the upcoming voter ID card replacement and the replacement of lost voter ID cards and reopening of the voters' register was attended by representatives of all political parties with no journalists in attendance.

Explaining issues discussed at the meeting, Dr Afari-Djan said participants were briefed about EC's programmes for the year and participants sought clarifications.

He said participants expressed concern over the alleged bloated register but the EC produced and gave them the authentic figure of six per cent increase in the Ashanti Region instead of the alleged 113 per cent within the specified years.

The Chairman said he did not know how the wrong document got into the hands of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and who issued that document to them even though he was aware that the NDC had earlier requested for the register.

Asked if the wrong document being circulated had not dented the image of the EC, Dr Afari-Djan responded that the Commission had not done anything wrong.

"The figures we have given them are authentic and any right thinking person would accept that. We, however, will investigate the issue as agreed at the IPAC meeting and find out what went wrong, who gave out CD Rom and punish anyone found culpable."

Mr Peter Mac-Manu, Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, described that document as falsehood which people were peddling about the EC to demoralize and tarnish its image, "so that when the EC announces any election results which are not in their favour, they will (rubbish) it".

He therefore urged the EC to clear its image by making every effort to unravel how that conflicting figure got into the public domain. Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketia, General Secretary of the NDC said his party got information on the bloated figure from the EC on a CD Rom after writing officially to the Commission.

"But now that EC is saying the content on the CD Rom was not its document, we all agree that an investigation be conducted to ascertain the truth or otherwise," Mr Nketia said.

Source: GNA

Ghana :Countdown to 2004 Elections Compilation of all the results of the 1996 & 200 Presidential & Parliamentary Elections with Analsyis

This book, we believe, will be a must-read for all Ghanaians and non-Ghanaians.For those interested in elections, this is perhaps, the only book where all the 1996 and 2000 Presidential/Parliamentary, allied data and analysis are placed, handily.

We do not make any predictions as to the outcome of the 2004 elections but all our reader have enough information to enable them arrive at their conclusions. Please bear in mind that as at the time we went to press, in July,2003,Ghanaians were about 17)seventeen) months away fro the December 2004 elections. We have the list of over 8,000 towns which make up the 200 constituencies.

For those who are not interested in Ghanaian elections, there write-ups, with maps on all the 10 administrative regions and110 districts. These write-ups touch on demographic and economic characteristics. These are two different Cost ofLiving Surveys, one by the state agency and the other by civic society.

THE AUTHOR

Emmanuel Benjamin Ephson was born in 1957 in the Ghanaian capital,Accra.He had his secondary educaton at Accra Academy and obtained a law degree,LL.B(Hons) from University of Ghana,Legon, in 1981.He started his professional career as a journalist in1974 and to date has worked for the London-based African magazine(1974-1984);West African magazine(1982-1996) and as Correspondent for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 1986 and 1996. He has since 1996, been the Ghanaian Correspondent for the Agence France Presse (AFP). Since 1988, he has been the editor of an independent daily newspaper, The Daily Dispatch. He also hosted a radio talk-show, Ephson’s File.

Among some of his honours are the U.S. based National Association of Black Journalist(NABJ) award for ‘Human Rights and Excellence; a Ghana Journalists Association(GJA) award for Commitment and Dedication’ and a five-month Ford Foundation Fellowship at the University of Maryland, College Park (US). He has also been a guest of the American, British, Canadian and French governments, visiting professional institutions.

He is also the Director of a human rights non-governmental organization(NGO),GHANALERT,which has fro the past nine years been involved in monitoring elections in Ghana and other West African countries. GHANALERT has also been involved in research and opinon/election polling.

ISBN 9988 0 1641 7

CPP Can Recover 42 Lost Years

Ladies and Gentlemen, fellow Ghanaians, on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the overthrow of the CPP government the Convention People’s Party (United Kingdom and Ireland) joins Ghanaians the world over in solemn remembrance.

42 years after that treason, it is no accident that our beloved country has moved from one government to another, none showing the kind of vision and purposeful but benign authority an underdeveloped country like ours needs. From a country rich with ambition, energy and resources for long term development, Ghana has since the CPP been reduced to an absurd economic theatre where she gropes from one externally-imposed policy to another without a coherently thought-out destination in sight. The collapse of vision and of principled leadership has been total.

The CPP Government blazed a trail of African and Black emancipation and had persevered in determined struggle to assert our collective dignity and chart a new destiny for all Ghanaians.

As fathers, mothers, elders, professionals, farmers, intellectuals, businesspeople , workers in general and citizens of Ghana, we have all benefited directly or indirectly from the CPP’s vision and legacy. Ghanaians campaigned for “positive change” in 2000 and rejected the NDC governments economic programme and direction, which had inflicted so much hardship on our nation, showing their disdain also for NDC corruption. The NPP had unfortunately followed the same path inflicting even greater hardship on Ghanaians – the price of basic food such as Kenkey as risen by a1000%, with petroleum prices rising by nearly 700%, affecting transportation costs as well as utility prices. This is causing much distress and further impoverishing ordinary people in our country.

The NPP’s capricious cronyism and arrogant corruption has continued to devalue the development effort and aspirations of all of us. It is our hope and prayer that we shall all resolve to repay the debt to our beloved country so that she might recapture the status and reputation she rightly enjoyed in decades past under CPP government, which made her the lodestar of Africa

As Ghana prepares for elections at the end of this year we ask fellow Ghanaians to use this occasion to take careful stock of the national situation. For the first time since 1966 there is a real opportunity for a breakthrough in installing a CPP government once again, an opportunity to get a truly people centred government , offering more efficient government with less ministers, a boost to the public sector as well as Ghanaian businesses, an opportunity to review our institutions and make the strategic decisions necessary for transforming our society into one fit for all its people and not just a privileged few.

Let us all summon courage not just for the sake of today’s youth but also for future generations and make a date with CHANGE and FRESH LEADERSHIP now.

Long Live Ghana

Communications Directorate – www.cppuk.org info@cppuk.org cppyouth@gmail.com

Source: Communications Directorate – www.cppuk.org

NDC opens nominations at constituencies

The National Democratic Congress, NDC on Monday said it had approved the opening of nominations at all constituencies with sitting Members of Parliament (MPs) starting from 18th February, 2008.

A statement signed by Baba Jamal, Deputy General Secretary of the NDC said the decision was taken by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party at a meeting on February 7, 2008.

The statement called on any member interested in contesting on the ticket of the party to contact their respective constituency office for their nomination forms.

"The final date of submission of the forms is Friday, 7th March 2008," the statement added.

GNA