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Month: May 2018

Demands beyond MPs give them BP —Binduri

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Binduri, Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem has said demands made on legislators that are beyond them given them High Blood pressure (BP).

According to the Binduri MP, Hypertension has become very common due to demands made on lawmakers and similar demands are extended to elders in the family set up.

Hypertension has now become a primary health care issue, if you look at the budget that we passed the national policy on health in Ghana, we have relegated primary health care to the back ground and hypertension is caused by stress.

And further added that stress is a key contributor of hypertension and there is the need to find ways of solving the nation’s social and family problems.

Dr. Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem pointed out that the nation’s developmental issues should not be piled up for few individuals to deal with which may result in hypertension.

Again, 30 percent of Ghanaians have high blood pressure, the pharmaceutical companies are taking advantage of the situation because they are in to make profit and the nation is paying huge sums of money at various health facilities on National Health Insurance (NHI).

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Creation of new MMDAs would not bring development—Adaklu MP

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Governor Kwame Agbodza, has said the creation of new Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) does not necessary mean there would be development in those areas.

According to the Adaklu MP, existing local authorities needs resources to carry out development, so to say but sadly as you know the District Assemblies have become more like “dummy”.

“I don’t even know the work District Chief Executives, when they are being told from Accra that they should do with their money, they do not have home grown policy as to a particular project in their areas they want to deal with. Rather flag staff House is telling them what to do with their funds”, he lamented.

We need to strengthen our district assemblies, to ensure that resources are well utilized to ensure they impact on Ghanaians across the political divide.

Adaklu Municipal Assembly created in 2012, “we are still struggling, we are lucky the previous government decided to build an Assembly complex for us”, he said.

He noted also that creation of more Assemblies does not mean more money would be added, the share of the common fund would be the same to the Assemblies, rather government had reduced the percentage from 7 percen to 5 percent.

“Fewer monies are going to the Assemblies and any analysis done would tell you that it is never going to be a plus for development at the local level, rather this is going to drain the new districts”, he said.

Again it is new overhead cost, new offices, the Assemblies might need funds to do capital investment, “for the past 15 months there is nothing happening, to lift the people out of poverty, government says they are committed and the people have voted for them so they will do it anyway”, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Meeting committee of inquiry would not make any difference—-Agbodza

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu in the Volta Region has said meeting the Committee of Inquiry in relation with the creations of the new regions would not make any difference.
According to the Adaklu legislator, this is not the first time that such an exercise is going to take place in the country and added that there is not wisdom in the current exercise, as the Ashanti Region which is one of the biggest is not being divided.
“Volta Region which is relatively small you want to divide it base on what criteria, this creation of new Regions is politically motivated to a large extend, the current government had made up its mind already we do not have any impact to make”, he lamented.
He further pointed out that, the committee would come and tell MPs what they want to do, since a decision on what they want to do had been arrived at already, just that MPs must ensure that whatever government wants to do should be supported by law, what we need in this country is not the creation of new Regions.

Creating new regions from existing ones would not solve many of our problems it would rather add to the cost of government because once you create a new region it comes with its attendance cost, currently our debt keeps ballooning, he pointed out.

The Commission of Inquiry had to postpone its early meeting with MPs from Regions where, MPs had new regions to be created from.

Mr. Governor Kwame Agbodza noted that creation of new regions means more Ministers and their deputies, we are not on the right path in managing this country efficiently.

Already we have almost thousand (1,000) staffers at the Presidency 110  Ministers is it not enough?

By:Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“I don’t have a personal beef with the Speaker”—-Muntaka

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
The Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Muntaka Mohamed, has said he does not have personal beef with the Speaker of Parliament and believes same is the situation with his colleagues in the Minority Leadership.

In the first meeting the Minority had issues with the Speaker Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye for not recognizing the leadership of the Minority resulting in walkouts and acrimonies on the floor of the House.

According to the Minority Chief Whip, if the Speaker would adhere to the rules in the standing order and allow the Minority to have their say then we are good to go, he said.

“It is my fervent prayer that the Speaker would give us the opportunity to accord him and the seat the needed respect, all the challenges we have had with the Speaker has had to do with him trying to ignore the rules and do things his own way”.

He further noted that the Speaker is a fatherly figure therefore they, the Minority would want to always accord him the respect, but if the rules are not adhered to, the Minority would have no option than to fight for their space.

“I am sorry the only thing we have is our say and I hate it when people keep talking to you to be patient, it is worrying because it looks like you are being the difficult one”, he remarked.

And added that the Minority would become completely useless, if they are not allowed to play their role, and that would be a waste of public funds.

I want to earn my salary but I do not want to collect my salary but rather fight to earn my salary, we would want to have a perfect peace in the House, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

I am hopeful RTI will be done before the end of seven Parliament—-Muntaka

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minority Chief Whip, Mubarak Muntaka Mohamed had indicated that he is hopeful that before the end of the life span of the seventh Parliament the Right to Information Bill 2018 (RTI) would be passed with the work done so far on it.

According to the Minority Whip, he is not clear if the joint committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs and Communications committee would be touring the country apart from the stakeholders meeting in Accra and doing some work in Koforidua.

He further hinted that if the committee is done with its work and presents its report to the plenary, it is possible that within the second meeting of the second session, they would pass the RTI Bill 2018.

“If they are not through with their consultation I may have my doubt if we would be able to finish within this meeting, this meeting is not going to go beyond first week of July 2018”, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Leadership in Parliament needs to talk more to reduce tension — Minority Whip

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Asawase (MP) and Minority Chief Whip Muntaka Mubarak Mohamed is calling for more dialogue among leadership of the House to reduce tension that characterized the first meeting of the second session of the seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic.

According to the Minority Chief Whip, during the recess, leadership from both sides of the House have taken time to talk with each other.

And added that, “we need to engage more so that we understand each other and indicated that he has been a former Majority Chief Whip and I am talking from experience”, he said.

In an interview with ghanamps.com as to how the relation among leadership from both the Majority and Minority are, he noted that it has been cordial since they returned back from recess considering the acrimony that manifested in the first meeting.

We do not enjoy fight for our right to have our say, but if we are not given the opportunity to have our say we would continue to fight for our right, he remarked.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

GRA train Journalists in Parliament on Ghana’s tax laws

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has taken a section of journalists in Parliament through the nation’s tax laws and what is being done to mobilize revenue for national development at a two days work at Prampram.

The 35 Journalists were taken through the importance of introduction and enforcement of Tax Identification Number (TIN), introduction of paperless system and the impact of generating revenue and modernizing Ghana’s revenue system to drive efficiency in boosting tax revenue.

Mr. Henry Yentumi who represented the commissioner General of GRA in his address noted that the institution considers the media as a partner to get their message across to their stakeholders to enhance their revenue mobilization for national development.

We have undergone reforms and revised our tax laws, we have introduced Tax Identification Numbers, exercise stamp, and a paperless tax clearance system among others. These have been rolled out with the aim of widening the tax net to increase revenue mobilization.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Former foreign Minister was wrong in signing US military deal—Asawase MP

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Member of Parliament for Asawase and the Minority Chief Whip, Muntaka Mubarak Mohamed, has said it was wrong for the former Foreign Affairs Minister Hanna Tetteh to sign a deal with the United State of America having a military base.

According to the Minority Whip it was wrong that the deal was not brought to Parliament and signed by the former Foreign Affairs Minister without letting some senior officials of the previous government know.
He however pointed out that the issue had been resolved with the former Minister coming out to clear the air that she signed an agreement to have a US base in Ghana.

The Minority in the first meeting kicked against the agreement when it came to the floor of the House, but the Minister for defense was quick to point out that the former Foreign Affairs Minister signed to the agreement whiles in government and was not brought to the peoples representatives.

Mr. Mubarak Muntaka said he would oppose the sighting of a US base in Ghana thousand times when brought to the floor of the House any day any time.

I believe the US congress would not have accepted a resolution if there was anything like a Military base on their soil, they would want to debate it, I would continue to reject any cooked resolution without subjecting it to a debate, he remarked.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

MoFA directed to issue a disclaimer on insecticides—Speaker

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

The  Speaker of Parliament Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye has ruled that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) is to issue a disclaimer on a fake cocoa insecticide from China on the market before the close of working day on Friday the 18th May 2018.

He further directed that the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Akoto Afriyie to appear before the House and brief the House on an investigation into the fake insecticide on the market on the first Tuesday of June 2018.

Professor Mike Aaron Oquaye gave these directives when the Member of Parliament for Juaboso Kwabena Minta Akandor brought a fake cocoa insecticide “rockstar” he purchased on the market, that is harmful from China in asking an urgent question on the floor of the House.

Ministry of Food and Agriculture complied with the Speakers directive and issued a disclaimer stating that the insecticides have not been tested by cocoa research institute of Ghana (CRIG).

And not registered by the environmental protection agency hence farms should not use the insecticides, in a public announcement was sign by Dr. Gyiele Nurah Minister of state at the Agriculture Ministry.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Tax evaders are nation wreckers —Joseph Owusu

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
The first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu said, those who evade tax are nation wreckers since taxes mobilized by any government are used for nation building.

According to the Bekwai legislator, the media is a very useful medium to use in  propagating the  message for Ghanaians to know and  understand their responsibilities and pay the appropriate taxes.

He admonished the media to let their loyalty and bias towards every Ghanaian paying his taxes show in their presentations and added that sometime when the media is reporting on taxes is like some cynical presentation.

Sometimes some of you would put out information which denigrate the information you are putting out yourself, in this case on all matters that relate to taxes you should show pointed bias in favor of every Ghanaian paying his or her taxes, he emphasized.

Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu further revealed that when Tax Identification Number (TIN) is discussed without linking it up with nation building Ghanaians would not understand.

Discussion on TIN should point out that every Ghanaian who earn some income contribute to the poll, from which we build the nation, therefore any Ghanaian who does not obtain TIN and pay his or her taxes is a nation “wrecker”, he said.

He made this remarks over the weekend when the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) organised a workshop for members of the Parliamentary press corps over the weekend at Prampram.

In other jurisdictions if you are identified as someone who does not pay his or her taxes, when you go out to sit at a restaurant no one wants to sit by you, because you do not want the country to progress, even your friends would not come to you because you are a nation “wrecker”, the first Deputy Speaker said.

“That is the orientation we need to put out there to Ghanaians and added that people pay tithe  at church because the pastors spend a lot of time making them feel like sinners if they do not make their contributions”.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com