PANAPRESS
Panafrican News Agency
Ghana: Media report President Mahama's New Year message, Cardinal Turkson's national gov't call
Accra, Ghana (PANA) - President John Dramani Mahama's New Year message in which he told his countrymen that 2015 would see a major turnaround in the country's challenges and Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson's call for a national government were some of the stories highlighted by the Ghanaian media this week.
“Don't lose hope. 2015 Year of turnaround – President,” was the headline of the state-owned Graphic on Thursday on the President's New Year message.
The story quoted President Mahama as saying: "The New Year before us has a wide expanse of possibility."
He urged the people not to despair but rather believe strongly that, individually and collectively, they could work to change the course of national development.
"We can turn that vision into a reality. I know that we can do it," he said.
President Mahama indicated that no challenge was insurmountable once the people decided to put aside their "seeming differences and all the superficial divisions" and rather resolved to work together.
Ghana saw several challenges in 2014, including an acute energy crisis, an economic downturn that saw the currency plunge by about 20 per cent, inflation hitting 17 per cent, several reported cases of corruption and general despair.
President Mahama acknowledged the challenges, but added that it was equally worth noting the courage and determination with which the challenges were confronted.
The Graphic also reported on President Mahama assurance to end the electricity load shedding this year under the headline “We'll banish darkness in 2015.”
Speaking at a watch night service, he said: "The year 2015 will be one filled with fruitfulness, joy, peace, good health and development.
"Now this is the interesting part. It will be one in which we banish darkness from our land and put an end to (load shedding) forever, " he said.
Currently, a load shedding timetable sees domestic consumers going off the national grid for 12 hours every two days.
“Cardinal Turkson calls for National Govt of technocrats to end Ghana's political turmoil" was the headline of the Graphic on the suggestion of the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, “for a break in partisan politics to give the nation a reprieve from political turmoil”.
It quoted the Ghanaian Cardinal as saying that during that partisanship break, there should be a national government of technocrats to stabilise the "political turmoil" and fashion out a national development agenda that would stand the test of time.
He told the newspaper the establishment of the national government of technocrats should be in conjunction with the political parties and key stakeholders.
Cardinal Turkson said one of its key mandates would be to set the ground rules for the re-engagement of political parties in national governance.
“I am making this suggestion with all humility, without compelling anyone, as a way of developing our democracy,” he said.
However, politicians have dismissed the suggestion, saying a government of technocrats was unworkable.
They said there were technocrats and experts currently working in government, hence the call was needless.
An Accra-based radio station, Citifm, quoted General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC) Bernard Monah as saying the concept being recommended by Cardinal Turkson was not necessary.
“If we want a government of the technocrats, then let’s take a government of the clergy since they claim to be closer to God than the rest of us are so they will be doing the will of God,” Monah said.
Chairperson of the Convention People Party’s (CPP) Samia Nkrumah said multi-party democracy should not be blamed for Ghana’s current development challenges.
According to her, Ghana must endeavour to “decolonise our economy to free ourselves from the dependency syndrome and to make sure that local productivity increases and that we will build a strong manufacturing base”.
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) said it was only an amendment to the constitution that would give the green light for a national government of technocrats.
“Political parties cannot agree on something that is not constitutional and once it is not constitutional, then it cannot be workable,” said George Lawson, a Deputy General Secretary of the NDC.
He described Cardinal Turkson’s suggestion as a “good call but the fact is that we have a hitch somewhere and that is the constitution. If it demands that we have to amend the constitution, then that will be a big hurdle”.
-0- PANA MA/SEG 3Jan2014
“Don't lose hope. 2015 Year of turnaround – President,” was the headline of the state-owned Graphic on Thursday on the President's New Year message.
The story quoted President Mahama as saying: "The New Year before us has a wide expanse of possibility."
He urged the people not to despair but rather believe strongly that, individually and collectively, they could work to change the course of national development.
"We can turn that vision into a reality. I know that we can do it," he said.
President Mahama indicated that no challenge was insurmountable once the people decided to put aside their "seeming differences and all the superficial divisions" and rather resolved to work together.
Ghana saw several challenges in 2014, including an acute energy crisis, an economic downturn that saw the currency plunge by about 20 per cent, inflation hitting 17 per cent, several reported cases of corruption and general despair.
President Mahama acknowledged the challenges, but added that it was equally worth noting the courage and determination with which the challenges were confronted.
The Graphic also reported on President Mahama assurance to end the electricity load shedding this year under the headline “We'll banish darkness in 2015.”
Speaking at a watch night service, he said: "The year 2015 will be one filled with fruitfulness, joy, peace, good health and development.
"Now this is the interesting part. It will be one in which we banish darkness from our land and put an end to (load shedding) forever, " he said.
Currently, a load shedding timetable sees domestic consumers going off the national grid for 12 hours every two days.
“Cardinal Turkson calls for National Govt of technocrats to end Ghana's political turmoil" was the headline of the Graphic on the suggestion of the President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace at the Vatican, His Eminence Cardinal Peter Appiah Turkson, “for a break in partisan politics to give the nation a reprieve from political turmoil”.
It quoted the Ghanaian Cardinal as saying that during that partisanship break, there should be a national government of technocrats to stabilise the "political turmoil" and fashion out a national development agenda that would stand the test of time.
He told the newspaper the establishment of the national government of technocrats should be in conjunction with the political parties and key stakeholders.
Cardinal Turkson said one of its key mandates would be to set the ground rules for the re-engagement of political parties in national governance.
“I am making this suggestion with all humility, without compelling anyone, as a way of developing our democracy,” he said.
However, politicians have dismissed the suggestion, saying a government of technocrats was unworkable.
They said there were technocrats and experts currently working in government, hence the call was needless.
An Accra-based radio station, Citifm, quoted General Secretary of the People’s National Convention (PNC) Bernard Monah as saying the concept being recommended by Cardinal Turkson was not necessary.
“If we want a government of the technocrats, then let’s take a government of the clergy since they claim to be closer to God than the rest of us are so they will be doing the will of God,” Monah said.
Chairperson of the Convention People Party’s (CPP) Samia Nkrumah said multi-party democracy should not be blamed for Ghana’s current development challenges.
According to her, Ghana must endeavour to “decolonise our economy to free ourselves from the dependency syndrome and to make sure that local productivity increases and that we will build a strong manufacturing base”.
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) said it was only an amendment to the constitution that would give the green light for a national government of technocrats.
“Political parties cannot agree on something that is not constitutional and once it is not constitutional, then it cannot be workable,” said George Lawson, a Deputy General Secretary of the NDC.
He described Cardinal Turkson’s suggestion as a “good call but the fact is that we have a hitch somewhere and that is the constitution. If it demands that we have to amend the constitution, then that will be a big hurdle”.
-0- PANA MA/SEG 3Jan2014
