Month: August 2012

The vice presidential nominee and out-going Bank of Ghana Governor (GoG), Kwesi Amissah-Arthur has refuted rumours that he is gay and has being engaging in homosexual relationship with his formal school mate.
He discredited the report when he appear before the Appointment Committee of parliament on Monday at his vetting saying he was a Christian lavished with children and will not engage in such in moral act.

They have been some report in the media about the sexual preference of the out-going Governor after he was nominated as the Vice President.

A man named Joseph Kwabena Owusu Sekyere had told the Daily Guide news paper that he and the Vice Presidential nominee fell in love in secondary school and engage in a long standing homosexual relationship.

He retorted how he could go to Mr. Amissah’s office and they both drove to his house to have an affair at Mr. Amissah’s garage and were once nearly caught by the Governors house boy.

At the vetting today, the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Joe Osei-Owusu raised the issue and asked the nominee if he was interested in clearing his image by speaking about the matter.

The nominee took advantage of the opportunity to rubbish the claim, adding that his lawyers were following up on the issue.

“A number of people think since am the boss I have access government vault to just dip my hands into government purse. They think I have access to unlimited resources and when they come to me I should give them money” he said.

He said a lot of his friends and classmates from secondary school had come to him looking for money, but refused this particular man money he asked of him because he was unhappy with his life style which he claimed had led to the publication of false claims about his personality.

“This is not true I have not seen this gentleman in forty something years, I saw him for about 5 minutes since I left Mfantsipim. My children were the ones who first drew my attention to the fact that we never leaved in a house with a garage”.

He said he never employed a house boy as his accuser had claimed, saying such issues comes from the office he is occupying and will not pay one pesewa to anybody who claims anything, knowing that this claim will blow over.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Members of Parliament have heaped tones of praises on the Vice Presidential nominee for his excellent performance at his vetting at the appointments committee on Monday morning.

A nominee who is the outgoing Governor of the bank of Ghana, is likely to be approved by parliament by the close of Monday to enable him perform his duties as the Vice President of the country.

The nominees answered questions most of which centered on the performance of the economy, an area of his specialty.

The Adenta MP Kojo Adu Asare commended the nominee for his excellent delivery saying the nominee was well composed and was prepared for all the questions giving straight to the point answers and was very honest in his responses.

He said Mr. Amissah is a good Vice Presidential material with vast experience to partner President Mahama in effectively managing the affairs of the country for the next five months.

The Member of Parliament for Madina Abokobi, Hon. Amadu Sorogho on his part, said he was not surprise at all about the performance of the nominee and that he wanted the public hearing to be done since he knew the capabilities of Mr. Arthur.

“With his excellent performance today all we are going do later today is to just “ok” him so he becomes the Vice President” he said.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Parliament will on Tuesday August 7 pay tribute to the late president John Evans Atta Mills on the floor of the House.

This was made known by the Majority Leader, Hon. Cletus Avoka when presenting the business statement for the week ending 10 August, 2012.

He said the Appointment Committee of Parliament would be expected to present its report on the President’s nominee for the position of Vice President, Mr. Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, on August 6.

Mr. Avoka said on August 8 the body of the late President would be laid in state at the Banquet Hall of the State House at 18oo hours and Mrs. Justice Adeline Bamford-Addo, the Speaker, would file past the body.

The Speaker would pay her tribute on August 9 at the State House and burial service would take place on 10 August 2012 at the Independence Square.

Mr. Avoka said buses would be available to convey members to and from the Independence Square.

The Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu stated that the Appointment Committee was likely to present its report after vetting the vice presidential nominee on Monday to have him sworn in on the same day to enable him go through the necessary orientation and carryout his duties at the funeral of the Late President this week.

Kwadwo Anim/ Ghanamps.gov.gh

Parliament has approved a loan agreement between SINO Africa Development Company Ltd and Fidelity Bank Ltd with Government of Ghana(GOG) as the guarantor for an amount of GHS 50 million for the construction and furnishing constituency offices for MPs.

The offices are expected to provide reasonable office space to facilitate work of the MPs in the constituencies.

The office will also promote cross-party interaction, as it would be open to all constituents irrespective of party affiliation.

The constituency office is necessary to provide an avenue for constituents to present their sentiments on national issues to the MPs for onward articulation in parliament.

Presenting a report of the Joint Committee of Finance and Housing, the chairman of the Finance Committee James Avedzi stated that some members of the committee were on the view that such an important project should be funded from budgetary allocation and through a loan, however it was explained that even though such a scenario would have been desirable, inadequate budgetary funding would render the project uncompleted for several years or in the alternative only a few constituencies would benefit in any particular financial year.

On the provision of land to site the project, the committee was informed that each MP would be required to liaise with District Assemblies to provide a suitable land for the project in the constituencies.

Some members advised that designs of the project should incorporate water harvesting or mechanized borehole technology so as to make each constituency office self-sustainable in terms of water availability.

They were particularly concerned about the provision of water to the offices given the high number of people who are expected to visit the office daily and the concomitant use of wash room and other facilities.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Appointment Committee of Parliament has hinted that the Vice Presidential nominee, Mr. Paa Kwesi Amissah Arthur is likely to be approved on Monday 6th August by parliament.

This will be subsequent to his vetting on Monday morning, an event which several Ghanaians are expectant of has shown interest.

The issue of what procedure the vetting should take became a subject of controversy, as it was the view of a section of the public that it will be inappropriate to openly vet the nominee where he could be possibly be ridiculed since the office of the Vice Presidential is high.

However, the committee agreed on consensus to vet the nominee publicly to afford Ghanaians who do not know the nominee the opportunity of getting to know a bit more the man to assist the President to rule the nation.

The minority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who is the Vice chairman of the Appointment Committee said the committee is likely to present its report right after the vetting for the nominee to be approved by parliament the same day.

He noted that the issue of is being fast tracked because the President will need his vice immediately to assist him on his official duties, and also judging by the fact that, parliament has few days to rise but has to satisfy its responsibility of approving the VEEP nominee.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The Member of Parliament for Fanteakwa, Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah has charged President John Dramani Mahama and other future presidents to ensure they develop their village while in office.

According to him, it is disgraceful and regrettable that the villages or towns of most of the past presidents lack basic social amenities, a situation which he described as unacceptable.
The MP’s comments comes in weeks of the difficulties in finding a suitable place to accommodate the late President Mills, as reports are that the hometown of ex-President Mills is currently not in the best of shapes to welcome the several foreign dignitaries who are expected to pay their last respect to the late President.

Speaking on Asempa FM, Hon. Asiamah stated that all presidents must ensure that their hometowns are provided with basic facilities like schools, hospitals and a motorble road, irrespective of the political talk that may arrive, knowing the importance of such developmental projects.

“We can look back at all the towns of all former Presidents from Nkrumah to Mills, none of the villages are well developed, that is from Nkroful to Ekumfi Otuam, this is very unfortunate and must not continue” he said.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The NDC Member of Parliament for Tain, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim says he oppose to burying the late President Evans Atta Mills at the Flagstaff House in Accra.
The issue of where to bury the departed leader has become a subject of controversy among Ghanaians.

A member of the Funeral Committee had earlier on stated that government had decided to bury him (Mills) at the Flagstaff House, but the venue is still yet to be decided even though the final resting place for the late President reflected to be the Flagstaff House

However speaking on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen Show, Hon. Ahmed Ibrahim stated that the burial of Professor Mills at the Flagstaff House which is likely to turn into a tourist attraction in the near future will prevent the general public from visiting the tomb of the late President since that place is considered a security zone.

He instead suggested that, the late President Mills must be buried at a prepared site at the Castle since that is where he use to work while in office.

Hon Ahmed Ibrahim urged the Funeral Committee to consult broadly with all stakeholders to arrived at an appropriate and acceptable burial grounds for the late President

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh

The communication director of the New Patriotic Party,Nana Akomea has rebuked President John Mahama for using the one week celebration of the death of the late President Mills in Accra as a platform for his political campaign.

According to him, the Ghanaian culture does not allow the President to campaign at such a solemn moment where the entire country was in grief.

President John Mahama used the one week observation of the passing-on of the President Mills to campaign, calling on the Ghanaian youth to support and vote for him in the upcoming elections because he was youthful.

He described himself as the first President of post- independent Ghana and urged the elderly politicians who are seeking the high office of the land to take the back seat and watch the young President rule Ghana.

However speaking on Oman FM, Nana Akomea stated that in as much as the President’s comments were unfortunate, it will not secure him for any political gains.

“His call on the youth to vote for him will not work, where is the Youth Policy the NDC government promised the youth of Ghana, what employment programme have they gotten for the youth?. These are what the youth look out for in voting for a particular government” he said.

He noted that the NPP before exiting power under his watch as a sector minister for Youth and Man Power , the NPP grew a national Youth Policy with an action plan for its implementation only for the NDC to win power and defer to reveiew it which has not been done till now .

Nana Akomea added that the NDC’s base in power is numbered as they have woefully failed to improve the living conditions of Ghanaians.

Kwadwo Anim/Ghanamps.gov.gh