Member of Parliament (MP) for Klottey-Korle Dr. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings has said over monetization of Ghanaian politics is one of the major drives for corruption.

She opined that it is an issue of demand and supply and pointed out that the blame should not be only put on the shoulders of politicians.

“We must ask who are also putting the unreasonable demand on politicians, we must all look in the mirror not as office holders but as members of this society and citizens, what way we are contributing to this whole thing call corruption. As a society institutions are made up of people, corruption only occurs where people are present”, she lamented.

According to the Klottey-Korle lawmaker, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) should take the lead and break down what is the meaning of corruption, “so that everyone would understand where he or she fits into this whole matrix when we talk about corruption only then can we address the issue of corruption thoroughly”.

Dr. Zanetor Agyeman Rawlings was contributing to a debate on the floor of the House touching on the effect of corruption on the African continent and Ghana as a whole.

Again corruption is not a disease that should only be diagnosed among politicians and civil servants, it is a disease in all human beings, it affects all levels of our societies.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Cynthia Mamle Morrison has revealed to Parliament that in 2017, school feeding forms sold amounted to two hundred and twenty-six thousand, one hundred Ghana cedis (GHc 226, 100)

According to the Minister, printing of the forms cost one hundred and forty two thousand, one hundred and seventy-five Ghana cedis (GHc 142, 175)

As the Ministry printed a total of twenty two thousand (22,000) forms and distributed them to the Metropolitan Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA).

“Mr. Speaker the sales made a significant excess of eighty three thousand nine hundred and twenty five Ghana cedis (GHc 83,925).

Again the Ministry undertook the sales to caterers’ applications forms to prospective caterers in all the districts in July of 2017.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Deputy Chairman of the Defense and Interior Committee, Collins Owusu Amankwah has said in fighting corruption, Ghanaians must change their corrupt mind set as a people.

According to the Manhyia North lawmaker, the nation has passed over twenty legislation on anti-corruption legislative reforms but that is not enough to curb corruption.

“We need attitudinal change and to do that we need to change our corrupt mind sets as a people. Again we need to think about the ordinary Ghanaian on the street. We have Civil Service Act, Office of Accountability and Political Parties Act all aim at curbing corruption, we do not need further legislations”, he lamented.

Mr. Collins Owusu Amankwah further told the House contributing to a statement on the floor that, corruption has led to some people unable to complete school, others becoming poor and others unable to afford meals.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Chereponi, Jabanyite Samuel Abdulail is advocating for sanction against legislators who sit in their offices whiles proceedings are ongoing in the chamber.

As to whether provision of offices to MPs upon hand sight was wrong, because when MPs did not have offices they were coming to the chamber in their numbers, he said it is good for MPs to have offices.

According to the Chereponi legislator, attitude of some MPs is to be blamed for all this, because no matter what they have doing in their office when it’s 10:00am, they should be in the chamber.

“MPs have TVs in their offices which is connected to the chamber, even in their offices they get to know what is going on, on the floor of the House why should they be in their offices whiles proceedings are going on”, he lamented.

He noted that, “democracy does not mean you have freedom to do things anyhow, but democracy goes with respect and accountability not in term of money, aging accounting to the people we represent”.

“As Members of Parliament, we need to represent our constituency well, it is part of the accountability I am talking about”, he lamented

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Aowin, Mathias Ntow has said it is regrettable that HIV/AIDS is increasing in the country, despite the education that had gone on with the inception of the disease.

According to the Aowin lawmaker enough education has gone on in our schools, churches and public places about the disease, especially with the media house playing a leading role but the numbers keep increasing.

“It is very easy to work with machines, but extremely difficult to work with human beings, I remember, Abstain, be faithful to your partner and use condom but as human as we are we have not paid attention to this campaign”, he lamented.

He made this remarks when there was a statement on the floor of the House to mark World AIDS day.

When you start discussing with people about HIV/AIDS, they would tell you, “all die, be die”, when a person dies it is a cost to the nation, he told his colleagues on the floor of the House.

“Mr. Speaker every MP must go to the hospital to check his or her status, “women should not think it is only men who should check their status, we are all involved. If members are not prepared to go to the hospital, we should have the test done in the chamber, you can use your high office to compel us as the Second Deputy Speaker”

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho West Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has lamented over Transparency International report that six out of ten countries considered most corrupt in the world for the past decade are from Sub-Saharan Africa.

According to the Ho West lawmaker, the African Union also estimates corruption cost to the continent at about one hundred and fifty billion dollars (US$150 billion) annually, an amount that is about seven times of the amount received by sub-Saharan African as aid.

In a statement on the floor of the House, he noted that this has drawn the attention of the continental body to declare this year as a year of anti-corruption in Africa to raise the awareness, and drum home the toll corruption is having on the transformational agenda of the continent and to address it with sense of urgency.

Mr. Speaker back home in Ghana, the story is not different, as Ghana is on record to be losing an estimated amount of three billion dollars (US$3billion) of taxpayer’s money to corrupt activities, an amount that is about three times the money spent on free Senior High School (SHS) last year.

He further pointed out that, that is why the African Parliamentarians’ network against corruption (APNAC) Ghana in fulfillment of its mission has resolved to join all forces to combat corruption in all forms with the support of civil society organization and the general public.

To this end, Mr. Speaker APNAC-Ghana in collaboration with civil society and anti-corruption agencies have declared first Monday of very month starting from this  month as an anti-corruption day to battle corruption in the country.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, Dari Andrew Chiwetey has called on founder of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Jerry John Rawlings to understand current times,   as the Party needs  the four hundred thousand Ghana cedis (GHc 400,000) filling fee to run the party elections.

According to the MP, if the founder has his way, flagbearer hopeful would have picked the forms for free.

“He should not forget that his time cannot be compared to today, they are not the same, as the clock ticks things have changed and should accept the fact that times have changed. We have to go by what is going on now if not, then the party would collapse”.

As to whether the views of Jerry John Rawlings that the amount is too much should not be taken on board, he said; “I have not said the views of the founder should not be taken on board, all I am saying is the pervious times cannot be compared to now”, he lamented.

Again those days, “people did not demand for money when they were going to vote and could offer  to walk for several kilometers, because we did not have means of transport, this time it is not like that”.

“Today if you want someone to walk thirty kilometers you would not get it, in my constituency  we have some voting center that are more than thirty kilometers to voting centers, you have to hire vehicles for them without it you would not get people to go out there to vote”.

He further pointed out that this are things that the founder should understand, we need him badly, we cannot say we do not need him, even the youngest person who register today is very important to the NDC.

Former President J.J Rawlings has expressed concern about the whopping increase in the filing fee for the presidential primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and called on the party’s National Executive Committee to take a second look at the decision.

The Founder of the NDC cautioned that certain actions or decisions could either be a reflection of the circumstances of the NDC’s birth or “mark a departure from where we are coming from as a party”.

“I doubt if anyone of us who has served with integrity, relying on our salaries can raise these filing fees unless we engaged in some unethical behaviour while in office; Unless we abused or misused our positions during our tenure,” the founder said.

The former President said with the aspirants having barely two weeks to raise the high amount, a perception may be created that the party is being handed over to the highest bidder.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament (MP) for Asokwa, Patricia Appiagyei is advocating for inclusion of persons with disability in the nations development agenda as we continue to lose people to disability.

According to the Asokwa lawmaker census conducted in 2010 indicates that Ghana’s population with disability is three (3) percent and unemployed rate of person with disability has reached eighty-five percent in many countries.

She made this remarks in a statement on the floor of the House to mark this year’s international day of person with disability on the theme, “Empowering persons with disability and ensuring inclusiveness and equality”.

“Mr. Speaker, disability needs not be an obstacle to success, but currently most of our disabled persons are found begging on the streets, living under poor conditions with limited access to social amenities”.

Despite this limitations, persons with disability are breaking bounds and causing change to the pride of many Ghanaians, she pointed out.

The Asokwa lawmaker lamented over eighteen years on despite passing the disability Act, Act 715 directives to make all existing and new public buildings disability friendly, the directives had not seen full compliance.

By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com