Ranking member of Ghana’s Parliament on Road and Transport Committee, Governs Kwame Agbodza said they would be visiting the terminal 1 of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) where McDan Aviation operates its private jet service in the wake of the Management of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) indefinitely barring McDan Aviation over breaches.
According to him the sector Ministry in their meeting indicated that in a week’s time they as a Committee would do same so that within a week they should be able to have further and better particulars from the Ministry, Agencies and McDan which would inform them on the way forward with regard to breach of cooperation by McDan.
Briefing the media on Friday, February 4, 2022 the Ranking member pointed out that as a Committee they do not have any evidence that in the past the Ministry and its agencies raised issued of operational breaches on the part of McDan which led to admonishment, sanction or punishment.
“That is why we feel there is something more to this issue; for three years how come they never took any decision to punish and let the public know? The ministry did not provide any documentation at all when they came before the committee. These documents were gotten through friends. As the minister made us aware that the proper sanction would be carried out after further investigation, we want to know the kind of sanction going to be carried out”.
To buttress his suspicion that there was more to it that being told, the Adaklu MP pointed out that he has a letter which the Ghana Airport Company has written to Frontiers to get prepared to carry out COVID-19 test at McDan private jet terminal at the arrival hall.
“If they think the terminal hall is not fit for purpose, on what basis were they writing to Frontiers to go in there and conduct COVID test? They said the letter was sent to Frontier to be in preparedness to go and install things there to receive passengers. I did not buy that because if you are not ready, do not go there by suggesting that this is possible?”
He added that it is the reason why some people believe something different from what they have heard so far might have triggered what is happening.
“What changed on that Friday? The letter tells me that they did not have too much concerns, there I have more than fourteen letters between Ghana Airport Company and Civil Aviation, not a single one said we do not like what you are doing stop it except January 31, 2022 inauguration letter, perhaps there is something that we are not being told”.
He noted that the Minority side of the Committee is faulting the Ministry also on lack of supervision over the process of leasing and it would be important to see the actual contract between McDan Shipping Company Limited. “I say so because whatever agreement we see would be in the name of McDan shipping company, however, after that he registered an entity call McDan Aviation which is now the operators of the terminal 1”, he stated.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com
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He also assured that after the withdrawal and reintroduction of the bill, the Business Committee would, program the Bill for consideration during the course of the fourth week of this Meeting; and urged his colleagues to fully participate in the consideration of the Bill for its passage.
They believe government’s handling of the E-levy smack of efforts to pull a surprise on the House. And therefore urged the Majority side to be clear in their handling of the Bill.
Mr. Snowe Junior said this in a telephone interview when Ghanamps.com wanted know how the issue of dissolution should be handled in the wake of military coups in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso which is denying them of representation in the Community Parliament.
He advocated on the need to putting mechanisms in place to protect democracy. “Where our colleagues were democratically elected, you cannot come and shoot guns in the air and dissolve the entire parliament against the entire aspiration of the people”.
Responding to how he was going to sustain the project which is capital intensive as the initial one cost around thirty thousand Ghana cedis, he noted that the project can run on its own with the installation of advertising space on it to allow companies interested to advertise and pay for us to do the installation.
On her part, the Municipal Chief Executive of the Ayawaso West Assembly Sandra Owusu Ahinkorah commended Mickingtorch Africa, for their initiative pointing out that plastic waste is a resource used in the daily activities of every Ghanaian.
In an interview on whether the sub-region should introduce a peer review mechanisms to curb the quest for changing constitution to run for a third term by presidents, he said “West African, we are not animals, we are reasonable beings, we go to school like those in the other regions and the West, we are part of a civilized society but sometimes I think it is a matter of greed”.
And noted that those are some of the things they would be looking at as they need to now put the ball down in Togo to ensure that the president since 2005 and since the death of his father they have been going in circles as to how to handle this situation in Togo. Any time there is crack down, they are on the opposition and there is demonstration.
In an interview he pointed out that, gone are the days where you can talk about little Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau, where when there was conflict ECOWAS was able to dispatch an external army, put together ECOMOG, that they were able to go there and restore constitutional rule.
He said the foreign troops even with far more sophistication there are challenges, and if one is going to have external army, with what the sub-region is going through there would be difficulties.
Contributing to a statement made by the NDC MP for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to condemn the successive coup d’états in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso, and the recent attempted coup in Burkina Faso, Mr. Annoh-Dompreh who is also the NPP MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, said attacks on the Speaker’s Chair by the NDC MPs during the previous meeting could best be described as coup d’état, urging all to reflect on the distasteful act and purge themselves.
Mr. Osei Owusu, affectionately called Joe Wise, after listening to arguments for and against the approval of the budget, ruled in favour of the Majority and argued that he did not partake in the voting for the approval of the budget, hence his ruling.
“And if this continues citizens within the sub-region would lose confidence in democracy and nothing would save democracy but democracy is supposed to be a system of check and balance, “if it is removed it becomes a hollow democracy”, Mr. Ayariga emphasized.
In a telephone interview with him in his base at Liberia, he noted that the coups in Mali and Guinea have “hurt us”, and added that the coup in Burkina Faso is a different issue without fear or favor, the Mali situation played up on itself by an action caused by the late former President, same as Guinea who hijacked the constitutional and democratic process, hence the outcome.
And added that in the case of Burkina Faso he is happy that there has been some engagement as a team was dispatched by ECOWAS, the Africa Union (AU). “We await the outcome, we would begin to hold discussions”, he emphasized.