THEN AND NOW:

A Historical Review Of The Two Political Transitions SINCE 2001-PART 1

In this presentation, I do not seek to draw any political conclusions from any of the facts that would be presented here. I, therefore, would leave readers to do that for themselves however, I would caution that readers put off their political lenses and make objective analyses in the interest of mother Ghana. I would further urge contributors to be civil and cogent in their comments since inflammatory comments would not benefit anybody but serve only the personal ego of the commentator. Is politics in Ghana comparable to the famous Tom and Jerry show? “You do me I do you phenomenon” the politics of retributions and paybacks or it seeks national cohesion and development? It must be mentioned for the records that all these references are from a single source-Ghanaweb.com

1. HOW THE NEW GOV’T EXPECTS TO GOVERN AND TREAT THE OPPOSITION

Monday, 8 January 2001

Kufour Urges All Hands On Deck

“Ghana's new President, John Agyekum Kufuor, on Sunday called for collective efforts to revive the ailing economy, reconcile the people and build on the evolving democratic dispensation.

"We have work to do and that starts today. Our greatest enemy is poverty. And the battle against poverty starts with reconciling our people and forging ahead in unity," Kufuor said in his maiden speech shortly after he was sworn in as Ghana's fifth President.”

Thursday, 8 January 2009

Prof Mills inaugurated president, promises to heal wounds

"I will be president for all Ghanaians, whether they voted for me or not. I'll heal wounds and strive to ensure unity. No Ghanaian should live in fear of armed robbery," he said. "Improvement in internal security would be top on my priorities," President Mills said in his inaugural speech at the Independence Square in Accra.

2. OFFICE ACCOMMODATION FOR THE PRESIDENT

Tuesday, 9 January 2001

President moves into temporary office

THE President, Mr J. A. Kufuor, yesterday assumed duty using the Presidential Lodge of the State House in Accra as his temporary office

Monday, 19 January 2009

Mills now lives and works at the Castle

Accra, Jan. 19, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills has since January 13 been living and working at the Castle, according to a statement from the Castle signed by Mr Koku Anyidoho, Head of Communications.

3. ALLEGATIONS OF STEALING GOV’T VEHICLES

Thursday, 11 January 2001

Ex-Govt officials registered 106 cars

THE Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) has confirmed that it has so far changed ownership and re-registered 106 state vehicles into the names of former ministers, their deputies as well as presidential staffers in the erstwhile National Democratic Congress (NDC) Government.

The authorisation for the registration and change of ownership emanated from a circular addressed to all ministers, their deputies and presidential staffers titled: “Joint Transitional Team Allocation of Vehicles”.

Saturday, 10 January 2009

Controversy rages over seizure of "state-owned" vehicles Controversy looms large over the seizure of a fleet of state-owned vehicles which ex-government functionaries are believed to have attempted to re-register as private automobiles.

At least a former deputy minister and Chief Kufuor, son of former President John Agyekum Kufuor, were victims of a raid conducted by state security personnel detailed to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in Accra, to impound suspected state-owned vehicles which were allegedly being given private labels.

4. HARASSMENT OF OPPOSITION PARTY MEMBERS

Friday, 12 January 2001

Brong Ahafo NDC urges NPP to restrain members THE Brong-Ahafo Regional secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has appealed to the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to restrain their supporters from destroying structures of the party and attacking its supporters in various parts of the region.

Wednesday, 14 January 2009

NDC leadership asked to help stop intimidations

Tamale, Jan. 14, GNA - Mr. Clifford Abdallah Braimah, Northern Regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has asked the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to help stop the alleged intimidations being perpetrated on perceived political opponents Stop harassing our supporters - Nana Addo

Wa, Jan. 15, GNA - Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo -Addo, Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has appealed to President John Evans Atta Mills and the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to advise their supporters to stop harassing supporters of the NPP.

5. CHARGES OF ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT AGAINST PREVIOUS GOV’T

Sunday, 21 January 2001

NDC leaves 6 trillion cedi debt

The task of reviving the economy is bound to be more herculean following the discovery of an internal debt of ?6trillion and a worsening of the external debt by $200million.

Making the revelation to a stunned group at the State House last Tuesday, the Minister-designate of Finance, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, said that ?6trillion represents a whopping 20% of Ghana’s GDP!!

Sunday, 18 January 2009

Reuters: Ghana "broke" after spending spree

RISING DEBT

Ghana's public debt reached $7.7 billion, or 53.5 percent of GDP, by the end of September, up from 51.4 percent nine months earlier, central bank figures show. Debts have steadily risen since Ghana received billions of dollars in debt relief in 2005

6. OUTRAGEOUS EXTRA-GRATIA /ESB FOR FORMER GOV’T OFFICIALS

Saturday, 3 February 2001

NDC Ministers paid 3.5 cedis billion ESB

The Weekend Statesman reports that NDC Ministers and appointees have been paid more than 3.5 billion cedis in end of service benefits (ESB)! The money was authorised for payment to the officials less than 48 hours before they were to leave office.

Beneficiaries of this last minute golden handshake were Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Presidential Staffers, District Chief Executives (DCEs) and "long serving and dedicated staff" of the Office of the President.

7. TREATMENT OF THE PAST PRESIDENT (HOUSING, CARS AND OFFICE SPACE)

Wednesday, 24 January 2001

NPP Gives Rawlings 5 Houses

The transitional team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) agreed to hand over five state houses to former President Jerry John Rawlings for his use. According to an agreement signed for the NPP by Professor Fred T. Sai and Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the houses will be used as residence, office, guesthouse and quarters for security detail. The agreement was counter signed by Kofi Totobi Quarkyi, former Minister for National Security and Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief of Staff at the office of the President

Monday, 19 January 2009

2 Houses, 6 Cars, Tourist Trip for Kufuor

The presidential committee on emolument has recommended a lavish living for ex-president John Agyekum Kufuor for serving his two consecutive terms as president of Ghana.

The committee recommended that the former president should be given fully furnished residences that befit a former president at a place of his choice - one in Accra and another out of the national capital. In addition, the former president would be entitled among other privileges, to six fully maintained comprehensively insured, fuelled and chauffeured-driven cars to be replaced every four years. The fleet comprise of three salon cars, two cross country cars and one all-purpose vehicle.

Monday, 12 March 2001

Rawlings And Others Asked To Refund 3 Billion

.... Cedis As Ex-Gratia Awards.

Former Ghanaian President, Jerry Rawlings, his Vice, Professor John Evans Atta-Mills and other members of their Government, have been asked to refund an amount of 2.88 Billion Cedis they took home as Ex-Gratia Awards. According to sources, the amount represents both over payments to deserving officials and monies paid to those who did not qualify for ex-gratia awards. A source close to the presidency said the anomaly was detected after careful scrutiny and analysis of the payments by the Controller and Accountant-

Thursday, 19 February 2009

Stop noise over ex-gratia – Kufuor

Mr. Kufuor who was a member of parliament in the late 60s, and perhaps abreast with the nature of work in the house, emphatically stressed that the work of parliament “is so difficult”; pointing to the fact that what was recommended in the report and signed by him was in order. He said Ghanaian legislators’ monthly salary of “not more than GH¢2,700” is not befitting, and thus “really doesn’t reflect well of our nation at all”. He said at the end of “hectic and demanding” term of four years and the state deemed it fit to say “thank you” with an emolument of GH¢80,000 to a parliamentarian, that should not attract the kind of criticism it is receiving now.

Friday, 6 February 2009

$20m already paid for ex-gratia awards

An amount of about US$20 million has already been paid into the accounts of former public officials including former President Kufuor, according to JOYFM The monies were paid by the Bank of Ghana. The Finance Committee of Parliament, chaired by Mr. Moses Asaga, MP for Nabdam Constituency approved the payment of the end of service awards without consultation with the National Democratic

8. SACKING OF CIVIL SERVANTS/HEADS OF GOV’T ORGANIZATIONS

Monday, 12 February 2001

Ghana replaces Cocobod cocoa board chief – sources

ABIDJAN, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The chief executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (Cocobod), John Newman, has been replaced by the body\'s deputy chief executive, Sam Appah, cocoa industry sources said on Monday. They said that Newman had been asked by new Finance Minister Yaw Osafo-Maafo last week \"to go on leave\" and hand over management to Appah, who was in charge of Cocobod\'s marketing.

Tuesday, 13 January 2009

30 Civil Servants Sacked

Thirty Civil Servants have been sacked on the orders of the transition team set up by President John Evans Atta Mills. The dismissed civil servants were A5 Foreign Service officers at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who had received their appointment letters and had been officially sworn into office.

Ministry sources said the Mills' Transition Team Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs had expressed doubts about the political affiliation of the said civil servants and thus directed that their appointments be terminated with immediate effect. Indeed the dismissal letters were copied and specifically attentioned to Dr. Tony Aidoo, Chairman of the Government Transition Sub-Committee on Foreign Affairs

Tuesday, 27 January 2009

Governing Boards of Government, Organizations and Parastatals dissolved Accra, Jan. 27, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills has decided to reconstitute the membership of all Governing Boards of Government Organizations and Parastatals. Accordingly, all such Boards are dissolved with immediate effect. A statement signed by Mr Mahama Ayariga, Presidential Spokesperson on Tuesday further directed that all appointments, promotions, re-designations, transfers, and re-assignments recently made by such Boards will not take effect until the new Boards are in place and have reviewed them.

It said the Government nominees on the Boards of Directors of Companies in which Government has shares have also been withdrawn. Their replacements will be made in due course.

9. CONTINUATION OF THE NATIONAL AGENDA/DEVELOPMENT

Monday, 19 February 2001

Government will ensure completion of projects- Bartels Mr Kwamena Bartels, Minister of Works and Housing on Saturday said all on-going projects under his ministry and those abandoned by previous governments would be completed before new contracts are awarded. "It is a total waste of national resources and deceit of the public for projects to be started only to be left at the mercy of the whether.\" Monday, 26 March 2001

NDC Gave Out Contract for Presidential Mansion Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Kwamena Bartels, has explained that the contract for the building of a new residence for the President and his Vice was given out by the former government. Moving the motion for the approval of the budgetary allocation in Parliament last Friday, Bartels said the drawings and the contract for the building to replace the abandoned Flagstaff House was given out by the NDC government of ex-President Jerry Rawlings.

Monday, 19 February 2001

DCEs to be elected

Ghana\'s Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, on Friday reiterated that the government will ultimately ensure that District Chief Executives (DCEs) are elected as enshrined in the manifesto of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). A statement issued in Accra on Saturday said he made the statement when the British High Commissioner in Ghana, Dr Rod Pullen, called on him at his office. In the run-up to the December elections, President John Agyekum Kufuor promised to make the position of DCEs an elective one to make them more responsible and accountable to the people and not to a political party.

Thursday, 8 January 2009

DCEs & MCEs To Remain At Posts

President John Evans Atta Mills has ordered all former District and Municipal Chief Executives to remain at post until they are told to do otherwise.

According to presidential spokesperson Mahama Ayariga, the President has no intentions of sacking such officials, at least not in the immediate future.

Benjamin O Agyepong