Encouraging Women’s participation in public life is how the Daily Graphic captions its editorial. The paper says it believes that the appeal for support from aspiring women parliamentarians deserves attention. According to the paper, the world is moving from rhetoric to action to ensure that women play more active roles in national development. In the paper’s view, the myth that certain professions are the preserve of men has long been broken, as women are currently engaged in areas such as agriculture, engineering, aviation, auto mechanics among others.
The Public Agenda writes on the heightening tension being generated by the opinion polls. According to the paper, there have been more than four polls within a space of about four months which have given a completely different picture of who is likely to win the December elections, even though the New Patriotic Party, NPP and the National Democratic Congress, NDC have been the front-runners in the polls. The Public Agenda says some of the polls do not explain the methodology used in conducting them, adding that this raises more questions about the credibility of such polls because some of the institutions' affiliates of some political parties. The paper is of the view that with less than two weeks to go for the general elections, it is their desire that all interest groups will end such opinion polls and leave the electorate to choose their President.
The Ghanaian Times focuses on the legitimate concern of local rice farmers and the various constraints they face. The paper says time and again, it has champion the cause of local rice farmers urging government to provide them with the needed support to maximize production as well as encourage Ghanaians to patronize their produce. The Times says the recent demonstration by the local farmers to draw government’s attention to their plight was a step in the right direction. The paper thinks it is rather unfortunate that the taste for foreign goods tends to overshadow what the nation produces even though made in-Ghana goods are sometimes better than the imported ones. The Ghanaian Times believes that it is high time the country discourages the practice of using hard-earned foreign exchange to import goods which can simply be produced locally and of high quality.
The Statesman has added its voice to calls for the reduction of transport fares by commercial drivers. According to the paper, more than two weeks after the announcement by the National Petroleum Authority of reductions in the prices of petroleum products and the subsequent announcement by the Coordinating Committee of Private Transport Authority that ('tro-tro')commercial drivers should reduce their fares by five pesewas, drivers and their mates continue to charge the same old fares, especially in some parts of Accra. The Statesman says nobody or any group of people is above the laws of the land. It is therefore very appalling that in spite of the announcements, drivers and their mates have taken the law into their own hands to exploit commuters. The paper therefore suggests that all stubborn drivers must be arrested and prosecuted without delay.
