Just In: Government Officials to Sacrifice 30% from 2023–President Akufo-Addo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has revealed that from 2023, there will be a 30 percent cut from salaries of government officials. Apexnewsgh.com repor President Akufo-Addo made the revelation on Sunday October 30, 2022 whiles addressing Ghanains on current state of the economy. This, he believes will help save the country’s spending. MORE TO COME SOON Source: Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com
MPs’ absenteeism: ‘I’m not satisfied’ with Privileges C’ttee’s work | Claims taken as ‘gospel truth’ without ‘further probe’ – Bagbin
Speaker Alban Bagbin has expressed his dissatisfaction with the work of the Privileges Committee of parliament regarding the three MPs who absented themselves from the house beyond the accepted period, allegedly without permission from him. MPs Adwoa Sarfo, Kennedy Agyapong and Henry Quartey were referred to the committee for questioning on the matter after former MP Ras Mubarak, petitioned the Speaker on their long absence from the house. The Speaker, a few days ago, said he prefers the house debate the report of the committee and take a decision. Explaining his reason for his ruling, Mr Bagbin told the parliamentary press corps: “It’s not just Adwoa Sarfo; we referred three [MPs to the privileges committee]. I don’t know if you have the report. If you’ve had access to read the report, you’d understand the basis of my ruling: Representation is so key to democratic governance to be left to the subjective decision of any individual or group of people”. “It must be the whole; and that report, after reading that report, I went behind the report to do investigations as to what happened at the committee meetings and I’m not satisfied with what happened there”, he noted. He said: “There’s no way that this can go without the whole house being given the opportunity to debate it. The heavens can come down but that one, the whole house would have to debate it and come out with a decision. It’s not the Speaker that has to declare the vacation of the seat”. Mr Bagbin explained: “When they say something is automatic, it is somebody that must make it automatic. To start with, the attention must be drawn that the person has been absent for 15 or more sittings. There must be some search to know that the Speaker has not given written permission. These are questions of fact and that cannot just be established by an individual”. “The Speaker, every day, I give permissions and there’s no way that with this heavy load on me, I’ll be able to say that: ‘Oh, I didn’t give this one permission or I gave this one 10 [days], I gave this one 20 [days]. No. You must get a team to do research, survey, get all the permissions and go through. Don’t forget they are human beings and they can be subjected to influences. Even [with] that, I’m still investigating it and I got reports from civil society organisations that are focused on parliament and they’ve gone to the extent of using the Votes and Proceedings” as the basis for attendance, Mr Bagbin noted. He said: “Don’t forget that the Constitution doesn’t say attendance to the plenary session. It says attendance to parliament and parliament is not only about the plenary and that is where I have a problem with the decision of the Supreme Court. You can attend parliament without sitting in the plenary. The judges can go to their duty to function in their chambers, in their offices and perform judicial functions there without sitting in the court. Does that mean that they haven’t attended work? Have they absented themselves? So, that is why the earlier judgment says the law and costing of parliament is unknown to the courts, so, you don’t probe into that because you don’t even know it. And, so, I think my friends, now, are going beyond their limit and that is why I did that seminal lecture…” He pointed out that: “You’d realise that the Court of Appeal talks about more than 15 days but the law doesn’t talk about more than 15 sittings; it says 15 sittings. And, I told you the earlier law was couched in different terms, they were not talking about vacation; it says cease to exist, using the word ‘cease’ and they were talking of a session of parliament and a session is a period of 12 months, that’s one year”. “I realised in the committee’s report, there was a split and the reason for the split is that they did not probe further”. “For example, if you say that I got permission from the Speaker, it’s for you to go through the records to see whether he actually got permission from the Speaker. You can’t just take that as the gospel truth. In fact, that was what happened. Or ‘my medical doctor granted me six months’ leave; I should not stress myself, I shouldn’t go to work’. Please, proceed to get the medical doctor’s report. There’s no evidence that that was done and that was taken as the gospel truth”. “And, so, in that report, if you are telling me that one the committee decides that the reasons given are reasonable that parliament is bound by it and parliament cannot go into it, and automatically the law kicks in, I would beg to differ from that and that is why the whole house, looking at the sanctity of the right of representation, would have to take the decision and I’m very clear in my mind about this”, Mr Bagbin noted. —Classfm—
Two ‘Hidden’ Reasons Why The IMF Is ‘Tossing’ The Nana…
The International Monetary Fund; widely called the IMF; is a world organization consisting of 189 member countries. The Organization works by fostering global monetary cooperation, securing financial stability, facilitating international trade, promoting high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reducing poverty around the world. Since its commencement in December 1945, the IMF has functioned efficiently; by executing its three critical missions, which includes; furthering international monetary cooperation, encouraging the expansion of trade and economic growth, and discouraging policies that would harm nation’s prosperity. Ghana; being a member, has also over the years benefited from the IMF; and currently, the Nana Addo-Bawumia government, is still in the process; working towards getting some $3 billion dollar help from the organization. In the current process, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team is led by Stéphane Roudet; whiles the Ghanaians team is led by the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta. As it stands now, there are many doubts, that the IMF is very likely to decline Ghana’s request for a financial support. The reason hinted by many experts is that, the Nana Addo Bawumia and Ken Ofori Atta government lacks transparency and credibility. Again; in my views, the Ghana government’s loan request from the IMF will surely be rejected because of these two main reasons. First; Ken Ofori Atta during the days of the Electronic Levy (E-levy) bill ‘struggle’ said; the government chose the E-levy bill over IMF because the conditions surrounding the IMF programme are disastrous to the nation. Ken Ofori Atta made it clear to Ghanaians, that, Ghana will never go for IMF support ‘today or tomorrow’; and that, he personally doesn’t believe in the IMF program. If Ghana’s Finance Minister-Ken Ofori once said he has no believe in the IMF; and the same is today leading Ghana’s team to the IMF…which positive result are we as a country expecting from IMF? The second hidden reason why the IMF is very likely to reject Ghana’s loan request can be traced to non-credibility and non-transparency in the Nana Addo-Bawumia and Ken Ofori Atta’s government. In their latest claims, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), after negotiations with the Ghana government, the IMF hinted that, the ongoing problems facing the Ghanaian’s economy, and the general hardship hitting Ghanaians; is largely caused by some internal factors including mismanagement, corruptions and so on. In relation to that, the World Bank has also said; that the Ghanaian government (under the leadership of the Nana Addo-Bawumia and Ken Ofori Atta), has not been able to account for all the monies given to Ghana. Considering all these hidden reasons… which world organizations in its ‘right senses’ will continue to give this Nana Addo government money as a loan? None. —CornerNewsUpdate—
Lapaz trotro drivers, mates allegedly beat man to death over GH₵2 transport fare increment
Amidst the current economic hardship, a middle-aged man has reportedly lost his life in a brawl that ensued following a disagreement over a GH₵2 transport fare. According to a Twitter user, Antwi Edmond, a disgruntled passenger kept complaining in a commercial bus after being told his fare had increased by GH₵2. Infuriated by the man’s lamentation in the car, Antwi Edmond reports that the driver of the vehicle midway through the journey returned back to the bus terminal. However, the deceased who was still angry is said to have refused to come down from the bus. The situation is said to have led to a confrontation between the passenger, the driver and his conductor who ganged against him. “The Driver returned his car to the Lapaz bus terminal again and there, they had support of their co-workers at the terminal, we were all asked to get down from the bus, but the man causing the chaos still insisted he is not getting down. Persuasion failed and force was applied. “During the force applied by the trotro mates at the station, the man decided to fight them back which led to a huge fight between him and our bus conductor and his mate with a backing of their co-workers after several minutes of fight, this male passenger lost his life,” the eyewitness with the Twitter username @Murphy_Vainn wrote in a thread. “He lost is life after one unawares [SIC] punch, which made his head hit one of the pavements at the terminal and lost his precious life. May his soul rest in perfect peace. I can’t believe he lost his life sake of [SIC] 2 cedis increment. A portion of the videos shared by the eyewitness shows the lifeless body of the deceased being carried into a taxi to be conveyed to a hospital. Transport operators across the country announced an increment in transport fares effective Saturday, October 29, 2022. While the Ghana Private Road Transport Union announced a 19% increment, the Concerned Drivers Association pegged the increment at 30%. This is amidst the current economic hardship which has seen a rise in inflation affecting the prices of goods and services. —Ghanaweb–
I have begun processes to impeach Akufo-Addo– Murtala Moha
The group however accepted President Akufo-Addo’s request asking them to allow the Finance Minister some time to finish negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). But speaking on Citi TV’s political analysis show, The Big Issue, Murtala Mohammed says President Akufo-Addo must also go adding that, he has already taken steps to ensure that the President is removed. “If we think that, it is justified to call for the removal of the Finance Minister, let us not be hypocrites. The pressure on the Finance Minister has come amid an economic crisis that has seen inflation reach 37.2 percent and the cedi tagged as the worst-performing currency in 2022. In response to previous calls for the removal of the Finance Minister, President Akufo-Addo said he would continue to back Mr Every single action of this Minister is an action that is taken and approved by the President The Minister did not take any action that is approved and sanctioned by the President —Citinews—
Koku Anyidoho threaten Asiedu Nketiah with a letter
Former deputy General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Koku Anyidoho, has threatened to place an injunction on the party’s upcoming national executive elections slated for December 17. According to him, he will head to the law courts to trigger the injunction if his name is removed from the party’s voter’s register by its General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah. In a Twitter post on October 29, Anyidoho insisted that he was still an NDC member and that nobody has sacked him from the party founded by the late former President Jerry John Rawlings. “Just for the record; Nobody has sacked me from the NDC and so if Asiedu-Nketiah, perfidiously removes my name from the voting register, I will have no opinion but to place an injunction on the National Election. Aluta Continua,” he tweeted. Background Koku Anyidoho was in a letter dated July 27, 2021 expelled from the National Democratic Congress for anti-party behaviours. It followed complaints brought against him by some members of the party as well as further investigations and decisions taken by the Functional Executive Committee of the NDC. “At its meeting on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) considered the report and recommendations of the National Disciplinary Committee on the case of misconduct and anti-party behaviour brought against you (Koku Anyidoho), pursuant to article 48(1)(9)(a) of the NDC constitution,” part of the statement signed by Asiedu Nketiah read. “The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) acting in compliance of Article 48(1) of the NDC Constitution unanimously adopted the report and accepts full responsibility for your expulsion from the party,” it said. “You are, therefore, by the decision of FEC expelled from the National Democratic Congress and for that matter you are no more recognised as a member the party and cannot carry yourself as such,” it stated. But Koku Anyidoho on a number of occasions has shot down his dismissal from the party. “It was an individual who came out and said so,” he said in a February 17 interview with Accra-based Asaase Radio. —Dailynewsghana— For publication please kindly contact us @0256336062 or Email apexnewsgh@gmail.com