Accra, July 11, GNA - The Presidency has reacted to media reports on the cost of national award in a press statement Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to the President and Presidential Spokesman, signed on Friday.

The statement said: "Our attention has been drawn to media reports concerning the cost of medal recently awarded to deserving awardees of the National Honours Awards ceremony.

"While we recognise the legitimacy for the media to raise questions on important events or issues like the National Honours and Awards Day and to seek clarification where necessary, we find the political undertone in these reports unmistakably loud.

"What is the concern? Is it about the necessity for National Honours or the cost of such honours? If it is about the necessity of the National Awards then we dare say that the National Honours Day was instituted as far back as 1960 by an Executive Order and has always been carried out every year to commemorate Ghana's Republic status."

The statement said: "If on the other hand the concern is about the cost of the medal, then it would be necessary to relate it to other known cost to validate the criticisms otherwise there is no point in saying that it is too expensive since there is so far no evidence of a cheaper quotation for the same quality and quantity of medal.

"Having said that, we wish to state that the price of these medals was right, the process of procurement was right giving that these are not products that can be lifted off the shelf and that very few companies are engaged in producing them.

"In our view the value of the National Honours is not in the cover price of the medals. The cost of the medals is nothing compared to the aggregate contributions of the individual awardees.

"We are talking about people, who have contributed to the discovery of oil in our country; people who introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme in our country; people who helped to bring about the cancellation of Ghana's over four billion-dollar debt and fetched over 700 million dollars in Eurobonds and many other such initiatives," the statement said.

"These contributions have lifted the country up from the depths of the pit we found ourselves in not too long ago to the pedestal of international recognition, respect and acceptance.

"In the particular case of the Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana, the State chain is not just an award to the sitting President but a State insignia (symbol of office) that comes to complement the State Sword, which is a solid 24 carat gold. We hope no one is suggesting that the State Chain to complement this sword should come in brass.

"Government has no regrets for honouring her heroes and heroines. In our view they deserve even more. Much as we recognize and accept constructive criticism, we think the current one is a petty red herring introduced only to advance the agenda and ambitions of the architects of these reports," the statement said.

Castle Press Statement - National Awards

Our attention has been drawn to media reports concerning the cost of the medals recently awarded to deserving awardees of the National Honours Award ceremony.

While we recognize the legitimacy for the media to raise questions on important events or issues like the National Honours and Awards Day and to seek clarification where necessary, we find the political undertones in these reports unmistakably loud.

What is the concern? Is it about the necessity for National Honours or the cost of such honours: if it is about the necessity of the National Awards then we dare say that the National Honours Day was instituted as far back as 1960 by an Executive Order and has always been carried out every year, to commemorate Ghana ¢s Republican status.

If on the other hand the concern is about the cost of the medals, then it would be necessary to relate it to other known costs to validate the criticisms otherwise there is no point in saying that it is too expensive since there is so far no evidence of a cheaper quotation for the same quality and quantity of medals. Having said that, we wish to state that the price of these medals was right, the process of procurement was right giving that these are not products that can be lifted off the shelf and that very few companies are engaged in producing them.

In our view the value of the National Honours is not in the cover price of the medals. The cost of the medals is nothing compared to the aggregate contributions of the individual awardees. We are talking about people who have contributed to the discovery of oil in our country; People who introduced the National Health Insurance Scheme in our country; People who helped to bring about the cancellation of Ghana ¢s over 4 billion-dollar debt and fetched over 700 million dollars in Eurobonds and many other such initiatives.

These contributions have lifted the country up from the depths of the pit we found ourselves in not too long ago to the pedestal of international recognition, respect and acceptance.

In the particular case of the Grand Order of the Star and Eagles of Ghana, the State chain is not just an award to the sitting President but a state insignia (symbol of office) that comes to compliment the State Sword which is a solid 24-carat gold. We hope no one is suggesting that the State Chain to compliment this sword should come in brass.

Government has no regrets for honouring her heroes and heroines. In our view they deserve even more. Much as we recognize and accept constructive criticism, we think the current one is a petty red herring introduced only to advance the agenda and ambitions of the architects of these reports.

We wish to conclude that the entire transaction is open and transparent and available for the appropriate state auditing agencies anytime required.

ANDREW AWUNI PRESS SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT & PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESMAN