|
Presidency reacts to story on cost of
National Awards
Accra, July 11, GNA - The Presidency has reacted to media
reports on the cost of national award in a press statement
Mr Andrew Awuni, Press Secretary to the President and
Presidential Spokesman, signed on Friday.
The statement said: "Our attention has been drawn to media
reports concerning the cost of medal recently awarded to
deserving awardees of the National Honours Awards ceremony.
"While we recognise the legitimacy for the media to raise
questions on important events or issues like the National
Honours and Awards Day and to seek clarification where
necessary, we find the political undertone in these reports
unmistakably loud.
"What is the concern? Is it about the necessity for National
Honours or the cost of such honours? If it is about the
necessity of the National Awards then we dare say that the
National Honours Day was instituted as far back as 1960 by
an Executive Order and has always been carried out every
year to commemorate Ghana's Republic status."
The statement said: "If on the other hand the concern is
about the cost of the medal, then it would be necessary to
relate it to other known cost to validate the criticisms
otherwise there is no point in saying that it is too
expensive since there is so far no evidence of a cheaper
quotation for the same quality and quantity of medal.
"Having said that, we wish to state that the price of these
medals was right, the process of procurement was right
giving that these are not products that can be lifted off
the shelf and that very few companies are engaged in
producing them.
"In our view the value of the National Honours is not in the
cover price of the medals. The cost of the medals is nothing
compared to the aggregate contributions of the individual
awardees.
"We are talking about people, who have contributed to the
discovery of oil in our country; people who introduced the
National Health Insurance Scheme in our country; people who
helped to bring about the cancellation of Ghana's over four
billion-dollar debt and fetched over 700 million dollars in
Eurobonds and many other such initiatives," the statement
said.
"These contributions have lifted the country up from the
depths of the pit we found ourselves in not too long ago to
the pedestal of international recognition, respect and
acceptance.
"In the particular case of the Grand Order of the Star and
Eagles of Ghana, the State chain is not just an award to the
sitting President but a State insignia (symbol of office)
that comes to complement the State Sword, which is a solid
24 carat gold. We hope no one is suggesting that the State
Chain to complement this sword should come in brass.
"Government has no regrets for honouring her heroes and
heroines. In our view they deserve even more. Much as we
recognize and accept constructive criticism, we think the
current one is a petty red herring introduced only to
advance the agenda and ambitions of the architects of these
reports," the statement said.
GNA
|
