Obrafour says “Ghanaian music is gradually losing its identity” Update: 07 - Nov - 2014

A veteran hiplife artist, Kwabena Otchere Darko known in showbiz as Obrafour, has expressed worry over what he termed the swift
perishing of Ghanaian traditions and cultural values in our music.
Obrafour in an exclusive interview with Dj Sly on Ark Fm over the weekend said “change is good but the change should be such that our
foundations remain original since change is the law of nature”.
He said Ghana music is gradually losing its sense of identity and belonging as compare to the previous years. “I sometimes get worried about the trend of
our music because most musicians nowadays do not recognize and consider the traditions and cultural values of our homeland in their
content which is gradually killing our identity as Ghanaians”
When asked about how he feels when the he sees the younger generation going astray with
the music content, he advice that they should always remember where they come from and their background because music is a powerful tool that can sell our culture and traditions to the outside world.
“Music is a powerful tool which brings change to the individual and the nation at large, so just as we always yearn for good and healthy food for our body, so must we give the best of satisfaction to the soul because music is the
food of the soul”. The “Odasani” hitmaker has again advice the
youth that, music has taken a lot of twist and turns over the years which has put the Ghanaian music on the high ladder making it
possible to rock shoulders with the foreign music so they should preach through their music by given the right message the audience.

NDC Elections Hit Snag Again Updated: 07 -Nov -2014

The upcoming Northern regional executive elections of the ruling National Democratic Congress has hit a snag as a Tamale High Court
places an injunction on the polls which was scheduled for Saturday.
A disqualified secretary aspirant , Mohammed Aliu and one other sued the party for what they say , is an unfair treatment meted out to
them by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia .
They are accusing Nketia of deliberately targeting candidates he perceives to be loyal to
former President Rawlings . This is the second time the party has been
sued over its internal elections.
Months ago, another aggrieved candidate , Linus Njolonah also sued the party, claiming that some of its electoral laws have been
skewed to disadvantage new candidates. The matter was later settled out of court.

Mahama must seek spiritual renewal at Vatican - Isaac Osei. Update: 07 - Nov - 2014

New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Subin, Isaac Osei has sarcastically described as good news President Mahama’s state visit to Vatican. According to
him, there is no better place for the president to seek divine intervention than the holy land
where the Pope resides. This was after the Speaker of Parliament;
Edward Doe Adjaho on Thursday announced the president’s visit on the floor of the House. President Mahama will leave Accra Sunday to
the Vatican City on an official visit and will return on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 but
the letter did not state whether he would visit the Pope. The trip is in spite of concerns raised by many
including MPs about the incessant travels by President Mahama at the expense of suffering masses.
But Isaac Osei on Accra based radio station Oman FM, said the Vatican visit is a good omen for Ghana. He indicated that given the worsening socio-economic hardships in the country and the
unbridled in government, President Mahama should take the opportunity to “seek spiritual
renewal”. The Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament believes divine intervention is the only way the Mahama-led administration can survive until 2016. “President Mahama must seek spiritual renew
to impact positively in his administration to enable him fulfill the Better Ghana Agenda promise he made to Ghanaians,” Isaac Osei
scoffed.

MP lodges complaint over “China Chairs”. Update: 07 - Nov - 2014

Member of Parliament for Juaboso in the Western region, Kwabena Minta Akando, has lodge a formal complaint to the leadership of
Parliament about the new furniture in the chamber.
According to him, he feels very uncomfortable in his chair because “it will be difficult for me to catch the Speakers eye to contribute to
discussions on the floor of the House". “I feel highly uncomfortable in my chair; I
think they are executive chairs meant for an office so they should send it to the offices in Job 600 and bring back the old chairs". Kwabena Minta Akando’s sentiments support similar concerns raised by MPs about the 300 pieces of furniture imported from China. The MPs were outraged and questioned the
durability of the luxurious chairs and tables when it started breaking. Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Thursday, the Juaboso MP
expressed disappointment in the new furnishing. He noted that due to the size of the chair, it occupies a lot of space thus makes it difficult
to move around in Parliament.
“The chair is so low that when you sit you can’t see the person in front or back and I can’t imagine myself in such situation,” he added.
Kwabena Minta Akando called on the Parliamentary Service Board to, as a matter of urgency, give further and better particulars on the issue.
He also criticized the leadership of the House for neglecting local furniture manufacturers in
the country. “We have very good wood manufacturers in the country so I don’t know why they went to
China. The old chairs were made in Ghana and are still durable,” he stated.

GH ¢ 60 Million For This " Hy3 n Hy3 n Kwa" & "Luxurious " Parliament Chairs? - NPP MP Queries Updated: 06 -Nov -2014

Ghana ’s Parliament seems to have been touched by Midas, but some Members of the House , have come out to lament bitterly about
the refurbishment works that have taken place in the august House .
Member of Parliament for Okaikwei South , Hon . Ahmed Arthur , described the modernization of the chamber as ‘hy3 nhy3 nkwa’ to wit a “white elephant ” project that won ’t last for long despite government ’s
decision to fork out GH ¢ 60 million to a foreign company. “ Before the project started, we were told it
would cost us GH¢ 16 million but now we have been made to understand it is GH ¢ 60 million”,
he said. As professional local furniture maker , the legislator disclosed on Peace FM ’s midday news that he doubts the durability of the chairs and tables which has been fitted into the chamber.
He claims that the “ poorly made” chairs looked too luxurious for any serious minded legislators and could render them lazy in the
cause of performing their duties .
“ The works that have gone on in parliament looks flashy, but there are issues to do with the durability of the items fixed in the house” ,
he said. Aside this, Hon . Arthur is of the opinion that government could have contracted a local
manufacturer to produce the chairs and tables for the house rather than awarding it to a
foreign company. “ Following the renovation that has taken place
in the house, there is now no space in the house as we were made to understand before
the exercise commenced . The setting of the house doesn’t make us feel like serious people . We went on break for almost three months so any one would have
thought local companies like Agowa or any other local furniture manufacturer would have been given the opportunity to undertake the project. ” He argues that if government had awarded the
contract to a local manufacturer , the proceeds would have even benefitted the nation .

Spio slams Parliament over “China furniture”. Update: 06 - Nov - 2014

Minister of Trade and Industry Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah says he warned Parliament against their decision to import furniture during the latter stages of the refurbishment process but
they simply ignored his advice.
“I said even at [my] vetting that they could have given it to the consortium of furniture makers to supply it in various ways.” Speaking to journalists in Accra on Wednesday, November 5, Dr Spio-Garbrah said a Parliament of Ghana with furniture from a
foreign nation does not speak well of the country. “It may be simply due to the fact that most of
us in our private lives...do not think about consciously choosing made-in-Ghana goods when we are undertaking any procurement,”
he said. Parliament returned from recess on Tuesday to a newly refurbished chamber, which has its
chairs imported from China. Computer consoles have also been fixed for each of the 275 Members while the dispatch boxes for ministers who appear before the
House have been cut to size.
The imported products have attracted criticism from a section of the public who think Ghanaian firms could have provided some of
them. Dr Spio-Garbrah criticised the legislators’ choice, saying: “[they] are not just to pass laws
but they must set examples.”
He said he expects explanation from them over the choice.

Labour Calls Off Strike But .. . Updated: 04 -Nov -2014

The 12 labour unions striking over the management of their tier two pension funds have called off their strike . According to them even though not all the unions were served with the ex parte order,
they are willing to comply with the High Court order which directs them to resume duty. They however warned that "if by one week from today , the dispute is not resolved , we shall resume the strike. ” The workers have been on strike over the refusal of government to allow them decide
who manages their tier two pension funds . The government, after failing to reach a consensus with the labour unions , pleaded the court to ask the workers to go back to work . According to them , their strike is illegal. The court ruled in favour of government last
Friday but the unions said they had not been served and would continue to strike. But at a press conference on Tuesday , the
Forum for Public Sector Registered
Occupational Pension Schemes said they have decided to call off the strike . However, " we want to re -emphasize that the suspension of the strike does not mark the end
of the struggle ... we regret government ’s exercise of bad faith in obtaining an ex parte order on the Forum which was in the public
domain and generating media speculations and malicious press statements but was not served
on the unions and associations until about 5 pm on Monday .. .if by one week from today, the dispute is not resolved , we shall resume the strike ,” PRO of the Forum, Reynolds Ofosu Tenkorang said.