According to the paper, some Members of Parliament yesterday called for more resources to be made available to Parliament to enhance its work and make parliamentarians more independent.
They were of the opinion that the denial of national parliaments of the power to determine their own budgets contributed to undermining their independence.
According to them, more often than not, African parliaments tended to become appendages of the Executive and thus failed in the proper discharge of their constitutional mandate.
They were contributing to a statement made on the floor of the House by the MP for Nkawkaw, Mr. Kwabena Adusa Okerchiri, on the ongoing 26th Conference of the African Parliamentary Union.
2. KUFUOR INAUGURATES NEW ICT CENTRE FOR BRITISH COUNCIL – PG. 17
President Kufuor has inaugurated a refurbished knowledge and Learning Centre of the British Council, which was established at the cost of ?500,000.
The centre, equipped with video conferencing and Internet facilities, and stocked with 8,000 books as well as periodicals would provide increased access to more than 20,000 Ghanaians.
Speaking at the ceremony, he said the establishment of the learning centre was a step in the right direction as it would contribute to empowering Ghanaians and equip them with relevant information and knowledge to reduce their marginalisation in the globalised world.
He said the government appreciated the importance of ICT as a vehicle for making the country part of the globalised world.
Consequently he said, the government had established a National Centre of Excellence for Training of Trainers in ICT, which was expected to be inaugurated by the Indian Prime Minister in December this year.
3. PARLIAMENT, EXECUTIVE CO-OPERATION NEEDED FOR DEVELOPMENT – PG. 16
President Kufuor has underscored the need for African Parliaments and their executive arms of government to co-operate and work together with a common vision and commitment.
According to him, it was by such co-operation that the joint arms of government could develop their respective countries.
He was speaking at a reception organised in honour of members of the African Parliamentary Union (APU) at the Castle, Osu.
He said although the legislature was independent of the executive, the two bodies should complement each other in the performance of their duties.
The paper reports that, Archbishop Peter Kojo Appiah-Turkson, of Cape Coast made history and imprinted Ghana’s name indelibly at the world stage when he took his seat among 30 new cardinals elevated to that position yesterday by Pope John Paul ll at a colourful ceremony at the Vatican.
By his accession to that exalted position Cardinal Appiah Turkson, the first Ghanaian to have risen to that position is to be addressed as His Eminence as he joins the exclusive elite of the Electoral College that elects a Pope.
According to the paper, he himself is eligible to be elected a Pope one day.
2. IPS CLOSED DOWN – PGS. 1 & 3
The Institute of Professional Studies (IPS) in Accra was yesterday closed down following students agitations on the campus.
The closure, which was at the instance of the governing council of the IPS, was said to protect life and property on the campus.
The closure was precipitated by an earlier vandalisation of school property by about five alleged drunken students.
3. MOE, NUGS TO NEGOTIATE SSNIT LOANS – PG. 1
According to the paper, the Ministry of Education has agreed to negotiate with the NUGS on its request for an increment in the present SSNIT students loan of ?2m.
Instead of the current ?2 million the NUGS is requesting ?5 million, citing the high cost of living as the reason for its appeal.
4. PARLIAMENT RESUMES SITTING – PG. 3
Parliament resumed sitting yesterday after a 13 week recess to begin its third meeting of the third session Various bills including the Central Internal Audit Bill and the Kimberly Process Certificate Bill will be passed.
The National Association of Salt Producers of Ghana (NASPAG), has renewed its appeal to President Kufuor to take steps to ensure that local salt investors are not crushed out of business through unfair competition.
NASPAG said if the PSI on salt would succeed, it would no doubt depend on the development of the local salt industry, which has a potential to earn about $1.6 billion in exports to the State annually.
In a petition dated October 6, 2003, it called on the President, to cause an enquiry into how a decision was taken to allow a Brazilian Company, Union Dicon, to import salt into the country, whereas Ghanaian Salt producers have taken huge bank loans to go into salt production.
Under the BNSA friendly nations’ of the US are by the terms of the agreement not required to surrender to International Criminal Court (ICC) any US national or Military/government employee (past or present including contractors and non-nationals) who commits any of the four crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC.
The four crimes include: crime of genocide, crime against humanity, war crimes and crime of aggression.
Minority caucus in Parliament, intends to ask the Ministry of Foreign Affairs an urgent question on the matter and that will touch off the expected debate.
According to the paper, State Security apparatus is fully convinced that elements in the NDC are plotting to overthrow the Kufuor administration by force of arms.
A special Security report dated September 24, 2003 and dispatched to the Vice-President did not elaborate.
The report reference NSCS. 471 Vol.11/3342 what appears to be graphic details of what happens at the headquarters of the NDC and around the first coup.
According to the paper, some of the information in the report have been dismissed by analysts as hogwash.
The allegation in the report that funds may be moved from Brunei to finance the NDC is not backed by any evidence.
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