Month: February 2022

In the wake, of the termination of the appointment of the Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited, Mr. Yaw Kwakwa, the Deputy Minority whip Ibrahim Ahmed has hinted that the Minority would receive briefing and address the press in Parliament appropriately.

According to him a party factionary, McDan Aviation is being favored hence a well-meaning Ghanaian in the person of Mr. Yaw Kwakwa briefing both the Majority and Minority on the Committee of Road and Transport on the issue of the private jet terminal at the Kotoka International Airport has been sacked.

“It is a clear manifestation of keep quiet and suffer. The man was in parliament chairing a meeting explaining things to the Committee and they noticed that he was revealing things that should not have been revealed, and then he was sacked”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Deputy Minister for Transport Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana has asserted that the President Nana Akufo-Addo is not mandated to give reasons for the termination of the appointment of Yaw Kwakwa, the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited.

According to him the same way as the President did not give reasons for his appointment same applies to the termination of his appointment.

In an interview with members of the Parliamentary Press Corps (PPC) as to the reason why the MD’s appointment has been terminated and if he was aware, in indicated that “the letter was addressed to the board chairman, that is what it is supposed to be with a company regulated by the companies Act, then the board chairman can convene a meeting and take the necessary steps”.

He added that this has been the normal practice Presidents terminate appointment of his appointees without given any reason for it.

 As to whether he paid the ultimate with is job by standing by the truth, he said “it is your conjecture, I cannot confirm that”.

In a letter dated February 4, 2022, to the Company’s Board Chair, the Transport Minister said, “per a letter No OSP127/22/104 dated on January 31, 2022, the President has directed the sacking of Mr. Kwakwa, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah”, and urged him to  kindly take the necessary steps to give effect to the directive.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, has bemoaned the refusal by some sick Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to seek for medical health care abroad despite their deteriorating conditions for fear of the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) getting passed.

According to him, it would be suicidal to see some of his colleague MPs from the Minority Caucus breakdown on health grounds because they don’t want the E-Levy to be passed.

He said it is important for all sick MPs on the Minority side to prioritize their health conditions over any other thing else, urging all affected who have already schedule an appointment with their doctors abroad to travel for medical treatment.

Afenyo-Markin, leading the House at a sitting on Friday, February 4, 2022, had urged all MPs, when presenting the Business Statement for the ensuing week, to fully participate in the consideration of the E-Levy when it is withdrawn and subsequently re-introduced in the House by the Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta during the course of the week.

His remarks provoked the NDC MP for Yapei-Kusawgu constituency, John Abdulai Jinapor, who told the House that the encouragement from the Deputy Majority Leader who is also the NPP MP for Effutu, has fortified him to change his mind of travelling abroad for medical review in order to participate in the consideration of the E-Levy when withdrawn and subsequently, re-introduced.

“According to the Deputy Majority Leader, the Minister of Finance is likely to withdraw the E-Levy on the 11th of February and may introduce it on the 15th of February. Mr. Speaker, some of us have had some medical appointments and are even supposed to travel. Indeed, some of us wanted to travel this weekend. But the statement said Members are therefore encouraged to participate fully in the consideration of the bill. In fact, he (Afenyo-Markin) himself is encouraging us that those of us who have medical appointment, we should not travel. We should stay and help in considering the bill. In fact, but for his advice, some of us were even preparing to travel. But following his advice, I’m compelled to stay in the House and follow the Deputy Majority Leader’s advice. I would, therefore, like to plead with him that is it possible that he brings certainty and clarity in respect of the date so that those of us who want to travel even if it’s five days, we can dash-out and dash-in in order to participate in this E-Levy approval process”, he noted.

However, Jinapor’s response was rebutted by Afenyo-Markin who urged Members to prioritize their health conditions over any other matter.

“Mr. Speaker, there are many with health concerns, yet you are not travelling. For whatever reason, John Jinapor said it for the records that many of you are supposed to travel for health reviews and all that. Why are you not travelling? The rules say that Members available and voting so what is your problem? Travel – travel. Mr. Speaker, they should travel – you are at liberty to travel. Mr. Speaker, they should travel”, he wryly noted much to the laughter of all.

Ghanamps.com

The First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, Joseph Osei Owusu, has told the Ministry of Roads and Highways and the National Road Safety Authority (NRSA) to have the courage to relocate markets cited along highways and urban roads if he doesn’t consider introducing embankments at those locations to protect lives and properties.

He said the rate at which lives are lost and properties destroyed whenever an accident occurs at locations where markets are cited or there is a nearby one is worrying, underscoring the need to include a protection in the designs and construction of road networks across the country.

That notwithstanding, some modifications are needed in existing highways and urban roads to have embankments, especially, at locations where there is a market place.

These embankments, he noted, will serve as a protective barriers or shields to the people who sell in and around the market place cited along highways and urban roads.

“We must admit that permitting markets on all the roads – whether it’s a highway or urban road, it is a major risk factor. Every location where there is a speed ramp, there must be a market developed there. Indeed, to the extent that, when the Minister of Roads and Highways stopped road tolls, some people said their markets have been taken and so they were going to demonstrate. There is a market right behind where the Nsawam accident happened. The people have spread over from the market and they prefer to live by the roadside. I think that if we choose to permit markets by the roadside, we should build an embankments such that in the event of a careless driver going off the road, or even a break failure, the embankment will hold the vehicle from crossing over to where the market is”, he noted.

He added “If we intend that the people should continue selling by the roadside, let’s build a protection into the road. Otherwise, let’s have the courage to move the traders off the road. Otherwise we will continue to lament but the challenges will be with us for a very long time”.

The First Deputy Speaker was sharing his thoughts with Members of Parliament (MPs) over how lives and properties could be saved in the event of a road accident at a sitting on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.

His comments follows a statement that was made by the Majority Chief Whip and NPP MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, calling for a swift assessment of the situation at the Nsawam filling station intersection on the Nsawam-Kumasi stretch as well as that of the Mobil Junction in the Nsawam township and the need for the provision of traffic lights.

He had also called for stricter measures to ensure safety in the Nsawam Township by disallowing trucks from plying those roads.

The Majority Chief Whip’s statement was in relation to the accident that occurred at the Mobil Junction in the Nsawam township on Monday, February 7, 2022, where a trailer truck failed all attempts to apply brakes and in  the process, run into sections of unsuspecting road users, including pedestrians.

The accident claimed five lives, injured several people and destroyed properties and wares of those in the area at the time of occurrence.

“Mr. Speaker, I believe we will not be justified in our roles if we do not make use of the space given us by our fellow Ghanaians to upgrade the call for necessary road safety measures like traffic lights at places where required. Ultimately, road accidents should not be attributable to failure on our path to provide the necessary amenities where they are needed”, he noted.

Ghanamps.com

A member of Ghana’s delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Mahama Ayariga believes that the various military coups in the West African sub-region, resulting in dissolution of Parliaments is throwing more light on the need for direct election to the Parliament.

According to him, he has been discussing this with colleagues and the Rt. Hon Sidie Mohammed Tunis, and it is obvious that the coups though unfortunate, is one thing that would let countries that have been reluctant to support the agenda for direct election.

“This would let them see that, it would insulate the Parliament from local constitutional crises, like what we are witnessing now” stating that; if MPs were directly elected, suspending constitutions and National Parliaments in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali would not have affected elected MPs to the ECOWAS Parliament..

In an interview, the first rapporteur to the Community’s Parliament on Political Affairs, Peace, Security and Africa Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) pointed out that the issue on direct elections have to be acceptable to the Heads of States themselves, “that is quite a mile stone to achieve”.

As to whether he still stands by his earlier interview to go to the Community Court of Justice over the issue of direct election to the ECOWAS Parliament, he noted that he is still considering it but want to give countries more opportunity to dialogue around the subject matter.

“We have our next session in Liberia next month, let us get the sense of the entire parliament on the proposal and that would give us the indications of the next step to take if there are unanimity among the MPs these are what we want representing their various countries.  I think that it would work. As we speak between you and I, it is not all the MPs that are enthused about direct election”.

Mr. Ayariga further noted that some of the MPs are torn between loyalty to their national parliaments and the sub-regional parliament, as some want to combine, others are not too sub-regional oriented.

“We  need to force people to relinquish one and focus on the other;  so there would be an opportunity to build on one,  which is the sub-regional parliament, as for  the national parliament those ones are built already”, he said.

In another development, he pointed out that he doubt if ECOWAS really has the capacity to use military force anywhere in the-sub region apart from smaller countries like the Gambia and Guinea where a small force is stationed.

He was reacting to whether an ECOWAS standing army can address the issue of military takeovers in the sub-region. “Most of the big countries in the sub-region,  ECOWAS would not have the capacity to use force there to deal with incidence of take overs so that is the challenge”.

 Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com