Month: September 2016

A ranking member of Parliament’s Education committee is questioning the sustainability of government’s decision to convert polytechnic into technical universities.

Dr Yaw Owusu who is also a Member of Parliament for for Asene/Manso/Akroso believes there will be resource constraints by government which will affect the effective implementation of the policy.

He expressed these concerns during the Joy Thought Leadership forum on the sustainability of the conversion of Polytechnics into technical universities.

The government has so far converted six of the ten polytechnics into technical universities with a promise to convert the remaining four sooner than later.

The policy has also been given legal backing after President John Mahama assented to the Technical University Bill making it a law.

But Dr Yaw Owusu said government will have problems implementing the policy to the letter.

“I am doubtful about the sustainability of this technical university because the economy is not in good shape. Technical university education is based on resources not just mere branding or changing of names. If you want technical and vocational education they must put in a lot. You can put in a lot when you have the resources,” he said.

But Deputy Education Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa argued that the needed infrastructure and resources needed for its take off has been secured.

He assured the conversion will improve the quality of education in the country.

“We perhaps have not paid attention to the work that has gone on, on this conversion. The president announced this in first state of the nation address. We then invited all the stakeholders, including the Parliamentary committee on education. Everybody has been involved.

“It is surprising that the NPP member is saying loudly that he was opposed. We didn’t see that in committee report. The Parliamentary records will show you that there was a unanimous consensus,” he stated, adding the policy will help in developing technical education in the country.

Interior Minister Prosper Bani has denied claims by the outgoing Moderator of the Presbyterian Church that Deputy Minister of Interior James Agalga lobbied him to take up the chairmanship of the Peace Council.

Reverend Professor Emmanuel Martey has alleged that Mr Agalga who is also the Member of Parliament for Builsa North, called him on phone and made the offer.

A statement signed by the Interior Minister, Prosper Bani dismissed the allegation saying the Mr Agalga had denied ever making such a call.

It added that the deputy Minister had no power to make such an offer in the first place.

“Hon. James Agalga could not have ‘lobbied’ Rev. Prof. Martey to take up the position of Chairman of the Peace Council in view of the fact that he is not clothed with such power in view of the law,” the statement said.

Below are details of the statement

REV. PROF. EMMANUEL MARTEY DECEIVES THE PUBLIC ON ‘OFFER’ TO CHAIR NATIONAL PEACE COUNCIL

The Ministry of the Interior has been following, with keen interest, wild allegations by Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey on various media platforms that the Deputy Minister of the Interior, Hon. James Agalga, in consultation with the Minister of the Interior, offered him the position as Chairman of the National Peace Council.

According to Section 4 (2) and (3) of the National Peace Council Act, 2011, Act 818 the position of the Chairperson of the Peace Council is elective, that is, only members of the Board can elect one of their members as the Chairperson.

Hon. James Agalga could not have ‘lobbied’ Rev. Prof. Martey to take up the position of Chairman of the Peace Council in view of the fact that he is not clothed with such power in view of the law.

As provided by the National Peace Council Act 2011, Act 818, members of the Board of the National Peace Council are nominated by –
(a) various religious bodies

(b) two persons nominated by the President

(c) two other persons nominated by identifiable groups (d) one representative of the National House of Chiefs.

Rev. Prof. Martey was nominated by the Christian Council of Ghana as a member of the Board in April 2016. Later, the Ministry was informed by a letter from the Christian Council about the decision to withdraw the nomination of Rev. Prof. Martey and the subsequent replacement by Rev. Dr. Adu Gyamfi.

The Ministry wishes to assure the general public that the National Peace Council is a credible institution constituting highly respected eminent persons duly nominated and elected by following the due processes provided by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana.

Astute lawyer and New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea says the party’s Flagbearer will not waste his precious time filing a suit against the Africa Watch Magazine for publishing falsehood about him.

The US-based magazine edited by Steve Mallory claims a leaked dossier from the Wellington Hospital in UK which Nana Addo is believed to attend to seek medical care, indicates he is suffering from a life threatening cancer and kidney disease.

The magazine in its report claimed the NPP flagbearer was diagnosed of prostate cancer in June 2013, with a high Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) count of 89.9, very much above the 3.72 upper range it should have been, according to British doctors.

The NPP has accused the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) of being behind the publication which is intended to scuttle the electoral fortunes of Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP.

Some political watchers have called on the NPP to clear the hard earned reputation of Nana Akufo Addo by hauling the publisher of the Africa Wtach Magazine court, but that may likely not happen as Lawyer Atta Akyea has indicated that the three-time Flagbearer is not interested.

Speaking on TV3, he said filing a suit against Africa Watch will amount to Akufo Addo and the NPP dignifying the baseless rumour put out in the public state.

“Nana Akufo Addo has not got the luxury of time to dignify this hollow propaganda, he’s not going to do it. Akufo Addo is shaking hands in the North, walking briskly, no body doubts that, check out all the videos about his visit up North. He’s a man over 70 and if his energy levels are what he’s functioning by now, then we should thank God for his life.rather than use this thing to sort of create an impression that may be we have another Atta Mills at hand. It will not wash, he’s very robust, his articulation is sound, his mind is very sound and by the mercies of God, the wish they have for him will not happen; he’ll become the next President of Ghana.”

Meanwhile, Prof. Adu Gyamfi, the personal doctor of Nana Akufo Addo has dismissed claims that the latter is suffering from cancer.

In an interview on News File on Joy FM, Prof. Yaw Adu Gyamfi stated that Nana Akufo Addo is fit as a fiddle, adding that the rumours about his health is without merit.

“Nana Addo’s PSA as done in June 2016 is 0.03 well below the fall level and is well…well below the 89.9 quoted in the article. He doesn’t have any cancer, if he had cancer with that kind of thing with that kind of thing, he’ll not be able to be run around as he’s doing.”

He added: “Then the articles goes on to say that he has acute renal problem injury, large heart and all that. When you have acute renal failure usually you are unable to pass urine, Nana Addo if anything drinks water freely where ever he goes and eats whatever is put before him. He cannot have any kidney problems and he does not.” Prof. Yaw Adu Gyamfi, stressed.

The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has said the Minority in Parliament in the height of their desperation to smear President John Mahama with dirt in the failed Parliamentary probe into his Ford car gift, forced their member who were severely sick to attend the emergency sitting.

The Speaker Rt. Hon. Doe Adjaho on Thursday recalled the legislators who are on recess to consider the minority’s proposed motion invoking Order 38(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament and Article 112(3) of the Constitution to support their action in an emergency sitting.

They had proposed a motion calling on Parliament to set up a bipartisan Committee to investigate the President for collecting the Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe contractor, but that was shot down by the Speaker.

The Majority in Parliament was of the view that the proposed motion was just a complete waste of time and the country’s scarce resources.

According to him, the Minority knew very well that once a matter is pending before a Court of competent jurisdiction or constitutional body, Parliament cannot delve into the same matter.

Commenting on the issue on Peace FM, Hon. Mintah Akandoh condemned the Minority for their frivolous and unnecessary action which was not for the good of the nation, adding that the Minority was hell bent on nailing the President but failed woefully.

“I can tell you that a leading member of the Minority was carried from his sick bed and made to attend this emergency sitting which was a total waste of everybody’s time. Yes he was so sick but was compelled to come to Parliament on Thursday in anticipation of what the Minority had planned.”

He added: “We thank God that he brought us MPs across the country safely to Accra for this useless exercise and has landed most of us safely back home. Touch wood, if any MP died in an accident while journeying to Accra for this sitting, it would have really been a foolish death. Thank God we are all alive.”

Minority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu says the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has no intention to let go President John Dramani Mahama’s Ford Expedition saga, believing that it’s only an inquest into the issue that will bring matters to rest.

Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suame said none of his colleagues on the Minority side of Parliament hates the first gentleman of the land, but only wants the truth in the Ford Expedition saga to prevail, hence their move to call for a bipartisan Parliamentary Committee to investigate the matter.

But their proposed motion calling on Parliament to set up a bipartisan Committee to investigate the President for collecting the Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe contractor was shot down by the Speaker at a sitting on Thursday.

The Speaker had recalled the legislators who are on recess to consider the minority’s proposed motion invoking Order 38(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament and Article 112(3) of the Constitution to support their action.

Order 38(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament states “The Speaker shall, pursuant to clause (3) of article 112 of the Constitution, upon a request of fifteen percent of Members of Parliament summon a Meeting of Parliament within seven days after the receipt of the request, except that the meeting shall commence not later than seven days after the issue of the summons”.

Article 112(3) of the Constitution also states that “Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, fifteen percent of Members of Parliament may request a meeting of Parliament; and the Speaker shall, within seven days after the receipt of the request, summon Parliament”.

The Speaker in dismissing the proposed motion told the House that since the matter was already pending before another constitutionally mandated body, CHRAJ to investigate the conduct of the President, Parliament cannot do same.

That aside, the Minority did not use the proper procedure to submit their motion for admission.

Further to that since Order 79(4) gives him the power to either admit or dismiss any motion submitted to him there was no need to let the House consider the proposed motion which was seeking to seeking for a Special Parliamentary Committee to probe President John Dramani over the Ford gift saga.

Order 79(4) states that “Every notice shall be submitted to Mr. Speaker who shall direct that it be printed in its original terms or with such amendments as he shall direct, or that it be returned to the Member submitting it as being inadmissible”.

“I am unable to admit the motion. I have directed the Clerk to return the motion to the Member who brought it. Since this is the matter which brought us here, I adjourn the House sine die”, he ruled.

But the Minority Leader reacting to the ruling of the Speaker in an interview with Accra-based Okay on Friday said the conduct of Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho will not stop them from pursuing other ways to press home their demand.

“What he has done, there are other avenues opened to us. While one door is shutting, another is opening. So, there are other avenues we could explore to press home our demand”.

Minority Leader, Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin says the recall by Parliament which was occasioned by the Minority New Patriotic Party (NPP) over a proposed motion to the House to investigate President John Dramani Mahama for collecting a Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe contractor is just an attempt to dent the image of the first gentleman of the land.

In his view, the proposed motion calling on the House to set up a bipartisan Committee to investigate the President is just a complete waste time and the country’s scarce resources.

According to him, the Minority knows very well that once a matter is pending before a Court of competent jurisdiction, Parliament cannot delve into the same matter.

He therefore wonders the motive behind the move of the Minority members.

“It is clear even to the uninitiated that this recall of Parliament and the New Patriotic Party’s strategy that has heralded it has been borne out of clear mischief and a desperate attempt to throw as much dirt at President John Dramani Mahama ahead of the December 7 elections”, he noted.

Hon. Bagbin who doubles as the Leader of Government Business of the Legislature made this observation when he addressed journalists at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday.

The conference was to respond to “current media discussions and certain erroneous and deliberately misleading impressions created by the NPP Minority around the reasons for the recall of Parliament slated for Thursday, September 1, 2016”.

The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Edward Doe Adjaho has summoned Members of Parliament to sit on Thursday, September 1, 2016. The agenda for the sitting was not outlined in the public notice that was released by the Speaker.

However, speculations are rife that the Speaker has received a letter from the Minority NPP Caucus calling for the impeachment of the President for accepting a Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe contractor.

Leading the discussion on the matter were members of the elephant family.

But the Majority Leader, who is also the MP for Nadowli/Kaleo constituency said although the recall of Parliament was occasioned by the Minority, the reason was not to impeach the President.

Instead, it was to call on the Legislature to constitute a Special Parliamentary Committee to investigate the President for accepting the Ford Expedition gift.

“This recall of Parliament has been occasioned by the Minority in Parliament invoking Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 38(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament. We have only today the 31st of August, 2016 upon returning to Parliament seen the motion submitted to the Right Honourable Speaker as the reason for the recall”, he said.

The proposed motion which was signed by the Minority Leader, Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu,  a copy of which is in possession of Kasapafmonline.com is calling for a Special Parliamentary Committee to investigate the following:

Whether the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama received a Ford Expedition vehicle from a Burkinabe contractor.
Whether the Ford Expedition vehicle received by the President infringes any law of Ghana.
Whether the Ford Expedition vehicle donated to the President infringes his own code of conduct and
Any other matter relevant to the above subject.
Hon. Bagbin commenting further said the action of the Minority “is most certainly a needless waste of scare resources and precious time when Members of Parliament ought to be engaging their constituents”.

“Why is the NPP Minority claiming publicly that they seek to impeach the President tomorrow when this is a not contained in their motion? Why is the NPP Minority asking Parliament to investigate the matter which is already being investigated by a constitutionally mandated body – the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice? Why did the Minority Leader who signed the motion as far back as August 3, 2016 state on Citi FM as recent as this Monday the 29th of August, 2016 that he did not know the reason for the recall and that he was “taken aback” when he heard the news of a recall from the “grapevine” as there had been “no prior consultation” with him? What is the Minority Leader running away from? What is he ashamed of? Ghanaians need to know”.