Month: December 2010

Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Nortey Duah has taken a swipe at FIFA, after the world’s governing body warned the Ghana government to desist from interfering in Football administration in the country.

FIFA said last week that it was not happy with the developments in Ghana after investigating claims of intrusion.

The governing body said it was disappointed that Ghana football, which is seen by many as a good example for other countries, is reeling under government pressure.

Under Fifa rules, national football associations must not be subject to government control.

But the Ghana Football Association (GFA) has recently come under intense pressure from government over various issues.

The government withdrew its order to impose Abedi Pele as a candidate for a vacant Caf post after the GFA rejected the request two weeks ago. It is believed that this incidence may have triggered FIFA’s move.

Even though Fifa is pleased that sanity has been restored, the governing body warns that future attempts could have serious consequences.

But Hon. Nii Nortey Duah, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports thinks FIFA did not do due diligence.

The Deputy Sports Minster told Citi News FIFA must conduct another investigation since its latest release is a non-starter.

“We need to throw it back to the GFA and ask them if really the so-called interference is happening. I think Fifa had it all wrong because how is Government interfering. In some other countries, their FAs are independent of Government but in Ghana the FA is dependent of Government.

The Deputy Sports Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku believes that Fifa only came to that conclusion based on unsubstantiated allegations.

“Bad news travels fast so Fifa itself must investigate properly and come out correctly. This is a soft way of killing the sport in Ghana. What if Government decides that the FA should be on its own, what will happen? The sports will die. An FA is dependent of Government; government must know what happens in its operations” he said.

Source: citifm

For many Ghanaians who dislike Hon. Maxwell Kofi Jumah for his utterances, you may have to consider revising your posture about the outspoken MP for Asokwa.

The man has made what appears to be an uncommon revelation stating categorically, that he is not serious with politics although he finds himself in it.

Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, who is in his second term as an MP, is known for his vitriolic attacks on political opponents particularly in the NDC.

He sometimes clashes with people within his party the NPP, with the latest being an attack on former Metropolitan Chief Executive for Kumasi, Patricia Appiagyei.

Mr. Kofi Jumah had made a statement on a Kumasi-based radio station suggesting that Madam Appiagyei traded sex to become the Mayor for Kumasi and that she could not do same if she had to contest him for the Asokwa seat as she intends to do.

The comment received widespread condemnation by women’s rights groups, NPP leadership and several well-meaning Ghanaians. Madam Appiagyei finally allowed the matter to rest after the MP had apologized explaining that he did not mean what he said.

Speaking to Eyewitness News on Citi FM on Wednesday December 1, the beleaguered MP reiterated that his infamous comment was only a slip.

“We all joke sometimes but it turned out to be a serious joke. In fact, until it was played back for me, I didn’t know how bad it was” he said.

On what appears to be a general perception that he is a controversial figure, the MP who is also known as Kofi Ghana said “Kofi Ghana is not a controversial figure. He is a very funny guy but people don’t see it because I don’t come across on radio as that.

But when you get close to me, you will realise that I am a different personality all together. I don’t take anything serious. I don’t take politics that serious. For me it’s not a life and death situation and I understand and agree that there all shades of opinion and who am I to judge if one is better than the other? That is the essence of democracy” he said.

Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah who has supported the presidential ambition of Mr. Alan Kyeremanten told Citi News he supports Nana Addo’s candidature irrespective of his earlier position.

He was optimistic Nana Addo will recapture power for the NPP in 2012 irrespective of what he calls diabolic attempts to mischaracterise his personality.

Source: citifmoline

The Member of Parliament for Manhyia, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, has urged the National Security Apparatus to step up its work to clamp down cyber crime which has persistently increased in recent times.

The crime which was until recently alien to Ghana has suddenly become widespread and it is mainly perpetrated by the youth.

The MP’s call comes in the wake of the revelation at the opening ceremony of the first West African Cyber Crime Summit (WACCS) in Abuja, Nigeria, that Ghana has been ranked among the top 10 countries in the world where cyber crime, popularly known as 419, is most prevalent.

Nigeria, by far, leads the African group with eight per cent rate of the crime, followed by Ghana and Cameroun with 0.7 and 0.6 per cent, respectively.

Speaking on Oman FM Thursday morning, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, stated that the National Security with all its resources and expertise must rather busy itself with finding solutions to such criminal acts and not engage in trivialities such as going round to seize cars belonging to political opponents of the ruling government.

“The national security apparatus must be seen to be protecting Ghanaians irrespective of which party they belong to, and not be used as a political tool to harass political opponents’’, he said.

He noted that the tag on Ghana as one of the leading countries in the world where such fraudulent act is rife is most unfortunate since it lowers the esteem of Ghana as a country internationally.

Hon. Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, called on the National Security to effectively collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to ensure that the canker of cyber crime is brought to an end completely or curbed.

Story by : Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh

The NDC Member of Parliament for La- Dadekotopon, Nii Amasa Namoale, has accused the Chairman of the National Media Commission (NMC) Kabral Blay- Amihere of playing politics with the Commission, which is required by law to be neutral.

According to the MP, the Chairman’s recent public criticism of the Police and the Serious Fraud Office, now known as the Economic and Organized Crime Unit, is most unfortunate and condemnable.

Kabral Blay- Amihere at an event to mark the first anniversary of the 6th commission in Accra has lashed out at the Police and the Economic and Organized Crime Unit for engaging in acts that impinge on press freedom.

He accused the Police of ‘miraculously resurrecting an old law- causing fear and panic to cow the citizenry,’’ and the Economic and Organized Crime Unit of harassing and intimidating key personnel of the media.

Kabral Blay- Amihere noted that the doings of the two states institutions were clearly in disregard to the public pledge of the President not to do anything to muzzle the press.

However, contributing to a discussion on e.TV Ghana’s morning show today, Hon. Nii Amasa Namoale, stated that with the vast experience that Mr Blay- Amihere has gathered, he must rather be seen to be building and strengthening an august body such as the National Media Commission.

He noted that Mr Blay-Amihere making such a comment is problematic, as he is supposed to be a neutral judge in his position as the Chairman of the National Media Commission.

“This man has once been an Ambassador and he should know what kind of statements he puts out, if he has any problem with any law the reasonable action to take is to proceed to court, no matter how old the law is, once it remains on the statutes book, it makes that law operational’’ he said.

Hon. Nii Amasa Namoale is added that Kabral can also encourage cabinet to begin a process to expunge that law, if it will affect press freedom.

Story by: Kwadwo Anim/ghanamps.gov.gh

NPP Member of Parliament for Okaikoi South, Nana Akomea says Vice President John Dramani Mahama needs to be ashamed of himself for describing moves by the Minority in Parliament to prevent the amendment of the Petroleum Revenue Management Bill as “foolish and baloney”.

Speaking on CitiFm’s Eyewitness News, Nana Akomea said the vice president’s language was terribly unfortunate and atypical of him, and opines that Mr. Mahama probably made those remarks because of the extreme pressure being exerted on him by members of his own party, the NDC.

“I know that if John Mahama himself reflects on what he said, he himself will be terribly ashamed of the remarks that he made. The remarks that he made are terribly unfortunate and quite atypical of the vice president, I don’t know if the pressures that are coming unto him from his own party has conditioned his mind to speak the way that he did,” he said.

The NPP MP said the Second Gentleman’s choice of words does not help in efforts at building consensus on matters of national concern.

“Just look at the situation, the government itself has brought a bill to parliament and before it got to parliament, it had received approval from cabinet of which the vice president is a member…Parliament is now deliberating on it so if you have changed your mind on the bill, instead of convincing the other stakeholders, you go on to insult the other stakeholders, especially the NPP, because the NPP has not changed their minds like you,” he added.

The former Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment in the erstwhile Kufuor administration chastised Mr. Mahama for his choice of descriptive words of the opposition, when, according to him, the Vice President, a few minutes earlier, had raised concern over rising insults on his person and the Mills’-led administration.

“You brought the bill yourself so if you want to change anything, should you be behaving in a hellish, baloney or foolish manner? If you want to have a consensus with the major stakeholders, do you achieve that by insulting them? Mind you it is not only the NPP that is expressing reservation about what the government wants but civil society is worried, the TUC and even Christian Council have also come out.”

“…What makes the remarks unfortunate is that John Mahama in some few hours earlier was talking about insults rained on his person by people from his own party…as greedy bastards and Team B and he wasn’t happy about that because they were insults and personal attack. And in the next minute, he goes ahead to use words like ‘what the hell’, ‘baloney’ and ‘foolish’ on the same platform,” he added.

Source: peacefmonline.com