Who will be the “Women’s Commissioner?” The lamentation of Charles McCarthy BK

A woman commission is a woman of power, a woman of positive influence and a woman of meaning. To be branded and elected a woman commission is one of the greatest compliments one can give a woman that wants to be an “influential” female. Below, I have assembled some qualities a girl/woman should possess in order to attempt to become a “women’s commissioner.” Yes I am not a woman, but have interest in who becomes the next woman to commission our School, very conversant with the pressure put on women in today’s society is immense and I admire any female out there who doesn’t let the high demands and expectations get them down. In my experience, I have learned that women should not let the likes of “perfected” images or “criticism” affects them and it has come as such a relief to me to realize that being different and imperfect is far more interesting than being a “perfect” person. I believe that being yourself and feeling happy as yourself- just the way you are signifies the word “beauty.” We were all blessed with voices to use them- so use them! I’m a relatively quiet person and a man of not many words who next to never will indulge in small talk chit chat. It’s just who I am. However, on the other hand, when it comes to standing up for what I believe in or voicing my opinions on things, I never fail to make use of my voice. And neither shall you! Make use of what god has given you and say what you think, say what you believe in, and argue against what you don’t. Follow your heart…never give up…and you can do anything. We all have the ability to do whatever it is we want to do and fulfill any dream we want to fulfill; we just have to go and do it. When you find your passion in life, it creates a meaning in your life and gives you a purpose in the world: it generates happiness. Living by your morals and values in life; inspires you, motivates you and energizes you for doing something significant in the world. As children, we were always being told to be a person of moral and were educated to understand what our values are. I think, when we grow older we seem to loose or forget about those crucial qualities and in order for us to be descent human beings, we should consider re-educating ourselves on morals and values. I am looking forward apart from the above to see a woman that will be humble enough to agree she’s imperfect, a woman that is not bitter or angry—no matter her circumstances or her past, the one that is fiercely loyal to students welfare. One that will stray too far away from what she knows to be true no matter the influence or level of success and works hard to stay positive. Above all she should have a great personality/charm and maintains her character even in bad situations. You see how diabolic and mischievous you can be? Put not words in my mouth, I only meant good no harm intended. Keep your thoughts to your broad chest. I cannot conclude by not looking out a woman that will aim at changing the facade of ‘Miss Communicator’. You can disagree with me but do not strangulate me to death when you can actually engage me in a constructive discourse in pursuance of setting the new standards for mother GIJ.

Tools for a political Campaign

One of the most important parts of any campaign organization is the campaign team those individuals that the candidates relies on to carry the campaign to victory. While all campaigns are different, and thus have different needs when it comes to campaign organization, there are five positions that must be filled on any campaign, no matter how small. Some campaigns may be small enough that one person can serve in two of the positions, but each job must be done and done right. Whether the job is filled by a paid staff member or a volunteer, each of the following job descriptions is integral to the success of your campaign Campaign Manager After the candidate, the campaign manager is the most important member of the campaign team. The candidate should never, ever function as the campaign manager, no matter how small the campaign is. The candidate needs to be free to meet the voters and donors and be out on the campaign trail. The campaign manager is responsible for all aspects of the campaign.The person you choose for this job should have a basic understanding of election strategy, be comfortable delegating, have good organizational skills and be able to work well with the candidate. The campaign manager works in conjunction with the candidate and the entire team to develop the campaign strategy and coordinate all aspects of the organization, from fundraising to paid media to voter contact activities. Volunteer Coordinator Above all, the person you choose to be the volunteer coordinator must be a people person. Working with volunteers is stressful, and requires diplomacy and patience. The volunteer coordinator is responsible for recruiting, scheduling, and organizing the volunteer team. Because volunteers are not paid and are often unskilled, the coordinator needs to be able to smooth over egos and trouble spots and effectively teach the volunteers new skills. The volunteer coordinator should be comfortable delegating duties to precinct and ward captains, especially in larger election districts. Fundraising Director The fundraising director is responsible for coordinating all of the fundraising tools at the campaign's disposal to reach the fundraising goal that the team has set on the timetable on which they have set it. The fundraising director guides the campaign's major donor and direct mail fundraising programs, and oversees fundraising events.In smaller campaigns that cannot afford an accountant or election lawyer, the fundraising director must have a basic knowledge of campaign finance regulations. Finance Chairman Though they are often confused, the finance chairman fills an entirely different role than the fundraising director. The finance chairman, along with the finance committee, is responsible for bringing in major donor contributions. Generally, the finance chairman contributes a certain amount to the campaign, and pledges to raise a significant amount from other donors. While the finance chairman may be involved in fundraising planning sessions, he or she does not run the fundraising organization -- that job is left to the fundraising director, who takes care of the organization and day-to-day details of the fundraising program. Grassroots Coordinator The grassroots coordinator oversees all of the grassroots activities of the campaign, including coalitions, get out the vote, absentee voter drives, voter registration efforts, and other grassroots activities. In most larger campaigns, these activities are each assigned a staff member of their own, but in local campaigns it is generally sufficient to have one grassroots coordinator who oversees the whole operation, with volunteers filling in as needed. The grassroots coordinator must have superb organizational skills, be knowledgeable about campaign strategy, and be able to take on a lot of responsibility, especially as election day draws near.

No Manifesto No Vote

In about nine (9) months from now, Ghanaians would have yet another golden opportunity at changing the course of events in our nation. This opportunity which comes once every four years is the strongest chance we could ever get to free Ghana and its suffering people from the leadership of wickedness and oppression, ineptitude, greed, nepotism, hypocrisy, lies and half-truths, the list is endless. In deciding between Corrupt ex-leaders and government officials in Ghana still lurking around the corridors of power wishing to come back to finish up the demolition of Ghana. ALARM refuse to accept the fact that these people who should be launching and exhibiting their manifestoes and posting them on the internet for our perusal, still spending their loots at our collective expense and pelting one another at the least opportunity. We in ALARM refuse to accept that, these people, their families and cohorts do not do anything including health care, education, etc. in Nigeria when they killed our own system. And yet would not put forward programmes and policies. We are calling on all Politicians and Political parties to declare their manifesto and their clear and practical plans to solve major problems in their constituencies and Ghana as a whole. We in ALARM finds it worrying that several months after the two major political parties have elected their flag bearers and parliamentary representatives and are ready to jostle for power, they are still adamant in presenting to the good people of Ghana their working document-manifesto. What is preventing those (political parties) from launching their manifestoes so as to afford us the opportunity to hold them accountable? What do they have to hide? We are calling on them to be bold and audacious, open and transparent so as to upset the status quo. We want a political party that seeks to create the future, cause change bring ideas to life, and inspire citizens. ALARM is therefore embarking on a ‘No manifesto, no votes’ campaign. We will make sure that young people will be mobilized to vote only those politicians, who were not part of corruption, stood for integrity and clear developmental goals since this dispensation started. Any other person who was part of this old system will be shocked by the embarrassment we will churn out to them in this electioneering. We want a country where infrastructure works, where politicians are committed to the common good, where opportunities for its citizens are fair and possible. We grew up hearing ourselves addressed as the “leaders of tomorrow,” and now we have realized that it is time we rose to take our destinies into our hands, if we want to stand any chance of witnessing that much-touted “tomorrow.” ALARM say enough is enough. We have had enough! We are taking our future in our hands – and we will neither falter nor stop. We are by these calling on all Ghanaians who have the interest of the youth at heart to join us in this fight.

PRESS STATEMENT ON JUDGMENT DEBTS

The Alliance of Libraries Archives and Records Monitoring (ALARM) has observed with very keen interest the recent spate of sadism and disorder exhibited by some politicians and radio commentators purported to be the reserved for all unrestricted knowledge and its consequent implications for the peace and development of our dear country. We in the Alliance of Libraries Archives and Records Monitoring (ALARM) would want to state that, we are not enthused in anyway as to the severity of aggression mounting amongst politicians and commentators over the judgment debt phraseology. We are therefore calling on the politicians and radio commentators regardless of political, tribal and religious inclinations to exercise jingoism and demonstrate civility in their quest to register their bliss and displeasure on the Judgment debts. Although our thinking forbids children to speak when adults are speaking, scientifically and scripturally we know that intelligence, knowledge and wisdom are not the sole “province” of an adult, the only thing an adult could have over a young person is experience based on age or length of time. However we think that our so called leaders are missing the points on the judgment debt a phenomenon that has come to dwarf all the programs of the state. Our worry is the parallel and entrench positions taken by people believed to be parties in one way or the other in these whole judgment debt tale and their cohorts We are graciously gifted with everything needed to be the greatest country in the humanity and also with everything we need to fix our problems. We have both human and natural resources, we have smart people who know what to do, what we are lacking is the WILLPOWER to do what we know is right. Our leaders lack courage, the courage of leading the country into the promised land, the courage of Yaa Asantewa fighting to liberate her people, then leading it against their will, the courage of Abraham Lincoln emancipating the slaves in-spite of death threat, went to war for the same cause and was eventually killed (shot to death). It is important for us to fully understand what the problems our nation are, or else we will be providing solutions for symptoms rather than providing solutions for the disease itself. Redundancy, Judgment debts, bad roads, broken health facilities, armed robbery, schools under trees, NHIS and communal conflicts, etc are not the problems Ghana faces, they are simply symptoms of larger issues that need to be dealt with, but have defied solutions or ignored. Our summary of Ghana’s problems: A. Corruption (Institution and Individual) B. Lack of courageous leaders with vision and strategy of development based on accurate data C. Our “Thinking” as Ghanaians (religion, wealth, etc) As we seek the solutions to transform our country, we want to appeal to everyone based on our religious faith. The Bible says “except the Lord builds, they that labour do so in vain”. At the base of our problems and the oil that would grease the wheel of change is PRAYER. We are not talking about overnight vigils or enemy attacking prayer, but true believers coming out of their buildings and deliberately and specifically praying for our Ghana. Having articulated our problems and the tons of issues on its cocktail, we then need to have a sincere dialogue on how to eliminate corruption and fill the void of why leaders are corrupt, we need to have the same dialogue on how or why our system of government attract low lives and not men/women of integrity, we need to have another dialogue on how our thinking which we often call culture, is holding us back from individual growth and societal development. ALARM is of the view that once we identify what the issues are (not concentrating on symptoms), the next question then is how and why did we get here, how and why do we have leaders who are timid and visionless, how and why do we think the way we think. Why is it that after fifty five years of independence we’ve never had a leader and Government who could rally the country behind a vision that everyone would buy into, someone who would clearly articulate the vision like the Apostles (Peter and Paul) to the extent that people would freely give of themselves and their substance for that leader and his/her vision. We hold on to our view that any attempt by any political party or its activist to defend the payment and non-payment of the judgement debt as against the state is a circumvention of the political party’s act which discourage tribalism and ethnicity in the search and establishment of political parties. It is therefore our duty as voters to uphold and adhere and support to the guiding principles of leadership and integrity by voting for people base on who is Capable, God fearing, trust worthy and incorruptible. Hence the task of deciding on good leaders should be our biggest challenge as voters in the next general election. We should underline the fact that such a leader can be found in any of the several tribes and political parties of Ghana, whether small or large. This is only possible if we are going to cast our votes as nationalists and not as tribalists or believers in party colours. To be able to get the right persons to be the next President/ and Parliamentarians of the republic of Ghana to manage the state purse. By this way we can curb the menace of corruption and incessant defense approach by cohorts of people believed to have acted against the state.

THE PRIVACY & SAFETY OF GHANAIANS SHOULD NOT BE COMPROMISED FOR BIOMETRICS

Anytime a new product is coined as 'High-Tech', it also bears the weight of being 'high-burden'. The promise and determination of providing advanced technology of enrolling prospective voters via biometric comes with the disadvantage of measuring its effectiveness against the technology of old. For the tremendous leaps and bounds in security technology that comes with biometric, it should be expected that biometrics also have its fair share of uncertainties and probably a more frustrating ones that must be addressed. It has been projected in several ways that biometrics are expected to become a mainstream in some few years to come. But then the only way that should happen is when all the questions are answered and doubt cast aside, for no new technology is without obstacles. Proponents of biometrics point to a number of benefits: 1) the technology provides convenience, the hassle of having to remember or recovering lost ID cards. They argue that it makes identity fraud more difficult, thereby eliminating multiple voting at the end. The question therefore is how can one vote more than ones? The proponents of this system argue further that biometrics would save the Electoral Commission time and money in administrative cost. In fact we are yet to be told how and why, including how this technology would deal wit our existing electoral fraud, violence and ballot box snatching. Although it may make giant strides in the case of data collection, biometrics may also make mistakes. It might interest you to read that these system are better at identifying men than women and older people than younger ones, while one can also be 'outsmarted' by simple tricks such as placing a photo of an authorized individual in front of the lens. Then there stands the inevitable problem in computing, human errors in data entry, which could lead a computer to ‘correctly’ match an individual’s biometric markers to a mistyped on database. Once such errors are linked and circulated on a multiple centralized databases, the difficulties of ‘cleaning’ them might prove insurmountable. For instance, an innocent person’s iris points falsely linked to a criminal record could become the digital equivalent of a ‘scarlet letter’, subjecting an individual to unnecessary suspicion and intrusive surveillance. It’s hard enough already to correct errors on one’s voter ID, and there is no reason to think that correcting one’s identity files on biometrics would be that easier when the EC have failed to even capture valid voter ID holders on their own system dubbed ‘Gvive’, a software provided to banks particularly Ghana Commercial Bank to verify the authenticity of voters ID. In the midst of the numerous improvements of biometrics, let’s not forget that it would be based on the assumption that the person using the biometric system is able to successfully perform the biometric scan on consistent basis. It means when a user is unable to scan, it can lead to disenfranchising that person though he or she might be 18 years and above and of a sound mind as enshrined in the 1992 constitution. Why are we eager to disqualify people from exercising their right on the basis of deformities? The biggest cause of user difficulty with biometric system is a lack of proper training. Training is needed to explain possible sources of problems and the methods to prevent them. For instance, a fingerprint reader may have difficulty capturing dry or rough skin, and the user must be educated as to how to identify this condition as well as the proper method of preparing his or her finger to eliminate the problem. The correct positioning of the finger to ensure that the fingerprint is captured in its entirety is equally important, and should be demonstrated to users before they register their finger into the system. Something as basic as person’s glasses needed to be removed for an iris scanner to capture successfully. Have the EC trained the over 23,000 operators? Have they even acquired the workstations before talking about November as the starting point for enrollment? Why the November rush? Has Afari Gyan given any consideration to our privacy, safety and policy issues as a nation? Already there are problems of uneven coverage, unreliable electricity and easy access to the 23,000 polling stations across Ghana. A reason why election results are delayed for several hours after the ordeal cueing to vote in the anihilitating and debilitating sun. Civil rights advocates and IPAC should be worried including Government, that the privacy of Ghanaians would not be compromised to use biometrics. Because even when the technology works properly, personal data of citizens can be misused or abuse. There is also the existence of continued vulnerability of biometric data to theft, tampering, and unauthorized use or sale. As the deployment of biometric technologies promises to become ubiquitous over the coming years, the need for strong and explicit guidelines governing their uses also grows urgent. Let me cease this opportunity to propose to a potential national model in this regard an ct of parliament. These act should contain the following provisions: I) No person or organization shall obtain biometric identifiers for the purpose of commercial advantage without parliamentary authorization. II) A person or company shall not sell, lease or disclose biometric identifiers without individual consent and approval. III) Organizations storing biometric identifiers are responsible for preventing them unauthorized disclosure. IV) Government shall not sell or disclose biometric identifiers without individual consent except for criminal investigation. With less hypothesis and entertainment, now is the time to take the steps necessary to prevent the abuse of this seemingly inexorable technology.

ANYONE WHO LACKS MOMENTUM EVENTUALLY BECOMES A MONUMENT

‘Never leave till tomorrow that you can do today’- Benjamin Franklin. Indeed it is better to die for an idea that will live, than live for an idea that would die. You have the capacity to lead your generation. You were designed to be at the forefront of your generation. The Bible says that you are fearfully and wonderfully crafted (Psalm 139:14). This means you are distinguished and to be revered. You are a royalty and belong to the prestige class with great potential for great achievement you should therefore not demean yourself by all standards. As a young person, there is a great momentum in your life even though most people remain in a dormant mode for a great momentum for a greater part of their lives. Therefore, activate every atom of power in your life and live your dream for greater achievement. For anyone who lacks momentum eventually becomes a monument. In other not to become a laugher and a walking monument, you have to make time your best confederate. Time does not classify, and it does not favour anybody. You either work with time or it works against you. Time is essentially middle-of-the-road. It is distributed equitably to all. The opulent are not more privileged than pitiable as far as time is controlling affairs. Everybody has 24 hours. The rich have 24 hours a day and so is the poor. The Public Relation Personnel has 24 hours a day and so is the Journalist. No one has more time and opportunities than the other. Let us be guided by the fact that those we meet when ascending in life are the very ones you meet when plunging. And that what goes round comes round. The bygone is a period that will never be available to you again. It is beyond your management now. The former is history and therefore, you must learn the lessons of it. How long can you travel in reverse gear? The reverse is meant to help you adjust, turn and maneuver but ultimately you have to move forward. The past provides us with experience for present and future. The present is what really have total control over how the future you now desire is fashioned and formed. The present is a good opportunity to build a desirable future. Some have tried to jump into the future and have been frustrated by their lack of direction and focus. The future presents itself in the form of vision, goals, objectives, desires and ambitions. The future is always kneaded and baked in the present. The future is therefore not created in vacuum. It is imperative however, to note that time cannot be stored in a silo, refrigerator or room to use at some future date. Time unlike Tertially Education cannot be deferred. It expires moments after you have deferred it. This moment of time on GIJ Campus (i.e. Year, month, day, hours, minute and second will never ever be repeated in your life). And like it is said literally. ‘If you refused to be crowned a chief, be assured never to become a town crier’ ‘Opportunity comes but once’ I am of the opinion that every day presents us with great and marvelous opportunities it is what you choose to believe that will become the reality in your life. You need an eye in your mind to be able to imagine and determine whether something is a resource or not. Two people can be looking at the same thing but interpreted differently. Many of us fall into needless situations because we are not independent minded. Politicians and peers sometimes place unnecessary pressures on us to do things that will meet their aspirations and agenda. You are not a tool for any person(s) to just use to achieve their own objectives. Do not allowed yourself to be remote controlled. If an older person wants you to swallow some bitter pellets of drugs, ask why he or she is not carrying it himself. People may prophesize negatively about you and sometimes into your future. Some may come from your teachers, classmates and peers. But be resolute and determined to prove them wrong by being a leading light and achiever. You cannot be a mistake in creation and you were not born carbon copied so why die as such? Prove doom prophets wrong if you are decisive, and have something in life to die for. It is important to note that the success of every journey with good intension and energy plus the wrong direction will not lead you to your destination. Another important gem is focus which is also provided through mentoring. Great enthusiasm and ambitions can blind young people into wanting to conquer the world. They then bite more than they could chew. They’ve indeed beaten more than they can chew. Because we of Ghana Institute of Journalism were inundated with series of articles, some of which sort to educate us on SRC, its mandate and limitations. I can recall vividly in one of those fine write-ups entitled ‘NUGS IS DEAD’ calling on us not vote for the affluence and that SRC is not to be sold. Credit to the essayist (Philip Atawura). My worry however is about the sudden and abrupt U-turn? What about our vision and missions? The least said about the unsavory, slanderous and venomous attacks on their perceive contenders the better. Is this the way we have to go as up and coming leaders of our nation? Must we in pursuit of our selfish interest rundown the reputation others have built over time? Certainly not, and for that matter culprits must atone for their actions and inactions. It is a wakeup call on us as who are studying to becoming members of the fourth estate of the realm to scrutinize and reject any person(s) who per our view lack direction and focus, for those men and women it cannot be said of them of their independent mindedness and for that matter will only live to pursue their selfish ambitions and not the general interest and welfare of GIJ students and mother Ghana.

‘AYAWASO CENTRAL IS NOT A SAFE SEAT FOR THE NPP’-WILLIAM AFUM ANI-AGYEI

The Ayawaso Central Constituency’s Parliamentary Candidate of the National Democratic Congress, William Afum Ani Agyei affectionately called ‘Obama’told Peace news yesterday that Ayawaso Central Constituency is not and has never been a safe seat for the opposition New Patriotic Party. He said the NDC after 1992 have never gone into any election with a common front, and that their disgruntle members are those who have been voting for the NPP.He said the good will of IC Quaye coupled with acrimonies in the NDC is what accounted for the success of the NPP in the past. ‘Obama’, was however happy that I.C Quaye was out of the race, since his main contender is a non residence. He said unfortunately for the NPP when I, C Quaye decided not to contest, he left the constituency to Spintex Road to go and import someone to come and contest on the ticket of the NPP. A situation which he said is playing to his advantage because he was born in the constituency. On his achievement, he said though he is not in parliament on his own he has been able to create jobs such as dress making, floral decoration, hairdressing etc. He made the disclosure after he launched his nine member campaign team to spearhead and champion his parliamentary aspirations. He bemoans the deplorable state of Alajo and the constituency as a whole. He said though they are in Accra the capital of Ghana, he sometimes wonders if indeed their constituency is part of Ghana. He called on all to vote for him and the NDC to bring to the constituency the kind of change and development the constituency need.