Month: July 2024

The Majority Chief Whip and MP for Nsawam-Adoagyiri, Frank Annor Dompreh, has chastised the Minority Leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, for displaying acts of cowardice and hypocrisy by not owning up to a proposal the NDC MPs included in the Road Traffic (Amendment) Regulations for consideration and approval by Parliament.

The new Legislative Instrument had included provision granting certain public officials, including Ministers of State and the 275 Members of Parliament (MPs), the privilege to use sirens on the road and not be liable for exceeding speed limits.

The intention of the government for introducing that amendment in the Legislative Instrument was to include the Vice-President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Head of the Judiciary Service who were not originally captured in those privileges as captured in the Road Traffic Regulations, 2012 (LI 2180).

However, the NDC MPs on the Subsidiary Legislation Committee led by Dominic Ayine, insisted that if MPs were not included in those privileges, they will not participate in the consideration and passage of the Amended Legislative Instrument.

In view of this, when the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah resisted those efforts made by the Minority NDC MPs, they even delayed the laying of the Amended Legislative Instrument for over two months until consensus was made to include their proposal.

Following the laying of the Amended Legislative Instrument by the government through the Ministry of Transport on Monday, July 14, 2024, the inclusion of the 275 Member of Parliament received a public backlash with vehemence.

This has compelled the Minority NDC MPs to hurriedly release a press statement signed by its leader, Cassiel Ato Forson, calling for its immediate withdrawal.

However, in an interview with the Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh on Tuesday, July 15, 2024, he expressed shock that the minority through its Leader, Ato Forson, is not owning     up to the proposal they made in the Legislative Instrument at the Committee level.

“I was rudely shocked when I saw that statement. Even though from my sources, it appears to be a personal statement he had issued. Members of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee were engaged extensively by the Minister of Transport because he wanted to pick their views on the Amended Legislative Instrument”, he noted.

He added “In the 2012 L.I. the Vice-President doesn’t have a provision; the Chief Justice and the Speaker of Parliament were all not included in those privileges. And for that matter, the intention of the Transport Minister was to include the Vice-President, Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice. Then there was a strong suggestion led by the Chairman of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee, Hon. Dominic Ayine who insisted that they Members of Parliament be captured in the L.I. But the Transport Minister resisted it. But the Minority NDC MPs made it a condition else they won’t participate”.

He said it was after the proposal to include Members of Parliament that were captured in the Amended L.I. that the Minority gave the green light for it to be laid.

Nevertheless, Annoh-Dompreh noted that the Ministry of Transport has withdrawn the Amended Legislative Instrument for further consultations.

Hon Frank Annoh-Dompreh further noted that the behavior and the attitude of the Minority Leader, Hon Ato Forson, for feigning piety after the huge the public uproar is what baffles him, creating the impression that the NDC MPs had no hand in it.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority side of parliament has cautioned the Majority that government businesses would suffer if they (Majority) don’t correct their ways.

In what is becoming a growing trend on the floor of the House where the Minority Members of Parliament show up in their numbers on the floor of the House while their colleagues in the Majority abstain themselves from the floor of the House, Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Murtala Mohammad told the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin that, the Minority would not carry government business if the members on the majority side are not ready to show up in Parliament to lead in that regard.

On Monday July 15, 2024 the Tamale Central lawmaker expressed serious reservation on the Majority side to have abandoned the core mandate in Parliament only to follow the flag bearer of the NPP’s campaign in the constituencies of the minority seeking for votes.

He said members of the Minority could have done the same by abandoning their duties in Parliament and also campaign for themselves and their flag bearer to enhance their chances in the general elections.

The Tamale Central MP’s comments came up when he raised the issue of quorum (stopping proceedings of Parliament for lack of required numbers of 91 MPs).

The best numbers on the floor of the House was 41 of which 31 of that were from the Minority side and only 10 Majority MPs.

This forced the speaker to call for not more than an hour suspension of the House, and when they returned they were compelled to adjourn proceedings because they did not have the required numbers to do business.

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Frank Annoh Dompreh, the Majority chief whip has clarified that contrary to accusations from their colleagues in the Minority of the Majority abandoning their parliamentary duty, the Majority is always present for business.

He said he doesn’t understand why the Minority keeps raising issues of quorum and complaining that MPs on the Majority side of the House have deserted business on the floor for the Minority to do.

According to him there have been several occasions where MPs on the Majority side of the House showed up on the floor, but the Minority were not there to do business because they have served notice that anytime the Minority Leader is in court they would not come to the floor unless he is back from court.

He further noted that Ministers do come to the floor of the House to do business but most at times the Minority MPs do not show up when they even have questions on the order paper to ask.

“We should be fair to both sides of the House; MP for Bole and Banda should sometimes look at your side of the House and not only turn your attention to the Majority side of the House”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanmps.com

Third Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, Hon Alexander Afenyo-Markin has urged the sub-regional bloc to embrace radical reforms.

At the ongoing first Ordinary session of the 6^th Parliament meeting in Abuja on July 13, 2024, the Majority Leader in Ghana’s Parliament noted critical shortcomings in the current structure of the ECOWAS Parliament and proposed sweeping changes to its role and effectiveness in driving regional integration.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, established as a forum for dialogue, consultation, and consensus for representatives of the people of West Africa, has long been viewed primarily as an advisory body. However, Afenyo-Markin’s speech on Saturday challenged this perception, advocating for a more empowered and influential parliamentary role within the regional bloc.

“Parliament was not just created as an organ of ECOWAS to play a mere advisory role, a deliberative chamber without powers,” Afenyo-Markin asserted, setting the tone for his reform agenda.

The Effutu MP said a more robust parliament would accelerate the achievement of ECOWAS’s goals and serve as a vital link between the organization and the citizens it represents.

The  third Deputy Speaker, who presided over Saturday’s session of the 6th legislature of the regional bloc, identified two critical issues hampering ECOWAS’s effectiveness: a widespread lack of awareness about the organization’s activities and a concerning absence of synergy and collaboration among its various organs. These problems, he argued, have led to a disconnect between ECOWAS initiatives and the people they are meant to serve.

Drawing from his background in the private sector, Afenyo-Markin shared a personal revelation: “Until recently, I did not know a lot of the interventions that some development financial institutions established by ECOWAS have for the ordinary citizen of ECOWAS.”

“There are a lot of businesses in the agri-sector who are looking for chief funding, but how to tap the [ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID) facility is a problem they don’t even know.”

The Deputy Speaker criticized the current organizational structure of ECOWAS, stating, “There is a commission sitting somewhere and parliament sitting somewhere. We are acting in silos.” He called for a more integrated approach, suggesting that the parliament could serve as “the best mouthpiece, the PR organ of the community body.”

Afenyo-Markin’s vision for reform extends to the parliament’s role in addressing political crises within the region. With several member states threatening to leave the bloc, he argued that “a strong parliament… would give meaning to the community’s aspiration” and could play a crucial role in maintaining regional stability.

Recounting a recent emergency meeting of ECOWAS heads of state, Afenyo-Markin noted that the Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament was relegated to a back seat and denied the opportunity to address the gathering, unlike other commission heads and even a UN Special Envoy. This incident, he suggested, underscores the urgent need for “radical reforms… in terms of the protocols.”

As the meeting adjourned, Afenyo-Markin laid out the next steps for the parliament, announcing an upcoming interactive session with the ECOWAS Commission, focusing on the implementation of programs in economic affairs, agriculture, infrastructure, energy, and digitalization.

Ghanamps.com

The deputy minority whip and MP for Banda, Mr Ahmed Ibrahim has called on Parliament to be very careful not to rush through the approval of lithium agreement for the benefit of Ghanaians.

He explained that, there have been several agitations and accusations by civil society organizations and other citizens calling for transparency in the lithium agreement; therefore Parliament must open its eyes on the consideration and approval of the agreement.

Mr Ahmed made these remarks when the minister for lands and natural resources, Mr Samuel Abdulai Jinapoh appeared before the House to lay the agreement but was not successful due to lack of quorum.

He further argued that the paper to be laid never came before the Business Committee; and the agreement was appearing before the Order paper agendum but the nation should be carried along with this agreement.

Additionally, he argued that time should be given to leadership of the Mines and Energy Committee to meet the sector Minister.

This forced the Speaker to suspend the House for less than an hour but when the House came back no Business was done before the House adjourned.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

First Deputy Minority whip, Ahmed Ibrahim has sent a message through the leadership of the Majority to their flagbearer Dr. Mahamoud Bawumia and his running mate Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh to release MPs on the Majority side of the House to come to Parliament to do government business.

According to him the Minority MPs come to the floor of the House in their numbers every day but the Majority MPs are never present.

“What I want to say is that, government must bring government work and ensure that their side comes in their numbers. They have been given four years mandate; flag bearer is in the North and the running mate in the Western Region, you are campaigning the MPs are following you instead of coming to the chamber to do government business”.

Again, you have four months, one week to be in government, who should do the work? You are thinking of breaking the eight (8) and not solving the problems, he noted.

He further threatens that they would invoke order 104 which raises issues of quorum. “You are breaching the constitution and standing orders; you are calling for the renewal of mandate, we cannot come to the House and be working and you are in our constituency campaigning. We mean serious business and do not want to be victims of that, if your one hundred and thirty eight is not here we would also sign leave of absence for our members to go and be campaigning”, he cautioned on the floor of the House.

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The first deputy Minority whip, Ahmed Ibrahim has urged leadership of Parliament to ensure that the Electoral Commission (EC) and the National Identification Authority (NIA) are invited to brief the Committee of the whole on their activities in recent times.

According to him this would help the House to be on the same page with the two institutions as there have been complains of their activities in recent times by Ghanaians.

He further indicated to the House that, the National Peace Council has gone ahead to have a meeting with the EC and they have proposed that in 2028 Ghana card should be the sole mandatory document without listening to parliament.

Again, as representatives of their constituents they need to be listened to as solution is found to the problem of making the Ghana card the sole document to qualify one for getting a Ghanaian voters ID.

Again, the EC has complained about the struggles they have to go through before they get funds to carry out their constitutional required mandate and have been urging Parliament to intervene in this regard, hence his call when the Business Statement for this week was presented to the floor of the House.

Meanwhile, an appeal has been made for the Interior Minister to be brought to the House to brief it on steps to stem the serial killing ongoing in Bole and Wa Central.

Majority chief whip Frank Annoh Dompreh who presented the Business Statement could not agree more with first deputy Minority whip.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The 3rd Parliament of the 4th Republic of Ghana recorded two independent MPs including Joseph Kojo Akudibillah and James Victor Gbeho.

Joseph Kojo Akudibillah born January 1948 is also a Ghanaian diplomat and currently Ghana’s Ambassador to the Vatican.

James Victor Gbeho (born 12 January, 1935, in Keta, Ghana), represented the people of the Anlo constituency. He is a lawyer and diplomat and was once the President of the ECOWAS Commission from 2010 to 2012. He served under both Presidents Jerry John Rawlings, and John Atta Mills.

Shang Annang Papa Nii/Ghanamps.com