Monday, December 1, 2008

ARMED FORCES TO DEPLOY ON ELECTION DAY (PAGE 15)

THE Ghana Armed Forces intends to deploy its personnel to support the police and other security officers detailed for the general election on Sunday.
This, according to the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt General J.B. Danquah, would provide security and an enabling environment for all to exercise their franchise without fear.
He explained that the deployment of the military was in consultation with the Electoral Commission (EC), taking into consideration the gloomy insecurity painted during the last voters’ registration exercise.
Lt General J.B. Danquah, an old student of the Pope John Senior High School, Koforidua, was speaking at the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the school and its junior seminary in Koforidua on Saturday.
The gathering brought together a number of old students such as the Catholic Metropolitan Archbishop for Accra, Most Rev Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, and the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Asiedu Afram, who read the message on behalf of President Kufuor.
The event also coincided with the inauguration of teachers’ flats built with the GETfund.
According to Lt. General J.B. Danquah, the country’s political atmosphere had been charged, and that the deployment of the military would prevent chaos, senseless killings or carnage with its attendant state of hopelessness as experienced by other countries.
“In 1990, I was in Liberia as the Commanding Officer of GHANBATT 2 at the onset of the carnage in that country, and in 1995 and 1997, I was in Rwanda and Sierra Leone respectively, and I saw in real terms the extent to which man’s insensitivity to his neighbour could drive a nation, including its people especially women, children and its resources to a state of hopelessness and we have to avoid such a situation,” the Chief of Defence Staff stated.
Lt General J.B. Danquah said it was therefore the wish of the entire Armed Forces, other security services and all Ghanaians to do what was right between now, the day of the elections or after in a peaceful manner to enable Ghana to continue to be the shining example in Africa.
Lt General J.B. Danquah, who also dwelt extensively on education, advised parents to properly cater for the educational needs of their children and wards, who he said, must not be involved in negative tendencies such as pornography, in order to be able to climb the academic ladder.
The Armed Forces Chief, who also appealed to the tutors of the school to continue with their dedicated services to the school and students, praised the Catholic Church for its contribution to education and national development.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Asiedu Afram, President Kufuor said his term of office deepened democracy and as an ardent believer of democracy, he had no desire of entrenching himself in power and would graciously hand over to whoever would be elected by the people.
He, therefore, appealed to Ghanaians to exercise maximum restraint before, during and after the elections, adding that the government would not interfere with the work of the EC.
“While exercising our franchise, let us exult in victory with moderation and accept defeat with equanimity” President Kufuor stated.
In his report, the Headmaster of the school, Mr Isaac Larweh, said the school, which started with a few students 50 years ago, now had a student population of 1,530.
He said its academic record had been excellent over the years, and that it had 99.8 per cent success at the 2008 WASSCE.
The school, which Mr Larweh stated had also excelled in extra curricula activities had a number of challenges. These include perennial shortage of water, poor drainage system and inappropriate library and called on the authorities for assistance.