BOOK LAUNCH: ‘THE ELECTION THAT DIDN’T MATTER’ AUTHOR CALLS FOR SUPPORT

 

Posted: 12:32 am, August 7, 2015

Cover design and Author

The just ended SRC election at the University of Ghana was characterized by intense drama that caught the attention of the entire country.

The book captures events prior to the build up of the SRC elections, the elections itself, the major factors that underpinned the election and the events that unfolded after the declaration of the results in picturesque detail.

Speaking to Univers News, Author of the book, Joseph Ackah-Blay shared his motivation behind writing the book, “I have wondered for some time now, how the tales of the period(election period) could be kept.

This was the reason why I tried to report every issue that cropped up in print”. He sounded a clarion call for reflections and debate on the issue raised “There is still the need for a review of the events, it is imperative for a writer of the time to chronicle events and pass an opinion where necessary”

In his foreword to the book, Alhaji Dr. Abubakari Sidick Ahmed, a veteran broadcaster and Station manager of Radio Univers writes, “…much as the insights of the complexities of the elections will provoke the conscience of the reader as to the democratic future of Ghana and the role of the student, it also serves as a fountain of knowledge in which we may draw meaningful lessons to guide how we elect our leaders in future”

The reviews the book has enjoyed from students from the university community and beyond on social media is reassuring. Below are a few of them.

“Now, this is a book I look forward to. Thanks Kofi Frimpong Ackah-Blay for having this insight”. – Robert D’almeida, Former SRC PRO.

“Ay brother good job making this happen. Highly impressed” Shafic Osman, Student Activist.

“Great step Senior. #Proud of you”. Richmond Asare, UG Local NUGS president.

“The book we’ve all been waiting for is out……” Tawiah Desmond, UG Student

“I’m impressed with the finish”. Nana Benyin, Counsel for Second Respondents.

“Great work” Peter Adom, UG student

“Cant wait to have my copy oo… Ackah-Blay waii”. Wilhelmina Menzo UG Student

“This book must be published…! Thumbs up Ackah-Blay!”

Nice one! Cecil Mettle Nunoo Justice, SRC Judicial Board.

Cover Design

The hopes of many students of Ghana to lay hands on this great piece that documents the thrills and drills that came with the just ended SRC elections may however be dashed due to financial constraints.

Speaking to Univers News, Head of Brands and Marketing, Caleb Kudah said, ‘ I am excited about the finish. All is set for the launch early next semester. Our partners- Hetura Books have been helpful type setting and designing the cover. All we need now is funding to help print the books for the market. He therefore appealed all and sundry to “donate generously towards this cause”.

Philantropists, student groups, and organizations interested in helping expand the frontiers of democracy through this book may contact the marketing team via 0243591011 or 0261356504 or email calkusrich@gmail.com

UTAG TO DECLARE STRIKE ACTION ON THURSDAY

Barring any last minute intervention, members of the University Teachers Association (UTAG) will declare strike tomorrow, Thursday August 6.

The university teachers are striking over government’s refusal to pay their book and research allowance. The teachers say government has failed to fulfill its promise of paying the allowances in spite of numerous promises to do so.

An executive member of the union Charles Marfo said their strike will last until all their concerns are addressed.

The action comes in the wake of the industrial action being embarked upon by members of the Ghana Medical Association over their service conditions. 
The doctors have threatened to resign  if government does not heed their demands.



But President John Mahama has said he will not sanction any expenditure for public sector workers not captured in the budget regardless of the political implications.

"Any agreement that is reached in respect of allowances or conditions of services would have to be appropriately captured in the budget...and I want to say for emphasis I will not authorize any expenditure on wages and compensation not provided for in the budget".

CREDIT: STARFMOLINE

GOING HOME BY FIRE- MARCIA ABDUL-KORAH (RADIO UNIVERS)

Body in the fire

For many Ghanaians, the final resting place for a departed relative is the cemetary. However, in recent times, cremation has waxed in Ghana notably among the elites. Cremation is the application of intense heat on the human body of about 800 degrees Celsius.

Wondering how a body is cremated? Godfried Otu, the general manager of the Lashibi Funeral Home and Crematorium says,

‘‘It is done with applying intense heat of about 1,500 degrees of heat. As you know, the human body is made up of 70% water,” he further explains that, “during cremation we do not collect the ashes immediately. We advise the ashes cool overnight.

“When collected, the pulverized bones are crushed into powder and given to the family of the deceased.

Ashes of a cremated body

Cremation could be done in two forms, the open pyre or close form.

The open pyre involves the use of firewood and other combustibles to cremate the body openly whilst the close cremation is the use of an electrical furnace called the cremator to do same.

After cremating the dead body, the ashes are kept in a special container called the ‘‘Urn’’ and these are of different sizes, shapes and prices.

The ashes can be sprinkled over flowing water; it can be buried at the cemetery usually based on the bereaved family’s preference. It can also be kept at a special ‘‘wall of remembrance’’ or a columbarium at the crematorium for a fee.

Averagely, it costs GH₵4,500.00 to have a loved one successfully cremated.

This cost covers documentation and casket.

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QUICK FACTS

The first crematorium in Ghana was established in 1950 in Cape Coast.

In 1986, the Ghana Cremation Society was formed and currently it operates on a core membership of over 1,500.

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Opinions, however, differ as to whether cremation should be encouraged or not.

“For me it is not a good thing because you are condemning and punishing the deceased…I feel only God has the power to punish. It is not a good act to burn someone when dead,” a lady said.

A gentleman who shared his opinion on the matter said, “it should be abolished because when someone dies and is buried, the body decomposes to enrich the soil which is important for agricultural purposes’’

While the two suggest it be discouraged, some others believe its worth considering.

“it should be encouraged because land these days is scare and as a result, it will help to manage the scarcity of these essential resources,”

Every year, the number of cremations performed in Ghana increases, probably due to the more information on the process.

At the Lashibi Funeral Home and Crematorium alone in 2012, 18 bodies were cremated, however in 2014 the number increased to 50.

Interestingly, more than 30 bodies have so far been cremated at the Home just 7 months into the year.

Religious Beliefs

But what is the stance of the various religious bodies on cremation? I set out on a journey to find out the position of religion in cremation.

Sheikh Taahru Swallah, the Deputy Imam for the Madina Central Mosque, tells me the Islamic religion abhors cremation.

He further explained that “the hadith as instructed by the Prophet Mohammed makes it clear that the pain a human being feels on earth when he is been burnt is the same pain the human being feel when he dies,” he added, “he (Prophet Mohammed) continues to say that as a human being, the pain that you feel when any part of your body is hurt or a bone is broken is the same pain you feel when the person dies the bone is being broken’’

The Islamic religion, eastern orthodox churches, Judaism and some charismatic churches out-rightly forbid cremation as a way of disposing the mortal remains of the dead.

To the Christian faith, does cremation have any biblical grounding? A search through the Bible does not reveal and explicit acceptance of cremation, however in the book of first Samuel, Saul and his son Jonathan were recorded as to have been burnt after they died. Some Bible scholars to some extent relate this to cremation.

My next stop was the Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church located on the main campus of the University of Ghana, Legon where I met Rev. Father Wisdom Larweh, the parochial administrator for the parish. He tells me the Catholic Church does accept cremation however with a caveat.

“Yes it is accepted but the preferred option of the church has only been burial because of the special dignity accorded the human body.“Now in the case of choosing cremation in order to deny the Christian belief and the resurrection of the body, the church would not allow. The Catholic Church is against the indiscriminate scattering of the ashes.’’

Industry players posit that cremation has come to stay in Ghana. In my next report, I will explore the environmental impact of cremation on the environment.

 CREDIT: MARCIA ABDUL-KORAH/ univers.com.gh

CHARLES ANTWI- SUSPECTED GUNMAN @ PRESIDENT MAHAMA'S CHURCH

The gunman who said he had wanted to assassinate President John Mahama has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

The suspect, Charles Antwi was arrested last Sunday for wielding a loaded and cocked pistol at the Ringway Gospel Centre branch of the Assemblies of God Church in Accra where President Mahama worships.

Charles Antwi has been charged with unlawful possession of firearm.

He pleaded guilty to the charge proferred against him in court on Tuesday.
Security expert with the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre has said the arrest of a 36-year-old man with a weapon in a church attended by the president is a major security breach.

Dr Kwesi Aning minced no words in criticising what he believes is the poor job done by the national security operatives protecting the president.

A 36-year-old man was arrested Sunday morning at the Ringway branch of the Assemblies of God Church with a weapon hidden in his under pants.

He was said to be fidgety and suspicious shortly after taking his seat on the third row of the pew just behind where the president and his family would have sat if they were in church.

Some security personnel noticed his suspicious behaviour and arrested him.

Dr Aning said the laxity with which the security detail has treated issues relating to the president's security is to say the least appalling.

There should have been careful planning, lots of profiling of people who attended the church; scanners and searches ought to have been conducted on people before granting them access into the church, he stated.

He said all that could have been done with a professional touch without compromising on the sanctity of the church service.

Dr Kwasi Aning pointed out that protecting presidents is not about "wearing dark glasses," adding to allow a man with a weapon into a church attended not only by the president and his family but by the Chief Justice as well is the height of ineptitude.

He chronicled a litany of security breaches in the last few weeks and months which ought to have put the president's security detail on the alert but sadly, he noted they have been sleeping on the job.

He cited the violent demonstration by residents of Sodom and Gomorrah after their houses were demolished; the placards they wielded some of which called for Boko Haram; the breach of VVIP at the KIA [the only terminal used by the president] which allowed Nayele and her gang to slip through with cocaine and some other breaches he said should have kept the national security detail on their toes.

The security expert is therefore urging further training for the security personnel guiding the president.

CREDIT: GHANAWEB

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA TO RE-INTRODUCE ROAD TOLLS

UNIVERSITY OF GHANA-LEGON

The University of Ghana is likely to restart the charging of road tolls soon. This follows the Supreme Court’s dismissal of a case against the school over its decision to charge road tolls to offset a GH¢8 million loan it contracted for rehabilitation of its roads.

According to Citifmonline.com, the move is as a result of government’s failure to reimburse the university as it had promised when authorities introduced the road tolls in February 2014.

In an interview, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Ernest Aryeetey revealed that his checks at the bank indicate that the Ministry of Roads and Highway’s financial commitment had not yet been met.

“Government as far as I know is doing what it can to make payments but I also know that the Bank has not received any payment.”

Prof Aryeetey noted that, although the University had suspended the collection of road tolls, it had not ruled out going back on the idea.

According to him, the outcome of the suit against the University at the Supreme Court was much expected, adding that, “right from the beginning, we knew there was no constitutional matter here. Indeed, I can go further and say there was no legal issue there. Parliament had said the University of Ghana was within its rights as far as the law was concerned to do what it did.”

Prof Aryeetey further explained that the management of the university would meet to discuss the way forward as far as the collection of road tolls was concerned.

“As a university we have to sit down and take into account all that has happened and decide what we want to do but for the avoidance of doubt, there is no legal impediment to do what we did,” he noted.


CREDIT: GHANAWEB

DUMSOR IN GHANA'S PARLIAMENT

PARLIAMENT OF GHANA IN DARKNESS

Parliament has been forced to suspend its sitting for a while after the legislature was hit with a power cut Wednesday.

Kasapa FM‘s Stephen Odoi-Larbi reports that:

“The MPs were in the thick of affairs considering various loan agreements the country has entered into with some international organisations when the incident happened.

“The chamber is partially in darkness. The foyer and other offices of Parliament are also partially in darkness.

“The Minority, who were not enthused about the situation, have protested saying, “upon all the loans, President Mahama cannot fix dumsor”.

“The members are using their mobile phone torch light systems to aid their reading of the day’s Order Paper and other official documents which has been laid before the House for consideration and adoption.

“Members have now resigned to their seats chatting with one another.”

Kasapafmonline.com has learnt that the facility’s stanby generator has no fuel to generate electricity.

CREDIT: KASAPAONLINE.COM

NO PLACE FOR MONEY MAKING UNDER MY GOVERNANCE- NANA AKUFO ADDO

NANA AKUFO ADDO-LEADRER OF NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY

The flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo has sounded a note of caution to persons hoping to serve in his government with the sole aim of amassing wealth to look elsewhere.

Addressing party members at Manchester in the United Kingdom, Nana Addo said: “If your goal in coming into government is to enrich yourself, then don’t come. Go to the private sector. Public service is going to be exactly that; public service!”

He directed such persons who want to dip their hands into the public purse to rather find their way to the private sector because when he is voted as President, he will jealously guard public funds.

According to him, he is not against any individual who wants to make money but “if that is your goal, stick to the private sector; don’t come into the public service.”

The NPP flagbearer announced that as President, he will create an office of Special Prosecutor in Ghana’s public space to ensure accountability.

The Special Prosecutor will be charged to fight against corruption.

Persons who will serve in this special office will not be chosen by the President but “by a formula that will ensure their independence and the capacity to do their work.”

He remarked that the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) as presently constituted is not strong enough to be the “fulcrum for the anti-corruption drive in our country.”

“It is an ombudsman, a human rights watchdog, and it is also an anti-corruption agency,” he noted.

These duties, he said, are too broad for one institution to undertake effectively, therefore, as President, he will take away the anti-corruption fight from CHRAJ and give that responsibility to the Office of Special Prosecutor.

CREDIT: GHANAWEB