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Ghanaians are going to the polls
Ghanaians are going to the polls on today, Sunday December 7 2008, to elect a President and 230 Parliamentarians in what promises to be an exciting contest among four front-running political parties - New Patriotic (NPP); National Democratic Congress (NDC); People's National Convention (PNC) and Convention People's Party (CPP). Some political analysts have gone further to narrow the contest down to between the ruling NPP and the main opposition NDC with CPP expected to cause a stir and probably push the contest into a second round. Polling would start at 07:00 and would continue until 17:00 unless they are extended because of technical reasons. The first results are expected late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning. The Electoral Commission expects all results to be declared within 72 hours.
Election 2008 considered as historic would witness the second uninterrupted handover of power by an elected leader to another elected leader in the country's 51-year political history. It is the fifth successive multi-party elections under the Fourth Republic. Former President Jerry Rawlings, who transformed himself from a military leader into a democratically elected president in 1992 on the ticket of the NDC, served his full two terms. His term of office ended on January 6, 2001.
President John Agyekum Kufuor, who won the presidency on the ticket of the NPP, would be the second Ghanaian elected leader to hand over to another elected leader.
Picture taken @ 9 am, 07.12.2008 (Akosombo)
Seven political parties and an independent candidate are contesting for the single presidential slot while a total of 1,060 parliamentary candidates are slugging it out for seats in the 230-seat Parliament. Statistics from the EC Research and Monitoring Department made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra indicate that the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are contesting in 229 Constituencies.
The NPP is contesting for 21 out of the 22 constituencies in the Western Region whiles the NDC is contesting 38 out of 39 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
The Convention People's Party (CPP) is contesting in 206 constituencies; People's National Convention (PNC) 129; Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) 108; Democratic People's Party (DPP) 49; Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) 10; and New Vision Party (NVP) four. The rest are: Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) two seats; Ghana National Party (GNP) one seat and 95 independent candidates. Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), told Ghana News Agency that the voting procedures remain the same. "The voting pattern is transparent and at each point of the voting process there is an identifiable glaring system, which would make it impossible for any one to cheat.
"The result of any polling station where the number of votes cast would exceed the number of registered voters would be cancelled." Dr Afari-Gyan urged Ghanaians, especially political party representatives, to avoid making wild allegations about imagined electoral fraud and suspicions because one would not get things done in their favour.
He said voting ends official at 1700 hours and the entire process would take place in the open view of the public.
The EC Chairman said Presiding Officers in-charge of polling stations would inspect the ballot papers in the presence of the agents, enter the total number, show the ballot boxes to the public to ascertain that they were empty and then place them in the open for voting.
Dr Afari-Gyan reiterated that accredited local and international observers, journalists, national and regional executive members of contesting political parties, security personnel, contesting candidates and spouses and monitors are permitted to visit the polling stations. He advised all accredited officials to wear their prescribed identification tag - exhibiting their photograph, name, organisation and mandate.
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Voting in Election 2008 ends peacefully
Accra, Dec. 7, GNA - Voting in Election 2008 ended generally peacefully at 1700 hours on Sunday December 7 2008 throughout the country. About 12.5 million Ghanaians went to the polls to elect a President and 230 Parliamentarians in what was described as an exciting contest among four front-running political parties - New Patriotic (NPP); National Democratic Congress (NDC); People's National Convention (PNC) and Convention People's Party (CPP).
Some political analysts had gone further to narrow the contest down to between the ruling NPP and the main opposition NDC with CPP expected to cause a stir and probably push the contest into a second round.
Polling started at 0700 hours and ended officially at 1700 hours at the 22,000 polling centres throughout the country. The first results are expected late on Sunday night or early on Monday morning. The Electoral Commission expects all results to be declared within 72 hours. Voting was generally peaceful except in a few polling stations where the behaviour of party agents created confusion. An unspecified number of people were arrested trying to vote more than once or to impersonate while a few were fell foul of the law for violent behaviour.
President John Agyekum Kufuor and Former President Jerry John Rawlings cast their votes in their respective polling centres in Accra. The eight candidates in the presidential contest also voted in Election 2008 considered as historic since it would lead to the second uninterrupted handover of power by an elected leader to another elected leader in the country's 51-year political history. It was the fifth successive multi-party elections under the Fourth Republic. Former President Rawlings, who transformed himself from a military leader into a democratically elected president in 1992 on the ticket of the NDC, served his full two terms. His term of office ended on January 6, 2001. President Kufuor, who won the presidency on the ticket of the NPP, would be the second Ghanaian elected leader to hand over to another elected leader.
Seven political parties and an independent candidate contested for the single presidential slot while a total of 1,060 parliamentary candidates slugged it out for seats in the 230-seat Legislature. Statistics from the EC Research and Monitoring Department made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra indicated that the ruling NPP and the main opposition NDC contested in 229 constituencies each. The NPP contested for 21 out of the 22 constituencies in the Western Region whiles the NDC contested 38 out of 39 constituencies in the Ashanti Region.
The Convention People's Party (CPP) contested in 206 constituencies; People's National Convention (PNC) 129; Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) 108; Democratic People's Party (DPP) 49; Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) 10; and New Vision Party (NVP) four. The rest were: Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP) two seats; Ghana National Party (GNP) one seat and 95 independent candidates. Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), who went round a number of constituencies in Greater Accra and Volta Regions expressed satisfaction about the conduct of the elections. Professor John Evans Atta Mills, Presidential Candidate of NDC, was exuding with confidence when he went to cast his vote, and predicted that he would win a "one touch" victory. Voting was generally peaceful except a few isolated incidents. 7. December 2008
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Four killed and 12 injured in accidents at Awutu Beraku
Awutu (C/R) Dec. 6, GNA - Four people died at the spot and 12 others received various degree of injury, when four vehicles on which they were travelling were involved in two separate accidents near Awutu Beraku in the Central Region on the Winneba Accra road on Friday and Sunday.
According to the Awutu Police, one of the dead has been identified as Mr Emmanuel Effo, the 50-year old driver of the Urvan Bus. The police said in the first accident, which happened on Friday, four people were killed on the spot and eight sustained injuries when a Land Cruiser with foreign registration No. XXX 3 X from Axim in the Western Region collided with an Urvan Bus with registration AS 3164 P. According to the police in the second accident that occurred on Saturday
Four persons on board a Metro Mass Transport Bus, with Registration No.GR2010 U were injured when it crashed with a Ley Land DAF Articulator Truck with registration No. GT7210 A, loaded with scraps near Awutu Beraku.
The Police said the bodies have been deposited at the Winneba Government Hospital mortuary for autopsy, adding that, John Patrick Amoah, driver of the land cruiser and the other injured persons were receiving treatment at the same hospital. Meanwhile information from the Winneba Hospital indicated that seven of the eight injured persons who were in critical condition, have been transferred to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for further treatment.
The police said the driver of the Articulator truck involved in the second accident had been placed in police custody at Awutu Beraku, while the injured were on admission at the hospital. According to the police they were investigating the cause of the accidents.
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NDC calls for vigilance
Accra, Dec. 6, GNA - The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), on eve the of the December 7 Presidential and Parliamentary polls, has called for national vigilance and peace on Election Day and after and urged its supporters to remain calm as, victory is assured.
"Go out and cast your vote and encourage others to vote. your massive vote would give us once more victory to govern with human centred policies," the NDC said.
In a statement signed by Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, NDC General Secretary, the party directed its regional, constituency and party agents at all levels to strictly comply with all electoral laws. "Be on the look-out for impostors who would make an attempt to distribute, wear or display NDC paraphernalia and report swiftly to the security agencies for necessary action," the statement stated. The party commended the efforts of various Election Observer Groups, Civil Society Organisations and opinion leaders for their contribution towards a peaceful, free, transparent and credible election on Sunday.
The NDC pledged the commitment of its Presidential Candidate, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, National Executive Committee members, regional and constituency executives as well as the rank and file of the party to ensuring Sunday's elections are conducted in a peaceful and civilised atmosphere.
The NDC debunked the notion that it intended to cause mayhem during Sunday's polls, and completely dissociated itself from such claims whether from individuals or groups.
"Since the Party kick-started its campaign led by Prof. Mills, affectionately called 'Asomdwehene' (man of peace), it has conducted its affairs in a peaceful manner," the statement said. It said it was unthinkable for anyone to consider that a Party that had conducted its activities in a peaceful manner and was at the threshold of winning an election would plan mayhem.
"The Party's insistence is that the election be free and fair, and free from fear," the statement said, adding that, in the unlikely event where the NDC did not win, it would concede defeat as it did in the 2000 Election.
It gave the assurance that the Party would continue to remain calm, as it had done under the past and current provocations and threats in almost all the constituencies.
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John Mahama hopeful of NDC victory on Sunday
Tamale, Dec. 05, GNA - Mr. John Dramani Mahama, NDC vice Presidential Candidate put his campaign into a high gear on Wednesday addressing rallies in communities in Northern and Upper West Regions soliciting last minute votes to win the December elections for the party.
Mr. Mahama had earlier whistle stopped in some communities in the western Region on Tuesday, which included Babiani, Sefwi-Yoaso, Adzofua, Asawinso, Dabiso, Sefwi-Bekwei and Nsuta where he outlined the NDC plans for the country when it assumes office in January 2009. The communities Mr. Mahama visited in the Northern Region included Abromasi, Makango and Salaga; all in the East Gonja District where he asked the people to have trust in the NDC because it had delivered on its promises.
"NDC has given lifeline to drumming Ghanaians, sent electricity to them, built roads, schools, clinics and other social infrastructure, which has given me the hope that the party would win power on Sunday." "The NDC remains committed to transparency and honesty under Professor John Evans Atta Mills," he said.
Mr. Mahama reiterated that the NDC would adopt a universal National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) policy and that premium holders would pay once in their life time.
He said the two and half percent insurance levy on all manufactured goods including toffee and chewing gum and all services was sufficient to generate enough funds to care for the people's health needs. He said peace, good governance and investing in people was what the new NDC under Professor Mills stood for and gave the assurance that the party would ensure that the national cake was distributed equitably. At Damongo where Mr. John Mahama made a whistle stop on his way to Wa in the Upper West region received a massive welcome and told the people not to listen to a campaign of lies but should vote wisely for the NDC to win power.
He said the NDC accepted the 2000 and 2004 elections when they went in favour of the NPP and advised Ghanaians to vote overwhelmingly for the NDC to win power in one round.
On peace, Mr. Mahama said, "All that we do we should try as much as possible to ensure that there is peace on Sunday's elections. Ghana is for all of us and we would not be happy if we win the elections and people are dead because of us," he said.
"We are begging you to vote for us but others think it is a must win for them. That is where the confusion may come when the results are not going in their favour," he said. He appealed to all the political leaders to accept defeat and support the winning NDC candidate to develop the country.
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Chinese-funded Ministry of Defence complex opened
Accra, Dec. 4, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Thursday urged both the Ministry of Public Sector Reform and the Head of Civil Service to develop the capacity of more civil and public servants to provide some of the specialized services required by the military.
He thus challenged the country's universities and management development institutions to develop courses in security and allied fields to help build the capacity of both military and civilian personnel to respond to present and emerging challenges. President Kufuor made the call when he commissioned the new multi-million dollar Chinese-funded Ministry of Defence complex in Accra.
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Built at the cost of 6.75 million dollars, of which Ghana government provided 1.75 million dollars, the 120-room grey four-storey edifice would accommodate the Ministry of Defence, the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff, Service Chiefs and senior officials of the Ministry.
The complex, built by the Chinese Qingdao Construction Group, together with their Ghanaian counterparts, also contains an office for the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). President Kufuor commended the military for the professional manner the service had held itself that had contributed in no small measure to the peace and security and steady development, which the whole nation was enjoying.
He thanked the military for working effectively with government to protect the sovereignty of the nation during his two terms in office, adding that by sticking to their mandated role, the forces enabled governance of the nation to proceed in accordance with the Constitution. "The nation is happy that the forces have rediscovered their raison d'=EAtre and stuck to their mandate, as enshrined in the national constitution."
President Kufuor thus urged the military not to disappoint Ghanaians and the many people worldwide who held the institution in high esteem, as they would be called up alongside other security agencies to keep law and other and protect the security of the nation as the country went to the polls on Sunday.
"The entire society expects nothing short of professionalism and impartiality at all times," he said.
President Kufuor extended the appreciation of the government and people of Ghana to the Chinese government for the facility and expressed the hope that the friendship between both countries would continue to grow to their mutual benefit.
China's Ambassador to Ghana, Yu Wenzhe, extolled the long-standing relations between both countries and pledged his country's continued cooperation to deepen the bond of friendship with Ghana. He expressed the hope that the elections would be free, fair and peaceful, saying, "I hope and I am confident that Ghana will show the world once again her maturity of democracy and maintenance of peace and stability."
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Trader jumps to her death from accident vehicle
Sunyani Dec. 4- A 33-year old trader, Madam Afia Kusase died on Wednesday when she and other passengers jumped from a moving vehicle on which they were travelling from Kurosuaa, a village in Sunyani Municipality to Sunyani.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Paul Wesley Baah, Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Motor, Traffic and Transport Unit of Ghana Police, told the Ghana News Agency that the brakes of the vehicle Toyota Dyna truck with registration number GR573U, which was carrying traders to the Wednesday market in Sunyani failed when descending a hill and the passengers panicked and started jumping from the vehicle to escape from an accident. Traders on the way to the market. CLICK the IMAGE for more PICTURES... |  |
The deceased landed on the ground with the head and broke her neck and she was rushed to the regional hospital in Sunyani where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The driver's mate, Kwasi Masuyaro, in an attempt to prevent other passengers from jumping down also fell and is on admission at the same hospital and is in a serious condition, ASP Baah added.
He said the passengers who had the courage to stay on the vehicle escaped unhurt and the vehicle came to a stop without further mishap. ASP Baah advised passengers to remain calm in such situations. He said 11 of the passengers who received minor injuries were treated and discharged but two others, including the mate and one Kwaku Vinkpedope, whose conditions were serious, were on admission. Meanwhile the body of the deceased has been deposited at the hospital's mortuary.
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Ghana's daily struggle for water
All over Ghana's capital city Accra you see people carrying water.
Children drag yellow plastic jerry cans. Young men shoulder old paint tins.
But above all the job falls to women, walking long distances, with huge metal bowls balanced deftly on their heads.
They are collecting water from roadside pumps and tanks because the pipes that should deliver it to their homes have dried up.
In a country which has plentiful natural water resources and on African terms is relatively well off, a large part of the population still doesn't have access to clean water and some of the poorest Ghanaians pay a quarter of their income on purchasing it from private sellers.
Fetching water
People are angry and frustrated over the lack of water. And many blame privatisation three years ago for their problems.
As Ghanaian's prepare for a closely contested presidential election on 7 December, the issue has become a hot topic among voters.
In one of Accra's poorest townships, Maamobi, 23-year-old Abiba and her sister, Wasila, who is only six, walk three miles every morning to fetch a gallon and a half of water.
It's not enough to meet the family's needs, but they don't have time or money to go more often.
"We usually go to the pipe at 6am. Because of the distance we only go once a day," says Aibiba. She pays the private seller ten US cents to fill up her container.
Yet mains water should be available in the courtyard of her house.
"It's very difficult here. There is a pipe but the water isn't flowing," she says. (c) EventPicture.co.uk & ghanaweb-news.com Visit the page; Ghana @ Work
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'Water crisis'
Ten years ago, when the idea of privatising Ghana's water system was first proposed by the World Bank, local activists were alarmed
Fearing a profit-seeking company would raise the cost of water for ordinary Ghanaians, they formed the Campaign Against Water Privatisation.
For five years a fierce public debate raged. Then the World Bank and Ghana's government adopted a compromise.
A private company, Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), was given a contract to manage the existing system, while the responsibility for improving and expanding the infrastructure remained with the government.
Still, Alhassan Adam, from the Campaign Against Water Privatisation, says since then the situation has only got worse.
"If you talk to any water consumer they will tell you the water crisis is getting worse and worse, especially in the big cities where Aqua Vitens Rand are managing the water system," he says.
"We are seeing the water system collapsing at a faster rate than when it was under public management."
Pragmatic solution
At the local medical clinic in Maamobi, midwife Dorothy agrees.
She's seen outbreaks of water related diseases like typhoid and cholera, which she blames on the lack of clean water in the community.
And if the taps run dry at the clinic, women in labour are expected to provide for themselves.
"At times we are short of water," she says. "So we normally ask them to bring water with them in a jerry can. If they don't have it, they can't bathe after the birth."
The privatisation of water utilities has proved hugely controversial elsewhere in the developing world, notably in Tanzania and South America.
But the World Bank says it is underinvestment - not privatisation - that is to blame for Ghana's poor water supply.
The World Bank's Country Director for Ghana, Ishac Diwan, says partial privatisation is a strategy for overcoming corruption and inefficiency in the state system.
"Its not about ideology. Its pragmatic," says Mr Diwan. "What we're trying here now is a middle-ground solution."
Illegal connections
The operating company which manages Ghana's water industry is a consortium of two state-owned companies, Vitens from the Netherlands and South Africa's Rand Water.
Its job is to reduce costs, maintain the existing pipe network and chase up the many thousands of illegal connections to the water supply.
That inevitably causes resentment.
AVRL's chief executive, Andrew Barber, feels his firm is unfairly blamed for the wider problems caused by a lack of investment.
Mr Barber says the actual operating remit of the company is quite narrow.
"What we're trying to do as the operator is just manage the day-to-day running of the water supply," he says.
"For us, it's really important we get out into these areas which haven't had water for many years and fix burst water mains and meters and keep the water flowing in pipes."
Aging system
The population of Ghana's cities is growing rapidly as people move from rural to urban areas in search of a living.
The World Bank estimates half a billion dollars would be needed to resolve water supply problems in Accra alone, with another half a billion at least for the rest of the country.
In Nima district, another of Accra's poorest townships, AVRL points to the recent reconnection of water supplies after several dry years.
Residents of the low-rise concrete houses and narrow alleys of Nima celebrated when they could leave their jerry cans and buckets at home.
But as if to illustrate the scale of the task ahead, within a few days the water was off again.
The increased pressure in the pipes had caused the aging mains system to disintegrate. Men are now busy digging up the roads to repair them.
And the jerry cans are in service once again.
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US Consultant To Help Akufo-Addo
Larry S. Gibson will be jetting off to Ghana Wednesday night to give a presidential candidate closing days’ advice in advance of the African nation’s election on Sunday.
It’s a trip that Gibson, a University of Maryland law professor and attorney in Baltimore, has made several times in recent months on behalf of candidate Nana Akufo-Addo. And Ghana marks the third country in sub-Saharan Africa where Gibson has advised candidates for top office since 2001.
His previous clients, in Madagascar and Liberia, won their elections, and prospects look good for Akufo-Addo, whose platform stresses education and health care.
Before taking his campaign consulting to the skies, Gibson ran the successful campaigns of former Baltimore Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke in 1987, 1991 and 1995.
Though Baltimore and Africa are a world apart, one thing about campaigns remains the same, said Gibson, who is of counsel at Shapiro Sher Guinot & Sandler.
“It is amazing how similar people are worldwide in what they want from their leaders,” he said. “People vote for people they like. That’s universal.”
As a result, Gibson added, the more successful candidates are not necessarily those with the most popular policies. Rather, winning politicians are those who relate on a personal level with the electorate.
“Policies are important, but for elections people want a sense of the person,” Gibson said.
“Far more important is the assessment of what type of person this is,” he added. “The voters understand that they are electing a person more than they are electing a program. That’s universal.”
On message
Gibson’s current client, Akufo-Addo, has taken the lead in most polls over his closest challenger, John Atta Mills, according to AllAfrica Global Media, which distributes news from the continent. Akufo-Addo is a member of the incumbent New Patriotic Party while Mills belongs to the National Democratic Congress.
Gibson said his title within the Akufo-Addo campaign is “senior political consultant” but he is largely mum about the specifics of his work on the candidate’s behalf, or even if he is being paid for his work, leaving such disclosures to Akufo-Addo’s discretion.
Gibson did say that his task during the approximately six months he has worked on the campaign — and his near monthly trips to Ghana — has been to keep the candidate “on message” with regard to education and health.
“He never gives a single speech without explaining that those are his top priorities,” Gibson said.
The campaign’s slogan is “we’re moving forward,” Gibson added. Pressed on whether the slogan was his idea, Gibson said only that “sometimes a little outside assistance can get things focused.”
Gibson would not mention how long he will remain in Ghana, saying only he will return “after the election.” Nor would Gibson disclose who contacted him to participate in the campaign, saying only that this person was familiar with his work on the other African campaigns.
That campaign consulting began in Madagascar in 2001, when his candidate, Marc Ravalomanana, rode a campaign slogan of “Build roads for Madagascar” to defeat incumbent Didier Ratsiraka in a close, disputed election. Gibson said he is especially proud of that victory because a challenger defeated an incumbent in a relatively peaceful transfer of power on a continent with a history of military coups.
“You don’t know you have a democracy until a challenger beats the incumbent,” Gibson said. “This is orderly change of government without anybody getting killed.”
In Liberia in 2005, Gibson advised Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf during her successful campaign to become the first elected female head of state in Africa. He was credited with insisting that she does not appear in a traditional African headdress while campaigning.
“I thought it was important visually to say it’s a new day — a new day — for African women,” Gibson told The Associated Press after Sirleaf’s victory.
Karen H. Rothenberg, dean of the University of Maryland School of Law, said Gibson’s campaign work in Africa translates well to the classroom, where he teaches election law.
“It just enables the students to have real-world experience” through Gibson’s recounting of his experiences, Rothenberg said. Gibson’s campaign consulting in Baltimore and abroad provides “a very unique perspective that he is able to share with them to give them comparative analysis,” she added.
In Ghana, Gibson said, he has experienced an electorate that holds its politicians in high regard, with both major candidates enjoying favorability ratings of at least 70 percent. American candidates would “give their eye teeth” for such popularity, he said.
Gibson said his interest in sub-Saharan Africa extends back to 1973, when he attended the first Liberian judicial conference. However, he said he was loath to return to the region until about 2000, due to the political unrest — including a 1980 coup in Liberia — that afflicted the continent from the 1970s through the 1990s.
“When they started having those coups … I changed my interest to South America,” Gibson said.
“I am allergic to AK-47s.”
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70 AIDS Cases Reported Daily
A TOTAL of 70 new infection, of HIV are recorded daily in the country despite the national prevalence rate of 1.9 per cent.
Prof. Fred T. Sai, Presidential Advisor on HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Health, made this startling revelation at a durbar to commemorate the 20th World Aids Day celebration in Accra, yesterday.
To this end, Professor Sai called on Ghanaians to do more to reduce the rate of new infections and to create the enabling environment for those infected and affected by the disease to lead normal lives, saying “we must also help in giving a human face to HIV”.
The day was instituted by Ministers of Health of the United Nations in 1988 to draw global attention to the dangers posed by the HIV pandemic to global development.
It was under the theme: “ Leadership, reducing stigma and discrimination”.
Prof. Sai said that HIV counselling and testing were the only means to ensure care and treatment, adding “HIV testing is the first step to confronting HIV stigma and discrimination”.
He said there are 33,000,000 people affected by the disease worldwide, out of which Ghana has contributed about 270,000 which he described as “harrowing”.
Speaking on the theme, Prof Sai said expressed the need for the removal of barriers that made women and girls vulnerable to HIV, as well as engaging men to reduce what he described as “risky behaviour”.
Prof. Sai appealed to government agencies, the business community and religious groups to demonstrate leadership in the national response by discussing HIV and AIDS on any platform they might find themselves.
He gave the assurance that government would continue to provide effective leadership and adopt measures to strengthen its the role of civil society, in particular, in the national response.
Prof. Sai also pledged government’s commitment to support the Ghana AIDS Commission to strengthen core mandate to ensure that the multi-sectoral approach to addressing HIV and AIDS in the country was sustained.
The United States Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Donald G. Teitelbaum, stressed the need for people to know their HIV and AIDS status to enable them to act accordingly.
According to him, a major challenge to containing the HIV and AIDS epidemic was the fact that people chose to either hide or were afraid of knowing their status.
He called on families and friends with people living with HIV and AIDS to show compassion to the victims.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Daouda Toure, spoke of the need for people to stop the stigmatization and discrimination against HIV and AIDS victims, and stressed the need for leadership to be exhibited at all levels in order to win the fight against HIV and AIDS.
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Ballot Boxes Go Missing In V/R
The Volta Regional Director of the Electoral Commission (EC), Ms. Lawrentia Kpatakpa, has expressed concern over the missing of two ballot boxes, a development, she said, posed a great worry to the officers of the Commission in the region. She explained that the two missing ballot boxes were part of 48, which were being transported from the Regional Office in Ho, to Kpeve, in the South Dayi Constituency, but in the process of transporting the boxes, four fell from the EC pick-up truck, with registration GV 82 Y, between Sokode and Akrofu, all in the Ho Municipality.
Ms. Kpatakpa, who spoke to The Chronicle, however stated that the two missing boxes did not contain any electoral material, and emphasised that they were purely empty boxes. According to her, the North Dayi District Director reported the incident to her (Regional Director), but later some good Samaritans brought two out of the four boxes, but the rest two were yet to be recovered.
The Volta Regional Director of the EC continued that information reaching the office later, indicated that a commercial vehicle, which plies the road to Hohoe, found the two boxes, but initially the driver did not bring the boxes to the office, hence a formal complaint being made to the police about the missing boxes.
Ms. Kpatakpa said even though the box contained no material, it was not safe for such an object to be in the possession of any individual, but was quick to say the EC had put in place mechanisms, that she described as very effective, and that no individual or groups of people could manipulate the electoral process. She said when the incident was reported to the police, some of the police officers said her outfit should have requested for police escort. She, however, said that decision never occurred to her, because the boxes contained no election materials.
Kpata expressed satisfaction over the level of preparations towards the election in the Volta Region, and pointed out that, so far, electoral materials for the parliamentary elections had been distributed to all the districts, and that the commission would soon receive the materials for the presidential election.
Meanwhile, the Volta Regional Police Commander, DCOP Bernard Dery, has assured the electorate that the necessary security measures had been put in place, saying the police were on high alert to avert any threat to the electoral process, and asked the public to remain calm over the missing empty ballot boxes. He said the police had intensified their investigations, and would soon retrieve the missing boxes. DCOP Derry, who looked confident about the security network in the region, emphasised that there was no way anybody could infiltrate the security in the region, adding that election taskforce had been set up in all the 18 districts of the region.
The Volta Regional Police Commander said in the case of the missing ballot boxes, the police would soon retrieve them, because the various District Police commands would intensify their investigations, with the assistance of the Special Police Task Force.
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"Otto Pfister" dressing banned at School
Saltpond (C/R), Dec. 1, GNA - The Saltpond Methodist Senior High School has banned the wearing of the dressing mode popularly called "Otto Pfister" in and outside school.
The Otto Pfister dressing is to adjust the pair of shorts or the trousers below the hips to expose the underwear. The Rev. Paa Solomon Grant-Essilfie, Headmaster of the School who announced the ban at a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meeting at Saltpond on Thursday admonished parents to advise their children since anyone caught in that type of dressing, even outside school premises would be sanctioned.
Rev. Grant-Essilfie announced improvement in the school's performance in the West African Senior Schools Examinations (WASSE) this year over that of last year.
He said the students scored 100 per cent in seven subjects as against three in 2007, and 99 per cent in four subjects, including English, as against one last year.
Rev Grant-Essilfie said the school excelled in a drama festival dubbed; Studrafest organized by the Centre for National Culture for 20 Senior High Schools in Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions by collecting three out of the seven prizes at stake. The festival was organized in memory of Professor Joe De Graft, a renowned Ghanaian playwright, as a measure to promote drama in schools. Rev Peter Sackey, a Bishop of the Methodist Church was elected the new Chairman of the PTA to replace Alhaji Kwesi Acquah and his executives who had served a mandatory six-year term. In the acceptance speech on behalf of the new executives Bishop Sackey assured the old executives that they would complete on-going projects they had initiated.
The new Chairman appealed to parents who had problems with any member of the staff to first report it to the PTA executives for redress instead of confronting the staff. He commended the outgoing executives for a good work done.
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