Author: Akumaa GhanaMPs

The Minority Members of Parliament are alleging a grand scheme by a section of the House to sideline and render them redundant in Parliament.

The Minority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu claims the Majority members consistently hold meetings without involving the minority.

Such practices are akin to “sacrificing transparency on the altar of political convenience,” Mensah Bonsu insisted.

“Meetings before meetings are held on the blindside of others. This cannot be good for the growth of the Parliament of Ghana as an institution,” he added.

According to him, some members of the Minority have filed several motions on the floor but nothing has been heard from the leadership.

He named some of the pending motions as relating to the fire incidents and arrest and detention of a security official in charge of some aspects of security at the airport.

He said the least the House can do is to allow the Minority to have their say, even if the Majority would always have their way.

“The dictum in every Parliament is for the minority to be given their say even though the majority may have their way. However it appears, at least to some of us on this side of the House, that clear space for the minority to even have their say is sometimes constricted,” he protested.

His comments triggered reactions from the Speaker of Parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho, and the leadership of the majority.

In an interview with Joy News’ Evans Mensah, the Deputy Minority Leader Dominic Nitiwul hinted of a “majority tyranny” currently prevailing in the House.

But the Majority Chief Whip Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak vehemently disputed the claims.

He told Evans Mensah the Majority has in most cases sought to build consensus with their colleagues in Parliament.

He said the Minority MPs’ claims they were being sidelined in the House cannot be true.

Citing the decision by the Majority to withdraw a peacekeeping loan agreement following a number of issues raised by the minority, the Majority Chief Whip stated emphatically that “I can put my life on the line” and state that if it were the NPP in the majority that loan agreement would not be withdrawn.

He admonished the minority “not to put dust into the eyes of innocent Ghanaians.”

Myjoyonline.com

In a bid to assist respond to the security concerns of the area, the Member of Parliament for Lawra constituency in the Upper West region, Hon. Abu Samson has donated about 100 pieces of streetlight bulbs to the district to help illuminate communities across-board.

At least the facilities procured for the area will go to boost the already existing streetlights in the communities and help smoke out tendencies of any criminal activities in the district.

This move amidst other several projects he had spearheaded lately forms part of his contribution to bring meaningful development to his constituency.

In a related development, Hon. Abu Samson, has also funded the renovation of some two nurses’ quarters facilities at Lawra and Dowine respectively.

Interacting with Ghanamps.gov.gh the MP indicated that his effort to support this project was to relatively help the assembly resolve infrastructure deficit in the health sector, whiles ensuring that the accommodation and general wellbeing of nurses in the Lawra district are well improved to attract more nurses to the area.

The project has duly been completed and subsequently handed over for occupancy.

Jonathan Jeffrey Adjei/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Chairman of the Local Government Committee in Parliament, Hon. Dominic Azumah has revealed that the committee will very soon tour the newly created Districts within the country.

“We are so concern about the new districts,” he intimated.

Hon. Dominic Azumah who made the above know this morning on JoyTV’s News Desk programme said in order to ascertain for themselves issues confronting the new districts and find lasting solutions to such problems, they have divided the country into zones as part of the tour and would begin with the Upper West, Upper East, Northern and the Brong Ahafo Regions.

“We intend to cover all these areas and find for ourselves issues on the ground. It will also help us when we come back to tailor our argument and defense for support from the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development,” he added.

Some of the places he said the committee will visit include; Pusiga, Binduri, Nabdam, among others adding that they would also visit other districts which were created in 2007 namely; Mion, Tatale, Builsa South, and Daboya.

He said because Parliament was currently on recess they would embark on the tour within April and end in June.

Recent issues that have emanated in recent times proves that the newly created districts in 2012 are having difficulties in discharging their duties as expected of them due to financial constraints and encroachment by their some mother districts.

Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Junior high schools in the Bekwai Constituency in the Ashanti Region have benefited from computer sets distributed by the Member of Parliament for the area, Joseph Osei-Owusu.

The sixty computer sets were his personal contributions towards the development and study of information communication technology (ICT) among school children to bridge the information and skill gap between those in his constituency and those from urban centres.

Additionally, Mr. Osei-Owusu also provided wireless internet connectivity to all 12-computers at the Bekwai Municipal Library so that access to the World Wide Web for information will be possible.

Other supports provided by the Member of Parliament included distribution of 200 sets of tables and chairs to kindergartens across the constituency. Mr. Osei said there is a need to access to early childhood development in the district with the aim of helping deal with the falling standard of education in the area.

More so, 20 teachers living far away from their schools have also received bicycles from the MP to facilitate their transportation to and from school. This is to keep them at post to spend quality time with the students without worrying about transportation.

Transportation difficulties usually compelled teachers to either absent themselves from school or leave early at any opportunity depriving the students huge instructional hours.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.g

Intervention by the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea has helped to resolve the serious water crises that confronted the Asiakwa community.

Ten Thousand Ghana cedis (GHs10, 000) was expended to fix water systems in the area to ensure residents have access to potable water. The system helps to draw water from the ground, treat it before distributing to the communities.

Increased mining activity in the Abuakwa South constituency is really affecting lives of residents and one of the worse affected areas is water. Birim River, the main water body which used to be a reliable source of water to the people has been severely polluted forcing residents in the mining community to look elsewhere for water. Worse still, even boreholes in some communities also show signs of the presence of dangerous chemicals forcing people to abandon them. The result therefore is severe water crises in most of the communities.

Meanwhile, Mr. Atta Akyea said there is a major plan to assist all communities in the constituency with boreholes some of which would be mechanized to ensure regular and reliable supply of water to residents.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.gov.gh

Members of Parliament (MPs) will finally have access to the Job 600 office complex in August this year, according to Speaker of Parliament Edward Doe Adjaho.

The completion of the $63 million project, an initiative of Ghana’s first President Dr, Kwame Nkrumah, has been postponed many times due to financial constraints.

But Mr Doe Adjaho told the MPs on Wednesday that funds have already been approved for interior fittings of the office complex.

“There is an electronic and ICT component of the project which has been awarded separately from the Job 600 (the building and furnishing). The contractor dealing with the ICT and electronics inform us that until the civil works are completed they cannot come in to do their work”, he told the House.

He was optimistic that before the end of this year, the MPs will move to “their furnished offices”.

Job 600 was constructed to serve as the venue for the 1965 meeting of the Organization of African Unity, now AU.

Dr. Nkrumah believed that the building would showcase Ghana as a country with the potential and ability to host international events, and a demonstration of Africa’s growing technical capabilities.

In 2007 the John Kufour administration secured a loan facility of a 25 million dollars from the Social Security and National Investment Trust (SSNIT) for the renovation of the structure.

The government stated that upon completion the new building would serve as an office complex to house the Members of the Ghanaian parliament.

Hon. Murtala Ibrahim, Member of Parliament (MP) for Nanton Constituency in the Northern Region is embarking on aggressive initiatives to improve the lives of his constituents.

The MP, who is also the Deputy Minister for Information and Media Relations, disclosed this during a tour with press men to a number of communities that are currently benefitting from these projects.

At Nanton-Kurugu which is one of the eight (8) communities receiving dam rehabilitation project, the MP revealed that though those communities had bore holes facilities the water often dried up during the dry season due to low water table of the area.

According to him, the rehabilitation of those dams were meant to augment the existing water facilities in the communities so as to help address the perennial water shortages and the long distances that people had to trek daily to look for water.

He further noted that his priority was not only repairs of dams, but also connecting communities to Tamale Rural Water Expansion Project. He said currently, a number of communities including Jana and Fazihini were enjoying it. He also revealed that plans were far advance to mechanise some high yielding bore holes to increase the amount of water to the people.

On health, the MP disclosed that he, together with the Municipal Director of Health Services, had earmarked some communities in the area to benefit from CHPS compounds in order to bring heath care to the doorsteps of the people.

Hon. Murtala Ibrahim further made a disclosure about government’s intention to construct a very big and modern hospital with helicopter landing site at Fazihini. To this end, the Deputy Minister told the press that about 50 acres plot had been secured at Fazihini to pave way for the take off of the project.

On economic empowerment of women in the constituency, the MP said through his initiatives, some micro finance institutions were providing credits at very affordable interest rates to women to expand their businesses in the area. He was very hopeful that through those initiatives families were able to provide proper meals in their homes.

On power generation and rural electrification, Hon. Murtala revealed that he sent some investors to explore the possibility of setting up solar energy plants that could generate about 200megawatts in the constituency. He said the feasibility work had been carried out and the investors were ready to start the project. He also disclosed his intention to connect all communities in the constituency to the national electricity grid. That the MP was very sure of achieving because of the number of communities that were currently benefiting from the Rural Electrification Project in the area were many. He said “by the end of this year, only four (4) communities may not be connected to electricity and this he said could be done before the end of his first time of office”.

The MP expressed optimism that those projects would come to light as he was interested in the welfare of his people. He therefore appealed to the people to support him to ensure total development of the area.

ISD