Politics
Prof. Raymond Atuguba outlines 7 ways NPP will ‘break the eight’

Dean of the University Of Ghana School Of Law, Professor Raymond Atuguba has outlined seven key points he describes as the reasons why the New Patriotic Party (NPP) wants to ‘break the eight’.
The Law Professor listed these points when he spoke on the theme: “Ghana at the Cross Roads” at the 4th Triennial Conference 2022 organised by the Ghana Studies Association in Tamale.
The Ghana Studies Association is an international affiliate of the African Studies Association which strives to provide a forum for cutting edge original research on Ghana’s society, culture, environment and history.
According to Prof. Atuguba, “Break the 8 has many more elements, even if stealing Election 2024 and installing a stooge is at the nerve center of it. The elements of the clannish edifice of Break the 8,” he outlined as follows:
1. First, a concerted attempt to obliterate or at least devalue, including in the basic Textbooks that we use to teach our children the history of our nation, the central role of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the nationalist struggle and the early years of national reconstruction and his enduring legacy in Ghana, Africa and around the world, and to replace that with a very inadequate alternative, their Dr. J. B. Danquah-I will euphemistically call this project, “The Founders of the Nation Project”;
2. The Second Project, which they euphemistically call, “The Financial Clean-up Project”, involves the identification, discipline, emasculation, strangulation, and destruction of every source of financial power, other than theirs, at a scale and pace never seen in our democratic governance, so that in 2024, they would be able to financially determine the contestants and winners of the elections, in the monied democracy that we run;
3. Thirdly, the project involves the capture and buy-out of all other parties, and some elements of the major opposition party, again, with financial incentives at a scale never seen in the last 30 years, so that these parties and elements will be at least neutral, and at worse attack dogs of the opposition, and ready and willing to call the 2024 Election for the stooge;
4. Fourth, an insistence that at the micro, meso and of course the macro levels of the public services, there is unalloyed obeisance to the political leadership for good or for bad, extending to formal and informal attempts to replace anyone suspected of even the least disloyalty, dismally reflecting in the removal, for the first time in our political history of Vice-Chancellors of public universities, purely on suspicion of party-political disloyalty;
5. The fifth element of “Break the 8” involves the incubation of parallel security forces, some forcefully integrated into some regular forces, and some not, and the use of these guns for hire for all and any forms of physical violence; culminating, some have argued, in their deployment for Election 2024, against the backdrop of real or orchestrated evidence of terrorism and violent extremism, for the purpose of restricting freedoms, terrorizing the opposition and robbing the Election;
6. Significantly, project “break the 8” also involves the targeting of all critical national voices, including those in academia, media, civil society, and even faith-based organizations, either buying them out, that is, paying them for their silence, or hounding them using the instrument of state force such as the security services, the military and the police, and the instruments of the administrative state, such as the tax authorities and the regulatory authorities, and also aimed at ensuring their silence or support, when the call on Election 2024 is made on 8th December that year; and
7. Seventh and finally, a brazen urge to do whatever is necessary to achieve set goals, no matter the cost to human lives, to the national economy, and to institutions built over a century and a half, including the most extreme methods of removing an Electoral Commissioner from office on trumped up charges, the first in our democratic history, and the storming of a sitting court to free political operatives and apparatchiks, in order to send a very clear message that the agenda will be accomplished by hook or crook, fair or foul, even if it leaves no man or woman standing, and all this is mediated and spurred on by certain toxic masculinity that has taken aggressive capture of our politics.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
Politics
Minorities applaud government’s retreat on import restrictions

Following the government’s decision to postpone the implementation of import restriction legislation, the minority in Parliament expressed relief.
The caucus was adamantly opposed to the measures, claiming fears of corruption and economic hardship.
The Minority, in a statement issued on December 8, 2023, criticised the laws for giving the Trade Minister undue authority over import licences and amounts without sufficient checks and balances. They were concerned that this authority would lead to corruption, misuse of power, and state control.
“Minority has always maintained that these regulations will breed corruption, because not only are they arbitrary and opaque but they are designed to encourage the arbitrary exercise of discretionary power in the hands of one person, particularly the Minister of Trade and Industry.”
“We have argued that by vesting too much unfettered and unchecked power in the Minister to determine who qualifies or not to be granted a permit to import into the country as many as twenty (24) commodities, the regulations lend themselves to abuse of power, state capture and rent-seeking conduct reminiscent of the days of ‘essential commodities’ and ‘price control’.”
The caucus stated that its principle was not against any legal regime or policy that sought to protect indigenous businesses by regulating imports, but rather against a law that gave the Minister of Trade unfettered discretionary power to issue import licences and limit the quantity of certain imports into the country, without any checks and balances.
“It defied sound logic for this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to seek to restrict imports contrary to what it had signed on to about Ghana’s current IMF programme. One of the quantitative performance criteria in Ghana’s current IMF bailout is a requirement to avoid imposing or intensifying restrictions on imports for balance of payment reasons.
At a time Ghanaians are facing extreme misery and reeling under countless taxes, including those contained in the 2024 Budget, we do not consider it right that the government would introduce import restrictions that will fuel inflation and hoarding,” it stated.
PRESS STATEMENT
NDC MINORITY IN PARLIAMENT REACTS TO GOVERNMENT’S SUSPENSION OF LAYING OF IMPORT RESTRICTION REGULATIONS
The Minority Caucus has noted with relief the announcement by the government to suspend the laying of the proposed regulations on Restriction of imports of Selected Strategic Products, 2023.
The Minority has always maintained that these regulations will breed corruption, because not only are they arbitrary and opaque but they are designed to encourage arbitrary exercise of discretionary power in the hands of one person, particularly the Minister of Trade and Industry.
We have argued that by vesting too much unfettered and unchecked power in the Minister to determine who qualifies or not to be granted a permit to import into the country as many as twenty (24) commodities, the regulations lend themselves to abuse of power, state capture and rent-seeking conduct reminiscent of the days of ‘essential commodities’ and ‘price control’.
Indeed, various stakeholders including the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana, Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Chamber of Automobile Dealership Ghana and the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, have all joined us in all kicking against these proposed import restrictions.
The Minority in principle is not against any legal regime or policy that seeks to protect indigenous businesses by regulating imports. What we are vehemently against is a law that confers unfettered discretionary power on a single individual, in this case a Minister of Trade, to issue import licenses and to restrict the quantity of certain imports into the country, without any checks and balances.
It defied sound logic for this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government to seek to restrict imports contrary to what it had signed on to with regard to Ghana’s current IMF programme. One of the quantitative performance criteria in Ghana’s current IMF bailout is a requirement to avoid imposing or intensifying restrictions on imports for balance of payment reasons.
At a time Ghanaians are facing extreme misery and reeling under countless taxes, including those contained in the 2024 Budget, we do not consider it right that government would introduce import restrictions that will fuel inflation and hoarding.
We are happy that the government has jettisoned these regulations after stiff resistance and opposition in Parliament by the Minority Caucus.
We wish to assure the Ghanaian people and the business community that the Minority will always be on their side and put their interests first. Ghana First!
Politics
We’ll identify and disgrace NPP MPs who are undermining the anti-gay bill – Sam George

The chief proponent of the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, popularly known as the Anti-Gay Bill, Sam George, has threatened to expose and disgrace members of the Majority Caucus who are allegedly obstructing the bill’s passing.
He claimed that several Majority MPs were swayed by those with a vested interest in the development of LGBT activities in the country, sabotaging the process.
Speaking to media in Parliament, Samuel Nartey George, the MP for Ningo-Prampram, said the bill’s supporters will not tolerate any attempts by the Majority caucus to sabotage it.
“Those who have been influenced by persons who have an interest in LGBTQ should return whatever influence they have collected because we will fight and the next time we address the media, I will mention names. I have been impressed by my co-sponsors not to mention names, and it is out of respect for them that I am not mentioning names, but if they continue this behaviour of frustrating the bill, I will mention names.”
“This bill was introduced in 2021 and this is the last time we will accept this kind of behaviour. Ghanaians should take note, the Christian community, the Muslim community, the African Traditional community, and the National House of Chiefs who have supported this bill should take note of the actions of persons on the Floor of the House who are seeking to slow down the move of this bill.”
Meanwhile, Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi, Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, has dismissed Sam George’s claims.
“Leadership has not drawn my attention that we should go ahead and do consideration on this bill and at any rate, this is not the only bill at the consideration stage. The Intestate Succession Bill has also been there and nobody thinks of prosecuting it, and then we have the Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill on page 24 and when the Speaker called me. If we start today, there is no way we can finish these amendments before this meeting ends, so why should I start it?”
Politics
Sam George wants Parliament to sue Akufo-Addo for refusing to approve ‘Witchcraft’ bill

Samuel Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ning-Prampram, has proposed that Parliament take President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to court for refusing to sign the contentious Criminal Offences Amendment Bill 2023 into law.
President Akufo-Addo refused to sign the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill 2023 and the Wildlife Resources Management Bill 2023 a few days ago.
This came after the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, chastised the President on November 27, 2023, for failing to explain his position on the Criminal Offences Amendment Bill 2023, which seeks to criminalise attacks on suspected witches.
However, the Presidency refused to receive the measures enacted by Parliament until November 27, 2023, in a message. The Presidency also denied reports that it had opted not to sign the Bills.
However, in a letter to Parliament on Monday, December 4, President Akufo-Addo informed the House that he would be unable to consent to the measures until the underlying constitutional issues were resolved.
A furious MP told Eyewitness News on Citi FM that the President is usurping the authority of the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, and that the President has ‘absolutely no powers’ to postpone the bill’s passage.
He slammed the President for violating the 1992 constitution, saying he should be hauled into court if he does not reverse his decision.
“Parliament must go to the Supreme Court to seek interpretations of Article 108. The president is not the ultimate in this country when it comes to the law. The speaker has served notice that the president’s actions are unconstitutional and are a breach of the Constitution.”
He added, “I hold the view that the actions of the President are unconstitutional and even constitute grounds for impeachment. Because the President is flouting the Constitution in such a blatant manner. How can a witchcraft bill be interpreted by the President to be financial matters? And for those reasons, the President arrogates to himself powers that he doesn’t have. He’s usurping the constitutional powers of the Speaker. We can’t sit down and allow that. I believe that if the President does not rescind his decisions, Parliament must take him to court. We should take him to the Supreme Court for the court to rule. The President has absolutely no powers under Article 108.”
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