Month: July 2018

Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson Nelson Dafeamekpor had told Journalist in Parliament that the Minority had thrown its weight behind a think tank that had sued government for not accepting voter’s identity Card to register for the Ghana Card.

According to the South Dayi legislator, the Ghanaian law frowns on multiplicity of law suit, when the issue touches a single matter, as the Minority had indicated that they would go to the Supreme Court over the Ghanaian Voters ID not requirement in acquiring the Ghana Card.

This issue came up when Journalists wanted to know the state of the court case the Minority had indicated that they would pursue, over their boycott of the registration for the Ghana Card.

“We can do so by making ourselves a busy body Minority over the Ghana Card in court, but we have other things we are doing, rather we want to see to other urgent matters that are coming up in our various communities in the Volta Region”, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Former Deputy Minister of Interior and Member of Parliament for Builsa North James Agalga, had said Parliament erred in passing a law that did not have the Voters ID as part of the requirement to acquire Ghana Card.

According to the former Deputy Interior Minister, it is wrong for some Ghanaians to have the erroneous impression that once Parliament pass a law they give the National Identification Authority (NIA) the authority to use only the birth certificate and passport as a base document, for registration.

He further added that constitution itself compels that in a situation where lawmakers make omission, they can come back to invoke Article 2 of the 1992 constitution.

Article 2 (1b) “any act or omission of any person, is consistent with or is in contravention of a provision of this constitution, may bring an action in the supreme court for a declaration to that effect”.

We have now realized that the law we passed is unconstitutional and the right place to seek redress is the Supreme Court, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Akatsi South Bernard Ahiafor has said it is important that MPs are educated on the importance of staying around to contribute towards formulation of laws when bills get to the consideration stage.

According to the Akatsi South legislature, most often, when bills get to the consideration stage, there are only few MPs on the floor of the House, but pointed out that consideration stage of Bills form the core mandate of legislative work.

As to why his colleagues are most of the time not interested in work at the consideration stage, he responded in an interview that he cannot speak for them and added that those who are not interested does not mean they are not lawyers.

“If you take the pain to understand what goes into working of the House on Bills at the consideration stage you would enjoy it you need not to be a lawyer”, he emphasized.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Afram Plains North, Betty Nana Efua Krosby Mensah is calling on government to state clear, its position on University of Environment and Sustainable Development satellite campus intended for Donkorkrom in Afram Plains.

According to the Afram Plains North legislator despite earlier press conference held by the chiefs and people from Afram Plain against moving the intended satellite campus from Afram Plains government has not stated its position clear on the matter.

In an interview she recounted how the Education Minister Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh on the floor of Parliament while responding to a question she posed on the relocation, the Minister said, “it was too early in the day for anybody to come to that conclusion government was still looking for money to establish the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, by moving the campus from Donkorkrom”.

Her comments come in the wake of a ninety million dollars agreement before Parliament, referred to the joint committee of Education and Finance on Thursday July 5, 2018, for an establishment of University of Environment and Sustainable Development campus at Bonsu, order 6 (c).

“I am shocked, what we are observing not is government’s intention to relocate the University from Afram Plains, it is important for the current government to continue programmes started by the previous administration”, she said.

“Again the law is on our side, when you look at Act 989 section 3 which say the campus would be establish at Somanya and any other place the council would determine any other place, with Donkorkrom being the target.”

“I am hoping there is no drastic change to move the University from Afram Plains, people from Afram Plain deserve to benefit from a University’, she said.

She noted that when it comes to the Eastern Region, there is Koforidua Technical University that can serve people of Bunso and further pointed out that, Okyehene’s University can also serve the people of Bunso.

“If you look at the land mark of the Eastern Region, Afram Plains forms one third, are we not Ghanaians, don’t we have equal right to have a University”?

We are appealing to President Akufo-Addo, if the decision is coming from his office he should have a second look at this decision, the People of Afram Plains deserve a university, she lamented.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Leader of Government Business in Parliament has expressed disappointment in the three Majority Members of Parliament who recused themselves from the Privileges Committee sitting.

According to the Majority Leader, the three MPs from the Central Region did not notify leadership of the decision to recuse themselves of the committee hearing against the Assin Central legislator Kennedy Ohene Agyapong.

They are, Cynthia Morrison, MP for Agona West; Naana Eyiah, MP for Gomoa Central and Samuel Nsowa-Djan, Upper Denkyira West who recused themselves because they felt the Assin Central legislator was their caucus chairman and to avoid being bias.

Mr Agyapong has been dragged before the Privileges Committee for describing the Legislature as” useless” and making disparaging remarks against the Majority Leader.

Mr Mensah Bonsu said although it is within the MPs’ right to recuse they ought “to have discussed the matter with the leadership of the caucus that they belong to, but that was not done.”

“The Committee ordinarily should have taken a decision on whether to accept their late request or not but they positioned themselves as if it is a fait accompli [they had no option], and that was a bit unfortunate,” he added.

He said the leadership accordingly after an extensive consultation nominated temporary members – MP for Adenta, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Jaman South MP, Yaw Afful and Ablekuma North MP, Akua Owusu Afriyie – to replace them.

“This is to enable the Committee to have the muscle to go full throttle in conducting the business given them,” he said.

He clarified that the three temporary members are only sitting on the case at hand after which they will be taken off.

Commenting on the issue, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, said the move by the MPs undermine the work of the Committee.

“The Privileges Committee has become the disciplinary committee of the House, therefore, we should take its business more than we do,” he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Former chairman of the Finance Committee, Dr. James Klutse Avedzi has told a group of Journalists from the West African Sub-Region that, committees in Ghana’s Parliament are not bribed by sponsors of Bills to do a wrong work.

The Journalists from the sub-Region attending a two day symposium and media summit in Accra – Ghana are from, Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria Togo and Bennie, in all there are fifty participants.

According to the former chairman of the Finance Committee, haven been in that position for eight years he does not have any evidence to say, committees are bribed to do their work, rather the challenge is they are not provided with resources on time to do their work.

It is wrong for anyone to think committee members are bribed such that they are not seen to be performing their oversight role, he lamented.

Dr. Klutse Avedzi further indicated, Parliament should be empowering its committees to do committee work, by providing it with its needed resources to do its work, to pass Bills into law.

What happens in Ghana’s Parliament is that because it takes more than three months for the House to provide committees with resources, most of the sponsors, institutions say instead of waiting for that long before a bill is worked on, “They offer to sponsor the committees by providing, accommodation, transport and per dime for the committees to do their work outside Parliament, it is the same media that referrer to this gesture as bribe”, he said.

Deputy Minority noted as chairman of the Finance Committee a case that came up was, Finance Committees dealings with the National Lottery Authority (NLA).

“We have never had a sponsor come to any committee to say, take this money and do a wrong thing it does not happen, more over when we present our report the whole House would debate the report”

He added that if the report is a bad report because we receive bribe it would show and the report would not be approved by the House, he pointed out when he presented a paper at the ongoing symposium and media summit of Parliamentary reporters in the West Africa Sub-Region, on the topic ensuring financial efficiency and good governance in West Africa the role of a Member of parliament.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Deputy Minority Leader, Dr. James Klutse Avedzi has said plenary of Parliaments work is 15 percent of the total work done by the House and it is not the will of Members of Parliament to absent themselves from work in the chamber.

According to the Deputy Leader, on Monday the 9th of July 2018 as at 10:00am proceedings in the chamber had not been started because the House does not have the numbers.

He further added that, as he is at the conference centre to present a paper at the same time he had to represent the Minority Leader at the two days symposium and media summit of West African Journalist who report from Parliaments.

Again other MPs are at committee sittings and urge Journalists who had been in Parliament for a long time to take note of the challenges MPs face as law makers.

Dr. James Klutse Avedzi made this remarks in reaction to comments made by the President of the West African Parliamentary Press Corps (WAPPC) Andrew Edwin Arthur to the effect that, some MPs deliberately abstain coming to the floor of the House and rather go about doing their private activities.

Majority Chief Whip, Kwasi Ameyaw-Kyeremeh who represented the Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, noted that the media plays a key role in Ghana’s democratic process and the media has been a watchdog.

“You must say it is all the time, the truth must be a watch word whatever you do, try to seek the truth and listen to both side of a story before you publish a story, Parliament of Ghana would continue to partner the media”, he said.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com