OTABIL, SHORT TO GRILL MILLS & NANA
By Phyllis D. Osabutey
Dr. Mensa Otabil
Justice Emile Short
The General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Rev. Dr. Mensah Otabil, and the former Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Justice Emile Short, and a host of other prominent Ghanaians have been selected to oversee the conduct of the Institute of Economic Affairs’ (IEA) Presidential Debate, ahead of the 2012 general elections.
Rev. Dr. Otabil, who is the Chairman of the Committee, and other members of the Committee, including Professor Ivan Addae Mensah, Chairman, Petroleum Commission, Professor Stephen Adei, Professor of Economics, Pentecost University, Ambassador Kabral Blay Amihere, Chairman of the National Media Commission, and Ameer Dr. Maulvi Wahab Adam, Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, would have the mandate to grill the presidential candidates of the four political parties with representation in Parliament.
Dr. Rose Mensah Kutin, Executive Director of ABANTU for Development, Mr. Kofi Asamoah, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Professor Esi Sutherland-Addy of the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana, Mr. Tony Oteng Gyasi, Managing Director of Tropical Cable, and Mrs. Jean Mensa, Executive Director of the IEA, are additional members of the committee that was inaugurated in Accra, yesterday.
The committee further has the mandate to review questions that would be collated from different organisations, select and approve questions for the debates, shortlist moderators for selection and approval by the campaign teams of the political parties, and review and approve the format and guidelines for the presidential debates.
They will also review and approve the Presidential Debates Brochure, review and approve guidelines for moderators, issue press statements/releases relating to the Presidential Debates, as and when necessary, and undertake any other duties that it considers relevant to the successful conduct of the 2012 Presidential Debates.
In a short statement, the Chairman of the Committee said, “The members of this committee will pledge to be very equitable in our approach, and elevate our hearts and minds beyond parochial, narrow, and sectional interests. Our main commitment is to offer Ghanaians a broad view of the alternatives that will be made available to them.”
Also, in a welcome address, a Visiting Fellow of the Institute, Brigadier General Francis Agyamfra (rtd), said as part of the IEA’s quest to promote a peaceful and violence-free election, as well as to achieve an issue-based campaign, “The Institute has gone a step further, and this year, it is organising three presidential debates for the presidential candidates of the four political parties with representation in Parliament – three debates, instead of two.”
According to him, the three debates would be held in Accra, Takoradi and Tamale, before the general elections in December 2012, and as part of the preparations towards the Presidential Debates, “the Committee has been set up to work closely with the Institute to ensure a successful implementation of the 2012 Presidential Debates.”
He said this was an indication that the 2012 general elections, which promises to be keenly contested, are going to be a real test of the good health and maturity of Ghana’s democracy, adding that “Presidential Debates have a long reach in history as part of the democratic practice around the globe.”
He noted that despite the jolts in Ghana’s democratic practice, the country has since 1993, become one of rare models of democracy, with a future for stability and development, stressing, “A solid foundation has, therefore, been laid, and the promotion and consolidation of democratic governance are, therefore, increasingly recognised by Ghanaians as the most efficient means of ensuring peace, security, and development in this country.”
He further stated that since multi-party democracy was restored in the country in 1993, Ghana had successfully passed the test of holding five elections that have been adjudged free, fair, transparent, credible and peaceful, in addition to four smooth political transfers.
He observed that the Institute’s presidential debates since 2000 had become part of Ghana’s political legend, and played an important role in the presidential elections, such that it enabled the election campaigns to move away from one of personality attacks, acrimony, insults and attacks, to an issue-based discourse.
He added that the debates also provide a platform for voters to be informed, and to critically assess the suitability of the various presidential aspirants.
Short URL: http://thechronicle.com.gh/?p=44093
AS A MATTER OF GENTLE COURTESY, PLEASE, DO DISSOLVE THIS COMMITTEE.
LET US STOP GIVING BIRTH TO UNNECESSARY COMMITTEES IN THE COUNTRY.
THESE SO CALLED MEMBERS HAVE IN THEIR POSITIONS FAILED TO CONTRIBUTE NOTHING IN THE SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION TO ACCELERATE ECONOMIC GROWTH, DYNAMIC INDUSTRIES, JOBS, INCOME,CONSUMER SPENDING AND TO ALLEVIATE EXTREME POVERTY IN THE COUNTRY.
IN MODERN WORLD, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE SEEN AS VITAL FOR ACHIEVING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL GOALS OF A COUNTRY.
WE NEED FIRST TO DEVELOP THE EDUCATION SYSTEM WITH EMPHASIS ON SCIENCE, MATHEMATICS AND ENGINEERING AND NOT THE CREATION OF SUCH FAKE COMMITTEES THAT HAVE NO PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS FOR THE NATION.
WE ONLY CALL ON THE INSTITUTE OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS TO LEAVE THIS TO THE GHANA BROADCASTING AND TELEVISION.
ARE YOU THERE, WAS IT NOT REV DR MENASH-OTABIL, FORMER MODERATOR OF THE GHANA PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH THAT CURSED THE NATION OF ITS OIL EXTRACTION.
IT WILL BE NECESSARY FOR THE INSTITUTE TO ASSEMBLE MEN AND WOMEN WITH PRACTICAL RADICAL INNOVATIVE BRAINS TO DELIBERATE ON THE FOLLOWING FOUR MODERNIZATION GOALS:
INFRASTRUCTURE, INDUSTRY, AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY.
TODAY DOES NOT BELONG TO EDUCATED DERELICS, IT BELONGS TO PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND TO MAKE YOURSELF NECESSARY WHERE HONOUR CALLS FOR PROGRESS.
WE CANNOT GET AHEAD-FALLING BEHIND.
This is another way of wasting millions of the tax payers money that will not benefit a single Ghanaian except those participating and and the Government which is very bad for the Ghanaian economy. What are all these senceless commitess for Atta-Mills?.
i think is a good interaction, we need elite ghanains to balance the political,situation we find ourselves now……
Is this presidentail debate committee for only Southerners especially Akan speaking people? There is no Northerner on the panel and I am wondering how the panel was selected. I don’t speak for Ewes but I have not seen Ewe names. The list should be reveiwed and made to represent all key groups in the country orelse, some of us will also form our own presidentail debate committee.
all the names mentioned are surrogates of the elite politicians,i mean the npp apologies,their utterances and posturing have already placed them where they intend belonging,in other words i would not advise the good professor to get there to be ridiculed by those npp advisors
Let’s move away from all this Northerners not represented, Ewes not represented stuff. Let us see the people as Ghanaians. Suppose you were born to northern parents and taken away at birth and given to akan parents to be brought up. Would you know that you are a northerner? In this day and age when nations are studying how to travel through space and go and inhabit another planets we can not even make the first car ever made some where in the 1800′s I think. If a meteorite (rock from space) were to be heading towards our planet in 50 years time to crush and destroy it would we still be talking Ewe this, Northerner that or would we have the machines to carry our people to the safety of another planet we have colonised. If America or China colonise the moon right now they will not reserve space for Ghana on it.