NATIONAL ELECTIONS AND THE RELIGION FACTOR

The 2008 elections have generated heated debate in the media and among the public

by AGNES A.S. TITRIKU

In a matter of months, Ghanaians will be heading to the polls to elect a new president and members of parliament as well. This is in line with the democracy that has been prevailing since the country opted for constitutional rule. December though seems far will soon be here and so all issues critical to realizing a successful, free and fair election, need to be addressed as early as is feasible.

A major issue that has cropped up is the fact that the election date, 7th December, falls on a Sunday. If this is what the constitution states then there should be no problem. But all of a sudden, many interest groups are calling out for a change of date for various reasons.
For the Christians, it is the day of the Lord thus we should keep it holy. Indeed we should endeavor to keep it holy but the big question is should we fail to fulfill our constitutional rights, duties and obligations just because it is a Sunday?

The Election Day falling on Sunday does not in anyway prevent people from going to worship or holding prayer sessions or performing whatever their Sunday obligations are to God. In fact we are given a minimum of ten hours to exercise our franchise and I don’t think any individual will be spending the whole of these hours in a church. Currently, most churches in the country have two to four services every Sunday, so all of us wouldn’t have to be at church at the same time. This would even help in maintaining short queues at polling stations compared to huge number of people who would eventually cause confusion were it any other day. Another opportunity the day offers us as a religious people is that we can intensify our prayers for a peaceful election whiles we take turns at the churches and polling stations.

The Muslims are also calling for a change of date as it is a time when the Hajj pilgrimage will be underway. The hajj is a yearly affair whiles the national elections come once in every four years. Our Muslim brothers and sisters will have to take this into consideration and make the right choices during this period.

As some cry for a change in date, some are also happy as their tight work schedules will more than rob them of the chance to vote on a any other day. In 1996, the date fell on a Saturday. The Seventh Day Adventists were the ones calling for a change then but the elections were conducted anyway. Are we saying they were not citizens whose rights had to be ensured? If we didn’t change it then for religious reasons, why change it now?

Let us not harp on the excusable reasons why elections should not be conducted on a Sunday but rather cash in on the good sides of the day and maintain that our constitution be upheld at all times.

Nana Addo, Nduom top choices among likely voters in new internet poll

AMES, Iowa -- With nine months to go until the 2008 Ghana presidential and parliamentary elections the latest Ghana Elections ’08 Polls Group Internet survey finds the New Patriotic Party’s (N.P.P) Nana Akuffo Addo (39.3%) leading among likely voters, while Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom(30.8%) of the Convention Peoples Party (C.P.P) polling 2nd. Nana Addo is more than ten percentage points ahead of Prof. John Evans Atta Mills (29.9 percent) leader of the National Democratic Congress (N.D.C). 93.7% of respondents said they were Ghanaian citizens. Whiles 71.8% said they were registered to vote in Ghana, 28.2% weren’t. Please note that this survey was primarily posted but not limited to users of Facebook, the popular social networking site and has been up since January 2008. The sample also included users of hi5, another popular social networking site among Ghanaians living in and outside the country.

Generally the survey was popularized among internet users worldwide where a Ghanaian community was deemed to congregate. Social Networking Sites have become popular new media trends (Levy & Stone,2006) and have been accepted by researchers and the academic community as part of modern mass communication methods. Internet usage in particular has gradually increased since 1990s allowing researchers to gain access to huge numbers of people at cheaper cost. (Pew research Foundation 1998,2000). The concept of social networking is built on the idea/theory of social capital which is based on reciprocity transactions(Frank & Yasumoto,1998), behavior influence and social control, promotion of participatory democracy and the boosting of a candidate’s image.(Farqular,2008) . Computer IPs was recorded and respondents were allowed to vote only once.

Candidate
%
Nana Akuffo Addo
39.3
Paa Kwesi Nduom
30.8
John Atta Mills
29.9
Kwesi Amofa Yeboah
0.9
Edward Mahama
0.0
There was a response rate of 91.2% among a total of 114 people surveyed. Voters from the C.P.P (79.4%) were the most satisfied with their candidate when asked the question: Do you think the C.PP (and other parties as the case may be) elected the right candidate. 67.3% said the N.P. P elected the right candidate while N.D.C voters were the most dissatisfied with their candidate with only 42.2% thinking Atta Mills was the right choice. Last year the former Vice President beat Ekow Spio Garbrah for the N.D.C party ticket. Respondents said they were likely to vote for a different party other than the N.P.P and the N.D.C if that party had a fair chance of winning giving credence to popular notion that Ghanaians are ready to experiment with a new party in power. This was in response to the question: would you vote for a different party other than the NPP or the NDC if that party had a good chance of winning the election. 57.9% said yes 22.4% said No, whiles 20.6% said maybe. Specifically probable voters said they will vote for the C.P.P (85.7%).

Research has shown that the use of the internet can help “reach traditionally hard to reach groups, enhanced political engagement, enhanced dialogue and candidate accessibility”.
Which party are you likely to vote for other than the NDC and NPP
%
CPP
85.7
PNC
2.0
GCPP
2.0
DPP
0.0
Ghana Democratic Republican Party (GDRP)
0.0
Ghana National Party(GNP)
3.1
Every Ghanaian Living Everywhere(EGLE)
4.1
Democratic Freedom Party(DFP)
4.1

The Ghana Elections ’08 Polls was compiled through an internet survey tool from January-March 28 2008. Of the total number of respondents polled 49.5% live in Ghana, 0.9% in another African country and 48% said they lived in a country not in Africa. The new poll presents a much different picture in the race than generally assumed where the top two candidates were Nana Akuffo Addo and John Atta Mills—leaders of the two biggest parties in Ghana. What this means is that Dr Nduom known in certain circles as the long shot candidate has a realistic chance of doing well at the December elections and probably winning the presidency. If that happens it will be the first time Ghana’s founding party the CPP has returned to power since the overthrow of its founder and leader Dr Kwame Nkrumah in 1966.

Among likely voters 70.9% were male whiles females accounted for 29.1% showing a low interest in politics by women in general. However those who took the survey seemed to be closely following politics in Ghana—a good sign for participatory democracy in the country.

How closely have you been following news about candidates for Ghana ’08 elections
%
Very closely
50.0
Fairly closely
34.6
Not too closely
15.4
Not at all
0.0

On the performance of the Kufuor administration 40% of respondents said the president was doing a good job whiles 45% said he was doing a poor job with the remaining 15% ticking fair. However responses were different when voters were asked the question: would you like to see a candidate continue with Kufuor’s policies or take the country in a different direction? Only 39.6% said they wanted to new leader to continue with Kufuor’s policies giving an indication that Nana Addo should not necessarily run his campaign on the achievements of the Kufuor administration.

Would you like to see a candidate continue with Kufuor’s policies or take the country in a different direction?
%
Continue with Kufuor’s policies
39.6
Steer the country in a different direction
61.4
I don’t care
3.0

While the responses show how people would have voted if they had the chance to vote in the December elections it is by no means generalizable in toto since the survey was mostly limited to those who had access to computers. It could however give a clear indication of voting pattern among the educated, working class, students and elites in Ghana—a demographic group who are hard to convince and where candidates should be looking to in order to convince a considerable number of independents. Also even though Ghanaians seem to be generally interested in the political development of their country very few were registered party members. 9.6% of respondents said they were members of a registered party while 90.4% said they hadn’t registered with any political party. This may be an indication of a large number of floating voters in the country. On the whole 60.2 per cent of persons surveyed said they were likely to vote in the upcoming elections.

Are you likely to vote in these elections?
%
Yes
60.2
No
27.2
I cannot vote
12.6

Considering the fierce nature of the party primaries the polls sought to find out who voters would have chosen as their candidate if they were part delegates. Ekwow Spio Garbrah(27.3%) topped the list of potential candidates giving an indication that the former minister of state blessed with excellent oratory skills has enough political capital to try another time for the NDC’s presidential ticket. He led Kofi Annan and Prof Badu Akosa (both tied at 16.2%) by more than ten percentage points.
Who would you have liked to see running as a candidate
%
Ekow Spio Garbrah
27.3
Alan Kyeremanteng
15.2
Prof Badu Akosa
16.2
Kofi Annan
16.2
I’m satisfied with the candidates chosen
34.3
In the past the parties have debated ways of chosing candidates to involve a much larger population similar to US presidential primaries. Nevertheless it appears voters would not have made different choices from what party delegates did last year. The question still remains as to whether people are beginning to view politics differently and if more and more qualified people are being attracted to the profession.


Overall, what’s your impression of the candidates running for this years election. (As a group)
%
Excellent
30.4
Good
57.8
Only fair
9.8
Poor
2.0

On the issues
Respondents said they were more likely to vote on issues and policies (64.4%) than the quality of a candidate (43.3%) or party affiliation (2.9%). If this is anything to go by the party’s should prepare for a long haul of policy debates especially from the country’s literate population instead of expecting people to vote en masse. Education, poverty, unemployment, the economy and national security seemed to feature most when voters were asked what they wanted to hear candidates talk about. Here’s a sample list of issues respondents mentioned as important to them—and which candidates should be paying attention to:

· Constitutional and Judicial reform
· What they would do to compact the loss of our native languages.... Example, make reading and writing native languages a mandate in the new Education Reform.
· Employment
· nothing
· Education
· social welfare of citizens
· an excellent system of national identification, mechanized the agric sector and improve agro-processing capabilities of the economy, pay attention to industrial/manufacturing sector seriously, improve IT and communication, make conscious efforts to support institutions of higher learning to undertake meaningful research
· Improvement of education, revising the national health insurance scheme (probably allowing private entities to handle it instead of the government. Rethinking the way they treat employees. Relooking Ghanaian stance on globalization and agriculture.
· the economy
· Poverty Alleviation and accountability
· TECHNOLOGY
· Improvement in the quality of life for the average Ghanaian which will ball down to salaries
· Well I think this has been put together by a presidential candidate - probably Paa kwesi Nduom. They should know more than us.
· industrialization
· Security Healthcare Education Economy
· The country and not themselves!!
· Per capita income of Ghanaians
· me
· internal security, that is, protection from armed robbers etc
· socio-economic development
· employment for the youth
· Being competent and not just trying to SOUND like they can do the job!!!
· National Unity
· That all himself and all his ministers will declare their assets and work to reduce corruption
· Corruption
· Education
· civil order
· Creation of Jobs & Wealth
· Creating the environment for equal opportunity for people desiring to progress in the country
· Unemployment
· Wealth Creation for Ghanaians.
· improving agriculture

The Ghana Election ’08 Polls Group will like to thank all who took part in this survey!

About the Group
The Ghana Elections ’08 polls Group is an initiative which provides the most up to date results on voter preferences and the public’s feelings and attitudes towards candidates and the political process in the country. This is done through frequent surveys utilizing innovative techniques and will be pre tested for accuracy. The Group uses empirical methods to evaluate the study and report on the public perception of the candidates in the upcoming elections. Survey answers are anonymous. This initiative is independent, non-partisan, and invites participation from all interested persons.

Religion in Our Educational Institutions

Accra Daily Mail Editorial

A student of Adisadel College in Cape Coast recently lost his life in an attempt to run away from a teacher who was doing his duty trying to get students to obey the school's rules.

Reports say the deceased, a Muslim, was escaping from compulsory Christian worship. See our lead story. An inquiry has been instituted into the tragedy. Religious and Moral Education (RME) has of late become an issue of public debate. We reproduce the article below which first appeared in ADM late last year, written by one of the foremost educators in Ghana on the subject: By Dr. (Mrs.) Nkrumah

" we need to look at the messages and signals we, the adult population, politicians, the priests and pastors and civil society as a whole, are sending them: the message that corruption, crime, greed and lack of morality pay very well in Ghana, and students are not slow in learning that lesson well."

I have been following the various viewpoints expressed about the educational reforms and RME as a subject, and I would like to contribute a few thoughts.

All the recent debate on this issue has focused on the role of schools in the formation of a student's moral compass and value systems and both the Catholic bishops and other religious bodies as well as some concerned citizens predict dire consequences for our nation because Ghana Education Service has dropped Religious and Moral Education as a separate, examinable subject from the syllabus.

First, what are the reasons for incorporating religious and moral education into other subjects, such as Social Studies, English, Life Skills, etc? For 50 years, we have been teaching Bible Knowledge or Scripture or Religious and Moral Education in our schools as a separate subject and it has been learnt in order to pass exams, just as one learns Maths and Science, without it, in fact, having much impact on the values or morals of the society as a whole.

If we look at Ghanaian youth and society today, where do we see its impact? After all, Religious and Moral Education was only removed as a subject in September 2007 so the youth and adults in society today have all "benefited" from such teaching, so how do we explain the moral and social decay we see around us today? Apart from the recognized need to reduce the number of examinable subjects, it is clear that for the values we would like to teach our children to have a meaningful impact, we need to make those values an intrinsic part of their lives and studies, not just a "subject".

From September 2007, the new educational syllabus began such a process, by making the values society wishes to inculcate in our children an integral part of the subjects they study, rather than an examination subject they can just cram and pass. But the wider question is, why do the Bishops and society at large assume that it is the job of our educational institutions to bring up our children for us on the path of righteousness?

It is first and foremost the job of parents to bring up their children, to teach them their cultural, moral and religious values, and to demonstrate these values by example from the way they live and what they do. The church and school are only complementary institutions, to reinforce those values. The Churches have their own primary role, which is to propagate their different faiths and to give moral and religious guidance to their parishioners and society in general.

The primary role of schools, however, is to educate students to a quantifiable and pre-set standard while at the same time reinforcing the values which the society holds dear. What examples have society, and even the church, set for children to emulate? In a society where materialism, corruption, drug dealing, abuse of children, domestic violence and immorality are the daily manifestations we demonstrate to our children, is it not the height of hypocrisy to blame Ghana Education Service and its syllabus for the malaise that has affected our youth? Why is not there a daily outcry from all the churches, apparently the biggest growth industry in Africa, especially Ghana, against these vices?

Children can be coerced into silence by adults but they are not stupid. They watch, they listen, they judge, and they learn far more from what they see in their homes, on the streets, on television and from the leaders of society, than they learn from a teacher standing in front of them teaching them a subject called Religious and Moral Education.

However, if the critics of the syllabuses would take the time and trouble to examine the contents, they would find out that the ethics, moral precepts, values education are still present, embedded in the text and passages the students will read, but if we want to save the children of Ghana from the moral abyss we are presently mired in, we need to look at the messages and signals we, the adult population, the politicians, the priests and pastors and civil society as a whole, are sending them: the message that corruption, crime, greed and lack of morality pay very well in Ghana, and students are not slow in learning that lesson well.

Grasscutter chase costs farmer’s life-Joyfm

On the lighter side of life in Ghana-well not so light since someone lost his life-here's a story about how a grasscutter chase led to the death of a farmer. myjoyonline.com has the story.

Can Kenya happen in Ghana?

The upheaval in Kenya has shocked many observers

Link: http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/200802/13805.asp

by Etse Sikanku

Ever since the Kenyan crisis erupted many have expressed surprise about how easily one of Africa’s exemplar nations could be dogged into such morass.

The question has been asked many times-in private and in public-if such a situation could happen in Ghana.

In as much as I’d hate to be the doom monger I sincerely believe Ghana is way past the question of ‘if’ to ‘when’. It is not so much a matter of if it will happen but when it will.

This may be a hard pill to swallow but take this: Ghana is sitting on a time bomb.

P.V Obeng in his lecture to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has said exactly what has been on my mind for quite a while now.

Let’s take a step back and reflect folks, if conscious efforts are not made to address the political, tribal and economic hotspots in Ghana the consequences will be too ghastly to contemplate.

I have covered some of the most violent demonstrations in Ghana and I think the notion that the country can never be plunged into chaos is an invention of a nomadic imagination.

What is more it is not difficult to point to any one region in Ghana which does not have its own land, chieftaincy or some form of conflict or the other.

Indeed I have ceased to delude myself in the notion that Ghana will never be Rwanda or Kenya.
The other thing that makes things worse is Ghana’s willingness to rather shut off any discussion of such notions than address the issues head on.

In truth the Ghanaian state has everything going for it and the people have done well to keep sway for past decades till now.

But the seeming peace may soon fade into oblivion and many Ghanaians will be shocked beyond belief if they choose to play the ostrich while it’s still daylight.

Immigration-a humanist perspective

Dakar, SENEGAL: Yaye Bayam Diouf a sengalese mother grieves the death of her son, 20 May 2006 who perished whilst trying to migrate illegally on board a boat to the coast of spain, in her home in the 'Thiarroye sur mer' suburb of Dakar.

by Etse Sikanku

It was four years ago.

When Tutu lurched unto a plane en route to America, it was with mixed emotions. He was leaving a land he had known for all his life to the unknown. He was leaving his family, friends and a communal system that had shaped and defined his personality for as long as he could remember.

He will always console himself with thoughts of returning to the land of his birth-educated and well to do. Like many others he left without saying goodbye and still owing the landlord rent.Many years have passed since that fateful day.

The day of return is uncertain if ever at all.

There’s still unfinished business. In Africa life is hard, hot and hazy. But just as many others like him discovered, in America life is also hard, cold and foggy. It is a reality that generates serious and sober reflections amidst the whole sentimental and clouded debates over immigration. Why would people leave a land they deeply love and cherish? Like America, life in Africa is engaging, fearless and fun.

In his book doing Business in Africa Steve Shelley is detailed when he says of Africa “many expatriates claim greater professional challenges, more active social lives and a greater variety of leisure activities at more affordable prices than they can find in their home countries”.

So why do people move?

It is an issue that transcends the face valued arguments and daily struggles of immigrants; one that should generate a more thoughtful and humanistic view of the world.It is true that some make the journey overseas because of a desire for a different educational perspective; just like the many study abroad programmes in western universities. Other will move simply because of the geographic and international nature of their jobs; in the same way that we have westerners working in developing nations. Political, social and family considerations may prompt people to make a move abroad and this is not restricted to any particular race or continent.

Yet there are always those who through no fault of theirs have to move as a matter of survival. But don’t westerners also move away from their homes in order to keep ‘body and soul’ together? However the extents and degree to which this necessity exists varies from region to region.

In Africa life can get intoxicatingly squalid.

Last year media agencies reported that about 6000 Africans died or went missing on the sea journey to the infamous Canary Islands in search of opportunities in Europe. Faced with leaden starvation, implacable poverty and devastating hopelessness, contemplating death on the high oceans looks a better option than staying at home. In many African countries people cannot fish anymore because of depleting stocks mainly due to over fishing by massive European trawlers.

Farmers for instance have seen their stocks depleting considerably due to harsh and rigged rules of western agriculture. The daily hustle in the dust and mud becomes a desperate hung to life and all but puts the future in jeopardy.Indeed as the immigration debate heats up in western nations and as many take various stance on immigration reforms there is the need to realize that like anything else that happens in the natural world, the subject matter of immigration is human.

And who other than humans deserve the most to inhabit earth?The African society is inherently paternalistic meaning a man’s right to exist is judged by his ability or inability to provide food, clothing and shelter to his family.

What else is there to live for when a man cannot offer food to his hungry family?

It is at this point that many make the decision to undertake a horrendous path in optimism of prosperity. It’s an escape from nothingness which heralds the staggering, unspeakable and sometimes untold stories across the deserts and oceans of Africa and beyond. Gradually anxiety with life gives way to despair and then at that point any other choice but staying looks palatable.

Yes it is at this point in time in a man’s life that all the hard work with an 18 inch hoe is made meaningless by the 150 horse power tractor in Iowa. It is at this stage that people leave the scrubs and straw laden vegetations in search of hope. Many will bundle themselves in wooden Cayucos making the journey that often leaves some dead along the way. Those on board are not only vulnerable to hypothermis and dehydration but also to coast guards such as the Spanish guardia. The Mexicans will be harpooned by patrol teams on land and in the air- and very soon-the American version of the Berlin wall. Still others will risk journeys across the North African deserts where they could die from thirst or beatings from North African officials.

On the flip side of reality, the system is not helped either by leaders who have betrayed a trusting electorate. These group of inward looking, self serving political demagogues have plunged African nations into unassailable morass where pittance for human life is increasingly non existent. All in all immigration need not be a blood and thunder affair.

If western governments will address squarely the economic injustice that causes poverty around the world, if developing nations will recognize that sovereignty comes with challenges and responsibilities which must be overcome, then people will have no need to endanger their lives and those of their families.

For those already abroad, the burden of uncertainty that people like Tutu contemplate upon settling back home will be no more.

People may still move but more as a matter of choice.

We may not have control over the land of our birth but we should enjoy the luxury of choosing the land of our death with more definitiveness than the biological intercourse that leads to our birth.

Contract Killings-Lets stand up to it

by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

I must begin by stating that I am not interested in the many analysis that others wish to subject us to as to what we should be calling this phenomenon of contract killings whether it should be accepted as contract killings or seen as vengeance killings which leads to contract killings or murders or just homicides; all just because the first person to go to town with this terminology is an opposition leader and we don’t want to be seen to be agreeing with him or offending those who never agree with him.

The fact of the matter still remains that over the past three weeks, three people have been gunned down and over the past two years there have been more than a dozen of these bizarre occurrences. Precious Ghanaian lives are being ended by unscrupulous people who do not rob or rape but only flee the scene having accomplished their mission.

Unfortunately for us, since these days even the football team you support shows which part of the political divide you may belong, some “experts” are at pain to engage in frivolous name selection or appropriate nomenclature rather than dealing with how to arrest this frightening phenomenon. It is this objective of arresting the phenomenon of contract killings that I seek in this article.

It is important to observe that in Australia where the most scientific research on contract killings in the world was undertaken and published in 2003 by the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC), such a research was done not because too many Australians had been victims of contract killers, indeed from 1st July 1989 to 30th June 2002 the data gathered by the AIC suggested only 2% of all Australian homicides were contract killings. Clearly the principle that every single life is of extreme importance mandated such an extensive research and this same principle must inform the Ghanaian government and her security operatives.

I will admonish all, especially our security agencies to look out for this AIC research because though Australia is the case study, it generally focused on universally relevant questions such as:

1) Factors that differentiate successful and unsuccessful contract killings;

2) The characteristics of attempted and completed contract killings;
including who are the victims, and who are the principal instigators;

3) Typologies of contract killings, including why are contract killers sought

and

4) The nature and level of police intervention in preventing the completion
of contract killings.

It is important for our government and security agencies to acknowledge this new threat and assure Ghanaians that they are able to rise to the occasion.

It has been reported that most of the victims of these contract killings were threatened and that they reported such threats to the security agencies. It is important for us to know what the security agencies did when these complaints were lodged. It is more important for the security agencies to now take such complaints more seriously than before.

Is it possible for the security agencies to establish special units which will grant special advice to people who receive such threats as to how they should lead their lives, what to do and what not to do? Considering that at least two sitting MPs have received similar threats in recent times. People should not just continue to do the same things or live their lives as before when they receive such threats – a professional counseling and surveillance on these possible victims will go a long way to save lives rather than the police sitting back and waiting for the contract killers to strike only to report at the crime scene 45 minutes after to take the dead body to the morgue.

In researching on this phenomenon of contract killings, I was surprised to find out that there is a website where contract killers can be contracted to do whatever elimination a client requires and in whatever form he/she wishes the elimination to take, be it shooting, hanging, electrocuting, poisoning, etc. For obvious security reasons, I shall not disclose this web address here but clearly, contract killings have become an industry with its perpetrators engaged in brisk business and we will require an immediate, committed and sophisticated strategy at nibing this canker in the bud.

The security agencies must also take cognizance of the reward factor. Considering that this is an industry in which money plays a crucial role in wooing contract killers, by now there should be an undisclosed reward package for any person who refuses to accept to be a contract killer and exposes the person or people who tried to contract him/her. This will serve as a major step in making the much needed first arrest ever since these contract killings began.

When a first arrest is made and the appropriate punishment applied swiftly, it will act as deterrence and we can begin to breathe an air of freedom again.

It is important for us to note that those engaged in these contract killings threaten our freedom of expression, they threaten our confidence to live in our own country, they threaten our trust for each other as Ghanaians and they threaten our human resource which we need for development. It is because of these threats they pose that they must not be allowed to win.

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa
(Former President, NUGS)

Ghana’s ‘new’ mobile industry; where those with muscles use them?

by Kwame Gyan

You know what they say, that competition, healthy competition that is, offers consumers the best in terms of choice, etc.

The telecom industry in Ghana has been pretty fascinating over the past 13 years. Within this period, we’ve had MOBITEL with those huge handsets that we used to call TIMBER and weapons? Then there was CELLTELL, an analogous network. Then SPACEFON came in along the line. ONETOUCH was born sometime within the period too.

Those were the times when SIM cards were sold for a million cedis and over; the days when a mobile phone was a mobile phone, regardless of how heavy, big, and if you are lucky, small it was. Most of the initial networks have grown over the years.

Acquisitions have resulted in name changes as well. CELLTELL is now KASAPA. SPACEFON first became SPACEFON-AREEBA, then AREEBA, now it is all mighty, all yellow, MTN!

MTN prides itself as the biggest telecommunications provider in Africa and the Middle East. That certainly is not in doubt. Whoever was in Ghana on the eve of August 1, 2007 could not have missed perhaps what has gone down in Ghanaian corporate industry history as the biggest outdooring ever of any brand, product or service.

Ghanaians woke to the morning of Saturday August 1, 2007 seeing Y’ello and MTN splashed all over the place. Overnight, everything Areeba (the brand name that Scancom Ghana Limited had used for its mobile network until MTN’s acquisition), had changed to MTN. Billboards, radio and TV ads, vehicles, signposts, you name it. MTN had wanted to buy every front-page of every major newspaper.

They succeeded with some, but sadly for them, the biggest selling and most influential newspaper in Ghana, Daily Graphic, resisted the mouth-watering deal offered them by MTN. Nonetheless they managed to make the frontpages of several newspapers. Simultaneous floats were also held across seven regional capitals throughout Ghana, with live concerts blasting from some prominent stations throughout the day.

The party continued with international dancehall stars Shaggy, Wayne Marshall and Marlon Asher coming down to Accra for two concerts; one, an invite-only concert at Ghana’s International Conference Centre. The other, MTN took advantage of JOY FM’s school’s reunion programme to re-outdoor MTN. (JOY FM’S schools re-union has been described as the single largest gathering of persons in the West African sub-region, and MTN paid handsomely to use JOY FM’s audience for the relaunch/concert). It did not quite end there. MTN’s logo, colours are now found everywhere, on every street corner, kiosk, just name it.

Customers naturally expected an improved service, competitive pricing and all the goodies one should expect with the entry of a big player and the pre-entry hype it had received as a result of the huge advertising and PR machinery it operates. This is not to be, at least not yet. What may perhaps be considered most embarrassing is the continual jamming of the network especially in the immediate aftermath of the outdooring. I have read it has to do with a phenomenon called system jamming.

This happens when there are not enough cell sites within a location where there are several hundreds of people trying to get through a network yes it makes sense and all, but I thought the hall mark of any major industry player was its ability to solve such problems out.

During the old schools reunion, several subscribers were simply unable to get through the network via neither calls nor text. Again, it has become uncommon now to hear the message, ‘You have dialled the wrong number, please dial again’ when you know very well you have dialled the correct number. The usual ‘The Areeba’ sorry, I meant ‘the MTN number you have dialled cannot be reached at the moment. The mobile device is either switched off or out of coverage area’. Even sending text messages has now become cumbersome. I have to send them twice before one gets sent, and if I get lucky, delivered.

So what the heck is all the noise about MTN when they really, do not have that much to offer, except pump money into advertising? The funny part is, it is sort of difficult to switch to other networks. Personally, I have two other SIM cards from Onetouch and Tigo, the other GSM providers in the country, yet, I haven’t quite been able to wean myself off MTN’s addiction. Me, like most others, find it cheaper (even though MTN’s rates are not the cheapest in the country), to reach the chunk of my contacts most of whom are on the MTN network. Others raise the subject of MTN being funky, but really, so are the others, even CDMA provider, Kasapa.

When giants with huge financial muscles like MTN hit the market, I think it is fair subscribers, the media, telecommunications policy makers and watch dogs pay particular attention to a number of issues. Paramount among them is the question; are they practising fair trade? Do we risk burying other competitors because of the monumental financial strength of the player?

How and why do subscribers not make their important voices heard? After all it is the 70 Pesewas right through to the 16 Ghana Cedis credits we buy to send a text or place a call which rakes in their money for them. Excuse me, but to hell with the sponsorship packages, I dare say; the Ghanaian deserves the best, does he not? The media seems tongue-tied when it comes to raising legitimate concerns about MTN? Why? Because the owners of the media will tell you MTN is their biggest corporate sponsor and they cannot and will not do anything which may embarrass them.

But of course, in a country where there seems to be no strong public or state broadcaster who will not be depending largely on corporate bodies to finance their programming, what else do you expect. Let’s take television. A lot of programmes on Metro TV are strongly backed by MTN; their sports programmes, reality TV shows, just name them. Same story goes for TV3. Their Music Music entertainment show flies on the wings of MTN, the many soaps they air, etc. And GTV too, the so-called Station of the Nation. If MTN is the life-blood of all of them, why won’t they keep mute. Same story can be told about radio stations. Those who do not benefit from MTN have such insignificant listenership base that MTN probably cares less what they say.

Why will I not come close to forgetting Ghana’s National Communications Authority, the mandatory institution set aside to referee the industry? We hear most often from them when issues of releasing frequencies arise. But clearly, after these, they sink into their comforting oblivion without giving a hoot to the airwaves above and about them. Perhaps if they got their act together we’d be fine and not worry too much about interconnectivity issues, non-competitive rates and a completely abysmal service delivery.

I love competition. It tends to sharpen a person and makes him better. Competition also offers whoever may be concerned an opportunity to choose the best on offer. But I believe and even love most, fair and healthy competition where the winner is the consumer and not the huge multinational with turnovers ten or more times bigger than the gross domestic product of many countries in Africa.

Kwame Gyan, BA. The writer is currently a Broadcast Journalist with the BBC’s number one radio station for West Africa, JOY 99.7 FM in Accra, Ghana. He had before then worked in a similar position at another Accra based station, CITI 97.3FM. He is awaiting his Master of Arts degree in Communication Studies from the University of Ghana. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Psychology from the same University.

The Northern factor in selecting running-mates

Aliu Mahama-who hails from the 'North' is the current Vice-President of Ghana

by Godwin Yaw Agboka

With the election of Presidential Candidates for the various political parties in Ghana coming to full circle, one question that is still being debated within political circles is who best fits the tag of Vice Presidential candidate—to win votes for these political parties. That process has recently been characterized by much discussion, thought, and calculation.

All political parties, especially the NDC and the NPP, are aware of the importance of a regional appeal when it comes to nominating a vice presidential nominee. However, it appears as if when it comes to the election of a Presidential Candidate, some regions are ‘disqualified’ even before the elections begin.

It’s been more than a year since the National Democratic Congress (NDC) organized its congress, and it is still debating who to go in for to fill that enviable slot. The Presidential Candidate for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akuffo-Addo, who was recently elected, has been appealing to the rank and file to give him some time to think through the process of nominating his running-mate—indeed, the party chairman Peter Mac Manu has done similar thing.

While political observers will attribute that to the two parties’ attempts to outsmart the other, one thing will be obvious by the time these nominations are made—each of these parties will go in for someone from the North—and by ‘North’ I refer to the Upper East, Upper West, and Northern regions. I will use the same categorization throughout this piece (forgive my lumping these together).

That people from the North are overlooked, and yet could be at the center of a scramble for the vice presidential slot, may not only be disconcerting to those from the North, but is an insult to them. At its most subtle realization, it could perpetuate the idea that those from the North are people who could be used and dumped, once the benefits of their involvement have been exhausted.

In 2000, there was a huge invasion into the three northern regions by the major political parties to win the sympathy of the people from the north to vote for them in the general elections. While candidate Kufuor went for Aliu Mahama, Prof. Mills, surprisingly, went with Martin Amidu, then Deputy Attorney-General. Then in 2004, Mr. Kufuor stuck with Aliu Mahama, while Prof. Mills, who did not change much, went in for Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, also from the North. Also, recall that the late Prof. Adu Boahen nominated Alhaji Roland Alhassan as his running-mate.

Currently, the names which have been thrown out there do not reveal any new trends in the rush for Northerners to take up this position. The NDC has been debating the candidature of Mr. John Mahama, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, and Mrs. Betty-Mould Iddrisu, even though the Betty fire seems to be dying down. The last time the discussions came up, Nana Addo was considering the possibility of calling on Alhaji Boniface Abubakar to join the train.

Thus, if Northerners are good enough for the Vice Presidential slot, why is it that they are ignored in discussions of who becomes the Presidential Candidate for these parties? Both Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu and Vice President Aliu Mahama, who contested on the tickets of the NDC and the NPP, respectively were totally rejected by their various parties.

Of course, one could argue that there were much stronger candidates in each of those elections, and some will even be quick to caution you to be realistic, but if voting for someone from the North who is qualified enough is the height of idealism, then the country has loads of work to do to ensure regional parity or, better still, bridge the spatial inequality in Ghana.

It is a fact—and we can’t run away from this—that when political parties decide to go in for candidates from the North, they do so not because they see these individuals as very qualified to occupy that slot, but because they consider such individuals perfect fits for political ‘cleansing’ and redemption. I did argue before the NPP congress that there was no way Vice President Aliu Mahama could win the NPP primary, and that is not to say he was not qualified, but because he was brought into the NPP to give the party a “Northern” face.

After being used to garner some votes, he was dumped by the party, and that was reflected by his abysmal showing when the election results for the NPP Presidential primary were released. For so many reasons Aliu’s situation was very different and unique: he was the sitting Vice President, he had dutifully served President Kufuor, and he had changed the face of Vice Presidential politics. That a sitting Vice President will only amass 146 of over 2000 votes is interesting in itself.

As I monitored the results come in from the congress grounds, I could read surprise from the voices of the journalists, who were covering the events, who had thought the Vice President would put up a good showing, even if he could not win. I will be belaboring the point if I went further to discuss the rejection of Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu by the NDC.

Am I being fair in this analysis? Dr. Hilla Limann was once President of the country, right? How long was he President? Dr. Limann became President following the 1979 coup led by former President Rawlings. Dr. Limann stood for elections following the disqualification of Alhaji Imoru Egala by the then ruling Supreme Military Council and won 62% of the popular vote in the second round of voting.

He assumed office as president on September 24, 1979, but was deposed in a coup led by Rawlings on December 31, 1981. Technically, then, he was President for only twenty-seven (27) months. In the period in which he was President—of course, even after he was ousted—several stories went out discrediting his personality.

Northern Ghana only gets some attention during the political season when politicians are looking for votes. These regions have become the orphan of the country’s political life, and they have become important as far as political parties can win votes and can exploit people who come from that area to give them a positive image. To highlight that the northern regions are the poorest in the country will be an understatement. Poverty in the country is predominantly rural, and seventy per cent of the country’s poor live in the rural areas, according to an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) report.

The report indicates that incidence of poverty is highest in the three Northern regions, where more than eight out of ten people in the Upper West region are poor.In the Northern region, poverty affects seven out of ten people. In the northern part of Ghana, the report notes, poverty often has a hold on entire rural communities. Livelihoods are more vulnerable in those regions, and all the members of the community suffer because of food insecurity for part of the year.

Currently, even though students from the three northern regions enjoy free education, the resources that would facilitate this process are either sorely inadequate or non-existent. There was much expectation from the people in the North when Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah initiated a lot of policies and programs like the introduction of compulsory basic education and scholarship schemes for students from the Northern Sector which enabled the less developed, highly illiterate, poverty endemic Northern Ghana to dream of better things to come.

Unfortunately, however, these positive developments were ephemeral. Successive governments after the Osagyefo Nkrumah’s administration failed to implement these policies. Today, Northern Ghana has become the unattended orphan that is crying to be taken care of. Isn’t it a shame that the people who provide a greater percentage of our foods are treated with such contempt and disrespect?

Believe it or not, there is an unfounded stereotype about people from the North that has gained so much ascendancy and currency and seeped into the fabric our political and social life. Politics/politicians can play a huge role in either perpetuating or upsetting this stereotype. Politicians, however, have become complicit in its perpetuation. About three years ago, the NDC Women’s Organizer, Madam Benyiwa Doe was said to have waded into this growing stereotype when she branded Hon. Balado Manu as someone who had huge difficulties understanding simple issues.

But instances like this mirror just the tip of the huge iceberg. I will not be surprised that in the privacy of our homes people will even say worse things. We accuse others of being racist, but we practice the worst form of discrimination. If politicians or political parties cannot lead this crusade of changing this stereotype, the masses can do little, especially in a country where illiteracy is so rife and the people take what their leaders say or do as the gospel truth.

There is no problem with making some attempt(s) to facilitate some regional balance in the activities of a political party, but it is an insult to a group of people when, in our attempt to do this, we side-step genuineness and promote our selfish agenda. I think it would not be politically unwise if all Northerners rejected all offers of Vice Presidential nominations—especially those that come with selfish motives.

The text for this piece is set to American English

Tyranny in our churches!

Marx once said religion is the opium of the masses

by Godwin Yaw Agboka

Have you ever paused to think about the role of churches in the modern-state? Besides the spiritual activities that take place in our churches, what other social role does the church play? I have observed the activities of Apostle Kwadwo Sarfo’s Kristo Asafo (which, surprisingly, many others discredit), and a few other churches that have empowered many people through various activities in and by those churches. I have also observed other churches that use their platforms to dis-empower, or, even worse, persecute people whose only mistake is that they joined those churches!

I am particularly surprised that in the midst of the increasing number of churches, our society increasingly battles with crime and various forms of immoral activities that threaten to—very soon—engulf the country. Given that these same people on the streets—who commit these crimes—make it to these churches, one would expect that our society will see some change—if not changes—in these forms of behavior.

Unfortunately, many churches are no more interested in messages that will hit the core of these issues. They are more interested in prosperity messages that do not resonate with the realities of our time. If I came to your church and you told me that I should empty my pocket and expect a miracle without telling me to work hard or upgrade myself, you have failed to empower me; instead you rather ended up milking me of the little resources I have, and, perhaps, wasted man hours of my time.

Even beyond the issue of the number of churches is the new wave of preachers of these prosperity messages, who have seen in churches an opportunity to amass what—put together—their entire families could not accomplish/achieve in their life time, even if they worked so hard. An elderly friend of mine used to say he would never join a church that was started after he was born.

From hindsight, it appears he made a lot of sense. It is a source of worry to me that some of these so-called pastors are so young (of course people can receive the calling at a younger age), cannot read, let along interpret scriptures, and their calling is more a function of their economic displacement than a true desire to advance the course of God’s work and to help people.

Thus, if these are the people who lead many of these congregations, what kind of society are we building, since many of the people converge in churches on Sundays and, sometimes, on week days? The church is doing big business now. Today, every church claims to have a training school, many of which have become an avenue for promiscuity, noise-making, and social indoctrination. The kind of training that should characterize these schools, does not take place in the first place because the brains behind these schools are as clueless as those who are being trained.

The modern-day prosperity movement itself can be said to have drawn inspiration from evangelist Oral Roberts’ teachings. Roberts’ disciples have spread his theology and vocabulary. However, rather than inspire hope and emphasize realism and hardwork, many prosperity preachers engage in circumlocutory endeavors that further condemn their followers to perpetual subjugation and abject penury. Here is the catch: don’t give them the tools they will need to be self-reliant so they will perpetually follow you. That is the motto of these churches.

Unfortunately, we live in a society in which the activities of these preachers are unregulated. I am sure that, currently, religious organizations and their leaders constitute the only group of people who enjoy endless freedom. They live in a free-for-all world in which they can do anything. I mean anything, including the most unconventional, bizarre forms of surgical operations! The idea behind this level of freedom is that churches and their leaders have a soft spot and can facilitate social grace, religious upliftment, and inject some moral values in their followers. That is the mistake!

Many of these churches, especially, the upcoming ones have failed in this capacity and do not deserve the kind of unregulated freedom they are enjoying in the country. What is worse, many of the churches springing up are founded on rocky foundations, where, most of the times, the leaders are retaliating against their former churches due to some disagreements.

In the USA, a Republican senator, Charles Grassley of Iowa has recently begun a crusade against these so-called prosperity preachers. Grassley is asking the ministries for financial records on salaries, spending practices, private jets and other perks. The investigation, coupled with a financial scandal at Oral Roberts University that forced out Roberts’ son and heir, Richard, has some wondering whether the prosperity gospel is facing a day of reckoning. The move has been met with resistance from these churches who have vowed to fight the senator, using an IRS clause as cover for their decision. However, what is important is the pervasive nature of the extent of exploitation that is going on in many churches.

It appears the modern church has been characterized by a new wave of corruption that is unheard of in religious circles. Rather than instill hope, they are making poverty widespread. Rather than strengthen families, they are tearing them apart; it looks as if people will tear down as many good livable housing to build these huge churches, multiplying the homeless problem in record numbers.

Currently (I think it’s been a tradition for long), there is another form of tyranny that has taken over some churches. There is a practice in many churches where people who are caught in immoral or criminal activities are suspended. Personally, I don’t care about the suspension, because like all other social groups/groupings, churches also have conventions or policies that regulate their operations. What I find funny is the practice where the leadership of the churches invites those “sinners” in front of the church embarrasses them, as if that will prevent other people from engaging in such acts.

What is the purpose of that public disgrace and what do they want to achieve by their acts? Isn’t the function of that to transform those people? What would the churches lose if they invited those “sinners” before a committee, heard their cases, and suspended them, without necessarily condemning them to perpetual shame? Too many times, many churches have shown that they are more interested in using people to cleanse their churches to give a good public image to themselves instead of God himself.

Do churches deserve the kind of privileges they are enjoying in our society? I hesitate to advocate a position that will gag churches or limit the formation of churches, but I will rush to advocate a legislation that will empower some state institutions, say Parliament, to audit these churches—especially the mushrooms ones—who are milking ordinary Ghanaians. The days of religious intimidations should be over! Anyway, I know I will be branded an anti-Christ!

The text for this piece is set to American English

Did Osama Bin Laden Watch the Black Stars?

The Black Stars took third position at the just ended cup of nations


by Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa

When I first heard that the Black Stars were going to play their next friendly match with Saudi Arabia on September 11, 2007, in Saudi Arabia, someway somehow I just felt history will be made.

As to how this history will be made and the form it will take I couldn’t convince myself.
What I was sure of however is that all the officials in the Ghana Football Association (GFA) who took this decision by selecting this date, this venue and this country for the Ghana Black Stars as a warm up for the African Cup of Nations slated for January 2008 should have either been very courageous or didn’t care a hoot about international politics.

I would have thought that since September 11 represents the darkest date in modern history after which the world today is not what it was before September 11, 2001, the GFA might just have stayed clear from this date.

What is even more striking is that the GFA agreed to play a friendly with the home country of the man who has accepted responsibility for this heinous crime that claimed over 4,000 lives and as if that is not enough, the Black stars travelled all the way from Europe to play on the home soil on which our controversial wanted “enemy” was born into the Saudi Royal Family.

Significantly, Osama appeared in his latest video some hours before the friendly match in what has become his anniversary ritual and praised the day, whiles seeking to recruit fresh so-called Jihadists into his begotten Al Qaeda.

As it were, we are told that the Black Stars could not fly early to Saudi Arabia and for that matter may have suffered jet lag which accounted for their abysmal performance. I have still not heard any convincing explanation as to why the match could not have been rescheduled under the circumstance. Maybe our GFA officials liked this date so much that they nevertheless took the risk.

Well, since September 11 is a historical day, history was again made. Saudi Arabia trounced Ghana by 5 goals to nil. This goes into our records as one of the three worst defeats the Black Stars have ever suffered.

The earlier were an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Brazil and a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Germany. I am sure in these earlier defeats, we could still keep our heads quite up because everybody knows the footballing pedigree of Brazil and Germany but for this latest record, I am not sure how many life support machines will be able to salvage the pride of Ghanaians.

There is another dimension worth considering, is it possible that there might have been a genuine attempt to cleanse September 11 and not to represent that day as a day that only represents terrorism and evil.

I have always asked why the United States will always seek to glorify September 11 and always prefix major foreign policy issues with “since September11.” Might this not be a glorification of the day, which itself makes the terrorists feel very much accomplished, which is the last thing the civilized world should want to achieve?

Might this phenomenon be going on because it entrenches some politicians in America and also enriches their pockets from the wars that are being fought in the name of fighting terrorism? Again, what is there in a date? I know of some lovely people born on September 11 and it is important that we do not demonize dates especially when people have no choice which date they will come into this world.

Another factor worthy of consideration is; may the Saudi’s who have obviously never endorsed the actions of their own royal son- Osama, be engaged on major international positive endeavors on September 11 so that they will have some positive light on their great nation rather than sit and do nothing as they receive bad press the whole of every September 11 due to the abominable acts of a renegade son. And if really this is the case, then what a massive result to get by trouncing a World Cup Nation Ghana by 5 goals to nil.

As the pontifications continue on this historical friendly match, it would be interesting to know, maybe from Osama’s next video release whether he watched the Black Stars’ defeat at the hands of his home nation on a date he cherishes so much. And who knows, this video release might just be the one to give clues to Osama’s eventual arrest.

Long live Ghana! Long live Saudi Arabia!!

Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa (Former President, NUGS)

Of Launchings, Workshops, Talk shops and Chop shops in Ghana

by Samuel Ablakwa

Some things we do in this country don’t seize to fascinate me. Any day one picks up the newspapers, tunes into a radio station, or switches on the television, there are numerous public invitations one comes across to attend either a launch, workshop, talk shop or chop shop.

These days, some of them come in more sophisticated forms, be it as dialogues, symposia, fora,
brainstorming session, sod cutting, tree planting, etc. etc.

However, the observation I make is that no matter the sophistication, most of these events have a lot in common. These commonalities are basically the much talk, little action, pomp and pageantry and free lunch that characterizes them.

Launchings

I have always wondered why in this country, launchings or sod cutting or tree planting ceremonies should generate the much-ado that we give it, but maybe, I shouldn’t be too surprised because this is a country whose citizens shout in jubilation to the high heavens
when the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) turns on the light in the ECG’s erratic power delivery, forgetting that we are billed monthly and that power supply must be reliable, for it is not a favor being done us.

It is this same thinking that has led to the political elite having the nerve to
exploit every launch with abominable propaganda in pomp and pageantry to score
unnecessary political points.

If we the people had realized that it are our taxes that are in use and not the personal monies of
politicians and also that these launchings or sod cuttings, or tree plantings must necessarily be done, for that is why we voted for these politicians, then the politicians would have taken us a bit more seriously and eliminated these unnecessary opulence.

It is only in this country that politicians want us to worship them when they carry out projects with our taxes or with loans that in any case our taxes will pay for in the short or long run.

If we the people come to this realization, politicians will during electioneering campaigns, not bring electricity polls and heaps of sand to psychologically intimidate some of us that these projects will only continue when these politicians are voted for.

Definitely this country will be saved a lot of money, a lot of productive time and a lot of serious politics if the love for this form of launchings, sod cuttings and tree plantings is put away.

Workshops

There are too many things wrong with the many workshops, talk shops and chop shops we have in this country.

First of all, organizers of these workshops, talk shops and chop shops never say it is a free lunch opportunity but instead insist through their advertisements to want to address issues of national concern. This objective is laudable though most often we don’t get a clear picture of this objective due to the love for grandeur themes. But how are concerns of the nation addressed when the outcomes of these workshops barely leave the desks and shelves of the organizers.

Also, there are lots of legitimate questions that arise from what goes into the criteria for selecting
resource persons or panelists for such workshops. Most often, the people who are consultants to government on the issues being discussed at these workshops are the same people invited by the
organizers of these workshops to offer alternative opinions.

Again, the system of selecting only the popular as resource persons or speakers at these workshops has created a phenomenon where an extreme few are special speakers on all matters from Archeology to Zoology.

What is happening in other jurisdictions is that papers are invited from everybody everywhere over weeks or months before the date for the workshop. The organizers then select the best paper(s) and the authors of these papers to present. This allows for real expertise in the matter being discussed. Emphasis is therefore quality content and not mere star speakers.

But in Ghana, we may not be able to achieve such quality type workshops that improves the livelihood of the people if we stick to the present status quo that is merely just another funfair where the attention is to please the sponsors, make a little profit as organizers, get so-called star speakers to catch the crowd and provide lots to eat so that even if little or nothing is achieved, participants will remember the adage “there is no free lunch” and so have the moral duty to keep their mouths shut; that is, if they wouldn’t praise the organizers.

The New Ghana Cedi, Your Offertory & Re-denomination




by: William Ntim Boadu

Would you believe if I told you that Developing Countries (like Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Argentina) have redenominated their currencies almost seventy (70) times since 1960? yes you read right; seventy times!

In 2005, Turkey re-denominated its currency; the Turkish “Lira and Kurus” by dropping six zeroes. Again in July 2005, Romania dropped four (4) zeroes off the national currency- the Leu- in its re-denomination exercise.

Afghanistan re-denominated the “Afghani” in October, 2002 dropping three (3) zeroes as a result. Our own West African neighbour, Sierra Leone did this re-denomination exercise in 1992 when the country’s general increases in prices were around 118%. Assuming it was here in Ghana, it meant if you bought a loaf of bread that cost ¢10,000 last year, you would buy the same loaf of bread for ¢11,800 this year.

So you are using more money to buy the same loaf of bread you bought a year ago! Economists call this “Inflation”. That is not nice; is it? but it is true, have we not always been complaining that prices of things are increasing?

In fact re-denomination of currencies is not new at all; Democratic Republic of Congo has done it two (2) times; the last time been as recent as 1998, Argentina has done it four (4) times and Brazil? Six times!

So what would make a country like our motherland Ghana also choose to re-denominate the cedi by dropping four (4) zeroes and have you thought about how the offertory you bring on Sundays would look and feel like from tomorrow 2nd July? Your favourite Y.P.G Editorial Board as usual will always bring you up to speed with changing events in our world. So please read on.

Is re-denomination just about the dropping of zeroes? Not quite. Have you ever gone to a shop where the price of the item you were going to buy at Makola was quoted in US Dollar (US$) but not in our own cedi (GH¢)? I guess you would have asked yourself why we are in Ghana and buying things with US dollars ($) but not with cedis (¢). Does it mean we have lost confidence in our own currency; the cedi?

History makes us understand that in the past, money was supported by how much gold and silver reserves your country could buy and keep. So the more gold reserves your country could buy, the stronger your currency was. Then the cedi should have been very strong looking at Obuasi Mines (AngloGold Ashanti) and all? This is what was called the “Gold Standard”. It is not the case now, because money; be it cedis, the Nigerian Naira or the US dollar, is backed by our confidence in the money! Yes, simply just by the confidence you and I have in the cedis. This is dangerous and see why.

In Argentina (1960), 1,100 “pesos moneda national” could buy the same thing US$ 1 could buy. 22 (twenty-two) years on in 1982, for something that cost US$ 1, you needed 180,000 “pesos ley” instead of 1,100. So would you want to carry US$ 1 or plenty 180,000 to go and buy the same thing? This is the inflation we talked about. So do you now see the reason why some shops in Makola would quote the prices of their items in US dollars but not in plenty Ghana cedis? What at all causes this inflation? May be someday your favourite Y.P.G. Editorial Board will do a full story on it.

When the prices of the things you buy such as yam increases every day, because now it is said that in Zimbabwe, when you join a long queue to buy say yam that costs say 20,000 Zimbabwean dollars, by the time it is your turn to buy, the price would have increased! Would you not lose confidence in the money? you certainly would. This is what was happening sometime back in our dear country Ghana. People lost confidence in the cedi and began to use foreign currencies such as the US dollar because of this same inflation.

When citizens lose confidence in the cedis it has other effects too; they have disrespect for the money, they have a disdain for the government in power and sadly for their National identity. The only way of convincing Ghanaians to hold the national currency (the cedi) is to boost its credibility and how is this done?

The Bank of Ghana (BOG) together with the Government of Ghana (GOG) has to do it by bringing under control most of the things that make this inflation to increase very fast thereby causing loss of confidence in the cedi. This, your favourite Y.P.G. Editorial Board believes has been done successfully by BOG. Have you not realised recently that, the prices of the things we buy are not increasing or better still changing so fast like it used to be in the past?

So if prices are not increasing so fast like in the past, why do we have to re-denominate our cedis by dropping four zeroes? Bank of Ghana states that this re-denomination is aimed at re establishing public confidence towards our national currency; the cedi (Daily Graphic). So we now see why we are taking away four zeroes off our plenty ¢20,000, ¢10,000, ¢5,000, ¢2,000 and ¢1,000 cedi notes. No more plenty notes for small transactions.

The basic reasons for re-denominating thus include;
 Economic recovery from inflation or in certain instances, war (conflict)
 Reasserting monetary sovereignty ( re establishing public confidence towards the national currency; the cedi)
There are great benefits that Ghana stands to gain from this redenomination exercise and some of these are that;
 The credibility of Ghana will be enhanced globally as a stable economic power house in West Africa.
 It makes Ghana a location of choice for private investment meaning the youth in this country are going to get more job opportunities as more businesses are expected to be coming into the country after this exercise.
 In the eyes of the global capital market, it will improve the treatment of our government as a borrower when we start floating sovereign bonds in the future.

So from tomorrow when you and I start spending the new Ghana cedi, let us all be thankful to our God for restoring our dear nation Ghana to a strong economic footing and as result opening us all up to prosperity in hard work and in an honest walk with the Lord of Abraham and of Isaac and of your self. Let us continue to pray and work hard for the prosperity of our motherland Ghana.

SOURCES: DATABANK RESEARCH, CURRENCY REDENOMINATION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES-LAYNA MOSLEY, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, WASHINGTON POST, BUSINESS & FINANCIAL TIMES AND DAILY GRAPHIC.

Y.P.G. EDITORIAL BOARD

Tro tro Wahala –Curbing All Forms of Violence in our own Small Way



by Sharon Daplah

I was on a Trotro (public transport) home after a typical hard day’s work. I was truly at peace with my thoughts as I stared through the windows to have a good view of the beautiful lit streets of Accra. Suddenly the silence on the Trotro was broken. How interesting, I said to myself as I tried to make sense of out the pandemonium before me.

There was a quarrel between two adults; one was a macho man who was obviously in haste to pounce on anything and the other a loud smart mouthed woman who was in no mood to hold back her tongue. I watched on and deduced out of the confusion that the man had a terrible stench which the woman could not bear for a second more.

As they exchanged words some people on the bus tried to calm tempers but only succeeded in worsening the situation. The man in his quest to shut the woman up said, ‘young woman, I’ll give you a sound beating on this bus if you don’t shut that mouth of yours, how come women these days don’t have any respect for men. If you were my wife, I would teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.’

An older man on the bus astonished by those comment, said to the man, ‘these days, young man you cannot beat a woman up and get away with it. You’ll have to be careful if that’s the life you lead especially if that’s the way you treat your wife.’ The younger man, obviously angered by the old man’s comment retorted, ‘there’s nothing anyone can do to me if I beat her up, men like you encourage women to disrespect men!’

The comments by the older man generated an intelligent discussion. I listened carefully as the men in the bus took dominion over the discussion and intelligently discussed violence in all forms and especially domestic violence. They obviously were not in favour of it but believed strongly that violence in any form was not the ultimate solution to a problem but rather
constructive dialoguing.

All my life I have never seen or heard any such topic intelligently discussed by men, especially considering the fact that most of these men were semi-literates and illiterates alike. But again as much as most of these men were abreast with the consequences of violating the domestic violence law, there certainly exists the likes of our macho man.

Much has been done on sensitizing the public on the situation at hand but I still believe more has to be done. This canker kills, tortures and maims – physically, psychologically, sexually and economically and obviously denies our women and children their right to enjoy fundamental freedom.

Governments certainly have a bigger role to play in curbing this societal evil. Deeds such as that of the older man are honourable and should be emulated to ensure that our women and children enjoy their fundamental right to freedom.