Member of Parliament for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has raised issue with the Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo for using an amended oath to swear in the Speaker of Parliament, Professor Aaron Oquaye yesterday as an acting President of Ghana.

The Bawku Central lawmaker made this known in an interview right after the swearing in ceremony done by the Chief Justice in Parliament House.

According to the Mahama Ayariga, the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo led a team to perform a function in Liberia in the name of Ghana, hence the President was performing his constitutional duty which there should not be the need to swear in another President to act on his behalf.

He further noted that when the President and the Vice President are out of Ghana then the Speaker can take on the role as an acting President, but whiles in Liberia the President can perform his duty because the President in this case is able to perform his function.

And added it is “unnecessary” to swear in another President when the President is able to perform his duty, we have to review this practice.

He quoted Article 60 (11) “where the President and the Vice-President are both unable to perform the function of the President, the Speaker of Parliament shall perform those function until the President or Vice-President assumes office, as the case may be”.

The emphasis is when the President and the Vice-President are unable to perform their function, the Minority is “saying the President is in Liberia performing a function”, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Vice chairman of the Committee on Defence and Interior in Parliament, Collins Owusu Amankwa has said Ghana needs a new strategy in combating crime in the wake of attacks on the security agencies.

His comment comes in the wake of yesterday’s attack on the Kwabenya Police Station, where  armed men numbering about six, forcibly released seven inmates and shot a police inspector who was later pronounced dead at the hospital, as well as other attacks on the security agencies in recent times.

He further mentioned that, crime is becoming more sophisticated as research has shown both qualitative and quantitative, hence the urgent need to be proactive in combating it. in an interview.

According to the Vice Chairman of Defence and Interior speaking in an interview, the incident that occurred at Kwabenya is a wakeup call and should be condemn by all Ghanaians.

Mr. Owusu-Amankwah further revealed that, the committee on Defense and interior, when the House resumes on Tuesday the 23rd of January, 2018, would engage the security agency to know the way forward.

“Armed robbers and criminals should not abuse the system, the fact that we are in a democratic dispensation and we want the rule of law to prevail does not mean they can take the law into their hands and misbehave” he lamented.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Ranking member on the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini has stated that President Akufo Addo is holding on to the tail of a Lion in the appointment of former Attorney General (AG) and citizen vigilante,Martin Amidu as Special Prosecutor.

Explaining his claim further, the Tamale Central lawmaker said Mr Amidu will go after everybody including the President’s own appointees in the discharge of his mandate if given Parliamentary approval.

According to him, the appointment of the former AG has shocked the spins of NPP appointees in the same way as it send shivers down the spines of former NDC appointees.

He said Mr Amidu will not be deterred to go after whoever goes against the law irrespective of their political affiliations.

He made the observation as guest on a political talk show programme, News file on Joy FM last Saturday.

–  Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com.

According to the Minister, the 94 year old land under dispute has a virgin forest which is very good and suitable for a second jungle warfare school.

He told the House, as the training school serves the purposes for the Ghana Armed Forces, as it is expected that the take-over will end the recurring killings in the area.

The objective of the project is to serve as accommodation for troops operating in the area, whiles the presence of the military personnel will help resolve the long standing protracted conflict as they dominate the area, he said.

And added that, the structurally proposed Military school is 70 percent completed leaving electrical works, water connections access road to the site and fencing of the camp.

He further pointed out that with the availability of the 2018 budget,  the training school will be completed for commissioning and operationalisation.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency in the Greater Accra region, Emmanuel Kyeremanteng Agyarko has urged all stakeholders to as a matter of urgency join efforts aimed at curbing the deadly effects of the plastics in the country.

He emphasised the need for all to resolve and take action for lifestyle changes as far as the plastic waste menace is concerned.

The lawmaker proposed new and innovative ways as key to solve plastic challenge that has bedeviled the country.

He made the proposal in a statement on the floor of Parliament to commemorate the 2018 World Sanitation day.

He revealed that five hundred trillion tonnes of plastic is generates yearly according to a research. The world he said uses over 500 billion plastic bags with 8 million tonnes of that ends up in the ocean annually.

Plastic according to the statement constitutes about 10% of waste generated in Ghana.

Mr Agyarko said most worrisome of the challenge is that, only two percent of about 1.7 million plastic generated annually is recycled according to a research conducted by the UNDP.

The MP urged all to consider plastic as a resource rather than waste.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com.

On the issue of the Assin Central lawmaker Kennedy Agyapong using uncharitable words against the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu and MPs, for him being referred to the privileges committee,

Second Majority whip, Mathew Nyindam in an interview noted that the Assin Central MP who had been hauled before the privileges committee is not in the country at the moment.

That, he noted is what is accounting for the media in Parliament not hearing anything about the issue, as a lot of media men and women had approached him to find out the state  of the issue that was referred to the committee.

According to the Kpandi MP, the first Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu is the chairman of the committee and in the coming week there would be some pronouncement, he said

“Be patient, they would announce their meeting day very soon he pointed out”.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Second Deputy Majority whip, Mathew Nyindam has said members of Parliament on his side of the House would attend to proceedings in the House in their numbers.

According to the Kpandi lawmaker there had been an intensive meeting to address the issues of Ministers and their Deputies not attending to proceedings in the House, which mostly raised by the Minority.

In an interview with the Second Deputy Majority Whip, he noted that, last week Wednesday to Friday witnessed a change in the attendance of MPs from his side and all would be done to keep the number on the floor to do business in the House.

“I think this week you are going to see much improvement, on the attendance of MPs to the House, first of all you are an MP and you have to attend to the House”, he said.

If you follow Parliamentary practice, you would realize that when your party is in government with Majority in parliament, getting them to come to the floor becomes difficult for us, he lamented.

Mr. Matthew Nyindam further revealed that, most of the Ministers and their Deputies for one or two reasons had to travel outside the country, but everything is being done for Majority MPs to represent their constituencies.

We are working on it, sometimes there are situations that are beyond the Ministry, we cannot do anything about it, he lamented.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka has likened the current Majority leader, OseiKyei- Mensah- Bonsu to the late Statesman, Joseph Henry Mensah, popularly known as JH Mensah.

According to the Asawase Member of Parliament the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and legislator representing the people of Suame who love his work is a replica of JH Mensah who was great debater, courageous and a workaholic.

Contributing to a tribute in honour of late statesman JH Mensah on the floor of Parliament, the Minority Chief noted with concern that “the quality of debate today is very bad as compared to the past attributing it to lots of factors.

He noted that lack of reading and research on the part of some MPs and the fact that members are rushed to speak for brief moments “today members are not given the chance to debate at length” he stated.

AlhajiMuntaka admitted the monetization of political activities in recent times is not helping members to sit down to learn even though Parliament is the greatest University one can get in order to learn.

He also expressed worry the Parliamentary chamber has turned into an arena of petty politics from both sides of the House.

By Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com