Author: Akumaa GhanaMPs

The Member of Parliament for Okere, Mr Dan Botwe, on Thursday said he would remain committed to improve Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results in his constituency.

He said it was against that backdrop that he had pledged to allocate a sizeable portion of his resources to education each year.

Mr Botwe, the Minority Chief Whip in Parliament, made this known to the Ghana News Agency at Adukrom when he opened a week-long vacation classes for the 2014 BECE candidates in the constituency.

He said the measure was to relieve parents of financial burden and to ensure that none of the schools in the constituency scored zero per cent in this year\’s BECE and expressed worry about poor performance in the BECE in the constituency and the Akuapem area in general.

He attributed the situation to lack of preparation towards the examination by the candidates and their teachers and appealed to parents, traditional authorities and other stakeholders in education to assist him to achieve his objective.

About 800 school children who registered for the examination this year are taking part in the exercise aimed at preparing them for the BECE.

He said the one week exercise would help to instill some discipline among the children and inculcate the habit of learning and also experience boarding system of education for the first time before entering senior high school.

Mr Botwe said similar exercises he organized for the candidates in previous years posted positive results, hence his motivation to organize another class this year.

He expressed gratitude to some citizens of Okere for their immense contributions to the programme and education development in general and appealed to parents to consider education of their children as one of the best investments in life and support them to greater heights.

The coordinator of the programme, Mr Anim Addo, said this year’s exercise had attracted seasoned examiners and teachers who would take the children through all the core subjects.

GNA

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Kwesimintsim in the Western Region, Joe Baidoe-Ansah, has chastised President John Mahama for showing willingness to appraise the performance of his ministers which according to him cannot be based on any measurable indicators.

“This is a complete false hope because how can the President set questions and answer them himself,” he said stressing that the President should have allowed members of the public to ‘mark’ the Ministers according to their performances during the year under review.

“It is the people who could accurately and appropriately indicate which minister had acquitted himself or herself well during his or her first year in office,” he said adding at least public input should have been sought in determining which minister did very well and which minister did poorly in office in 2013.

“This whole performance appraisal is another propaganda gimmick just to tell the public that he is serious about fixing the numerous socio-economic problems facing the nation.”

On the performance of the government as a whole in the past year, the Kwesimintsim MP who was a Minister under former President Kufuor said President Mahama’s first year in office “has been the worst under any government in the Fourth Republic.”

He expressed the hope that the President would get things right in 2004.

“Let’s hope that things change for better in 2014 because 2013 had been a terrible year for all Ghanaians in all spheres of life,” he said charging the President to put his acts together properly and change things for the better.

“I want to wish President Mahama all the best in 2014 and better approach of managing the country to help improve the lots of Ghanaians especially when new utility tariff rates have been announced for the New Year,” he said.

Source: Daily Guide

The sale of Merchant Bank to Fortiz Private Equity Fund could suffer a major setback next week when MPs return for an emergency sitting.

Joy News has gathered that the legislators have been recalled from their New Year break by the Speaker of Parliament for sitting on Monday to probe the deal. More than 80 MPs, Joy News has learnt, have signed a motion to demand a parliamentary inquiry into the deal.

Deputy Minority Leader Dominic Nitiwul, who’s spearheading the motion, told Joy News they would investigate allegations of conflict of interest against President Mahama’s brother Ibrahim Mahama and his lawyer Tony Lithur.

They would also consider if there was value for money in the controversial transaction, he said. According to Mr. Nitiwul, the probe could stall the 90 million Ghana cedis deal. Fortiz is acquiring 90 per cent stake in SSNIT\’s 90 per cent shares in Merchant Bank.

But Mr Nitiwul thinks “there are too many controversies surrounding the transaction”. He also believes the people of Ghana have simply been short-changed in the deal.

Mr Nitiwul indicated that the motion has become necessary claiming the public seems not to be too satisfied by the purchase, making it incumbent on Parliament to exercise its oversight responsibility over the state asset. He hinted that Parliament would recommend that the deal is discontinued when they are not convinced by details of the transaction.

Before any decision is taken, he said interest groups would be invited by the house as well as invitation of memoranda from the general public.

meanwhile, the Bank of Ghana and SSNIT Board have warned any further delay in the sale could bring Merchant Bank to its knees.

But Organised Labour who represents workers interest on the SSNIT Board says the Bank can turn around its fortunes if all debts owed it are collected and therefore wants the deal suspended.

Source: Joy News

Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) have indicated that they would reconsider their decision to boycott government related business in parliament after the Supreme Court declared President John Mahama as validly elected.

The Minority MPs boycotted business in Parliament saying they did not recognize President John Dramani Mahama as the legitimate President at that time.

But following the Supreme Court’s declaration on Thursday, the Deputy Minority Leader Dominic Nitiwul in an interview with Citi News said the “National Council has given us the go ahead to more or less cooperate with government in whatever they want to do.”

He revealed that at the meeting on Friday “the National Council has recommended that the party moves forward as a united opposition and play the role that we are supposed to play as an opposition party.”

He further stated that they would be a meeting next week to finalize the party’s decision adding that the MPs would not disobey the council’s decision.

According to him, the decision by the MPs to boycott certain business of Parliament was not wrong.

“If the decision was 9-0 I would have apologized to the people of Ghana and said that we got it all wrong. But what we have done has deepened our democracy” he added.

Meanwhile, the Majority Leader in parliament Hon. Alfred Agbesi has welcomed the decision by the Minority MPs.

“We will resume in October and so it means what you are saying now will be a reality and add much weight to the house” he added.

citifmonline.com

Deputy Majority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament, Alfred Agbesi, says the minority in the Chamber must render an apology to President John Mahama for disrespecting his administration for the past eight months during the election petition case.

The Minority boycotted President Mahama’s inauguration and State of the nation address in protest to what it described as a rigged 2012 elections.

They also boycotted the vetting of the president’s nominees for various ministerial portfolios at the Appointments Committee hearing.

They resolved not to participate in, or recognise any national event of which the president was involved until the Supreme Court had come out with its verdict.

The only exception was the reading of the 2013 budget.

Now that Ghana’s Supreme Court has upheld Mr. Mahama’s presidency as “valid”, Alfred Agbesi told XYZ News in an interview that the Minority must say “sorry” to the president for disregarding his authority for the past eight months.

“I believe that the honest thing is to say Mr. President we are sorry”.

According to him, the Minority must apologise because they were not justified in not recognising the president’s authority during the election petition hearing.

Top executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will hold an emergency meeting on the outcome of the court case.

The meeting will among others, seek to chart a new course for the party following the end of the 8-month court dispute.

Speaking to Citi News, the minority leader in parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu said “since petitioners sought permission from the party before taking the issue to court, they were responsible for reporting proceedings that went on in court to the party. ”

“After deliberations, the party will come to a consensus and know the next line of action.”

Citifmonline.com

Members of Parliament have pledged to abide by the decision of the Supreme Court on the election petition.

They have also agreed to collaborate to address the numerous problems which confront the nation, now that the matter has been brought to closure.

In interviews with the Daily Graphic, MPs on the side of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) expressed their disappointment but said they had no choice but to respect the decision.

Members on the side of the Majority, however, were elated and said the ruling was in line with their long-held position that the President, Mr John Mahama, was duly elected and that the 2012 general election, although faced some challenges, was largely free, fair and transparent.

The member for Sekondi, Papa Owusu Ankomah (NPP), said he was looking forward to reading the judgement to ascertain why the judges ruled the way they did and how the decisions they arrived at would impact on future elections.

The fact that the decision of the court was not unanimous, in his opinion, was a pointer to the fact that the NPP’s case was not frivolous or vexatious.

“I urge all our supporters to stand firm. The decision we took to go to court was in line with our party’s philosophy. It was in line with our belief in the rule of law,” he said.

The outcome of the petition, in his view, would strengthen the resolve of the NPP to be more vigilant in subsequent elections.

On relations between the two major parties in Parliament, Papa Owusu Ankomah said although the Minority refused to partake in the vetting of appointees of President Mahama, it had collaborated effectively with the Majority on all other issues and added that members on the side of the NPP would continue to co-operate with the NDC to confront the challenges facing the nation.

The member for Nhyiaeso, Dr Richard Anane (NPP), said with the ruling of the court, all Ghanaians, including members of the NPP, should consider the President, John Mahama, as having been duly elected and accord him all the respect he deserved.

He considered the verdict as “the divine will of the Lord” and urged all members of the NPP to respect the decision and “let Ghana live”.

“As a party, we believe in the rule of law, that is why we resorted to the courts. We must all go by the decision of the courts. All members of the NPP must calm down,” he said.

The Member for Ashaiman and Deputy Majority Leader (NDC), Mr Alfred Agbesi, described the decision of the court as welcome news “which we have all along expected”.

“The country can now have peace. John Mahama can now have peace and run the nation.

For eight months now the country has been at a standstill as a result of this case. From now we are going to work,” he said.

He advised NDC members to jubilate in moderation.

The member for Asawase and Majority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak (NDC), said all Ghanaians needed to be congratulated on not resorting to violence but using the most civilised means to resolve the electoral dispute.

Now, he said, the government could concentrate on solving the myriad of problems which confronted Ghanaians such as lack of potable water supply and power shortages.

He called for an end to the “winner-takes-all” politics being practised in the country, “so that all can participate”.

He said MPs, when the House resumes sitting, needed to consider amendments to the 1992 Constitution to address the issue.

Alhaji Muntaka said the narrow election margins experienced in the last few years were perhaps a pointer to the fact that Ghanaians wanted a united government.

Daily Graphic

Deputy Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Bimbilla, Dominic Nitiwul said comments made by the party’s Ashanti Regional Chairman, Frederick Fredua Anto were his personal views.

According to him, ‘’once the party has come out with a definite position through the national council that is it…’’

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Thursday has criticized the party’s 2012 flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo,for failing to consult the party executives before accepting the verdict of the Supreme Court on the petition challenging John Mahama’s presidency.

But speaking on Eyewitness News, the deputy minority leader said views by the Ashanti regional chairman was ‘’an individual view’’.

According to him he sat behind F.F Anto during a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting and he didn’t disagree with the position of the party.

‘’It is not the official position of the party, the official position of the party is very clear; that is what the flagbearer said yesterday [Thursday].’’

citifmonline.com