What The Papers Say

Our finest hour

Daily Graphic - Ghana

The success of the recent donors' conference in Paris has been acknowledged not only in Ghana but also in international circles.

The success which is manifested in pledges totalling some $150 million for the 1983/84 year has come to confirm that around. the PNDC decided on economic policies which were REALISTIC in the face of our seemingly insurmountable economic problems. The success has also come to confirm that the PNDC did not draw up an Economic Recovery Programme which formed the basis of the April 1983 budget because it was indifferent to the plight of the people. It must be clear to all by now that the PNDC did so with the sole aim of reinvigorating the economy which will eventually give the people a better deal in the long run.

To this paper, it is an over-statement to say that this is what we all hope for: conditions that will make the people smile at the end of the day.

IMPLEMENTATION

What is left is how Ghanaians in whose interest the Economic Recovery Programme was drawn up will make the programme work.

This calls for nothing less than hard work, perseverance and devotion to duty. Anyone or group of people, especially civil servants who are directly involved in the implementation of government policies must therefore give of their best. One thing is clear: that if any official sabotages any government policy through unnecessary bureaucracy and indifferent attitude to work, it is not the PNDC that he is harming but also his kith and kin, the nation and the citizenry as a whole.

Such saboteurs, we believe, can only be found among people who erroneously think that government comprises Chairman Rawlings and other members of the PNDC. Such unfortunate thinkers should rethink their stand because all that the PNDC is doing is to represent the people and therefore its policies are for the people, including the saboteurs, and in their interest.

COURAGE

The 'People's Daily Graphic' will like to state clearly that this is the finest hour of the people of Ghana. After all the previous trial and errors, the people now have a government which has the political will and courage that will put things that have gone wrong for so long a time right.

We would like to caution the PNDC not to take kindly to any acts that go to undermine and inhibit the smooth implementation of its policies. It shouldn't because it is the people that it is representing and therefore any acts that are detrimental to the welfare of the prosperity of the people and the nation as a whole should not be countenanced in any way.

Ghanaians should remember that it is not for nothing that the President of the World Bank is here on a five-day visit. It took realistic, thorough and consistent economic policies to get him to accept and honour an invitation to this country. The visit alone, we believe, is something that must urge Ghanains on, irrespective of their stations in society to give of their best.

With hardwork and determination, we shall build a better Ghana not only for ourselves but also for posterity.

Expatriate staff and national interest

National Concord - Nigeria

In the wake of the economic recession many firms, especially the multinationals, have found the tailor-made excuse to get rid of unwanted staff who may not necessarily be redundant, but whose faces the firms simply do not want

This is especially hurtful when it is employed as a means of ridding such firms of Nigerian personnel while expensive expatriate staff flourish to siphon off badly needed foreign exchange.

The latest addition to this league is Taylor Woodrow Nigeria Limited. This company has been sacking lowly Nigerian staff at a time when it is enlarging its expatriate list. In the wake of such unsavoury developments, it is time for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to re-examine the issue of expatriate quota and its guiding principles.

When the Indigenisation Decree was first implemented, certain areas of commerce and industry were exclusively scheduled for Nigerians. However, we find that today, aliens are engaged in all sectors of our industrial and commercial life.

Furthermore, many of these foreigners, Asiatics especially, are imported to fill in roles for which there are numerous competent Nigerians. This further exacerbates the unemployment crisis and runs contrary to the provisions of the Indigenisation Act.

It is most galling that a great many of such 'imports' are often not as qualified for these jobs as the Nigerians whom they are made to boss.

The Nigerian Medical Council notably has had occasions in the recent past, to complain about the quality of foreign medical staff employed in some government parastatals. In view of the fact that the government of Nigeria does not recognise some of the educational institutions in their home countries, it is ironic that the same authorities, especially in certain states and institutions still prefer to cram their job openings with expatriates and in the process, edge out qualified indigenous manpower. Unqualified expatriates demoralise the better qualified Nigerians on whom they are foisted, guaranteeing that shoddy jobs are done. What is more, the unrealistically high wages which such expatriates command constitute an unjustified avenue of exchange drain.

We call upon the Minister of Internal Affairs, Dr Ibrahim Tahir, to face up to the enormity of the challenge. In the past, that department has proved to be a fertile ground for all manner of official corruption. Officials in the Immigration Department have been known to look the other way, have actively connived with unscrupulous aliens to enter the country illegally to defraud the nation, especially since some highly placed Nigerians use them as fronts for their nefarious activities.

In fact, there is almost no dubious deal in the country in which aliens are not involved, particularly the Asians who are internationally famed for corrupting the system. The repatriation of aliens should not stop with illegal entrants only. It should necessarily extend to 'undesirable' aliens as well. We charge Dr Tahir to satisfy himself before approving the expatriate quota for any firm or institution, that such a body is not inviting expatriates to man areas exclusively reserved for nationals and furthermore, that such quotas are not for areas which can be competently filled by home grown expertise. Waiving of indigenisation rules should be employed only in conditions of dire necessity to the nation, considering the foreign exchange involved.