Month: February 2019

Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo has said God loves his party hence he reveals to redeem.

According to the chairman the violence that occurred during the just ended by-election at Ayawaso West Wuogon, if it had not happened their opponent and ruling government, New Patriotic Party (NPP) would have taken them by surprise in 2020.

He told party faithfulness who were being recognised at Dome/Kwabenya, “people did not understand where we were coming from, people did not know the information we had picked, our opponent had planned violence”.

“NDC would not be the same again after Ayawaso West Wuogon, we are a peace loving party, we would not love people to take us for granted”, he lamented.

People should not get former President Mahama wrong, his “boot for boot” comment, he is not calling for war, you cannot tire our hands slap us and ask us not to cry, have you seen some before?,  and the party supporters responded no.

I did campaign on the promise that ballot box would be protected, what has happened has strengthened my resolve, that we need to take our destiny into our own hands, if you are a branch chairman start identifying people who would help you protect the ballot box on election day, he said.

“We would not go with guns and weapons, we would go with peoples power when the people’s power is at work no gun can stand against the people’s power”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has taken a swipe at the chairperson of the Electoral Commission Jane Mensah.

According to Chairman Ofosu Ampofo, the EC chair is fast becoming a very dangerous substance for the future stability of the country.

“If you have a commissioner, who organizes an election in a constituency where people were attacked, short at and were in the hospital as a woman you go and sit and say it was a free and fair. But for the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election organize by the EC people would not have been injured”, he lamented.

He further pointed out that the EC white washed every violence that occurred in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency by saying the violence did not occur at the polling station, did you hear of any violence at Dome/Kwabenya?

The National chairman made this remarks over the weekend at Dome/Kwabenya when he served as a special guest of honour at the maiden awards ceremony of the party in the constituency.

“People said we would have worn the by-election fine, do we want to win a seat at the expense of people’s life and blood, we did not want further blood follow you should have been there with us to see what happened in the first two hours the election started”.

Mr. Samuel Ofosu Ampofo recounted that he had been to by-elections in the Northern part of Ghana, where it is said that there had been conflict, places like Bimbela, “we walked through gun fires”.

“It has never happened in the history of this country, where arm security people have taken arms against defenseless people who are just going to vote, if this were an encounter between the NPP and DNC it is normal. You see AK-47 gun being targeted at people who do not have stone, as a party leader you want me to go and tell them, to move in and die I would not do that”.

Again we would push for reforms, we would ensure that before we go into election 2020, we are clear in our minds about the security arrangements.

“We have not gone into any elections where the turnout is less than twenty percent, the EC was happy that she had organize and she is happy that she had organize a referendum, which had a turnout of ninety percent.”

And the by-election less than twenty percent and this woman says she is okay and happy, she is an embodiment of “incompetence”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Acting Director of Public Affairs of Parliament, Kate Addo has expressed worry over practice where editors of various media houses withdraw journalists from Parliament less than six months, of they being assigned to the House.

According to acting director, young and inexperienced journalists are sent to the House to report in Parliament which is a specialized place.

She made this remarks at a day’s workshop organized by the Ghana Free Zones Aauthority for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps, to get a better understanding of the workings of the authority and appreciate its workings.

Again, at the various point of training of journalists, specialization is not emphasised, hence the need to engage in this constant training being under taken by the Free Zones Authority to build the capacity of the press corps.

In addition, when journalists do not understand happenings on the floor of the House, their headlines are changed and they do not give reflection of what happened in the chamber. They are unable to challenge the change.

She recounted working as a broadcast journalist covering Parliament, she thought her report was very good until, she started working in Parliament and saw that you need to know precedents and understand the nuances of the standing orders.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Minority side in Parliament kept to their words expressed on last week Friday when it indicated to the media through its leader, Haruna Iddrisu that it would not be part of the swearing in of the new MP elect of Ayawaso West Wuogon.

Chief Whip of the Minority Mohamed Muntaka Mubarak indicated to the first Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu who was presiding over proceedings and called that Lydia Seyram Alhassan, be brought in for swearing that they could not be part because of the incident leading to her elections.

“Mr. Speaker with a heavy heart I want to say with the security challenges that we had at the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election and in support of our comrades that were unnecessarily hurt and brutally assaulted our side of the House cannot be here to witness this”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Parliament is in talks with the national broadcaster over its early plans over the years to establish a television station that would broadcast live proceedings on the floor of the House.

In an interview with Acting Director of Public Affairs Kate Addo, as to what had happened to the early deal of the House establishing a TV Station, she pointed out that a lot had happened over the years.

“Obviously thing have happened, there has been a lot of changes in the broadcasting environment to the extent that most of the platforms are now digital we are rekindling the conversation”

She further pointed out that in the last session that the Ghana Broadcasting Cooperation (GBC) was approached and asked if the line could be re-activated, “we have rested on that right for a while”,  and Parliament is working to ensure that we have sometime dedicated to Parliamentary business.

“We have been assured that, should there be the need, we would be allocated five to six hours on GTV Govern to enable us broadcast proceedings live from the chamber and other programs”.

Madam Kate Addo also revealed that 2019 Parliament wants to Present the House to the public in their own words, hence the reason why they had started a program on Home Base Television, Mondays where officials from Public Affairs host it.

“We do this without the mediation of a presenter or journalist, so that we can talk to the citizenry on how Parliament functions and working hard to reach Ghanaians”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

The Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA) has held a day’s capacity building workshop for members of the Parliamentary Press Corps on operations of the authority.

The exercise which was held on the theme; “the Parliamentary Reporter as an effective link between Parliament and the Public” was aimed at equipping Journalists with the requisite knowledge on the mandate of the authority to help better inform and educate the public.

Topics treated includes, Background, legal mandates and operational scope of the Ghana Free Zones Authority and its impact on the development of the country, the Role of the Ministry of Trade and Industry in ensuring acceptably delivery from GFZA and Processes for Issuing, monitoring and revocation of license of companies and its significance to the economy.

The rest includes Achievements, Challenges and the purpose of the Investment Week Benefits to Investors, Future prospects of the Ghana Free Zones Enclaves and the role of stakeholders.

Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Fuseini Inusah Abdulai Bistav who is a Member of Trade, Industry and Tourism Committee gave a presentation on the Execution of Parliamentary Oversight responsibilities on GFZA and other Government Agencies.

Officials of the authority who made various presentations are Head, Legal Mrs. Kristine Lartey, Head, Compliance and Monitoring, Mr John Abuga, Head, Application Processing, Mr Nsiah Asante and Manager, Marketing Ms. Anita Novi Quashie.

First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu was the guest Speaker urged journalists to always put the interest of Ghana first in their reportage.

The Free Zones Authority which was established in August 1995, is meant to promote economic development by creating an attractive and conducive business environment through the provision of competitive Free Zone incentives and operation of an efficient one-stop-shop for the promotion and enhancement of domestic and foreign investment.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

The Women Caucus on the Majority side of Parliament has called on the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) to render an unqualified apologise to the new Member for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Lydia Seyram Alhasan for describing her in unprintable words.

The group slammed the Minority for labeling the member “bloody widow.” describing the action as “barbaric, brutal, frivolous, unparliamentary and unconstitutional”.

The inscription was displayed by the Minority and followed same with a walk out of Parliament House moments before the First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei- Owusu, was about to swear-in Madam Lydia Seyram.

Addressing a press conference in Parliament, the Deputy Majority Leader, Sarah Adwoa Safo said the position of their colleagues on Madam Lydia Alhassan was disappointing.

“We hereby condemn in no uncertain terms the act of the Minority; a rather disrespectful and inhumane treatment and an attack on the dignity and integrity of womanhood” , Madam Adwoa Safo stated.

Widowhood, she said was not a crime neither would any woman ever wish of becoming a widow.

She said through such unfortunate and “unconventional” circumstances, widows had the chance to represent their late husbands in Parliament and that Madam Lydia Alhassan’s case could not be any different.

The Dome-Kwabenya Member of Parliament shamed the Minority MPs saying that is not expected from honorable members.

“The Minority must bow down their head in shame and render an unqualified apology to the Honourable Member of Parliament, Honourable Madam Lydia Seyram Alhassan as expected of Honourable members,” Adwoa Safo stressed.

She expressed disappointment that the Minority had descended to a level that taints the work of Parliament in increasing the number of female MPs.

“It is therefore worrying if women who boldly and willingly offer themselves to serve their nation are treated this way” she bemoaned.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

All Members of the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus who held and displayed placards with the inscription ‘Bloody Widow’ on the floor of Parliament just before the swearing-in of the newly elected member for Ayawaso West Wuogon on Tuesday February 5, 2019 will be expected to face the Privileges Committee.

First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu gave the indication after the leadership Minority refused to apologize on behalf of their members for displaying the placards in protest over the swearing-in of the newly elected Member, Lydia Seyram Alhassan.

The Speaker directed the Clerk of Parliament to review all the footages of the sitting and furnish him with the names of Members who displayed ‘Bloody Widow’ placards for referral to the privileges committee.
Mr Osei-Owusu who reviewed his earlier ruling gave the determination after hearing arguments from both sides of the House for and against the conduct of the NDC MPs.

The ruling follows an appeal by Second Deputy Majority Whip, Matthew Nyindam, to the Speaker to compel the Minority Caucus to apologize for displaying the ‘Bloody Widow’ placards.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com

Almost two years, after the unfortunate Kintampo Water Falls disaster that claimed at least 20 lives in March 2017, Parliament has finally adopted its select Committee on Trade, Industry and Tourism report that investigated the incident.

The Committee was tasked to ascertain the cause of the disaster, preventive measures to avert same in future and lessons learnt from it to promote tourism in Ghana.

Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Ato Panford who presented the report enumerated some of the causes of the tragedy.

He indicated that activities of encroachers along the tributaries of the Waterfall, including clearing their land for farming activities set fire which destroys the vegetation cover along the water body.

The Committee observed with dissatisfaction the absence of a Sub-Meteorology Office at the time of the incident which could have informed revelers about changes in the weather at the facility.

He also disclosed there was no emergency preparedness team on site to respond to emergency situations observing that “most lives could have been saved if an emergency preparedness team was in place.

On structural defect, Ato Panford, the MP for Shaman said that “at the time of the accident, there was only one staircase for both exit and entry to the waterfalls” he said adding that “the staircase which was already too steep and narrow had become slippery as a result of the rain.”

On preventive measures to control bush fires and tree management, the Committee recommended that a fence wall was erected to serve as a boundary to restrict the movement of unwanted persons into the perimeters of the waterfall.

It among others wants a fire belt, by way of fire resistant plants planted around the facility, routine checks on trees, education and legislation to act as a deterrent to persons engaging in farming activities that leads to bush fires in the waterfalls area and its environs.

The Committee recommended that the Ghana Tourism Authority engaged the services of Safety Health and Environmental Officers to brief revelers on safety issues and provide the necessary safety tips before the commencement of a tour of the facility.

Christian Kpesese/ ghanamps.com