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Month: November 2019

Minority and Majority go overboard during 2020 budget presentation

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Despite Speaker Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye’s directives that during important occasions on the floor of the House, Members of Parliament should be decorous, the rule was flouted on when the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori Atta whet statement and economic policies of government to parliament on Wednesday, November 13, 2019.

The Minority displayed placards with inscriptions “Bye Bye Budget by way of telling the ruling government that was the last budget they were presenting after the 2020 elections.

Speaker Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye had to struggle on many occasions to maintain order on the floor of the House.

On a number of occasions, the second Deputy Minority whip Ibrahim Ahmed had to be up on his seat pleading with his colleagues to tone down but that did not go down well with his colleagues at the back bench who kept interrupting and displaying their cards.

The Majority side back benchers equally not happy with what was going on, on the floor of the House also resorted to singing on the floor of the House acknowledging that the budget presented by the finance Minister was good.

Whiles the Minority were putting across that no matter what the Majority side does former President John Mahama would bounce back as President of Ghana, the Majority side also passionately indicated to their colleagues that the former President would never come back to power.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Road construction is not like building six unit classrooms—Adaklu MP

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Ranking on Roads and Highways Kwame Agbodza has said the construction of roads is not like the construction of a six unit classroom block and that the road sector is highly capital intensive.

According to the Ranking member the solution to the Ghanaian roads not seeing any construction, is to pay the road contractors who are owed by government so that they can pay their indebtedness to the banks.

Road fund alone generated 1.2 billion a year, the previous government mortgaged part of that before they left power, and the loan was supposed to be repaid entirely in August of last year from that time up till now government has not done that.

And again, by government suspecting and suspending cocoa roads projects there is no indications that has been confirmed and it is too late even 2020 when contractors are paid.

“Unless government moves to get the two billion dollars to pay contractors who have worked, they are thinking of diverting the six hundred million dollars cocoa agreement loan to solve road problems”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Wa East happy 2020 budget would tackle roads

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for Wa East Bayon Godfrey Tangu has said he is happy the 2020 budget presented by the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta would tackle roads in Ghana.

According to the former Minister of State at the Roads and Highways, moving into 2020, an election year and a lot of agitation from members of the public, it is good roads are going to be tackled.

He further pointed out in an interview that the perception out there feeds into opinion polls that goes out to affects the sitting government.

Again, the Sinohydro facility which would be used for road construction “I am happy the loan would come, we have been vindicated because the previous administration were thinking the money would not come, they had experienced that with the XTS loan that never came”.

He noted that Ghana will remit part of its bauxite deposit to China, adding that China has announced there is a road map to release the fund.

As to his take on the “one village one dam”, he noted that it is an issue of liquidity problem to a large extent and it looks like funds are not coming so a lot of the contractors abandoned the site, once money is coming the issue would be resolved, he said.

He noted that he is not a technical person to know what has been done is a dame or a dug-out when Ghanamps.com questioned him.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

MP bemoans gov’t’s decision not to undertake single road in Volta

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for North Dayi, Joycelyn Tetteh has chastised the President Nana Akufo-Addo led government for not including a single road in the Volta Region for construction in the 2020 budget statement as presented to Parliament on Wednesday.

According to the North Dayi lawmaker government should right the wrong in the 2020 budget as a matter of urgency in a statement.

“This is indeed is a slap in the face, an unacceptable bias towards the Volta Region and must be condemned by all”, she lamented

Ms Tetteh noted that never in the history of Ghana has it occurred that government, one that calls itself “competent” enjoined by the 1992 constitution to ensure it under takes even a balance development of all the sixteen (16) regions has decided to disregard the constitutional provision which is aimed at ensuring equity at all times.

She further pointed out that, this comes at the back of the President completing a two day tour of the region warmly being welcomed and busing people from Oti Region, “it is indeed very unfortunate and disheartening even to the membership of the ruling NPP who feel totally neglected”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“Gov’t delaying DACF for some Majority MPs to lose their seats”—Banda MP

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Second Deputy Minority whip, Ibrahim Ahmed has taken a swipe at Government for deliberately delaying the release of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) for some sitting MPs on the Majority side to lose their primaries.

According to the Banda lawmaker the attempt is made for some government appointees at the flagstaff House to have upper hand over some sitting MPs who want to maintain their seats.

He further pointed out in an interview that in the recent election in orphan constituency by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), out to the sixty-five (65) District Chief Executives who contested their primaries only five (5) manage to be victorious.

“The public is angry with those who have anything to do with DACF and as an MP a whole year you have not re-roofed a school building that was rip-off by a rain storm, do you think the people would have mercy on you that is the reason why we are doing this advocacy on the part of our brothers and sisters on the Majority side”.

He recounted that during the time for the Minority primaries the first-quarter of the DACF had been released and they were able to do emergency programmes and projects in their constituencies.

The Majority sitting MPs, in a place like Bantama the Deputy Chief of Staff,  Francis Asenso-Boakye who is contesting a sitting MP is distributing things in Bantama, the sitting MP has nothing to distribute.

“How can you compete with him? It tells you government is disadvantaging his own MPs so you understand the anger, NPP said they had the men where are they, just five percent of DACF they cannot pay.  They said they believe in decentralization there is an upcoming referendum you vote for a DCE and cannot deal with financial decentralization”.

Mr. Ibrahim Ahmed again revealed that government is able to get money for one of its flagship programmes, the one village, one dame (1v1d) after capping the DACF.

“Have you seen government machinery run out of funds, there is money for National Security , has the Finance Ministry run out of money, President Akufo-Addo is blessed with more resources than former President Mahama. But during Mahama’s time we had fourth-quarter paid before the Ivory Coast disputed oil. When resolved all those funds came to the current government what is their problem now? He queried”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Chief Imam made patron for sanitation and water

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has presented the National Chief Imam, Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Shaributu with a plaque and a citation as the chief patron of Sanitation and Water.

This was when the Minister paid a courtesy call on the National Chief Imam and expressed her gratitude to the Chief Imam for accepting to be the Chief Patron for the Sanitation and Water sub-sector.

According to the sector Minister looking at the role of the Imam, it was proper to bestow such an honour on him and thanked him for the warm and cordial reception accorded her and her staff, and prayed for God’s blessings and guidance upon the chief Imam’s life.

Receiving  the plaque,  the National Chief Imam,  was grateful  for the kind gesture, and also  prayed  for God’s  protection,  guidance  and blessings  on the life of the Minister and her entire  Staff.

He commended the harmony and peaceful co-existence among all the various religious faiths in the country.

It will be recalled that on October 2, 2019, the Sector Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah whiles on a tour within the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Sanitation and Water project  (GAMA)  paid a  courtesy  call on the National Chief  Imam and bestowed on him  Chief Patron for Sanitation and Water.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Kpando MP provides seats at vantage points in Parliament House

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for Kpando, Della Sowah has not only provided seats in her constituency to serve her people, she extended this goodwill to Parliament.

The Lawmaker has provided solid chairs at very strategic positions at the main gate to the premises of the parliament coming through the Accra International Conference Centre, and the other gate from the Kofi Annan ICT and the Communications Ministry side to enter Parliament House.

Most of the time the security personnel in Parliament are seen using the seats the MP has provided in Parliament and members of the general public relax on the chairs provided when they are coming to look for their MPs.

A random interview with Security Personnel’s in Parliament and with members of the general public both had expressed joy for the benevolence of the MP for Kpando.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Barbados PM to address Ghana’s Parliament on Friday

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
The Prime Minister of the Caribbean Island of Barbados, Mia Mottley would on Friday 15th of November 2019 address Ghana’s Parliament.

Ranking Member on Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa raised the issue on the floor of the House when the Business Statement last week did not capture this important visit the Speaker had talked about earlier.

“I recall the afternoon of 3:00pm on the 15th of this month, we were urged to prepare accordingly to receive an important guest, if there is any adjustment let us know because some of us had to adjust our diary accordingly”.

Leader of Government Business, Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu in responses noted that a confirmation would be made to that regard.

“Mr. Speaker on Tuesday 12th of November 2019 on the floor of the House an announcement would be made to that regard”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

“We would have boycotted the budget without release of DACF”—Ahmed

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Second Deputy Whip of the Minority and Member of Parliament for Banda, Ibrahim Ahmed has revealed that the budget presentation by the Finance Minister would have been boycotted by both sides of the House, but for the committee of the whole meeting that saw the Administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) and the Deputy Finance Minister as well as the release of the DACF.

“The caveat was, without the second quarter of DACF being paid we were not going to participate in the 2020 budget presentation; the Finance Minister should respect the constitution that created his office and respect the quarterly releases prescribe by the constitution”, he added.

He noted in an interview that thae Finance Ministry released a total of four hundred million Ghana cedis for the first quarter of this year.

And pointed out that there was a disagreement between the offices of the Finance Minister and the Administrator of the DACF over the amount that had been released, hence a seven member committee had been set up to try and reconcile the outstanding.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

Delays in DACF releases not making of Administrator—Sam George

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Members of Parliament from both sides of the House raised issues with delay in the release of the Districts Assembly Common Fund (DACF) when the Administrator of the fund together with the Deputy Minister of Finance meet Parliamentary Committee of the whole.

According to the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George the meeting was evidently clear the delays in the release of the fund are not the fault of the Administrator and simply an issue of the Finance Ministry not meeting its obligations.

“It is a liquidity problem because the Finance Ministry could not give any solid reasons, it is simply government is broke; this whole issue of technical alignment we knew what the bench marks were from last year November”

He further pointed out in an interview that the finance Ministry has been given a deadline of today 10:00am to ensure that the releases are made before the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta present the budget.

“They tell us they would meet the deadline, we are the representative of the people it is a demand we are making on the Finance Ministry, the Deputy Minister has given us assurance by close of day Tuesday the administrator would get credit on her account so that she can make disbursement first thing Wednesday”.

The Ningo-Prampram lawmaker indicated that MPs would confirm that yes the administrators account has been credited for her to do the disbursement, “we would hold them for their words”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com