The River Gee County lawmaker gave up his ghost at 12:45 a.m. Wednesday morning following a surgical operation performed by medical doctors at the J F K Medical Center. According to embattled Senate Pro-Tempore Isaac Nyenabo, who was on the bedside of Senator Johnson up to his death, said the River Gee County lawmaker earlier underwent a surgical operation at the Malac Clinic on an hydro seed he had developed.

Senator Nyenabo told legislative reporters that following the hydro seed operation at Malac, it was discovered that the late Senator Johnson had knots in his stomach and was subsequently recommended to the JFK Medical Center for further operation.

Prior to his death, Senator Johnson was a student of the Louise Arthur Grimes School of Law and a Political Science degree holder. The late River Gee lawmaker also served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries as well as a member of other statutory and standing committees of the Liberian Senate.

The late Senator Johnson was a strong ally to embattled Senate Pro-Tempore Nyenabo and would be missed by several of his colleagues for his thick and tough talking voice during steaming debates at the Liberian Senate.

Embattle Pro- Tempore Nyenabo described the death of Senator Johnson as a huge blow to his legal fight against his “illegal” suspension as Pro-Tempore of the Liberian Senate. The Grand Gedeh County Senior Senator also paid tribute to his fallen colleague, describing him as a great mental in Legislative flow fighting and politics.

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of the late Senator Johnson have been deposited at the Samuel Striker Funeral Parlous in Sinkor.

Speaking Monday at ceremonies marking the completion of renovation and construction works of several public schools at the D. Twe Memorial High School in the Borough of New Kru Town, Bushrod Island, the Liberian leader made specific reference to a land dispute that is preventing government and billionaire George Soros to construct a school for children in the New Kru Town area.

President Sirleaf said negotiations and consultations aimed at finding an amicable resolution of the land dispute in a bid to give way for the construction of the school have so far proven futile. According to her, negotiations and consultations on the matter would not be further pursued, noting, government has the constitutional responsibility to provide quality education for its citizens and would not tolerate any obstruction that attempts to undermine its effort.

“The negotiations and consultations must come to an end. We must strive to remove our children from the slums and find a way to educate them; the constitution is clear, we have a responsibility to educate our children,” the chief executive stated. “If I take any action, I don’t anyone to beg me,” the Liberian leader in an apparent angry mood sounded the warning to hundreds of residents of the Borough of New Kru Town as well as officials at the ceremony.

It can be recalled that a fortnight ago, U.S. billionaire George Soros and President Sirleaf broke grounds for the construction of a school in the Borough of New Kru Town that would cater for less-privileged children, but the project has failed to go ahead due to a dispute that has engulfed the land.

The conflicting accounts emerged last Friday when Acting Information Minister Cletus Sieh during a news conference disclosed that President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has vowed not to take any action or comment on the audit findings submitted to her office by the GAC until the National Legislature holds deliberations on them.

This latest account by Acting Minister Sieh contradicts earlier comments attributed to President Sirleaf by Assistant Presidential Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Nelson, that the president was perusing findings of several audit reports from the GAC and thereafter act on them appropriately.

Mr. Nelson, who made the disclosure last Monday during the Executive Mansion regular press briefing, among other things, maintained that the chief executive is committed to the fight against corruption and would take stern action following her perusal of the audit documents presented to her office.

Speaking further on his account of President Sirleaf’s position on the GAC audit reports, the acting information minister said the Act establishing the commission mandates the auditor general to report to the National Legislature on the findings of audits concluded.

Until that is done, Minister Sieh stated, President Sirleaf would remain tightlipped on the recent audit reports concluded by the GAC. According to him, any action taken by the president might prejudice or undermine the decision of the National Legislature ahead of its deliberations on the findings of the audit reports.

Meanwhile, some political pundits are calling on the Liberian Government to provide further clarifications concerning the president’s comments on the recently released audits by the GAC so to avoid misinformation. According to them, they don’t see it expedient for President Sirleaf to await deliberations by the National Legislature on the GAC audit findings before acting them.

“Why the president did not allow the National Legislature to hold deliberation on a recent report by the GAC, detailing acts of malpractices concerning the Bong County Escrow Account before suspending Bong County Superintendent, Mr. Rennie Jackson, ” they uttered.

Findings of the recently released audit reports give detailed accounts of how state resources were plundered at the National Social Security & Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP), Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR), the National Housing Authority (NHA) among others. In its recommendations, the GAC demanded the prompt restitution of ‘mismanaged funds’ by these institutions.

In another development, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has ordered all public corporations and autonomous agencies of government to publish all financial report during this fiscal period before the end of June. The Liberian leader said the report must be released to the public to ensure transparency and accountability in government.

President Sirleaf issued the order last Friday during a cabinet meeting at her Foreign Affairs Ministry office.

The order issued by the Liberian chief executive to public corporations and autonomous agencies of government is a follow up to earlier assertion made during the Kakata, Margibi County cabinet retreat in which she indicated that donor and bilateral partners were concerned about reports of corruption in government.

The order issued by the president also comes in the wake of audit findings released by the General Auditing Commission (GAC) in which the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) and other public corporations of government are indicted by the audit findings of “corruption”.

At the same time, President Sirleaf has instructed all government ministries and agencies to institute an internal audit system.

The internal audit system, according to Acting Information Minister Cletus Sieh, would enhance efficiency and accountability in Liberia’s governance system.

Acting Minister Sieh told a news conference last Friday that the institution of an internal audit system at government institutions would assist the general auditing commission (GAC) and other external auditors carry out their work efficiently. 

The health care system has broken down. The hospitals and clinics are in coma. People are admitted at the hospitals with no doctor to take care of them. In situations where medicines are prescribed people cannot afford to buy.

The economy of this silly old man’s country is in total mess. Its inflation hits the nostrils of heaven and it is the highest ever recorded in this mortal world. People have money and cannot afford to buy anything. Its currency has lost its weight. It is even struggling to stagger. One needs a whole luggage of money to afford simple meal.

The deplorable situation has forced dozens of decent females to go into prostitution in neighbouring countries. Young ladies are struggling and competing with their mothers in the dark alleys to sell their naked bodies to survive. For them sex is their surest means of survival.

Once hailed as a hero, this old man has lost the respect of many world leaders. He is refusing to leave power peacefully and bent on going to his grave with his country on fire. He is just wasting everybody’s time with peace talks here and there. He has lost control of management but he is stubbornly refusing to hand over to an energetic and brilliant fresh blood. In Ghana we call such childish people “Konongo Kaya” – People who can’t manage something and at the same time refusing to heed to advice.

He is just behaving like a typical uneducated African who sees nothing good in today’s younger generation. Surprisingly, the so called educated African elders and leaders around him are refusing to inject a chloroquine of sense into his archaic way of thinking. This is sad! For how long would the people of this former British colony continue to suffer? For how long would we sit on the fence and see this old man torture his own people in their own backyard? For how long would we remain mute instead of telling this old man that he should stop behaving like a child?

A Ghanaian proverb says that “If you play with the dog too much it licks your lips.” It simply means an adult who does not respect him or herself always get insulted by children. This is how this old man has reduced himself to. So far as he refuses to allow his people to sleep peacefully he would also not sleep. Who the cup fit let him wear it!

Read more on Kent’s blog

This fierceness and competitiveness has led all stakeholders in the electioneering process to call for peace and decorum before, during and after the December 7 general elections.

Adding his voice to this call, Sam Okudzeto, a legal luminary, has noted that political difference should not lead to violence. He observed that political parties are necessary machinery for democratic governance.

According to him, a person belonging to another party is not an enemy to be fought, maimed or killed, and went on to describe references by politicians to the Kenya post election conflict as misconceived. He said the ugly legacy of the early 50’s when in and around Kumasi violence, arson and anarchy reined for about three year’s is a battle all political parties have a duty and responsibility not to allow to emerge. “Since 1956 we have never witness any such political violence in Ghana. Ghana has stood and will continue to stand as symbol of hope for democratic governance in Africa and the world,” he stressed.

Mr Okudzeto made these observations at the 13th edition of the annual William Ofori Atta Memorial Lectures. The theme for this year’s three days lectures was “William Ofori Atta: the bridge to a peaceful modern society.”

Making reference to the recent American elections, he said one of the lessons Ghana should learn from this elections is that negative propaganda does not aid in winning an election. According to him, “if a young 47 years old and some say inexperience black man can overcome all the obstacles of racial prejudice and emerge victorious and become the president it should make us in Africa sit up.” Still making reference to the American elections, Mr Okudzeto said the behaviour of Senator McCaine and President elect Obama on election night is the best lesson for us in Ghana to copy. He pointed out that President elect Obama is reaching out to Senator McCaine and the Republicans as part of national healing. He said peace is not just a word but something we must live. Quoting Cotton, a philosopher, Mr Okudzeto said “Liberty will not descend to a people; people must raise themselves to liberty. It is a blessing that must be earned before it can be enjoyed.”

He was of the opinion that Ghanaians have to work towards peace, appreciating their differences either in opinion, aptitude or temperament and learn to live with it, adding, “We are richer by our differences.”

To buttress his point, he cited an instance in April 1978, during the General Acheampong regime when himself, William Ofori Atta and members of his party including K A Gbedema, A K Deku, Prof Adu Boahene, R R Amponsah and Mr Benney were arrested and sent to different prisons in the country. He said Paa Willie (William Ofori Atta) and himself (Sam Okudzeto) instituted action at an Accra high court as a test to challenge their detention. He disclosed that their counsels were the Fui brothers and Tsatsu Tsikata. He said the judge before whom the case was tried was Justice Agyepong who later was to be murdered with two colleagues in 1983.

Mr Okudzeto observed that at the time, many lawyers were afraid to confront General Acheampong but the two brothers without any fee stood for the cause of justice. He pointed out that all of them were released on the day General Akufo in the Palace Coup remove General Acheampong. “We were released on the same day because Major Sowu made it his business to insist that General Akufo signs the warrant for release of the detainees and took the warrant personally to the Director General of Prisons and ensured that we experience our freedom on the same day that General Acheampong lost his,” he said.

“This shows that political division at one time does not meal ideological rift. For the interest of mother Ghana many were prepared to work together for the interest of the country. Perhaps it is appropriate for me at this stage to make a plea for amnesty for Tsatstu Tsikata for his dedication and contribution for the cause of justice,” he added.

Other issues Mr Okudzeto touched on in his lecture were intolerance and tribalism, the concept of winner take all, poverty, education and industrialization.

To Mr Okudzeto, “The real legacy of William Ofori Atta, I believe is his humility. Though one of the big six, the son of an important chief who was knighted, he never raises himself above the ordinary. He shunned wealth and until his death even when he was the Chairman of the Council of State he lived in his modest bungalow type home at Tesano. His ability to see the funny side of everything including making fun of himself made him an example to every politicians and the ordinary citizen.”

The annual William Ofori Atta Memorial Lectures was instituted in 1992. Other speakers who spoke at this year’s lectures were Comfort Ocran, Chief Executive Officer of Legacy and Legacy, a human-capital development company, and Dr Mensa Otabil, Pastor, Educator, Entrepreneur and Consultant.

The Senior Tutor of Legon Hall, the Hall Master, the Dean of Students and the Registrar of the University are facing the charges.

The contempt of court charge is a result of the refusal of the four to obey a ruling passed by the human rights high court in Accra on November 11, 2008, after it has granted an exparte motion for interim injunction brought by Victor Kwadjoga Adawudu on behalf of his clients, Elvis Ampedu and Isaac Kwame Batu, who are aggrieved final year students of the University of Ghana. The court in its ruling noted that “if this case has to wait to go to trial or if the respondents have to be served, the applicants would suffer irreparable damage.”

In an interview with The Statesman, Mr. Adawudu explained that since the authorities have refused to obey the court’s order by not opening the rooms of his clients which, contained their belongings to enable them to study for their exams which starts yesterday, they are left with no choice than to cite them for contempt. He alleged that the authorities have all been served with the court’s ruling and are aware of it.

The contempt suit was filed yesterday.

In the substantive case, the plaintiffs are praying an order of the court restraining the defendants, their agents, servants and assigns from evicting them from their residential facilities located in Legon Hall, University of Ghana, Legon. They are further seeking an order from the court compelling the Senior Tutor and the Hall Master to constitute and independent body to look into their grievances.

The facts of the case are that the plaintiffs who are registered and qualified members of the Legon Hall Junior Common Room and accredited observers of Congress, the highest decision making body of the JCR, were evicted from their rooms with their belongings including their books and pocket monies locked up by the Senior Tutor and Hall Master of their hall for questioning and issuing a press statement on some of the activities of the JCR President and his executives.

The two stated in their motion paper for interim injunction that although Congress on May 22, 2008, took a decision to impose a levy of GH¢19.50 as hall dues of every first year member of the JCR for the 2008-2009 academic year, the JCR President and his executives unanimously decided to increase this amount to GH¢22.00. They claimed that during some part of the vacation period and early part of this semester, the JCR President accommodated his mother in the hall without any explanation to members of the hall, especially on the ‘H’ block which is a male block. Plaintiffs said in the address of the state of the JCR delivered by the President, he told members that the JCR had procured an amount of GH¢6000 for some projects, although such contracts was not approved by the Congress of the JCR.

According to the two, as registered members of the JCR they questioned the JCR President and his executives and demanded answers from them which they failed or refused to do. The plaintiffs therefore issued a press statement to Radio Univers, the University’s radio station, and the appropriate authorities in the University to compel the JCR President and his executives to answer the questions.

However, the Senior Tutor and the Hall Master viewed the plaintiffs’ press statement demanding answers, probity and accountability as an affront to their dignity, and consequently evicted them from their residential facilities.

The two students reported the issue to the Dean of Students for the resolution of the matter, but the Dean will not give them an opportunity to be heard unless they apologise and retract the press statement.

Community leaders, including traditional and religious leaders, were drawn from all parts of the country to participate in the first consultative forum, to empower them to play key roles in averting maternal death through advocacy, mobilization and education of families, to ensure that all women attend antenatal and postnatel care. In his keynote address, president koroma stress that the incidence of maternal mortality is of concern to the government, as this is one of the reasons responsible for Sierra Leone’s present position at the Human Development Index. His excellency Dr. Halimu Yahaya, emir of Sokoto State, Nigeria, lauded the first lady Sia Koroma, for the initiative to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rate in Sierra Leone. He urged community leaders not to mislead the trust imposed on them; nothing that primary health care should be prioritized.

“This increase caused by increasing industries in Rusia, after Uni Soviet fall”, Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Secretary General said, reffering to Europe economy transition era in 1990’s, when ex Soviet countries started to open their markets. The result showed in 2000-2006, when world emission carbon raised up to 7,4 %.

De Boer said this data will made next Poznan meeting more challenging. COP 14 in there will be a cross bridge to similar meeting in Kopenhagen, Denmark, which will the turn point of deciding next agreement to replace Protocol Kyoto. During telephone call interview, de Boer told Jurnal Nasional that this figure is announced to push forward negotiating process in UN in dealing new agreement on climate change.

The UNFCCC Secretary General didn’t declined the possibility that new data can change agreements that has been put in Bali Road Map. Last year climate change conference in Bali agreed to put UN’s research body, IPCC’s target for emission reduction at 25-40% at year of 2020 as foot note in Bali Road Map. But financial crisis made this agreement vulnerable, since Australia already anounced their budget cut for next year, while US and Germany officialy fall in to economy resession. De Boer predicted in Poznan, Annex I demand to include China and India to cut their carbon emission will be stronger than ever.

Indonesia it self already held inter department meeting last monday, to prepare for the UN conference. Environment Deputy Minister Masnellyarti Hilman stated Indonesia will strongly stand on what has been agreed in Bali Road Map. Indonesia also will held some bilateral informal meetings with G77 plus China, in order to put some consensus beyond developing countries before the conference start.

Published in Jurnal Nasional international page

A punk group gathered around Waschauer Bridge, talked loud while drinking their beer off to the bottom. Their pit-bull dog shaked its tail and played plastic bottle thrown as hand made Frisbee with its master. The dog several times ran trough numbers of youngsters on the road.

“Where have they been at noon?” Jane Feng, journalist from China said. She amazed by how a quiet street in Berlin had transformed into hilarious at Friday night. She came with group of Asian African journalists who want to enjoy Berlin night life.

“Ouh, what all this croud means for me?” Amarjyoti Borah said. Again, the Indian journalist looked down and his lips put a bitter smile. He has been complaining of breaking heart, since the first day he arrived in Berlin. He stated again how his girl back home crushed his heart by marrying some body else in Assam, India.

“Come on buddy. Don’t be sad like that. There are still lots of fish in the sea,” Robert Etemiku, journalist from Nigeria said. Slowly he robbed his full of sympathy hand against Borah’s back. Etemiku then stood up and smiled while looking at some Berliner girls around.

“But my girl is very beautiful. Her face looks like Aiswarya Rai, her feet like Susmita Shen, and her body seems to be like Malika Sherawat,” Borah answered by naming several of his favorites Bollywood Actress.

“Well, no wonder she left you!” Gigil Varghese said. This Indian journalist laughed, tried to lighten up the group’s mood. A week in Berlin, the group was filled up with Borah’s broken heart story almost everyday.

Finally they arrived at Hoppetosse Night Club. Physically, it was a boat that floats at the edge of Spree River in Berlin. But at night the owner turned it to be a night club for the youngsters.

“Tonight you will noticed how wonderful Berliner fishes are, Ok?” Etemiku said. By then, the group mission has been stated: helping Borah to found other fish in German sea. They moved forward against two high postured men who checked all visitors’ bags that night.

“Sorry, no drinks allowed,” one of the man claimed. His hand pointed on several mineral water bottles. The visitors can chose, whether to drink them or just throw them away like they use pledged in front of airport’s gate. After all the screening over, the man allowed the group to get in after paid 6 Euro for the ticket.

Inside, Mundo Mix Summer song welcomed the group. In the middle of the boat some youngsters shaked their body while DJ Vido played his reggae mix music. Sometimes he put fast forward funk and international future beat in it by spice them up with traditional Morocco’s and Scottish bag pipes tunes.

In the front of the boat several youngsters enjoyed the River Spree’s night. Just over a decade ago, hundreds of East Berliners struggled to swim across that river, just to reach freedom that held in west. The East Germany government put a special alarm across it that rang in to silence every time somebody tried to across. Allowed them the time to silently stop the swimmers.

But it’s all history now. That night youngster were partying all over the place, gave Borah courage to hit some Berliner girls. Unfortunately he just found failure at the end. Wondering around made Borah finally blend in and dance around the floor. His body moved with robotic Bollywood dance style. The atmosphere slowly able to put smile back on his face.

At the edge of the river, a couple of swans swam with 6 ducks. Berlin’s sky bright up and the music slowly turn off.

“Yeah, right. I guess I can forget my misery now,” Borah said. His hair wet with sweats that ran down all over his face. Borah might still missed to hook up some Berlin’s fish, but at least the night life managed to console his misery.

The refusal by the MDC to participate in a new government has further cast a damper on a political agreement signed on September 15 2008.

Political analysts say the continued impasse between the political parties will worsen the Zimbabwe situation which is already in a critical state.

Read more on Conrad Dube’s blog