Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Otiko Afisa Djaba’s question had to be moved to Friday when she finally appeared before the floor of the House on Wednesday June 27, 2018.

According to Majority Leader there were some mixed up in the answers provided hence would not allow for the appropriate follow up questions to be asked.

The Minister who was initially held up on an assignment appeared on the floor later in the day, and noted that the answer to the question being asked was not correct and wanted to provide the House with the right answers for it to be advertised.

Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North, Betty Nana Efua Krosbi Mensah wanted to know steps being taken by the Gender Ministry, to curb child labour within the Afram Plains stretch of the Volta Lake.
Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu proposed for the question to be taken on Friday and was upheld by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Public Account Committee (PAC), Dr James Klutse Avedzi has said the committee is working on its report to be presented to the House soon and when done with its report would resume its public hearing.

He further noted in an interview that, the Public hearing that dealt with the Report of the Auditor General of the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) Pre-tertiary institutions and Technical Universities for year ending 2015 to 2016 would be ready soon.

Dr. Avedzi further revealed that the committee is yet to meet the Inspector General of Police (IGP), as it earlier promised to help fast truck issues of embezzlement that the police handle but most of the time delay.

This meeting with the IGP would really help speed up cases before the police, when the Auditor Generals representatives are done with their findings and there is the need to deal with culprit, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu, has said the media is to be blame for the pressure Ghanaians exert on Members of Parliament (MPs) as developmental agents.

According to the Bekwai legislator, Ghanaians take whatever the electronic media especially say as the gospel truth, and further added that the media knows the truth but fails to explain to Ghanaians MPs are not development agents.

He also added that, sometimes opponents of MPs use the media to cause the problem of making MPs development agents, instead of sticking to what the constitution says that “we are lawmakers”, he lamented.

Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu pointed out that when he gets back to his constituency and wants the views of his constituent of a topical issue being discussed in Parliament, not a single soul would come out to offer any.

He made this remarks at a civil society event in Parliament called the crystal ball series, which looks at the workings of Parliament and points out their strength and weakness.

The event pointed out that in the first session of the seventh Parliament attendance was good, but in the second session attendance was very poor.

“If you are to choose between Parliamentary work and what happens in the constituency, let us be realistic one would chose the constituency work”, the first Deputy Speaker said.

“Expectation in the constituency and the legislature do not match; when you see a bad road or a hospital that is not working, all they say is what is the MP doing?”

A good example is when a Bishop was given a podium to preach in another church, when he got the opportunity what he said was, driving here to preach I ask myself, “do we have an MP in this constituency”.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Bekwai Member of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu has said the financial demand on lawmakers put them in a position wanting to take advantage of every opportunity to meet the demand of their constituents.

According to the Bekwai lawmaker, this is accounting for reasons why most of the time MPs are not seen on the floor attending to legislative duties.

He further noted that for an MP to survive and come back to the House, “you cannot run away from financial demands”, he lamented.

Parents are seeking money from an MP to pay school fees, students are also demanding for money to pay hostel fees, whiles school boys are demanding money for football and Jersey.

At the same constituency, executives would come to the MP for money to set up a business, at every level you turn there is demand on you, so if you see MPs chasing every opportunity, it is simple because there are huge demands on them.

“If it were to be for the MP and his family they do not need that much money, but regrettably, what MPs go through to satisfy constituent is not recognized,  when we get money we even forget about our wives  and children as law makers ”, he said.

He noted that when the pressure is taken off legislators, they can focus in the House and do their work as lawmakers.

Those in the Executive should fix roads with the money we have approved for them; Ministers and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), he lamented.

“If the money had been given to you to fix the roads and you do not do it, do you come to hold me responsible for that”?
The media should assist MPs to be able to do what they have to do helping to take the pressure off them, let the people focus on development issues with their respective Executive arms of government, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Asawase Member of Parliament had said after meeting the privileges committee that he is very convinced he had put his case across very well to the committee on privileges on the contempt issue he raised against the Assin Central MP.

According to the Minority Chief Whip, the issues of Ken Ohene Agyapong referring to him as being a “dumb” MP does not come because that is against his person, but did not go to the committee.

Speaking in an interview, he noted that he appeared before the privileges committee as a witness and substantiated all the issues he had raised against the Assin Central MP as contempt; they looked into the document I presented to them and played the video.

“I have played my part, they asked me questions and I answer their questions, they would have to determine the level of contempt. Especially looking at the conduct of our colleague his attack against the Majority Leader and members of the public would be looked into”, he said.

He pointed out that at the privileges committee sitting, members of the committee pulled out code of conduct for members, “I hope this would pave way for investigation”.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu has directed that Members of Parliament seek leave of absence and ensure its confirmation before embarking on any trip.

He referred the House to Order 15 (1and2) “Every Member shall attend the service of the House unless a leave of absence has been given him by Mr. Speaker. Leave of absence may be given by Mr. Speaker to any Member who shows sufficient cause justifying his absence or who in a way on official or Parliamentary duties”, he said.

This issue came up on the floor of the House when MP for Effutu wanted the direction of the Speaker as to why parliamentarians on official duty are sometimes marked absent in the votes and proceedings of the House.

Mr. Alexander Afenyo Makin agreed with the Speaker on the grounds that the fact that an MP puts in application for leave of absence should not be taken for granted that it has been approved.

MPs from both sides of the House have had course to complain of them being marked absent, despite the fact that some of them would be on official assignment within the country with various committee work.

Meanwhile some MPs have suggested that there should be a clocking machine in the chamber for MPs to clock in instead of the normal way of going to the mails room to write their names.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com