Month: March 2021

As we all return to the very serious business of building our Nation Ghana after the Yuletide the Majority Caucus in Parliament would like to say a hearty Akwaaba to all.

We would like to begin by paying glowing tribute first to you our country men and women for choosing to always stand up for Mother Ghana. In spite of our teething challenges the Good Lord in His infinite wisdom and largesse has again gifted us with a brand new year; a year pregnant  with promise. For this, we give thanks and praise to his Holy Name!

Nation building is like the agony of a woman in labour. The process may seem excruciatingly painful, but the baby that is sure to come is always worth the trouble. If as a people, we truly do some honest soul searching at this special time of the year, we will see glimmers of hope at the end of our collective national tunnel. The many ongoing infrastructure projects in sectors such as Health, Education, Water, Roads and Transport, Energy and Ports are there for all to see.

Indeed, the Majority Caucus in Parliament share the same frustrations as expressed by our President and Leader of our Great Party when he said recently: “petty partisanship is the bane of our democracy, and the wish to acquire power becomes so insatiable that we put on politically coloured lenses and make it difficult for us to see what the reality is.”  This is not to say that we as the Governing Party, abhor criticism. On the contrary, much as we are geared up and re-energised to work harder than ever before in the interest of Mother Ghana, we expect our countrymen and women to continue to crack the whip in any area that you sincerely believe we may be underperforming.

The Majority Caucus an integral wing of the NDC Party which recently held its hugely successful National Delegates Conference in Kumasi is inspired and motivated to better do our work. As forcefully stated by President Jerry John Rawlings and Founder of our Party during the Delegates Conference, “The strength of our Party is derived from the will of the people. The raw undiluted free will of the people to decide what they want for their Party, their communities and their country”

And so, to our teeming NDC Party supporters in every Branch, every Constituency and in every nook and cranny of Ghana, who worked so hard to return the NDC to power in 2012, we want to say thank you most sincerely for your support over the years. The icing on the cake for the New Year are our hard working National Party Delegates for recently signalling their high sense of urgency, renewal and of purpose by electing a good mix of officers to spearhead the affairs of our Great Party and by implication the Nation at large.

Most importantly, the peaceful, incidence-free and successful outcomes of this Conference should tell its own story to the rest of our country men and women – The NDC Party has been freshened up and is on solid ground to work harder in our remaining two years in the Governance of our Nation, the only reason for which the good people of Ghana would give us another mandate beyond 2016!

We want to finally reassure the good people of our country that we are not oblivious of some of the major challenges that confront our nation today. Our New Year message to you is not to despair and not to give up hope. As symbolised by our hugely successful National Delegates Conference in Kumasi, we in the words of our Founder are “focussed and ready to fight for the core values of what the NDC truly stands for: truth, transparency, integrity and a people-centred movement.”

Under the able leadership of our President we have indeed been working, are working, and will be working even harder in the coming year and beyond to guarantee the basic needs of our people across the length and breadth of our country. We can only do this if we bond together as one family. We are one! Let us commit to working together in the years ahead and make our country greater and stronger.

Afi oo Afi, Afehyiapa and Happy New Year to you all!

NDC Majority Caucus in Parliament

Majority Leader

Hon. Alban S. K. Bagbin

Signed

Member of Parliament for Kintampo North, Joseph Kwame Kumah has said the good side of the 2021 budget is that abandoned projects from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s regime to that of former President John Mahama would be completed.

According to him his point would hold only and only if completion of abandoned projects would not be the usual political talks.

He further pointed out in an interview that in his constituency alone there is an institution of health wellbeing school that trains Ghanaians to feed the health sector. “If you go and see that Ghana Education Trust Fund project, it is still in the bush. A building that has not cracks in it, it is almost seventy-five percent completed”.

He also pointed out that going through the records, it is said that the project has been completed, but the contractor cannot be traced. And within same constituency, there are E-Blocks that were built by John Dramani Mahama and have not been completed, they have been abandoned in the bush.

And further explained that the current president Nana Akufo-Addo is not an NPP president, Ghanaians have given him the mandate to govern on behalf of Ghanaians, and he is not expecting that, completing abandon projects would be said nicely and at the end of the day nothing would happen.

Mr. Joseph Kumah touched on Ghana’s debt that had been contracted during the period of late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to John Mahama’s time to be one hundred and twenty-two billion Ghana cedis.

“Today, the debt is two hundred and eighty-nine billion Ghana cedis. When you do the deduction, President Nana Akufo-Addo has borrowed more than, from Nkrumah’s time to Mahama’s time”, he explained.

Member of Parliament for Asunafo South, Erick Opoku has said he hopes government would take on board comments that the Minority side of the House would be passing on this year’s budget during the debate.

According to him most of the times, governments do not listen to the voices of the opposing sides, but believes if government takes on board suggestions and contributions during budget debates, it would go a long way to help.

And gave example of the motion moved by his colleague Mahama Ayariga on absorbing the school fees of students, as it was touched on and hoping that when hard copies of the budget is made available to MPs, they would get a better understanding of the budget.

Mr. Erick Opoku who was speaking in an interview noted that this year’s budget is coming at a time that there is difficulty all around the globe. With this COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of companies have folded up, and rather government is going to introduce new taxes.

“I am very much disappointed in this budget, the reason being this is not the time to introduce taxes, and rather government should have looked for ways of getting our production go up so that our debt would be reduced”.

Mr. Opoku was unhappy with what government is about doing with regard to taxes, and their side would point out the hardship government wants to take Ghanaians through.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Misappropriation and misuse of public funds should be blame on the door step of the President and Parliament, Speaker Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin said on Sunday, March 14, 2021 at the opening of a three days post budget workshop for Members of Parliament.

According to him it is unfortunate for lawmakers to be seen to be acting as “guard dogs” of the president, and not “watch dogs of the people” during budget debates on the floor of the House and on airwaves.

He added that it is important to look at the challenges lawmakers face in performing their duties in this regard, especially scrutinizing the budget and its approval. There are number of challenges in a thorough review of the budget statement as it requires time in scrutinizing it properly.

And budget should be made sufficiently well in advance at the beginning of the financial year, but in the case of Ghana when the budget is presented to the House, it takes less than one month to consider it and it is then approved by the House.

Again, budget should be evidence base, and there should be available and reliable data that MPs can rely on, when they are deliberating on it, he said. “However, there is limited access to quality information for parliament to rely on for its debate”.

Mr. Speaker gave an example of impact of the budget on women and children, youth and the aged, rural against urban areas and how alien is the budget to national priorities he noted is crucial to the debate and approval of the budget.

“Currently Parliament lacks the ability to independently do analysis of the budget within a short time frame and it is not because lawmakers do not have such capacity, but parliament is rather constrained with constitutional, legal and institutional weakness”.

International best practice, the Speaker noted, requires a minimum of three months to debate and approve budgets by the legislature. It is to be based on meaningful analysis and the budget should be tabled sufficiently in advance of the financial year.

This workshop will offer MPs the opportunity to listen to experts to make informed debate, which should address the aspirations of the people before its approval and scrutiny of the budget should therefore make Ghana better for the country to be in a better position to face the challenges that confront its people

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu on Friday, March 12, 2021 indicated to the House that they will be filing a motion to demand further and better particulars on Frontiers Health Care and Medical Services.

The Minority on the Appointment Committee have been scrutinizing Ministers-designate to find out more on the operation of the Frontiers Health Care and Medical Services, which has been in charge of taking the antigen test at the Kotoka International Airport.

Another Government institution whose financial dealings the Minority Leader indicated that they would file a motion on is the Ghana National Petroleum Cooperation (GNPC), as their project which is estimated at three hundred and fifty thousand dollars has not been brought to the House.

In reacting to the Minority’s notice, Vice Chairman of the Business Committee who presented the Business statement, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin noted that Ministers of state have taken their positions now, and have gotten wind of the Minority’s motions.

“We want the motions to be filed, we have able Ministers in place to address whatever concerns the Minority has, we have been waiting for it do it, file the motion”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Former Minister for Works and Housing Samuel Atta-Akyea has said increases in taxes in the 2021 budget presented to the House on Friday, March 12, 2021 is the necessary thing to do since the county needs more revenue to provide reliefs to Ghanaians.

According to him Ghanaians are enjoying free electricity and water and questioned how that was going to be sustained. “Little pain is going to go for the general good of Ghanaians and we should embrace it”.

He further noted in an interview that this is a sensitive government which for the past two years has provided free electricity and water, and again those working in the public sector were never laid off, they had been cushioned till now.

“In this year’s budget what we are about to roll out would help us get out of the mess created, it is very uncharitable for anyone to say we are inflecting hardship on Ghanaians, the difference between relief and hardship is lost on those making that comment”.

He further pointed out that government is bringing a hundred billion into the economy and again, pointed out that the president of the United States of America Biden has done same for the US as COVID-19 has graded their economy down.

“He is bringing over one point nine trillion dollars to start the US economy, that is the sensible way to go, any other position is patrician and propaganda it does not help in building a nation”, he lamented.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Minister of Parliamentary Affairs with additional responsibility on Finance Ministry, Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu in presenting this year’s budget on Friday, March 12, 2021 noted that the real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is projected at five percent.

As non-oil real GDP growth is projected at six point seven percent and in terms of sectorial growth, the agriculture sector is expected to grow at four percent with industry sector at four point eight percent and the service sector at five point six percent.

“Mr. Speaker, monetary policy in 2021 and the medium-term will continue to hinge on sustaining price stability with a view to firmly anchoring inflation expectations and creating conditions favorable to growth.

It would aim at steering inflation back within the medium-term target of eight plus two percent broad money supply growth is projected to moderate this year in line with inflation.

And in revenue mobilization because of the pandemic times are hard for many people, but it’s important we rebuild and strengthen public finance to provide the necessary resources to protect the lives and livelihood of Ghanaians.”

“Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused additional health spending that far exceeds the annual budget for health, procurement of vaccines the first batch of six hundred thousand dose  from the COVAX facility have already been delivered and additional seventeen million, six hundred thousand vaccines would be delivered by June with more to come in the course of the year.

He further pointed out that sanitation and pollution levy would be introduced, adding that despite the progress made, there is still a lot to be done in improving urban air quality and combat air pollution, support the re-engineering of landfill sites at Kpone and Oti.

Again, support the fumigation of public spaces, schools, health centers and markets in addition revamp reconstruct poorly managed landfill facilities and construct more sustainable state of the art waste treatment plants both solid and liquid in selected locations across the country.

There would be construction of medical waste treatment facilities to prevent generation of infectious disease especially under the coronavirus treatment progamme, and further construct more sanitation facilities to accelerate the elimination of open defecation, the Minister stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Governs Kwame Agbodza on Friday, March 12, 2021 demanded that Government’s financial policy for the year ending December 13, 2021  be made available to MPs same day as it is presented.

According to him MPs need the hard copies of the budget statement in other to peruse it well before Tuesday, March 16, 2021 when debate on the budget would commence on the floor of the House.

“If we are to have a good debate on the floor, we need hard copies before we leave the House today”.

Vice Chairman of the Business Committee, Kwamena Afenyo Markin who presented the Business Statement on the floor of the House gave assurance that the Adaklu lawmaker has a point and the Committee would ensure MPs have their copies.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Ranking Member on the Finance Committee Cassiel Ato Baah Forson has urged Leadership of  the Business Committee to take a second look at the time allotted for debate on the floor of the House.

According to him the Seconder and Ranking member of Finance should be given thirty minutes for the budget debate which commence next week Tuesday, whiles twenty minutes be given to chairs of committees and their ranking members in other that they would do justice to the budget.

And further noted that if the budget estimates would come before the House next week Thursday, it means the House has only two weeks to look at the budget whereby in the past four weeks was allotted and wanted explanation to the change.

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu share same views and wanted the Speaker to direct the Finance Ministry to make the budget estimate available by next week Wednesday because it is the budget estimate that delays the budget consideration.

In his response Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin noted that the point raised would be discussed by the Business Committee and the time would be varied appropriately.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Former Deputy Minister of Energy John Abdulai Jinapor has urged Leadership of the House to take a second look at traveling from Ho in the Volta Region to Accra next Tuesday, March 16, 2021 to start this year’s budget debate.

According to him traveling same day to engage in a budget debate at 2:00pm same day is not the best as they have to go through traffic, and urged the Business Committee to take a second look at the date.

In his response vice chairman of the Business Committee who presented the statement noted that the two days workshop which starts in Ho on Sunday would end on Monday evening.

And since some work would be done late into the night, he was expecting that by 5:00am on Tuesday members would leave early enough to get to Accra for debate on this year’s budget to start.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com