25.03.99

The Crusading Guide

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The paper carries a banner headline: ?who wears the Crown??. According to the story, tomorrow is the Day for the Ablekuma Central bye-election, which was made vacant upon the death of the Hon. C.S. Crabbe last month. It stated that all the five candidates Ismail Bawa (NDC) Victor Okuley Norty (NPP), Hajia Fati Suraju (CP), Solomon Bayugo Sulemani (Independent) and Musah Nartey (PNC) are very optimistic of winning the seat. The paper added that apart from the NDC candidate, all the four appeared on Groove FM?s weekly programme ? Hotline, hosted by Kweku Baako Jnr, Editor-in-chief of the Crusading Guide and expressed their preparedness for the major task ahead if they should win on Friday. According to the paper, political analysts see tomorrow?s exercise as a battle between the NDC and the NPP. This is because a win for the NDC will give them two-thirds majority in Parliament, and also a win for the NPP will be a testimony of the confidence the people reposed in the late C.S. Crabbe and their reaffirmation of their support for the Party. The paper concluded that the Electoral Commission will be expecting 93,394 eligible votes at 106 polling stations in the constituency.

The Ghanaian Times

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The Ghanaian Times with its front-page story headline: ?Parliament pays tribute to Otumfuo?, says Members of Parliament paid tribute to the late Asante King yesterday. The paper mentioned the Minority Leader, Mr J.H. Mensah as the first to pay tribute to the departed King. He described Otumfuo as ?mild, almost to a fault, the maestro of compromise and of peaceful resolutions of life?s myriad conflict.? The paper says the Majority Leader followed, describing the late King as someone who did the best for Ashanti and Ghana and blended tradition with modernity. The third person, according to the paper was Mrs. Theresa Baffoe (NDC Edubiase). She said although the late King lost his wife in 1996, he did not go for another one. Sqn Ldr Sowu followed that he knew the late King not only as a king but also as a friend.

Weekend Chronicle

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A story on the third page of the paper headlined ?Come to my bed or you?re Dead?, say a tailor, Edward Quaye of Banana Inn, a suburb of Accra has threatened to kill his ex-lover if she continues to refuse him sex. The paper says Edward has been arrested and arraigned before an Accra Circuit Tribunal, charged with threatening to murder and was granted 2 million cedis bail with one surety to be justified. According to the story, Edward and Gifty Amoah, the complainants were lovers until recently when she moved to stay with her newfound love at Zongo Lane in Accra. On 27 October 1998, the accused armed with a knife went to Gifty?s new boyfriend?s house and threatened her to come back to him or die. Gifty who has a three year old daughter with Edward immediately went to the police station to lodge the complain. The paper concluded that the police arrested Edward after investigations into the matter and charged him with the offence.

The Independent

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The headline of the lead story on the front page of the ?Independent? says: ?Akwasi Agyeman Stakes Claim To Golden Stool ... I?ve never Carried Shit?.

The paper says Okumkom (literally killer of hunger) Nana Akwasi Agyeman, the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Chief Executive, has denied all allegations levelled against him in sections of the press that he was made to carry night soil in the early days of the Rawlings revolution.

It quotes Nana Agyeman as saying in an interview that: ? I have never on this earth carried any shit on my head in any part of this country... it is never true...,? and challenged those who think otherwise to prove it.

The paper says, Nana Agyemang reaffirmed his interest in ascending the Asante throne which he described as the ?precious and respected Golden Stool? and queried why some papers engage in mud slinging instead of reporting the facts.

The Independent reports that during its three-hour interview there was a constant trickle of cars and ?kuntunkuni? clad people who came to mourn with Nana Agyeman also known as ?World Bank?. In his courtyard, the paper continues were a number of vintage cars belonging to the Chief Executive himself.

According to Nana Agyeman, humility is necessary in a leader and being a humble man, he has never had a problem serving his people. Nana Agyeman is seen as the government?s favourite for the throne.

The Guide

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Many of Ghana?s elected Members of the legislature are worse off today than they expected to be on assumption of office reports the Guide.

The story titled ?MPs Go Broke: Scary Demands from Constituents; Truancy on the Rise? says a number of the MPs have complained bitterly about low funds and being unable to pay the insurance premiums on their new cars. A situation they claim is a result of poor remuneration, and in some cases excessive financial demands on them by their constituents and party members.

The Members of the House were reacting to accusations of lateness and absenteeism from deliberations, which they blamed on the lack of a secretariat for them to do their paper work, which is hampering the effectiveness of their work.

The report says opinion is divided on the issue. While one segment complain that electorate from their constituencies come to them at the House to seek financial help, others pin their absence to their having to visit their constituencies regularly and therefore find it difficult to be at the House all the time. Another segment however disagree and think their colleagues are only seeking to make excuses for their truancy