Tuesday, July 27, 2010
CORRUPTION AND KUFFOURS LEGACY
I have always favor diplomacy over immediate radicalism and solution over problems. Yet our country Ghana, is surrounded by national leaders who are steeped in corruption and all the devils known in the history of politics.
According to the Myjoyonline.com, from 2003-2008 the NPP administration set up or attempted there on to set up a department for monitoring and evaluating government policies with over $10 million as it's seed money funded by the UNDP and DFID.
Head of Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation team at the presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo has said that contrary to popular view Kuffour and his cohort of ministers misapplied the money and only wounded up with feasibility studies with a whooping 10 million US DOLLARS .
According to Dr. Tony Aidoo, “...Apart from feasibility studies that were carried out I came to find that the whole output of the unit did not even contain a baseline databank".
This revelation may not be the beginning marking an end to a perpetual penchant for corruption by our national leaders.
Like fellow citizens of this noble country, i have move beyond "mounding my hopes" on any political party and in any individual who profess spirited and high ideals only to end up calling Ghanaians, "lazy people".
I am convinced that, the Mills-led-regenerated-NDC-administration cannot be absolve from this, "achievement eater", with the likes of Muntaka and the sports saga among others.
However, i am cautiously optimistic that victory in 2012 will be the portion of the larger masses (poor men and women) who have to scratch their butt before making ends meet.
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64
Augrako4gh@gmail.com
According to the Myjoyonline.com, from 2003-2008 the NPP administration set up or attempted there on to set up a department for monitoring and evaluating government policies with over $10 million as it's seed money funded by the UNDP and DFID.
Head of Policy, Monitoring and Evaluation team at the presidency, Dr Tony Aidoo has said that contrary to popular view Kuffour and his cohort of ministers misapplied the money and only wounded up with feasibility studies with a whooping 10 million US DOLLARS .
According to Dr. Tony Aidoo, “...Apart from feasibility studies that were carried out I came to find that the whole output of the unit did not even contain a baseline databank".
This revelation may not be the beginning marking an end to a perpetual penchant for corruption by our national leaders.
Like fellow citizens of this noble country, i have move beyond "mounding my hopes" on any political party and in any individual who profess spirited and high ideals only to end up calling Ghanaians, "lazy people".
I am convinced that, the Mills-led-regenerated-NDC-administration cannot be absolve from this, "achievement eater", with the likes of Muntaka and the sports saga among others.
However, i am cautiously optimistic that victory in 2012 will be the portion of the larger masses (poor men and women) who have to scratch their butt before making ends meet.
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64
Augrako4gh@gmail.com
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
NATIONAL UNION OF GHANA STUDENTS' (NUGS) IN CRISIS!
For quiet sometime now, the mention of the National Union of Ghana Students' (NUGS)at any students gathering arouses such a hatred feeling among some students that one is compelled to harsh or shush in such times.
Some students' too resort to flagrant saddling of the Union with insults upon the other for glossing over it's responsibilities towards students in the country.
I have been in a gathering where people snapped, scorned and hooted at the President of the Union, Mr. Wonder Madilo for his alleged alliance with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC),the tension within the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Union and among his own Executive Officers.
Today, the Union finds itself in a "time-bound bomb" and well prepared "tension", between the President, Mr. Wonder Madilo and the NUGS representative to the All-African Students' Union (AASU) Mr. Abdul Karim.
The internal power struggle in the Union is so potent to cause such a huge breakdown of structures as to hamper the Union from accomplishing its' "lack of focus" agenda. There were reports of Wonder using his own "power" to write a letter of withdrawal of Karim as the NUGS representative to AASU.
This became a "grand debate" during the last Central Committee meeting on 30 May, 2010 at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) as a round-up to the National Congress in August this year.
Surprising to know that, the house was divided not on issues bordering on the welfare and common weal of the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Students' of this "impoverished" country but rather on "trivial but significant" issues of impeachment and financial malfeasance on the part of both Karim and Wonder.
Truth be that, the internal wrangling between the caucuses of Karim and Wonder borders on a very bone-core issue which if not well detonated, can explode the already defunct and malfunctioned body - NUGS.
To some, the power struggling is an issue that has to do with the AASU Secretary from Nigeria, Mr. Ogunlala who alleges Karims "clandestine agenda" to relieve him of his long-served position as a result of Karims interest to be the AASU Secretary.
Today, fellow Ghanaians, as the National Union of Ghana Students' (NUGS) gets prepared for its' last Central Committee (CC) meeting on the 17, July, 2010 at Winneba, you and me cannot begin to imagine the kind of preparation being made in both camps to display their last vestige of power at Winneba as the finale of their bottomed-down anger against each other.
If i were to advise both camps, it will be that, the Union is greater than their individual and egoistic interest and again about the fact that, they cannot begin to imagine how the Union would have fared in the face of the Ghanaian populace had each of them invested their "bottomed-down anger" into helping the Union achieve its establishing aims and objectives.
NUGS is already saddled with magnitudes of challenges whose whirlpool has swept the current Executive Officers making them loose focus and direction.
Like my other colleague Student Leaders, the difficulty of the Union is a cutting one and which calls for an effective leadership with damaging tenacity to call the bluff. Anything short of this...
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64
Augrako4gh@yahoo.com
Some students' too resort to flagrant saddling of the Union with insults upon the other for glossing over it's responsibilities towards students in the country.
I have been in a gathering where people snapped, scorned and hooted at the President of the Union, Mr. Wonder Madilo for his alleged alliance with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC),the tension within the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Union and among his own Executive Officers.
Today, the Union finds itself in a "time-bound bomb" and well prepared "tension", between the President, Mr. Wonder Madilo and the NUGS representative to the All-African Students' Union (AASU) Mr. Abdul Karim.
The internal power struggle in the Union is so potent to cause such a huge breakdown of structures as to hamper the Union from accomplishing its' "lack of focus" agenda. There were reports of Wonder using his own "power" to write a letter of withdrawal of Karim as the NUGS representative to AASU.
This became a "grand debate" during the last Central Committee meeting on 30 May, 2010 at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) as a round-up to the National Congress in August this year.
Surprising to know that, the house was divided not on issues bordering on the welfare and common weal of the Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Students' of this "impoverished" country but rather on "trivial but significant" issues of impeachment and financial malfeasance on the part of both Karim and Wonder.
Truth be that, the internal wrangling between the caucuses of Karim and Wonder borders on a very bone-core issue which if not well detonated, can explode the already defunct and malfunctioned body - NUGS.
To some, the power struggling is an issue that has to do with the AASU Secretary from Nigeria, Mr. Ogunlala who alleges Karims "clandestine agenda" to relieve him of his long-served position as a result of Karims interest to be the AASU Secretary.
Today, fellow Ghanaians, as the National Union of Ghana Students' (NUGS) gets prepared for its' last Central Committee (CC) meeting on the 17, July, 2010 at Winneba, you and me cannot begin to imagine the kind of preparation being made in both camps to display their last vestige of power at Winneba as the finale of their bottomed-down anger against each other.
If i were to advise both camps, it will be that, the Union is greater than their individual and egoistic interest and again about the fact that, they cannot begin to imagine how the Union would have fared in the face of the Ghanaian populace had each of them invested their "bottomed-down anger" into helping the Union achieve its establishing aims and objectives.
NUGS is already saddled with magnitudes of challenges whose whirlpool has swept the current Executive Officers making them loose focus and direction.
Like my other colleague Student Leaders, the difficulty of the Union is a cutting one and which calls for an effective leadership with damaging tenacity to call the bluff. Anything short of this...
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64
Augrako4gh@yahoo.com
Monday, July 12, 2010
GHANA RECORD HIGH IN CHILD SLAVERY CASES
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 4 says that, "No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms".
In October, Ghana Media Advocacy Programme (G-MAP), a civil society organization, expressed worry over a research it carried out in Ghana, which revealed an increase in child-related abuses, including child labor, child trafficking, child labor, child abuse and child migration.
In similar development, Ghana has been sited in the United for Human Rights website as a country that encourages children into the fishing industry.
According to the website, "In Ghana, children five to fourteen are tricked with false promises of education and future into dangerous, unpaid jobs in the fishing industry". This has been a scar in our national leadership.
The statement signed by Abdul-Kudus Husein, Communication Executive
Of G-MAP, and made available to Ghana News Agency (GNA), said “ These children can be seen on farmlands in the Northern Regions, seashores along the coastal belt, cocoa and the forest areas of the middle belt as well as homes of well-to-do families
Again, he stressed that along the country’s coast in particular, children worked in hazardous and life-threatening conditions at the expense of their education.
Also in November, 2008 it was reported on Myjoyonline.com that,"about 20 children die in Ghana every year as a result of abuse and neglect, Mr John Hackman, an advocate of the rights of children, disclosed at a forum in Takoradi".
During the erstwhile Kuffuor-led-NPP-administration, the government promised to help reduce incidence of children being lured into the Cocoa business and the fishing industry. However, within two to three years, our national leadership has failed in it's bid to implement without hesitation, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ghana, like any other African country ought to come clean of human right abuses which has helped in denting the image of the over 53 years old country.
We have a rendezvous with destiny and future. And the time is now!!!
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64
In October, Ghana Media Advocacy Programme (G-MAP), a civil society organization, expressed worry over a research it carried out in Ghana, which revealed an increase in child-related abuses, including child labor, child trafficking, child labor, child abuse and child migration.
In similar development, Ghana has been sited in the United for Human Rights website as a country that encourages children into the fishing industry.
According to the website, "In Ghana, children five to fourteen are tricked with false promises of education and future into dangerous, unpaid jobs in the fishing industry". This has been a scar in our national leadership.
The statement signed by Abdul-Kudus Husein, Communication Executive
Of G-MAP, and made available to Ghana News Agency (GNA), said “ These children can be seen on farmlands in the Northern Regions, seashores along the coastal belt, cocoa and the forest areas of the middle belt as well as homes of well-to-do families
Again, he stressed that along the country’s coast in particular, children worked in hazardous and life-threatening conditions at the expense of their education.
Also in November, 2008 it was reported on Myjoyonline.com that,"about 20 children die in Ghana every year as a result of abuse and neglect, Mr John Hackman, an advocate of the rights of children, disclosed at a forum in Takoradi".
During the erstwhile Kuffuor-led-NPP-administration, the government promised to help reduce incidence of children being lured into the Cocoa business and the fishing industry. However, within two to three years, our national leadership has failed in it's bid to implement without hesitation, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Ghana, like any other African country ought to come clean of human right abuses which has helped in denting the image of the over 53 years old country.
We have a rendezvous with destiny and future. And the time is now!!!
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64
Monday, July 5, 2010
BLACK STAR: THE CENTER OF POLITICAL CONTROVERSY AND IMMATURITY
"God why Ghana", was the voice of an over 41 years old man sitting by me when Asamoah Gyan missed the last minute penalty. A lady also closed by buried her head in her palm and spurted tears roller-coasting to the ground like a thunderous rain.A certain man was reported shouting that, Ghanaians do not have faith in the lord.
Such were the story that greeted Ghanaians after the Black Stars lost to the Uruguayans after the penalty shoot-out.
These stories among others are testament to the common bond that soccer brings to our land. For a brief moment the hullabaloo about the lackluster attitude of President Mills and the flagrant display of arrogance by Nana Addo were all briefly forget for the high-spirited passion.
Similar stories indicated that some citizens of other African countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia etc were calling for the head of Suarez and the entire Uruguay team. Such is our pride. Our pride as a united continent.
For a moment I thought the victory of the Black Stars at the ongoing South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup would surely be the victory of Ghana and that means the victory of the major political parties inter alia, NPP and NDC.
However, my pride as a Ghanaian was flushed out when on 4 July, 2010 a woman who had clad herself in the colors of the NPP was shouting "thank God" for the elimination of the Black Stars from the race at the Kaneshie Market. According to her, Mills will be making a helluva noise about his record (success) at two World cups should the Black Stars advanced from the quarter final stage of the competition.
That is not all, on 5 July, 2010 a known NPP youth activist made similar comment as the Kaneshie Market seller and even suggested the Stars should have been eliminated at the Knock-out stage.
More damaging was a comment from an NDC youth Activist who was lampooning Nana Addo and his "short-man devil", party for their slogan of defeat for the Stars. That, to me was below the belt especially for a youth activist of a ruling party to be making such frivolous and indiscriminate statement.
Such were the loose comments from supposedly patriotic people of Ghana. Such were the "Believe in Ghana", agenda of Nana Addo and the "I Care For You", mantra of Mills.
Our country deserves better than this cosmetic chanting of unity by our political leadership especially when they are faced with the problem of "trust deficit".
If there is any lesson at all for us to rally around, it is that, our unification lies not in our political institutions but rather in our social institutions.
I am proud of the Stars and hereby call on all well meaning Ghanaians to come out in their numbers to give the men a huge, huge hug for such a long long battle with destiny.
I must say that, Ghana is better off but for the sacrifice of the Stars at the world cup which has endeared us to the world comity of sports.
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64
Such were the story that greeted Ghanaians after the Black Stars lost to the Uruguayans after the penalty shoot-out.
These stories among others are testament to the common bond that soccer brings to our land. For a brief moment the hullabaloo about the lackluster attitude of President Mills and the flagrant display of arrogance by Nana Addo were all briefly forget for the high-spirited passion.
Similar stories indicated that some citizens of other African countries like Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, South Africa, Namibia, Zambia etc were calling for the head of Suarez and the entire Uruguay team. Such is our pride. Our pride as a united continent.
For a moment I thought the victory of the Black Stars at the ongoing South Africa 2010 FIFA World Cup would surely be the victory of Ghana and that means the victory of the major political parties inter alia, NPP and NDC.
However, my pride as a Ghanaian was flushed out when on 4 July, 2010 a woman who had clad herself in the colors of the NPP was shouting "thank God" for the elimination of the Black Stars from the race at the Kaneshie Market. According to her, Mills will be making a helluva noise about his record (success) at two World cups should the Black Stars advanced from the quarter final stage of the competition.
That is not all, on 5 July, 2010 a known NPP youth activist made similar comment as the Kaneshie Market seller and even suggested the Stars should have been eliminated at the Knock-out stage.
More damaging was a comment from an NDC youth Activist who was lampooning Nana Addo and his "short-man devil", party for their slogan of defeat for the Stars. That, to me was below the belt especially for a youth activist of a ruling party to be making such frivolous and indiscriminate statement.
Such were the loose comments from supposedly patriotic people of Ghana. Such were the "Believe in Ghana", agenda of Nana Addo and the "I Care For You", mantra of Mills.
Our country deserves better than this cosmetic chanting of unity by our political leadership especially when they are faced with the problem of "trust deficit".
If there is any lesson at all for us to rally around, it is that, our unification lies not in our political institutions but rather in our social institutions.
I am proud of the Stars and hereby call on all well meaning Ghanaians to come out in their numbers to give the men a huge, huge hug for such a long long battle with destiny.
I must say that, Ghana is better off but for the sacrifice of the Stars at the world cup which has endeared us to the world comity of sports.
Auxtyn.blogspot.com
+233 242 62 81 64