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Month: February 2019

Ho affordable housing: Either President was misinformed or told untruth—Ahi

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Former Deputy Minister of Works and Housing and Member of Parliament for Bodi, Samson Ahi has taken a swipe at the President for either misinforming or lying to Ghanaians during the State of the Nations Address on Thursday.

According to the former Deputy Minister, during the tenure of former President John Agyekum Kuffor there was no affordable housing started in Ho, which the President said at the SONA that he would continue.

“President did not talk about the real state of the nation address and strategy he would put in place and move us out of the problems we are facing as a count”.

He further pointed out in an interview that the President got it wrong, Kuffor never started affordable housing in Ho, rather Tamale, Koforidua, Kumasi and Wa.

“Listening to him I ask myself is the President lying to Ghanaians or he was misinformed, I do not have confidence in what he says two years getting to three years  now, they have not even bought a land let alone buying sand to construct one house”, he lamented.

Again those houses he claimed through their effort they engaged, Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to secure funding to complete that is not true, “we took journalists to Botiano site to see completed structures”.

“We started the Kumasi one, so for the President to say that they started it, I do not want to use the word, it is unfortunate, two years they told us they were doing investigation, he should tell us the state of those investigations. As we speak we do not know the state of those investigation, we want to know the state of Saglemi project”.

He noted that the current government should be charged for causing financial lose for the abandonment of all the housing projects, if  they had continue we would have had some Ghanaians living there, he emphasised.

“We handed five blocks over to the military before we left office same to the state housing, they sold it out to people who are living in it now. Before Kuffor left power they had not even sent road, drainage and electricity there”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minority MPs leave for constituency for Presidential primaries

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
A sizeable number of Members of Parliament on the Minority side outside Accra have traveled to their constituencies to participate in the Presidential primaries of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The Minority side of the chamber was almost empty on Friday the 22nd of February 2019, when the House started sitting at the chamber.

As at 10:38am when the House started, there were only three members from the Minority side in the House, whiles the Majority side had thirty-five members present on the floor of the House.

Three urgent questions scheduled for the Minister of Roads and Highways could not be taken because there was a gentleman’s agreement that because most of the MPs who want to ask the questions would be in their constituency the question should be taken next week Tuesday.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Ignore fake SONA boycott by Minority—Muntaka

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Minority Chief Whip, Mohamed Muntaka Mubarak has urged the media in Parliament to ignore fake news on social media that the Minority side would boycott State of the Nation Address (SONA) to be delivered by President Nana Akufo-Addo today.

According to the Minority chief whip he has not signed any notice calling for the boycott of the State of the Nation Address when contacted to check the authenticity of the news.

The purported statement pointed out that “the Minority wish to state that they would not be part of SONA today”.

The statement went on to state that the Minority want to embark on the boycott because the Akufo-Addo led government failed to arrest the state sponsored people who unleashed violence against their colleague, Samuel Nartey George at the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.

And when the incident happened no concrete steps had been taken to bring the offenders to book.
“We therefore want to say we are boycotting the event to show solidarity with our colleagues Sam, George”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“We are worried about the insecurity in the country”—Minority Leader

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for Tamale South and Minority Leader has expressed worry over the insecurity situation in the country.

According to the Minority Leader the emerging violence which remains the greatest threat to our democratic process is worrying.

“You recall at his last SONA, I reminded him that he was the commander in chief of the Ghana Arm Forces and not the invisible forces; it was to send a message that, as President his primary responsibility was to ensure the security of the citizens”.

Mr. Haruna Iddrisu further added that as a country we need to be up and doing in terms of security, and added that the shooting incident in Kumasi should be dealt with swiftly, decisively and ruthlessly.

“Any person associated with event, again points to the failure of law enforcement, if two persons were on motor bike and already you are mentioning two other names from what we hear, they are closing in on them”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com
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North Dayi MP advocates support fund for victims of domestic violence

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for North Dayi, Joycelyn Tetteh has pledged her commitment to push for the implementation of an established support fund for victims of domestic violence.

According to the North Dayi lawmaker, the full implementation and compliance of Act 732 in which certain responsibilities must be borne by government, Parliament and the judiciary will help in the support of such victims.

Again framers of the Act recognize the importance of financial resources in operationalizing it, so they determine that the victims of domestic violence support fund should be established, she added.

“To rescue, rehabilitate and reintegrate victims, I reckon sources of funding as listed in Article 31 of Act 732 remain woefully inadequate and we should explore other workable solutions to this problem of funding which remains an existential challenge”.

The North Dayi MP was contributing to a roundtable discussion hosted by the Center for Democratic Development (CDD) on the theme, “full implementation and compliance of domestic violence Act (Act 732) Government, Parliament and Judiciary responsibilities”.

On the issue of support funding for victims, Joycelyn Tetteh noted that she does not see it as a problem, so far as we have a Gender Children and Social Protection Ministry which has a budget that is brought to Parliament.

“The Ministry must prioritize issues of domestic violence and make provision for it in the budget; definitely no committee would see such a budget and think that the money being allotted to the sector is too much”.

She further questioned “how many times have you heard the issue of domestic violence being raised on the floor of the House? It is not normally done”.

“I want to commit myself to it, I want to go back to Parliament and table a question invite the sector Minister as I table a question for her to come and answer”.

.Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minority calm throughout presentation of SONA

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Minority side of the House was very calm throughout the presentation of the State of the Nation Address presented by President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Unusual of the Minority side who usually heckles and show their displeasure in the previous SONA presentation of the seven Parliament of the fourth Republic, the Speaker had difficult times keeping the House clam.

Most of the Minority Members of Parliament were seen taking note with one or two interrupting, when they disagree with what the President said.

Majority side of the House were most of the time supporting the President Nana Akufo-Addo when he said something that was good in favor of the ruling government.

Meanwhile the Public and Press gallery were full to capacity to the extent that some had to sit on the floor in the press gallery with others forcing their way through despite been told the press gallery is full.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Thank you all for ensuring peace in Dagbon- President

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo has in accordance with article 67 of the 1992 constitution presented to Parliament a message on the State of the Nation.

As prelude to his message, he first of all thanked all stakeholders who played diverse roles in restoring peace to Dagbon.

He commended the significant contribution of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.

He expressed the hope that all will continue to support efforts aimed at ensuring lasting peace.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com.

Majority Leader unhappy with MPs who are absent but sign as present

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Leader of Government Business, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu raised issues of Members of Parliament not being present on the floor of the House but marking their names as present.

He raised the issue on the floor on Wednesday morning the 20th of February 2019, which was debated for more done thirty minutes.

According to the Majority Leader he could count ten (10) people who had been marked present on Tuesday the 19th of February 2019 but he is aware were not in the House.

MP for Wa Central, Joseph Yieleh Chireh advocated for a clock-in device to be brought to the chamber to ensure that, the right thing is done.

Minority Leader in his contribution indicated that attendance to the House should be revisited especially, as to whether MPs should go and sign in and leave the House.

He further pointed out that decisions are taken where the House need 2/3rd majority but those numbers are not met, but decisions are taken.

“If we cannot be sincere with coming to the House to work, how can we be sincere with the work of the House”?

And urged the IT department of the House to get a device where people would clock- in, in the chamber and it should be for all members.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Trade Minister seeks permission for rescheduling of his questions

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kwadow Kyremantey sought permission from the Speaker of Parliament for his five questions on Tuesday the 19th of February 2019 to be rescheduled to another day.

Minority Chief Whip Kwesi Amenyaw- Cheremeh drew the attention of the first Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu when it was the turn of the Minister to answer questions 513, 514, 515, 532 and 533.

According to the Majority Chief Whip, the Acting Chief Director has written to the House indicating the Minister has pre-arranged meeting with members of the Council of State.

Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi Yusif Sulemana sought permission to withdraw his question which has been overtaken by event because it has taken more than a year to be tabled for answering.

The question was, “when the Ministry will operationalise the Ghana International Trade Commission to help neutralise cheap import with countervailing measures”.

Minority Chief Whip, Mohamed Mubarak Muntaka noted that his side take a lot of consolation from the comments made by the Majority Chief Whip that the Speaker has question that Ministers should take work of the House serious.

“It is unfortunate that there is a first recording of such incident that the Minister of Trade and Industry cannot be in the House because of an earlier arranged engagement”.

“Mr. Speaker it is becoming a norm that every week Ministers are asking permission not to come to the House to answer questions, this is a Ministry with two deputies it has not been said that we would not receive deputies in the House”.

He further pointed out that the sector Minister has to meet the council of state and there is evidence to that effect, “why not, can’t we have any of his deputies?”

“They should always learn to give priority to the activities of the House”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“Let us make distinction between AWW and Kumasi shooting”—Haruna

Posted on by Akumaa GhanaMPs
Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu has said a distinction should be made between the violence unleashed at Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election and shooting incident at Kumasi.

According to the Minority Leader the Ayawaso West Wuogon incident was a state sponsored violence.

“It is not right in any part of the world, when the state with its apparatus which has the right to protect the life and provide security itself unleashed violence, let us not relate that to the Kumasi incident”.

In an interview with members of the press corps just after adjournment of the House, he noted that the shooting incident in Kumasi around the National Democratic Congress (NDC) office was an individual exchange.

He was however quick to point out that the two incident is unjustified, “we need to have a national conversation to improve our national democratic practice”

“We need to do away with vigilantism, how do we do that, you saw what happened at our court and what happened to a Minister in the current administration nothing happened, rule of law does not mean rule of the rule”.

He further pointed out that, we should not reduce rule of the law to, rule of the Majority, rule that is not democratic.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com