Month: January 2021

Leader of the NDC caucus in parliament, Haruna Iddrisu is demanding that President Nana Akufo-Addo respect Act 845 section 7 of the Presidential transition Act 2012, which requires that a handing over notes be provided thirty days to the presidential election. “We demand that is made available to Parliament”, he emphasised.

According to him the President is not complying with the Act and is in breach of it despite the fact that Article 58 of the 1992 Constitution mandates him to enforce the laws of Ghana, which further means he has the responsibility to respect the laws of Ghana.

At a media briefing on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 shortly after the House started sitting, he pointed out that the president forming a transitional team in itself was not enough, as he has specific responsibility to undertake in Section 7 of the Presidential Transition Act.

“All Ministries, Agencies, Government Department and public institutions of state are to prepare handing over notes, in addition requires the Administrator General does so. Anyway do you know who has been appointed as the Administrator General, I leave that for you the media”

Mr. Iddrisu addressing the media lamented that as he speaks, Parliament has no records of handing over notes and they demand that it is made available to enable the House play its oversight role.

He said parliament needs that record as the House is preparing to constitute the Appointment Committee for this year’s vetting of scrutinizing Ministers that would be appointed by President Nana Akufo-Addo. And hinted that the 8th Parliament’s vetting of Ministers would no longer be about CVs.

“We can go into the records of persons who have exercised the authority as Ministers, Deputies and heads of institutions, and we do not find it legally acceptable that the president is in breach of Act 845, in the interest of transparency and accountability”

Act 845 section seven, “(1) the Administrator-General shall make available to the person elected as President the original copies of the handing over notes. (2) of five other copies (a) the Administrator-General shall retain one copy, and (b) one copy shall be sent respectively to (i) Parliament (ii) the chief justice (iii) the council of state, and (iv) the public records and archives administration department”

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Deputy Majority Group Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin has urged the Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin and the Minority Group Leader in the 8th Parliament to respect their numerical strength and acknowledge them as the Majority caucus.

According to him he thought the ruling of the Speaker would put finality to the confusion that has emerged with reference to us as the Majority group.

At a press conference on Wednesday, January 20, 2021, the Deputy Leader who addressed the media on behalf of the Leader of Government Business noted that, “we want to invite the Speaker to hold this view as such, so that there would be consistency in how we are addressed”.

Again Majority Leader is the Leader of the House, “we are in government”, therefore, he is the Leader of Government Business; this matter must be settled, and they are respected on this issue.

As the Majority side with the Fomena MP wanting to do business with them they are more than ready to build consensus, this has been the position of Majority Leader, then President elect and current Speaker.
He gave some historical antecedent in 2009 when the then CPP MP, Samia Yaba Christina Nkrumah took a position that she would not want to belong to either the Majority or the Minority side of the House.

The current Speaker, then Majority Leader invited Speaker Joycelin Branford Addo to rule on the matter. Samia Nkrumah then opted to be with the Majority side of the House and is on record.

Additionally, back then the total number of the House was 230 and NDC needed a magical number of 116 of which they did not have but had Independent and PNC members joining to give them that numerical strength.

“So we find it difficult that, suddenly the issue of who is the Majority caucus or group and all that, the Standing Orders are very clear the practice and convention we have Minority Leader under rule 8 same rule Majority Leader”.

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Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has taken a swipe at the Minority of the eight Parliament, for having obstructionist agenda to frustrate government business in the House.
According to him their colleagues in the Minority have to change their posture and language as they conduct themselves as if government matters do not matter.

“We are ready to build consensus, but we see signs for ambushing by the Minority. They are up to some games and their language on issues are, you have a government to run and you have everything to lose; that is not how patriots behave”.

Mr. Markin at a press conference on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 noted that his side believes in the declaration of Mr. Speaker to be impartial, however, the conduct of his colleagues the NDC is giving them compelling impression, that they have a certain view that they would have their way.

“They could find some means of compromising the impartiality of the Speaker. We are not saying he has been compromised, or he is about to be compromised; his impartial principles, if we do not put this out now it might affect the future conduct of business in the House”.

Again, he added that the country has gone through presidential and parliamentary elections and the result produce by the people of Ghana is respected by all, as parliament survives on give and take, and consensus.

He told the media in parliamentary jurisprudent where the Speaker or his deputies are required to chair a Committee, their membership of the Committee does not count, citing the Appointment Committee chaired by the first Deputy Speaker.

And noted that the Standing Order state clearly that the committee should have twenty-five members, and the agreed ration of 138 to 137 which should translate into Majority thirteen (13) and Minority (12).
“Our colleagues who were pushing the agenda of secret balloting arguing on practice and convention of the House, when a court order has been served on the clerk of parliament and communicated to the NDC Assin North MP, they formed a human shield and made strenuous arguments that he is taking responsibility of his action of disobeying a court order”.

He also pointed out that, they labored to draw home the need for all to respect court order, as they were the first to sue John Peter Amewu and secured an injunction on him.

“If NPP had behaved this way hell would have broken loose; we would continue to engage our colleagues, but we believe the Speaker can do better than we see, we would not give up in our engagement”.

And further noted that Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has put a post on his page to expose the mischief of the Minority. “How can you say we should put a hold on the Standing Orders, immediately you get what you want, you say I have a dagger in my hands look if you misbehave you are dead?”, He questioned.
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Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga has petitioned the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin to move a motion that will suspend the payment of school fees by fresh and continuing students of public tertiary institutions across the country.

The Bawku Central MP wants the payment of admission fees suspended for the 2020/2021 academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has affected businesses and jobs of both parents and students negatively.

In a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, the Bawku Central MP said that: “this House Resolves to request the President of the Republic of Ghana to take urgent steps to suspend the payment of admission fees by new entrants into public tertiary education institutions and continuing students of those institutions for the 2021 academic year as part of the national COVID relief programmes being implemented by Government.”

Mr. Ayariga further noted that, “The urgency of this matter is dictated by the fact that public tertiary institutions are reopening now and students who have been offered admission are requested to make payments before they are admitted and will lose the opportunity if they do not pay. Continuing students must also pay.”

The Bawku Central MP also cited reasons for wanting the payment of fees suspended for the academic year.

“This is important to the public because many people have lost their jobs due to the economic consequences of the outbreak of COVID-19, which has necessitated government granting subsidies in the provision of water and electricity. The hospitality sector has been hard hit.

Workers of private schools in the education sector have not earned income in close to a year. Border towns like Bawku have suffered economically from the restrictions in cross-border movement and trading. Most parents and students have not been able to work to save funds to be able to pay fees. Remittances from abroad have drastically shrunk. The banking crisis caused many jobs to be lost”, he added.

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Deputy Minority Leader James Kluste Avedzi has served notice that his side would oppose the ratio of Committees in the eight Parliament of thirteen to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Majority group and twelve to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) group.

According to him as things stands now both parties NPP and NDC have one hundred and thirty- seven (137) each despite the Independent MP in the person of Andrew Amoako indicating to do business with the NPP which has their numbers moving to one hundred and thirty-eight (138).

On the floor of the House on Friday, January 15, 2021 before the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu who presided over affairs of the House, he put the question for approval of the Committee of Selection to be approved and was carried out.

“We should have a ratio of fifty to fifty; that is what I want to draw the attention of the leadership committee of Selection to. For the first two years, we can have NPP take 13 we take 12, then the third and fourth years go to the NDC, it is a simple thing to do”.

Mr. Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu who intervened noted that what his colleague was saying on the face value makes a lot of sense, but every ratio is predicated on the actual numbers one thirty-eight divided by two seventy-five and you would get the actual ratio.

“He should not make any proposal that cannot be grounded, the rules are clear and the ration is based on actual numbers”, he added.

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Deputy Leader of the Majority group in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin has said in reality the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC), currently has one hundred and thirty-six seats (136) in the Eight (8) Parliaments as at January 7. 2021.

According to him there is an interlocutory order of injunction against the Assin North Member of Parliament of the NDC stock James Gyakye Quayson and the order was communicated to him by the Clerk of Parliament.

“I raise this issue on the floor and the NDC leader Haruna said he had explain the consequences of the members action to him as he elected to disobey the court process, so in real terms NDC has one hundred and thirty-six seats as we speaker today”.

He made this remarks when he addressed journalists on Friday, January 15, 2021 after the ruling of the Speaker that put to rest the issue of which side of the Eight (8) Parliament form the Majority group.

On the issue of the Assin North MP, he noted that the matter is in the hands of the lawyers of the applicant in a suit to deal with, and emphasized that the speaker has ruled and there is no ambiguity on that matter.

And further added that it is the independent MP from Foeman’s decision to do business with the NPP 137 side of the House that has given it a Majority group of 138.

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