Month: November 2013

New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Kwabena Kyeremateng Agyarko has joined calls for investigations into leaked tape of dismissed deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah.

According to him, the leaked tape which has become a subject of public discourse in both local and international media, casts a slur on the presidency.

The secret recording dubbed Vikileaks in which Ms. Hammah is alleged to have revealed sensitive government issues, has generated a lot of controversy in the country.

On the secret recording, the former deputy minister among other things said a minister of state influenced the Supreme Court judges who presided over the landmark presidential election petition which declared John Mahama as a validly elected president.

She is also purported to have said Tony Lithur, the lawyer who represented President Mahama in court during the petition hearing now controls three ministries in government.

Government has dismissed all the allegations made by Victoria Hammah describing it as unfortunate.

But speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning Show on Monday, Mr. Kyerematen Agyarko said, government must do more than just sacking her.

He noted that the issues raised by Ms. Hammah especially about the final verdict of the 2012 presidential election petition, cannot be swept under the carpet.

“This is not a matter we can sweep under the carpet; the issues must be thoroughly investigated,” Mr. Agyarko stressed.

Mr Agyarko questioned the motive behind government’s decision to sack Victoria if the allegations she made lacked substance.

“If government believes there is no substance in what she said why sack her? That it gives credence to the things we have been hearing on the streets?” he quizzed.

Mr. Kyerematen Agyarko called on Ghanaians to mount pressure on government to institute an enquiry into the matter.

“The good people of this country must not allow this to be swept under the carpet,” he stated.

GhanaMPs.gov.gh

Deputy Minority Leader in Parliament is defending the appointment of young people to political office despite growing concerns that they lack the experience for public life.

Dominic Nitiwul who at 25 years in 2002, was considered the youngest MP said the most important quality in a young person is his ability to learn quickly and exercise discretion.

His comments on Multi TV’s PM Express follows the sacking of a 32-year old deputy minister of communications Victoria Hammah.

Victoria Hammah was caught on tape saying she will stay in politics until she has made $1m. She also criticised another deputy minister, calling her “senseless, ugly, loud and egoistic”

Her sacking has brought to the fore the importance of experience over youth in political appointments.

But Dominic Nitiwul said a young public office holder can also be experinced noting “there are young people who have experience enough despite their age to occupy political office”.

He suggested that the fallout from Victoria Hammah’s comments now known as ‘vikileaks’ should not be used as a basis to question the appropriateness of appointing young people to public office.

Citing himself as an example, the youngest ever leader in Parliament said despite his youth, he has discharged himself well in his 11 years experience in politics.

He also cited Haruna Iddrisu, Minister for Trade and Industry and Isaac Kwame Asiamah, MP for Atwima Mponua as having handled political office with responsibility.

According to Nitiwul, there are old people who have been “complete disasters” and “know next to nothing” despite the benefit of age.

Nonetheless, the Member of Parliament for Bimbila says “you cannot just throw any novice there or somebody who has just completed school who knows next to nothing about politics or running a system or about managing people. if you do that its a huge mistake”.

Dominic Ntiwul believes the key is finding a young person with the right attitude.

Myjoyonline.com

The Deputy Minister of education, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has reminded Ghanaians who are pessimists and speak as if Ghana is a hopeless country to revise their notes.

According to Mr. Ablakwa there is the need to start telling the success story of Ghana to the world and stop criticizing because the country has chalked many successes which need to be told.

The deputy minister, speaking at the launch of Abbeam Technology Institute urged Ghanaians to stay calm and not be dismayed by the economic situation of the country because according to him there is nothing easy to come by on earth.

“We speak and behave as if there is no hope in Ghana, whatever difficulties you are going through it is just for a period of time so do not speak as if Ghana is a hopeless country; try and tell the success story of Ghana,” he urged.

Mr. Ablakwa called for the need for Ghanaians to co-exist peacefully with each other, be each other’s keeper and ensure that there is safety social networks which make everybody feel that he or she is part of society.

Touching on what government intends doing to uplift the image of tertiary institutions; Mr. Ablakwa revealed that his outfit has charged the Ghana Accreditation Board (GAB) to ensure every tertiary institution complies with the GAB requirement for establishing a school.

“Though we want more private tertiary institutions to supplement the existing ones of the state, we need to be careful not to compromise their quality, we need to make sure that their quality is always guaranteed,” he said.

He said government is committed to partner private stakeholders to build more tertiary institutions so that the damming problem of people completing Senior High School, but not getting admission to tertiary institutions will be a thing of the past.

On his side, the chief of Ngleshie Amanfrom in the Ga South municipality, Nii Kwashie Gborbilor was very grateful such project has been done on his land and asked his subjects to help maintain the institution.

“This Technology school is for us so we have to do all that we can to make it develop to become one of the renowned universities such as the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast,” he said.

Nii Gborbilor appealed to the owner of the institution to consider the indigenous people during admissions so that they will also feel that the school is indeed for them.

The owner of the school, Abbeam Danso assured the chief and people of Amanfrom that they will have a special offer for them when admitting students, adding that his outfit is prepared to work hand in hand with them.

Mr. Danso was grateful to government for seeing the need to partner private individuals to improve the education level of the country.

He advised his people to be content with the tertiary institutions in the country and not rush to Europe to pursue education, because according to him many Ghanaians are stranded in abroad, all because they intend to further their education there.

“My school offers all the modern courses both international and local so it is economically prudent to enroll in his school than to go and study aboard where at the end of the day if you are not lucky you are not going to have your certificate,” he said.

Peacefmonline

New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Kwabena Kyeremateng Agyarko has joined calls for investigations into leaked tape of dismissed deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah.

According to him, the leaked tape which has become a subject of public discourse in both local and international media, casts a slur on the presidency.

The secret recording dubbed Vikileaks in which Ms. Hammah is alleged to have revealed sensitive government issues, has generated a lot of controversy in the country.

On the secret recording, the former deputy minister among other things said a minister of state influenced the Supreme Court judges who presided over the landmark presidential election petition which declared John Mahama as a validly elected president.

She is also purported to have said Tony Lithur, the lawyer who represented President Mahama in court during the petition hearing now controls three ministries in government.

Government has dismissed all the allegations made by Victoria Hammah describing it as unfortunate.

But speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning Show on Monday, Mr. Kyerematen Agyarko said, government must do more than just sacking her.

He noted that the issues raised by Ms. Hammah especially about the final verdict of the 2012 presidential election petition, cannot be swept under the carpet.

“This is not a matter we can sweep under the carpet; the issues must be thoroughly investigated,” Mr. Agyarko stressed.

Mr Agyarko questioned the motive behind government’s decision to sack Victoria if the allegations she made lacked substance.

“If government believes there is no substance in what she said why sack her? That it gives credence to the things we have been hearing on the streets?” he quizzed.

Mr. Kyerematen Agyarko called on Ghanaians to mount pressure on government to institute an enquiry into the matter.

“The good people of this country must not allow this to be swept under the carpet,” he stated.

GhanaMPs.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong says he will not waste time in dealing with anyone who attempts to record him secretly.

The outspoken New Patriotic Party MP was speaking Friday on Adom Fm’s Midday News in response to the dismissal of Deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah over a leaked tape on which she is alleged to have made damning revelations about some government officials.

The supposed voice of Ms Hammah is heard on the tape saying she will not quit politics until she makes at least US$1m and described a colleague deputy minister as “ugly and unintelligent”.

But speaking on Adom FM Midday News Friday, the Assinn Central MP condemned the development where people secretly record public officers, while accusing the media of encouraging such behaviours.

The MP warned, he will not tolerate any secret recording of him.

“Look, whether it’s a crime or not a crime, I insist that any person who will dare and record me without my knowledge will see the bad side of me,” Ken Agyapong asserted.

“We all gossip sometimes but any person who will challenge and betray me in any secret conversation will not go free”.

He however, blamed Ms Hammah of “talking too much”, advising that she should exercise extra caution when engaging in any form of conversation.

According to him, the fact that president John Mahama has sacked the minister, is a confirmation that the comments on the tape are true and called for further investigations into it.

Mr. Agyapong insisted that the president shows more to prove that he does not tolerate corruption and not simply sack one minister.

The Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong says he will not waste time in dealing with anyone whoattempts to record him secretly.

The outspoken New Patriotic Party MP was speaking Friday on Adom Fm’s Midday News in response to the dismissal of Deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah over a leaked tape on which she is alleged to have made damning revelations about some government officials.

The supposed voice of Ms Hammah is heard on the tape saying she will not quit politics until she makes at least US$1m and described a colleague deputy minister as “ugly and unintelligent”.

But speaking on Adom FM Midday News Friday, the Assinn Central MP condemned the development where people secretly record public officers, while accusing the media of encouraging such behaviours.

The MP warned, he will not tolerate any secret recording of him.

“Look, whether it’s a crime or not a crime, I insist that any person who will dare and record me without my knowledge will see the bad side of me,” Ken Agyapong asserted.

“We all gossip sometimes but any person who will challenge and betray me in any secret conversation will not go free”.

He however, blamed Ms Hammah of “talking too much”, advising that she should exercise extra caution when engaging in any form of conversation.

According to him, the fact that president John Mahama has sacked the minister, is a confirmation that the comments on the tape are true and called for further investigations into it.

Mr. Agyapong insisted that the president shows more to prove that he does not tolerate corruption and not simply sack one minister.

The Member of Parliament for Ablekuma West, Mrs Ursula Owusu-Ekuful has questioned the speed at which Victoria Hammah was relieved of her post as deputy Communications Minister.

The dismissed minister is at the centre of a leaked tape where he raised a number of allegations including his intention to make $1 million as a politician, how the election petition ruling was influenced by a minister of state as well as using tongue-lashing words against her colleague deputy minister.

She was subsequently sacked by the president in a statement issued by Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mahama Ayariga on Friday.

But Mrs Owusu-Ekuful who sought to play the gender card on MultiTV/Joy FM’s news analysis programme, Newsfile, Saturday, is asking whether the swift action taken by the presidency could be because she is a female.

The letter relieving her of her post did not state reasons for her dismissal.

But Ursula Owusu-Ekuful analysed: “We’ve had lots and lots of tapes out there in the public domain and no action has been taken about them so the question that I want to throw out there for us to consider is: why this instant action by government on this particular matter?

“Is it because the allegations made or the information provided cut too close to home so it’s an attempt to distant government quickly from this lady? Is there a gender angle in there?

“Why this near instantaneous reaction when there have been tapes out there including even more, in my opinion, serious ones about how party functionaries are able to influence the security apparatus and all that, and that’s gone unanswered: it is just been wished away – the Boateng Gyan tape”.

The people of Ablekuma West constituency in Accra rejected Ms Victoria Hammah in the 2012 parliamentary election when she competed against Ursula.

Nonetheless, the Member of Parliament was curious whether Hammah was given a deputy ministerial appointment due to her physical looks.

In the leaked tape, she was heard referring to her colleague as ugly and touted how “solid” her (Hammah’s) appointment was even though she lost her election. She also advised another colleague against being swayed by her beauty into thinking that she cannot be replaced when there are other equally beautiful women in the party.

Mrs Owusu-Ekuful wondered: “She is talking about beauty and hips as criteria for appointment and I ask myself where that is getting us as a country? If she says that there are people who are more beautiful than you, who didn’t get appointment and they are all waiting in the sidelines, is that what people should be looking at? Is that what gave her, her position? – beauty and hips?”

The MP counselled that “when we are putting people in positions of authority, we need to look at their experience, demonstrable competence, proven track record, not just the one who shouts loudest or insults most or most obnoxious in your face”.

She added, “This excessive reliance on patronage and whom you know, the established linkages, those who supported us and all that, at the expense of merit, competence, proven track record, demonstrated competence; that is partly the bane of the kind of leadership that we have and may not be limited to just this group alone but you can’t also say that you will not look at those who supported you but there must be some balance so that you would have people who will really be there to do the work instead of those that you are rewarding for service rendered in the past.”

Myjoyonline.com

Government has denied comments by the dismissed Deputy Minister of Communications, Victoria Hammah which suggested that the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur met with Justices of the Supreme Court before the verdict on the election petition.

“There is no iota of truth in her statement about Nana Oye Lithur meeting the justices of the Supreme Court. They never had a meeting,” Information and Media Relations Minister, Mahama Ayariga stated.

Deputy Communications Minister, Victoria Hammah was relieved of her post on Friday according to a letter signed by the Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mahama Ayariga.

Although the letter did not state why she was fired, it is believed that a leaked tape on which Ms. Hammah is heard discussing internal government and party issues is the reason for her sacking.

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Friday called on the Chief Justice to probe into the allegations by Victoria Hammah alleging that Nana Oye Lithur had a meeting with the justices before the election petition judgment.

The party’s General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie in an interview with Citi News said the NPP was convinced that the claim by Victoria Hammah that the 2012 election petition judgement was influenced by the government was true and factual.

But speaking to Citi News the Information and Media Relations Minister, Mahama Ayariga explained that the only connection that Nana Oye Lithur had with the case was the fact that her husband Tony Lithur was the President’s lawyer adding that she had nothing to do with the justices or the election petition judgment.