Month: January 2014

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Nkwanta South, Hon. Gershon Kofi Bediako Gbediame must be a very lucky person to have survived a series of misfortunes since November last year.

A stanch Christian, Hon. Gbediame is quick to give gratitude to his maker for saving him and his family from all those mishaps.

When, for two days running – November 11 and 12, 2013, his Toyota Camry was run into by two vehicles in separate accident’s, little did he know that it was a recipe for a more disastrous moment ahead as another disaster struck Hon. Gbediame last Saturday January 11, 2014, when armed men robbed him a gun point.

In the process, he lost several millions of cedis and other valuables, including his wife’s wedding ring.

Narrating his ordeal to The New Independent, Hon. Gbediame stated that around 2:30 am that fateful day, he lay awake in bed when he heard gun shots outside.

He said he thought someone was shooting outside. However, before he could say “Jack” he heard the gun shots right in his compound, and it happened that, his assailants, the armed-robbers, had scaled his wired wall and apparently jumped into the compound shooting indiscriminately thereby creating a scary situation.

He told this reporter that, the next moment, his assailants had attacked him in his master bedroom, pointing a gun at his forehead, ordering him to lie down prostrate on the floor.

This was after they had forced the kitchen door and the one to the master bedroom open with a big sledged hammer.

According to the terrified MP while one of the bandits held his gun pointed at him, two others held his wife to ransom and demanded money and jewelry from her.

He said, the wife had gone for some money from the bank the previous day for a project the next day. So she hurriedly handed it over into the waiting hands of one of the bandits, who did not only snatch it, but also hurriedly pocketed it.

The “Captive MP” said, form there, they moved to a second room, where his daughter, who had visited him from the United Kingdom on completion of her Masters degree programme, and demanded dollars from her.

However, her mother intervened, telling them that, it was all the money in the house that she had handed over to them.

He said, it was at this juncture that, the rest got wind that, money had been given to one of them, and so they started arguing amongst themselves over who had that money in his possession.

Hon. Gbediame said, the bandits moved to a third room where his sons sleep, ransacked the place and made away with everything valuable they chanced upon-money, phones, IPads, laptops etc.

He told this paper that, as if that was not enough, they kept demanding more, with one of them threatening to kill him.

At this juncture, the captured MP said, his wife intervened once more, pleading with them not to harm her husband, saying that, the only valued items left in the house was milk. So if they needed it, she would add it to them.

The MP, who is the immediate past Majority Chief Whip, said, after they had left, they laid hands on a small rejected phone, and called the Sakumono Police, who in turn called the Patrol team, which came to their aid, took them to the Sakumono Police Station to write take their statements.

According to him, the gory operation took place between 15 and 20 minutes.

He told this reporter that, whereas three of the bandits kept ransacking the place (rooms) one of them, wielding a gun stood in front of the house, keeping guard and vigilance.

Hon. Gbediame stated that, he was very grateful to God for saving their lives from these bandits. He further thanked God that, his sons were not in at the time of the attack because they had gone for an all-night prayer session.

He was afraid that, if they had been around, the story would have been different since they could have resisted the attack, and that could have led to a different story altogether. He indicated that, last Sunday, he dressed in white to Church to thank God for his life and that of his family.

On November 11 and 12 last year, his Toyota Camry was run into by two cars on different occasions – one at Parliament House, and the other on the Spintex Road.

Meanwhile, a source from the police has indicated that, investigations into the burglary are on-going.

Source: The New Independent

Madam Alijata Sulemana, Member of Parliament (MP) for Sissala East has assisted a number of schools with assorted items to enhance quality teaching and learning in the district.

She has also provided a six- classroom block for Wallembelle Primary School with her share of the District Assemblies Common Fund.

Madam Sulemana, who made this known in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Tumu at the weekend, said part of the fund had also been used to provide an Information and Communication Technology Library at Peeng.

She also supplied the Kanton Senior High School with computers and supported the Tumu Senior High Technical School with streetlights and 100 bags of cement for a school project.

At the basic school level, the Member of Parliament provided exercise books, school bags and sandals to some schools for distribution to needy children to help encourage them to stay in school to at least obtain basic education.

Madam Sulemana also paid Basic Education Certificate Examination Fees for students in the district.

She said she was interested in promoting education and women empowerment in the district.

GNA

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, has warned that he will take drastic measures against members of the House who engage in disorderly behaviour.

He said after an incident in December, last year, during which the member for Adansi Asokwa, Mr Kobina Tahir Hammond, rained insults on the Leader of the Majority, Dr Benjamin Kunbuor, and ignored all pleas and admonition to restrain himself, the public had expressed the view that there was disorder in the House.

Addressing members of Parliament during an emergency sitting, Mr Adjaho said: “I will be very strict in enforcing the Standing Orders of the House.”

“After the last incident, the view of the general public is that there is disorder in this House. I have the full backing of the court of public opinion to enforce the rules and ensure order in the House and I will do just that,” he said.

On December 4, last year, Mr Hammond used words considered to be “un-Parliamentary” in the House in reaction to a statement made by Dr Kunbuor.

It all began when Dr Kunbuor addressed the issue of corruption among politicians in the country saying, “corruption is seen as the disease of the political elite of this country.”

According to him, the issue of corruption among politicians has been confirmed by the “drill ship and Woyome placards” on the floor of Parliament.

Although the Minority side blatantly disagreed with Dr. Kunbuor, Mr Adjaho explained that since the placards were displayed by both the Minority and the Majority, Dr. Kunbuor’s submission could not be said to be targeted at any particular side of the House.

But the Adansi Asokwa MP and former Deputy Energy Minister in the Kufuor administration, in response, disagreed with Dr Kunbuor saying, “No, that was not the point he was making. He was positing the issue of the drill ship in the context of the 3.5 million which has just a moment ago been confirmed on national television by Mr. Chris Kpodo that I did actually give him the bankers draft of 3.5 million.”

He accused the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) of corruption insisting that Dr. Kunbuor’s submission was in the context of “the thievery, the stealing, the fundamental draining of the country’s coffers by Woyome which was facilitated by them [NDC].”

Mr Hammond described Dr. Kunbuor’s statement as “a disgraceful statement that has ever been made by anybody in this House. It is insulting, it is foolish…I ask that this foolish and stupid statement should be withdrawn immediately.”

Not even threats by Mr Adjaho to have Mr Hammond forcibly removed from the House by the Marshall of Parliament could stop the MP.

Standing Order 100 (1) of Parliament states: “ Mr Speaker may order a member whose conduct is grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the House during the remainder of that day’s sitting, and the Marshall shall act on such orders as he may receive from the chair in pursuance of the provisions of this paragraph.

But if on any occasion Mr Speaker deems that his powers under the previous provisions of this paragraph are inadequate, he may name such member or members , in which even the same procedure shall be followed as is described in Order 99, this order and order 101.”

Order 100 (2) states: “Whenever a member is named by Mr Speaker immediately after the commission of the offence of disregarding the authority of the chair, or of persistently and wilfully obstructing the business of the House by abusing the rules of the House or otherwise, a motion shall immediately be proposed by the Majority Leader or failing that, by a member ‘that such a member is guilty of contempt of Parliament’. Mr Speaker shall forthwith put the question on that motion, no amendment, adjournment or debate being allowed.”

Order 101 states, among other things, that: “Where a member is found guilty of contempt of Parliament under paragraph three of Order 100 he shall be deemed to be suspended forthwith from the service of the House, and, unless the House otherwise orders, his suspension shall continue on the first occasion in any session for five sitting days, on the second occasion in any session for 10 sitting days, and on the third or subsequent occasion in any session for 14 sitting days.

Daily Graphic

The Majority Leader, Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor on Thursday described as contemptuous the Minority\’s public dissent on the ruling made last Monday by the Speaker Of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, dismissing a motion seeking the House to investigate the sale and acquisition of Merchant Bank.

He said once the Minority chose not to engage the Speaker under the Standing Orders of the House, but resorted to discuss his ruling in the Media, the issue was a matter for the Privileges Committee, since it amounted to contempt of the Speaker.

The Minority held a press conference addressed by its Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on Thursday, accusing the Speaker of bias, and for pre-determining the outcome of a Private Member\’s motion, filed by the MP for Bimbilla, Mr Dominci Nitiwul, backed by over 80 other minority law-makers, wanting the House to force an inquest into the Merchant Bank Ghana (MBG) sale to Fortiz Equity Fund Limited.

The Minority insisted that the deal lacked transparency, and the there was the need to ensure value for money for those whose pensions the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) managed.

“What they have done is very contemptuous of the Speaker, because the Standing Orders of the House are very clear on this matters”, said Dr Kumbuor, when he spoke to the Ghana News Agency in reaction to the import of the Minority\’s press conference in Accra.

“As long as you don\’t engage the Speaker under the Standing Orders and you choose to do so publicly, it amounts to contempt, and it is a matter for the Privileges Committee.

“The consequences are that he the (Speaker) will refer you to the Privileges Committee”

“Well, for them to have used the press conference to mention the Speaker’s name, the consequences are quite clear and I hope when it gets to that point, they are not going to say the speaker is engaged in witch-hunting”, he said.

“If you think the speaker has exercised his discretion in a matter that offends say Article 296, we are all to defend the Constitution, you know what to do. You can go to court on the matter to say that Order 93(1) that gave the speaker the discretion, was abused and you adduce facts to show why the discretion was abused.

“You can even actually come on a substantive motion to ask that the Speaker re-considers his stand on the matter. At least, in our Standing Orders, these are the positions, it doesn’t include holding a press conference on what the speaker ruled,” the Majority Leader argued.

Dr Kunbuor said the Speaker, for political expediency, may decide not to engage the whole caucus on the matter, “but single out the person who read the press statement and cite him for contempt, particularly when improper motives were imputed on the part of the Speaker.

He said the likely sanctions could range from the rendering of an apology or suspension from the House for a number of days depending, on the recommendations of the Privileges Committee.

The Speaker last Monday in dismissing the motion by the Minority seeking Parliamentary investigation into the sale and acquisition of MBG, reasoned that both the Legislature and the Judiciary could not determine an issue simultaneously and that the House stood prejudicing the outcome of a case that was before a law court, if it admitted the motion that sought to scrutinize the transaction.

The House was recalled from recess by the Speaker pursuant to article 112(3) of the Constitution. And the Minority also sought to invite the Governor of the Bank of Ghana and the Board of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to appear before Parliament to answer questions on the sale of Merchant Bank Ghana (MBG).

The Speaker rested his decision on Order 93(1) of the Standing Orders of the House that enjoins the legislature not to deliberate on issues in court in such a manner that, that discussion would prejudice the parties to such cases, and guided by previous rulings on such cases by his predecessors and other jurisdictions.

But the Minority described the Speaker’s decision to disallow the motion as “just one side of the equation”, imputing bias in his conduct and alleging that his ruling on the issue had been prepared long before Parliament sat last Monday.

“It took the Speaker 15 minutes to read a ruling in which he cited many authorities and which he alleges to have researched and written in one hour…A ruling usually take into consideration issues raised or expressed by parties in a matter.

The Minority also alleged that the Speaker pretended to encourage both sides of the House to find a common ground on the matter. but later evidence pointed to the fact that there was a well rehearsed conspiracy to prevent the motion from being moved.

GNA

Over 500 deprived head porters, popularly known as “Kayayεi” in the Kumasi metropolis are to receive free health package to improve their livelihood.

Under the scheme, Mayor of Kumasi, Kojo Bonsu will provide free health insurance for the vulnerable, whilst the Member of Parliament of Oforikrom Constituency, Elizabeth Agyemang will support with regular medical screening.

The intervention follows an exposé on Nhyira Fm’s “Kroyi Mu Nsem” programme on the vulnerability of “Kayayεi”, particularly those below the age of 15 years.

Over 2,000 children are estimated to be living in slums around the Aboabo, Sawaba, Asafo and other suburbs of the metropolis.

Most of these are school drop outs and migrants from the northern parts of the country, some are victims of exploitation and trafficking to engage in the “Kayayo” business.

These children are often exposed to social vices including, child prostitution, stealing and smoking.

Following a discussion on Nhyira Fm, the Oforikrom MP, Elizabeth Agyemeng, visited some of the slums to ascertain the condition of the children.

“More than 50 people are sleeping in a small room made of wood”, a situation she describes as “unfortunate” and “disturbing”.

She told Nhyira Fm several discussions are underway with the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to ease the plight of the children.

Ms. Agyemang admits successive governments have failed the country by playing ignorance to the deplorable state of livelihood of such head porters living in various municipal and metropolitan areas.

She believes government can institute immediate measures to curb what she describes as the “uncontrollable migration” from the three northern regions in search of non-existing jobs.

The Chairman of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey says the party’s hard-talking Assin Central Legislator, Kennedy Agyapong never bought any motorbikes for the NPP as he has been claiming on the airwaves.

“I have not received any motorbikes or anything from Kennedy Agyapong”, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said on Monday.

According to him, “I have been national chairman for the past four years, and I have never had Kennedy Agyapong bring me anything, either for a personal thing or for the party”.

“The only money I know of is the monthly deductions that MPs make to help run the party.”

Mr Agyapong recently branded the party’s national executives as “thieves” and accused them of pilfering items he imported into the country to help Nana Akufo-Addo’s presidential campaign in the 2012 elections.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey however said his hands are clean.

“I have not stolen before. I have never been called a thief until recently, and I strongly resent being called a thief”.

He said: “For over 25 years I was spending monies on behalf of some of the major companies in this country – Unilever, Kumasi Brewery, Guinness etc; so many of the major companies trusted me to spend their money. In all those years, nobody ever accused me of misspending their money or taking it for myself. I came out of spending other people’s money with an unblemished reputation”.

The former Cabinet Minister said he found it befuddling that his own party member will tag him and other top party executives as thieves.

“I was appalled. I was saddened”, he bewailed.

Obetsebi-Lamptey was one of 17 flagbearer aspirants of the NPP who were branded “thieves” by the ruling NDC’s General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia in the run up to the NPP’s 2007 presidential primary.

Making reference to that 2007 incident, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey lamented in an interview with Accra-based Adom Fm that: “…For a party member to go out there and accuse his national chairman and national executives of being thieves, I felt very saddened. I have been regional chairman for three terms, and national chairman as well, and nobody has accused me of stealing funds”.

Radioxyzonline.com

The Member of Parliament for Okere, Mr Dan Botwe, on Thursday said he would remain committed to improve Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results in his constituency.

He said it was against that backdrop that he had pledged to allocate a sizeable portion of his resources to education each year.

Mr Botwe, the Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, made this known to the Ghana News Agency at Adukrom when he opened a week-long vacation classes for the 2014 BECE candidates in the constituency.

He said the measure was to relieve parents of financial burden and to ensure that none of the schools in the constituency scored zero per cent in this year\’s BECE and expressed worry about poor performance in the BECE in the constituency and the Akuapem area in general.

He attributed the situation to lack of preparation towards the examination by the candidates and their teachers and appealed to parents, traditional authorities and other stakeholders in education to assist him to achieve his objective.

About 800 school children who registered for the examination this year are taking part in the exercise aimed at preparing them for the BECE.

He said the one week exercise would help to instill some discipline among the children and inculcate the habit of learning and also experience boarding system of education for the first time before entering senior high school.

Mr Botwe said similar exercises he organized for the candidates in previous years posted positive results, hence his motivation to organize another class this year.

He expressed gratitude to some citizens of Okere for their immense contributions to the programme and education development in general and appealed to parents to consider education of their children as one of the best investments in life and support them to greater heights.

The coordinator of the programme, Mr Anim Addo, said this year’s exercise had attracted seasoned examiners and teachers who would take the children through all the core subjects.

GNA