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Month: August 2020

“Akufo-Addo would win any clean election without intimidation”—Nitiwul

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Minister for Defense Dominic Nitiwul has said President Nana Akufo-Addo would win any election in Ghana which is clean devoid of intimidation violence no matter the day.

According to him candidate Akufo-Addo does not need to use the military to intimidate in order to be re-elected in the upcoming 2020 Presidential election.

“If the NDC has a policy they should bring it on the table they had been in power for eight years, we have had three and half years let us compare our records we would see who has perform better, people of Ghana would decide that is what we are calling for we are not calling for Akans and Ewes that they are hipping”.

Addressing members of the Parliamentary Press Corps, he pointed out that if the President was vindictive as the opposition would want Ghanaians to believe, he would not be the Defense Minister considering the village he comes from in the North.

“The military would be proactive and protect everybody and ensure there is peace in the country and emphasis that the agreement signed between the political parties not to bus people to the registration centres is obeyed.  We would stop NPP and NDC should they bus people in the case of Banda”.

The Defense Minister urged that individuals should be allowed to go to the various registration centres to register. He further added that there would be an issue if people are being prevented from registering. “If the president bus people we would stop him”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

We have justified our existence beyond 2020 election —Director MP

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Four months into Ghana’s presidential and parliamentary election on December 7, 2020 general election, and the critical role played by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MPA) in the country’s democratic governance architecture has been affirmed.

Chief Director of the MPA, Dr. Evans Aggrey-Darkoh has noted that the Ministry has justified its existence under the current dispensation and he is very positive that whoever wins the upcoming election, the Ministry would still continue to exist to continue to play its critical role.

According to him the Ministry has provided and built the capacity of the sector Minister who is also leader of Government Business based on evidence it has provided interaction to key stakeholders who had provided them with key positions worked out into new legislative proposals.

And added that, the feedback had been put into policy perspectives which are being implemented to help Leader of Government Business deal with issues in Parliament at the same time help to shape analysis at the cabinet level which feed directly into policy direction.

In an interview to find out if the Ministry has justified its re-establishment after being in abeyance for the past eight years under the previous administration, he added that, the ministry  is in good position to be able to function within the governance architecture given the requisite resources and space to function.

Dr. Aggrey Darkoh further cataloged engagements embarked on by the Ministry to address the perennial problems between Members of Parliament (MPs) and Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, (MMDCEs) which undermine the country’s development and development at the local level.

Strategically, the Ministry has position members of the Executive and the Legislature to work together for the interest of the ordinary Ghanaian, and advocated for interface between the two arms of government despite the hybrid system and the need to respect separation of powers.

He emphasized that the two major divide in the seventh legislature have always been part of the Ministry’s programme and pledged their unflinching support to the Ministry, and for him it seals approval of the good job the Ministry is doing.

“Our engagement in Koforidua we had the Senior Minister as a guest of honor and vice president when we engaged MPs and MMDCEs from the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo. Again in 2018 in Tamale we had the president as our guest speaker when we met MPs and MMDCEs from the Northern Regions”.

The Chief Director further pointed out that in all the engagements the Ministry had they did not record less than eighty of eighty-eight percent of persons invited and beyond that engagement there has been engagement with civil society organisations on the Right to Information implementation.

“We have built the capacity of members of the Parliamentary Press Corps for giving parliament the visibility, you can do all the work but if nobody report on you, you only know you exist and your good work might not be seen the spot light of your work”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Mahama should bring evidence of intimidation and we would act—Defense Minister

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minister for Defense, Dominic Nitiwul has challenged former President John Dramani Mahama and flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to provide evidence of intimidation, suppression and harassment he is alleging to have taken place at the ongoing registration exercise by the Electoral Commission.

According to him should the former president provide any evidence, he as the sector Minister would take an action against and military officer found to be miss conducting him or herself, “we need evidence to his allegations”.

“Office of the former president is a respected one, there are three eminent persons who occupied that office, he is a candidate now, he and his followers should know this, so when he makes this type of allegation we need evidence”.

At a media briefing in parliament, the defense Minister told journalists that the briefing given the former president and presidential candidate of the opposition was wrong. His intelligence briefing was suspect and misleading.

On the brouhaha with the intimidation going on at Banda circulated in the media space Dominic Nitiwul noted that the military are ensuring that no one is bused to the registration center and the two parliamentary candidates of both the ruling government and the opposition have had an agreement on this.

He backed his argument by pointing out that the Regional Security Coordinating Council has had this understanding with the NPP and the NDC in Banda to have peace before and after the registration exercise.

“To see the General Secretary of the NDC in a video clip going round busing people should be condemned I do that with all the might I have in me, I want to assure Ghanaians RCSC task the military to be at Banda”.

Mr. Nitiwul emphasized that the military command has not deploy any of its personnel to suppress voters and what is happening in Banda,  what do you want the military to do when they see people being bused, we want them to simply walk there?

The political parties would have to respect their agreement and the former President John Mahama is wrong in citing voter suppression in the Volta Region, are the figures in the Northern and Volta Region lower than the national figures, no obviously same with Greater Accra?

“For him and his party to run the military is very unfortunate and it is not in their interest to run the military down, he was just the commander in chief just four years ago and I am very worried he is taking his time to run down the military. He did that at Aflao and was called out and he could not provide evidence he is doing it again”.

The Minister told the media the former president could not provide evidence in his earlier allegation of voter suppression in the Volta Region, “NDC knows that the Ghanaian military are professionals, they would not be used by any individual to do their dirty work for them”.

And added that the opposition knows that the current president is a democrat and has not intentions and not in his blood to use the military to do any dirty work for him, “he does not need it”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

All Committees in Parliament need basic training in legislation—Ras Mubarak

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak is advocating for all members of various Committees at the Legislature to have the basic training in legislation, as most of the Committees had to fall on either the Subsidiary Legislation or Constitutional Legal and Parliamentary Affairs in doing their work.

According to him it would go a long way to strengthen the various Committees work who most of the time rely on the two committees in their work.

He further underscored the need to have regular capacity building training for committee members, explaining that most of the time the committee members do not have particular experience in a subject matter for the Committee to benefit from.

The Kumbungu lawmaker who lost his primaries as a one term lawmaker despite being commended for catching up fast on parliamentary work, lamented over the system of electing lawmakers every four years and said it is not in the interest of the country.

He gave an example of the first Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu being part of a meeting he attended who had to leave the meeting within a short time because there was an urgent issue at the constituency he needed to address despite being an integral part of the meeting he attended.

Mr Mubarak who was contributing at an engagement held by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs with chairman and their rankings in assessing the committee system also asserted that political parties need to take a firm decision on this worrying matter.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

MPA holds working dialogue with core leadership of parliament

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs (MPA) has held a working dialogue with leadership of Parliament on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at the premises of the House.

The working dialogue is on the theme, “Nurturing career legislators in Ghana; prospects and challenges”, as a follow up to series of engagement the MPA has had with lawmakers to strengthen the institution play its critical role.

Today’s engagement is to examine the nature, causes and consequences of the high attrition among parliamentarian and discuss the prospects and challenges of nurturing career legislators.

And offer recommendations to address the high attrition rate in parliament and strengthen the relationship between Parliament and the MPA featuring chairman and ranking members of the Committee on Constitutional Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

Lack of stability in the Legislature could also lead to erratic lawmaking as parliament is deprived of accumulation of legislative skills and experience, and the phenomenon impairs the chances of nurturing career legislators of the critical human capital needed for institutional development.

Researchers have attributed the high attrition rate in Ghana’s Parliament to a number of factors not limited to excessive monetization of Ghanaian politics, the tension between the functions of parliamentarians and constraining effects of the hybrid political system which is defining characteristics of the 1992 Constitution among others.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Bedzrah scores Committees of the 7th Parliament 5/10

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Ranking Member on the Committee for Works and Housing, Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzrah has scored the 7th Parliament of the fourth Legislature of the fourth Republic 5/10.

According to him the Committees in the 7th Parliament of the fourth Republic have not done well at all in their performance, adding the performance has been, “abysmal”.

He further lamented over political interference of the Committees work haven been a chairman of the Government Assurance Committee in the sixth Parliament. “There were times that you want to hold public hearing but impediment would be put on your way. In the seventh Parliament we have not had any public hearing to look at assurance given by Ministers”.

This does not pertain only to the Government Assurance Committee but other Committees to, and added that lawmakers should decide who becomes a chairman of a Committee instead of the political parties deciding on that.

Mr. Bedzrah further called for the review of the standing orders being worked on to take into account having a chairman coming from the Majority side of the House and Vice Chairman coming from the Minority side of the House and giving specific roles that the Chairman the Vice have to play.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Mahama calls for activation of activities of political affairs committee

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Ahead of Presidential and Parliamentary elections in some West African sub-regional countries this year, first rapporteur of the Community Parliament’s committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and African Peer Review Mechanism, Mahama Ayariga is call for activation of the activities of the committee.

According to  him with the coronavirus pandemic setting in  it makes it expensive and difficult to fly and observe elections with  upcoming elections  in Ghana and Ivory Cost hence zoom meeting by the committee should be activated.

He further pointed out in an interview that airports and borders had been closed due to COVID-19 outbreak.

“As we speak we have an ongoing crises in Mail resulting from elections ECOWAS is seeking to intervene and apart from Ghana and Ivory Coast having election this year, there are other countries who have elections next year. Guinea’s political systems seems to have a stall a bit, with all this the committee needs to be active”.

Mr. Ayariga further noted that the committee has an advantage to benefit from previous Community lawmakers and current ones who are in countries where the elections would be held, as very often when the Community Parliament intervene when there is crises it is done through the Community lawmakers which has proven very useful.

He gave his experience in Serra Leon where he was part of the team of Community lawmakers who resolve issue there as a result after their election, “we work through our colleagues who were already on the ground.

“They normally open up and tell you what the real situation is on the ground who the real players are and guide you on how to proceed with your intervention to resolve the problems effectively, that is why I said at the Second Extra Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament recently for the Committee to be active”.

Again, by meeting virtually as a committee he said they could generate a report to the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and other relevant institutions and provide some useful ideas as to how some of the conflict within the sub-region can better be manage.

MPs cannot afford private jets, but  Heads of States can he alluded to the current case in Mail where  they fly in and out the same day  to ensure they are not infected, “

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

“Akufo-Addo would win any clean election without intimidation”—Nitiwul

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs

Minister for Defense Dominic Nitiwul has said President Nana Akufo-Addo would win any election in Ghana which is clean devoid of intimidation violence no matter the day.

According to him candidate Akufo-Addo does not need to use the military to intimidate in order to be re-elected in the upcoming 2020 Presidential election.

“If the NDC has a policy they should bring it on the table they had been in power for eight years, we have had three and half years let us compare our records we would see who has perform better, people of Ghana would decide that is what we are calling for we are not calling for Akans and Ewes that they are hipping”.

Addressing members of the Parliamentary Press Corps, he pointed out that if the President was vindictive as the opposition would want Ghanaians to believe, he would not be the Defense Minister considering the village he comes from in the North.

“The military would be proactive and protect everybody and ensure there is peace in the country and emphasis that the agreement signed between the political parties not to bus people to the registration centres is obeyed.  We would stop NPP and NDC should they bus people in the case of Banda”.

The Defense Minister urged that individuals should be allowed to go to the various registration centres to register. He further added that there would be an issue if people are being prevented from registering. “If the president bus people we would stop him”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

No matter how good a person is in parliament, parties don’t protect them —Osei-Owusu

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu has lamented over the practice where the two major political parties in the country, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have done nothing to protect good lawmakers in the legislature.

According to him there should have been steps taken by the parties to protect the good materials and further added that as it stands now none of the political parties can say they would ensure that farmers and accountants or professionals of high quality would be maintained in the House.

The First Deputy Speaker lamented over how Parliament is not prepared in terms of resources and lawmakers in respect to the kind of thing there are envisaged to do. “In my view the answers to these questions are beyond Parliament’s control as to lawmakers who come in political parties”.

Again he questioned, where in the world do we have lawmakers subjecting themselves every four years to elections?
“I led a delegation of my Committee, the Privileges Committee to the House of Commons and we had the opportunity to interact with their whips and leadership of both side of the House. They were surprised to learn that indeed no matter how well you perform every four years you have to go back to the polls”.

The Bekwai lawmaker noted that in the United Kingdom, their system does not work like that, once you are elected you would be the candidate of the party unless you loss the main elections.

He made this remarks at an engagement with leadership of the Standing and Select Committees of Parliament organised by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.

“A good MP is not the one who does his work well in the House. The last primaries show clearly people who were truly committed to their work in Parliament lost their primaries. That is not what interest the public, we should have a second look at what represent our interest as a people”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Parliamentary Affairs has justified its place in governance—Minister

Posted on by Fred GhanaMPs
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has noted that his Ministry has justified its place in the arena of governance hence the re-instatement of the Ministry by President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration.

According to him, between 2009 and 2016 there was an imposed hiatus by the two previous administrations on the Ministry based on rather proven untenable reasons that disrupted work of the Ministry for eight years.

There has been fruitful engagement with different segments of Parliament ranging from leadership of the House, Committee chairpersons, ranking members, MPs to members of the Parliamentary Press Corps.

He singled out the support the Ministry had enjoyed from the Minority Leader, the first Deputy Speaker, Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and his ranking and lamented over the inability of the two to be part of the next parliament.

The leader of Government business made these remarks at the opening of the Ministry’s engagement with the expanded leadership of the House on the theme, “The committee system in Ghana’s Parliament an assessment”.

Mr. Osei-Kyei further lamented over the high attrition rate that must be of grave concern to the country’s fledging parliamentary democracy at heart. “After every term some of our finest legislators are peeled off should be troubling to all who believe in good democratic governance”.

And reiterated that the Ministry’s engagement with the chairs and ranking members of all the thirty one committees was aimed at deepening democratic governance in line with its 2020 strategic policy objective and priority areas of concentration of enabling effective interference between the Executive and the Legislature.

The Minister of Parliamentary Affairs lamented over the practice where some previous Speakers vetted motions and re-wrote them in a very watered down form and quoted order 72, which imply that the Speaker would be provided with the motions and statement which a member intend to make.

Despite the order 66 making the speaker the sole judge to admit statement and motions, the speakers power to alter these documents has to do with only urgent statements, only when the question asked infringes on order 67 (1), he added.

Again, another avenue open to lawmakers to put their cases across is the media engagement when time does not permit for them to put their issues across on the floor of the House, to put government on the carpet and demand response from government.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com