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Month: May 2020

Supreme Court nominee sorry for endorsing Prez Akufo-Addo

Posted on by Kwaku GhanaMPs

Nominee to the Supreme Court, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga, who caused an uproar with his endorsement of President Akufo-Addo earlier this year, has recanted his statement.

According to him, the speech he delivered that has received so much condemnation was not a personal opinion but the sentiment of the paramount chiefs in the South Afadjato district of the Volta Region where he is a traditional ruler.

He indicated that he was nominated by his peers to read the statement during President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s visit to the area.

He expressed regret over the matter and offered an unqualified apology.

“I am sorry. Let’s forget about it,” he stated.

Justice Honyenuga rated President Akufo-Addo highly for perceived developmental policies for the country while addressing the durbar last February, with the President in attendance.

“With the vision of the President and the gains made in his first term, Ghanaians may consider giving him another four years,” Justice Honyenuga said at the durbar.

His comment generated a lot of discussions on social media with many people criticizing his conduct.
Many also argued his endorsement of the President earned him the nomination to the Supreme Court and not his competence.

However when Justice Honyenuga appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday 11th May 2020 for vetting, he offered an apology for his statements.

According to him, misrepresentations in the reportage by the media with respect to the venue of the durbar and the occasion served as basis for confusion.

The event, he said, was a durbar of chiefs and people held at the district capital and not at the Nyagbo Traditional Area as reported in the media.

He was nominated as custom demanded to read the speech of the Chiefs. He argued that the chiefs were looking for developments for their respective traditional areas, which has been happening for years in the country.

He said, “This was a group of paramount chiefs and it was a special occasion when the President had visited the district. I made the statement on their behalf.”

“Our understanding was that we were wishing him well, and such things have been happening all the time and for years, since the colonial times.”

“If some people out of political dissatisfaction of whatever I have read affect them, then I’m sorry. Just forget about it,” he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Jean Mensa is running EC like an NGO—Haruna Iddrisu

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Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu has taken a swipe at the chairperson of the Electoral Commission madam Jean Mensa for running the institution like a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO).

According to him, it is only in Ghana that eight months into an election it is still doubtful which electoral register would be used for the 2020 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.

“I have heard people say the CI is still not ready, there is a CI inforce until the old one is replaced, the CI is good law in Ghana, and a legitimate law in Ghana, and therefore, do you say there is no governing law, governing our elections?”

Mr. Iddrisu addressing a press conference pointed out that the EC is expected to be independent within the remit of Article 45 of the 1992 Constitution, and added that the constitution provides a mandate for a Presidential and Legislative tenure to change every four years.

“Elections ought to be conducted and done by a credible and viable voters’ register which is the responsibility of the Commission, no excuse would be acceptable to us, the fact that it is not ready means somebody is incompetent and somebody is not up to a particular task”.

The Minority Leader noted that if the EC chairperson came to Parliament if she was competent enough she would not have brought two defective Instruments which is defective at law, and the last one, his side would shock the EC when it points out another defect in that instrument.

“I understand the EC chair went to an ECOWAS meeting to say she is preparing for June, I hope she does not come saying filling of nomination should be postponed because she is unable to have a voters register ready for filling for Presidential and Parliamentary candidates”.

In a related development, the Tamale South lawmaker noted that in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, government has decided to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to the EC officials but question if voters do not mater to be provided.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minority clash with Vetting Committee Chairman

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Minority members on the Appointments Committee of Parliament on Monday clashed with the Chairman of the Committee when he stopped a nominee from responding to a question.

Chairman of the Committee and also First Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu, halted a question from Member of Parliament from North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa to the Supreme Court nominee, Justice Clemence Jackson Honyenuga.

The MP had quizzed the neutrality of the Supreme Court nominee who endorsed President Akufo-Addo at a durbar in February, which he described as very political contrary to expectation of the office he occupies.

Mr. Okudzeto had sought clarification from the nominee, when in an earlier response he suggested the media had misrepresented his speech.

Justice Honyenuga stated that contrary to a report by the state media, the Daily Graphic, the occasion was a durbar of Chiefs to welcome the President to the Afadjato South District capital and not an event at the Nyagbo Traditional Area, where he is the Paramount Chief.

According to him, the speech he delivered was a statement on behalf of the Chiefs who nominated him for that duty and not an expression of personal opinion.

Mr. Ablakwa, however, expressed surprise at the claims of misrepresentation and indicated that the transcription and audio-visuals of the entire address suggest differently.

Referencing from the speech, the North Tongu legislature stressed it was in breach of the Code of Conduct for Judges, sections of which demand impartiality and refraining from publicly endorsing or opposing another candidate for political office.

“Here you are on the 18th of February 2020 endorsing the President. How do you reconcile your conduct with the rules under the Code of Conducts for judges and magistrates,” he quizzed?

The Chairman, however, directed the nominee not to respond to the question, much to the chagrin of the Minority members on the Committee.

He said, “My Lord, please don’t answer it. I am refusing to admit this question because he has explained reading the speech not for the traditional area he represented. He was nominated to read the speech on behalf of the others. For that reason it will be difficult to pin that on him as a personal opinion.”

The directive did not, however, go down well and Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, expressed his side’s dissatisfaction of the development.”

“This is a high judicial office and the nominee is very capable; you should allow him to vindicate himself with an answer to the question.”

He stressed that the Minority might be forced to come by way of procedure because of the directive, which would be difficult.

He said, “Let’s do a fair job to him and the office he is to occupy. There are audios and the public have access to them but to disallow the question, you will be making it difficult for us to perform our duties.”

“We are to assess him in respect of his judicial oath and in respect of his conduct and character as a person to the high office of a judge. We take strong objection to your ruling on this matter,” he added.

The Minority members thereafter vacated their seats but returned a while later to resume with the vetting.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

COVID-19 Pandemic: “Gov’t must desist from giving false hope”—Minority

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The Minority in Parliament has urged the President Nana Akuffo-Addo led government to desist from providing false hope on the COVID-19 pandemic to Ghanaians that the situation is under control by using its management of information as a cover up.

According to the Minority, it is an insult to the intelligence of Ghanaians when the rate of infection keeps rising up and added that what the President and his team must understand is that the issue is beyond public relations gimmick.

“It is not for a person to be egoistic or feel high when addressing the nation, we in the Minority do not want to tolerate any failure as this would cost lives despite assurance from the President; our health facilities remain very stretched”, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu said at a press conference.

Again, Mr. Iddrisu noted that apart from vitamin C being given to patients isolated at the GA East Hospital they are not getting any support from government and government must come clean and be transparent with data on Ghanaians infected with the COVID-19.

“PPEs should be made available, sufficient and adequate in quantities across the country to all health professionals. They cannot face the weeks ahead without adequate health equipments”.

Meanwhile the Minority is demanding accountability of funds towards the fight against the coronavirus spread as it points out that NADMO claims it was spending two million cedis a day on feeding without any mention of the number of Ghanaians being fed.

“Let us know the number of Ghanaians you are feeding, we can do a simple mathematics, if you were spending hundred or two hundred on a person tell us how much you spend daily, and the category of people you spend on in the interest of full transparency”.

Mr. Iddrisu further noted, the Minority would demand full disclosure through a thorough audit of all funds received.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

ECOWAS Parliament to hold virtual session—Mahama Ayariga

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The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed most institutions to hold virtual conference because most boarders are closed to air, sea and road travels.

A member of Ghana’s delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Mr. Mahama Ayariga has revealed that the Rt. Honourable Speaker of the fifth Parliament Sidie Mohamed Tunis is in talks with Secretary General, Mr. John Azumah in planning a virtual session for the parliament.

According to him a virtual meeting is possible since ECOWAS as an institution has started adopting the technology, with the meeting in recent times of Authority of Heads of States and Government.

“Given that airports are closed within the sub-region, meeting in Abuja is impossible and any other place in the West Africa sub-region”.

Mr. Ayariga in an interview noted that with the virtual session, the community lawmakers can participate from their various countries. he spoke with the Speaker on Wednesday 6th of May 2020.

According to him, he spoke with the Speaker on the virtual meeting, and “He drew my attention that zoom has interpretation facility, when I raised the issue of how interpretation was going to be done because there are three formal languages English, French and Portuguese. As usual, when we are in session there is simultaneous interpretation so that as we speak we can understand each other because I have never used zoom, in a situation where the participants are all using different languages”.

The inauguration of the fifth ECOWAS Legislature was held in Niamey, Niger from March 9, 2020,  by then Niger had not recorded a single case of the novel COVID-19 and the number of infected person in member states were not huge as it is currently.

Per the usual calendar of ECOWAS Parliament, first Extra Ordinary Session meetings are held in months of May and June for a month, where there are presentation of country reports which are peer reviewed, followed by Committee meetings and presentation by Institutions on matters affecting the sub-region.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

COVID-19 Politicisation: Minority demand timely advice from clergy

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The Minority in Parliament is demanding timely advice from the clergy in the wake of, the clergy criticizing parties on trying to score political points on curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus.

According to the Minority in Parliament they want to know where the clergy was when the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) was sharing and depleting the nation resources as if it was a party resources.

Mr. Iddrisu called for a clear distinction between party funds and national resources and express worry over the current government distributing national resources as if they were their own property as a party.

“When you say both parties are playing politics with COVID-19, we in the Minority have not sought to do politics with the disease and we would not do politics with it, like we ask at the press conference now when they say they have allocated thirty-five million dollars and we say it is not adequate do you call that partisan politics?”

He further argued that only two point six million dollars has been released as they have a responsibility of oversight and added that when one is creating a path, he would never know it is not straight.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minority would play its oversight role despite COVID-19 — Muntaka

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The Minority Chief Whip, Mohamed Muntaka Mubarak has given assurance to Ghanaians and the media that despite the outbreak of the novel coronavirus his side would continue to play their oversight role in Parliament.

According to him the Minority would never hide behind the pandemic to say they would not watch out for excess and abuse of power and wrong decision that would be made by the current administration led by President Nana Akuffo-Addo.

He made this remarks when the Minority address the media on measures taken by government in curbing the spread of COVID-19.

Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu addressing the media in Parliament advised President Nana Akuffo-Addo to take the advice of health experts and professionals in the wake of lifting the partial lockdown as the number of confirmed of the virus has increased.

As to whether the Minority in their press conference will support re-partial lockdown or a total lockdown, Mr. Iddrisu noted that as a Minority they do not have data and cannot advice but all they are saying is that the President should be cautious in terms of easing the restrictions and place emphasis on, testing, contact tracing, monitoring and isolation as well as quarantine when necessary.

On the Minority’s stand on the country evacuating Ghanaian students from China and other countries where the novel COVID-19 has hit hard, he stated, “We respect countries evacuating their citizens, we thanked them for their good judgment, if anyone has evidence that any person has been infected and would infect Ghanaians when brought back I would like to know”.

Again, Ghanaians stranded in Nigeria want to come back home as countries have lockdown, but it is impossible to do that now, pointing out that India, UK, USA, South Africa have evacuated their citizens.

“President Akuffo Addo’s resilience economy cannot evacuate Ghanaians stranded abroad, that is why he may not be able to venture to that enterprise. He noted that it is their view that just as government is able to open airport despite that it is closed for America to evacuate its citizens, government would provide a narrow opportunity for Ghanaians to strictly evacuate adhering to protocols by testing, screening and quarantine when necessary to secure the lives of Ghanaians abroad.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

Ranking Member on Foreign Affair holds discussion with Chinese Ambassador

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The Ranking member on the Foreign Affairs Committee of Ghana’s Parliament, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa on Wednesday held a breakfast meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana, H. E.  Shin Ting Wang.

According to Mr. Ablakwa, the meeting was at the invitation of the Chinese Ambassador to Ghana.

Mr. Okudzeto noted that they both held very useful discussions on wide ranging issues and was glad to hear that the challenges in Guangzhou are being resolved where African migrants in  Guangzhou are at the centre of attack in some cases being ejected by landlords.

The Ranking member noted in a tweet that after their discussion, the Chinese response to COVID-19 remains admirable.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

COVID-19 Pandemic: “I agree to virtual ECOWAS Parliament meeting”—Chairman

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Chairman of the Communications Committee of Ghana’s Parliament and former lawmaker in the Community Parliament, Mr. Fredrick Opare-Ansah has said virtual session is the good way to go in the wake of the novel corona pandemic in the West African sub-region.

According to him virtual meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament can work for smaller numbers.

“Where there is a rigid rule like a Parliament has, you can have one person moderating a meeting and other people coming in one after the other”.

In the case of the Community Parliament which is made up of one hundred and fifteen  (115) members from fifteen member states, Mr. Opare-Ansah noted that it was not going to be easy for the virtual session.

He further recounted that in the case of the Ebola outbreak when the Community Parliament had to sit on few occasions not at the pick of the disease on the sides they held some meetings but ensure that members adhered strictly to the protocols.

This was in an  interview when Ghanamps.com wanted to know if it’s possible to hold a meeting at Abuja of the Community Parliament in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak this year. He said “it is possible to do this but certainly not at this time when the pandemic seems to be at the worse across the sub-region”, he said.

Chairman of the Communications Committee of Ghana’s Parliament and former lawmaker in the Community Parliament, Mr. Fredrick Opare-Ansah has said virtual session is the good way to go in the wake of the novel corona pandemic in the West African sub-region.

According to him virtual meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament can work for smaller numbers.

“Where there is a rigid rule like a Parliament has, you can have one person moderating a meeting and other people coming in one after the other”.

In the case of the Community Parliament which is made up of one hundred and fifteen  (115) members from fifteen member states, Mr. Opare-Ansah noted that it was not going to be easy for the virtual session.

He further recounted that in the case of the Ebola outbreak when the Community Parliament had to sit on few occasions not at the pick of the disease on the sides they held some meetings but ensure that members adhered strictly to the protocols.

This was in an  interview when Ghanamps.com wanted to know if it’s possible to hold a meeting at Abuja of the Community Parliament in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak this year. He said “it is possible to do this but certainly not at this time when the pandemic seems to be at the worse across the sub-region”, he said.

Mr. Opare-Ansah further pointed out that the strength of a Parliament hinges on its Committees when questioned if the number of lawmakers should be cut down to afford the Parliament the  opportunity to have a virtual meeting.

In addition, he anoted that the Bureau can easily set up ad hoc committees which usually would  not be more than ten members led by a Speaker, or a Deputy Speaker with adequate representation to do any urgent work.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

 

 

Sanitation Minister joins virtual conference on water to end COVID-19

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Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources, Cecilia Abena Dapaah had  joined her colleague Ministers in Africa in a virtual conference on water.

The conference was to promote cooperation, security, social, economic development, and reduce poverty among member states through effective management of the continent’s water resources and the provision of water supply services.

According to a statement from the Ministry, the online African Ministers’ Conference on Water (AMCOW) was held at the instance of the AMCOW resident Pascal Houangui Ambouroue, Minister for Water and Energy of the Republic of Gabon.

The African Ministers’ Conference on Water (AMCOW) is the Specialized Technical Committee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment under the auspices of the African Union Commission.

In a statement issued by the Ministry,  it further pointed out that discussion focused on coordination of programmes of member states in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the readiness of member states in the WASH sector to tap into the World Bank Emergency Fund and the proposal to hold the 12th Extra Ordinary meeting of the Bureau of the Executive Committee (EXCO) scheduled for the 2nd of June, 2020.

Sanitation and Water Resources Minister of Ghana outlined measures taken by government to combat the spread of the novel COVID-19, as free distribution of water to vulnerable communities throughout the country and the decision of government to absorb the water bills of Ghanaians for the month of April, May and June and distribution of veronica buckets to Institutions and Organisatioins and public places to promote effective hand washing.

Availability of water and sanitation services especially to the vulnerable people living in slums and observing the World Health Organisation protocol can contain the spread of the pandemic, madam Abena Dapaah pointed out.

At the end of the deliberations, member states affirmed the decision that AMCOW Secretariat and the respective Technical Advisory Committee members synthesize their respective Country programmes into a composite work plan to be forwarded to Development partners for support.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com