Here are the stories that made the news Thursday:
1. Lawmakers ready to throw out GLC LI
The General Legal Council (GLC)'s Legislative Instrument (LI) before Parliament may suffer a mortal blow if the ongoing bipartisan campaign in the House is able to raise the required two-thirds majority to annul it. There is a growing number of lawmakers opposed to the LI seeking to legitimise entrance exams as an admission requirement at the Ghana School of Law. Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak has revealed he is working feverishly with Effutu Member of Parliament (MP) Alexander Afenyo-Markin to get 183 lawmakers to stop the LI from being passed.
2. Blaming Mahama for poor corruption rating unacademic - Batidam
A corruption advisor to former president John Mahama has fired a gun-scatter attack on government for attempting to shift the blame on the NDC for the worsening corruption in the country as captured by the local chapter of Transparency International, Ghana Integrity Initiative. Daniel Bartidam told Joy News’ Gifty Andoh Appiah any attempt to shift the blame on the NDC is “disingenuous, dishonest and un-academic.” His comments come hours after Ghana recorded a damning verdict on the 2017 Corruption Perception Index released Wednesday.
3. More students confess to being sexually harassed by their teachers
An investigative committee report on alleged sexual abuse at Ejisuman Senior High School could contain damning revelations on how some female students were sexually abused. Over 10 students said they told the committee they were forced by some of the teachers to stroke their manhood until they ejaculate as punishment. Others spoke about how they demand sex and being forced to have sex with their teachers.
4. Martin Amidu parts with his readers
The right to criticize a fellow citizen, however vigorous, cannot be defamatory of that citizen or even in contempt of court when it is kept within the limits of reasonable courtesy and good faith. As Lord Justice Salmon said in R v Metropolitan Police Commissioner; Ex Parte Blackburn at pages 155-156: “…The criticism here complained of, however rumbustious, however wide the mark, whether expressed in good taste or in bad taste, seems to me to be well within limits.” It is in this spirit that I have taken comments and criticism arising from my responses to the Appointments Committee of Parliament at my approval public hearing on 13th February 2018. Since I met the President on 9th January 2018 for a nomination confirmation discussion and accepted the potential nomination for consideration for approval by Parliament, I considered myself a potential public servant and stopped my citizen’s constitutional defence activism under Article 3 of the Constitution by not responding to unconstitutional comments and criticisms about my constitutionally mandated activities. As I put it at my approval public hearing, the nomination gagged me from speaking or writing in the press as a private citizen would.
5. Gov't blames Mahama for poor corruption rating
Government says worsening corruption perception as captured in a report should be blamed on the previous John Mahama administration. The Government Spokesperson on Governance and Legal Affairs, Herbert Krapa said the scandals that may have formed the basis for the worsening corruption perception happened before the Akufo-Addo government took over power in 2017. "Where else would they be taking their data from other than instances like bus branding, payment to Ghana Standard Authority kickback?"
6. NDC fights back, accuses gov't of poor governance
Former deputy minister of Information has rejected government's attempt to blame the previous administration for the worrying 2017 corruption perception index, the worse since 2012. Felix Kwakye Ofosu described the attempt as "astonishing in its defiance of logic". The reactions to the release of the report on the latest Global Corruption Perception Index confirmed fears of the Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) Linda Ofori-Kwafo, that the report will be politicised.
7. Gov't to sanction companies that fail to comply with Tax Stamp policy
Government has threatened to sanction businesses that fail to comply with the March 1st deadline for the implementation of the Tax Stamp Policy. “Eligible businesses are respectfully advised to comply with the 1st March 2018 deadline or risk prescribed sanctions under the law,” Deputy Finance Minister, Kwaku Kwarteng said in a statement. Earlier this week, the Food and Beverage Association of Ghana (FBAG) threatened to withdraw all locally manufactured products from the market if the government goes ahead with the implementation of the Tax Stamp Policy on March 1st.
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