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Author: Fred GhanaMPs

“Female running mate would work the trick for NDC in 2020”—Ningo-Prampram MP

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Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam George Nartey has said choosing Professor Naana Opoku Agyeman as running mate of John Mahama, presidential candidate of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) was perfect.

According to him picking of Professor Opoku Agyeman would work the trick for the NDC to be victorious in the upcoming 2020 presidential elections five months away.

“She is not only a woman but honest with integrity and proven track record. Twenty four hours after her nomination, with the attack on her no member of the ruling government, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said she is corrupt, dishonest or lack integrity”.

He further noted in an interview that both the NPP and NDC should be proud of Professor Opoku Agyeman because of three qualities; Ghanaians look for honesty, integrity and not being corrupt.

In a related development, when questioned on some developments making the rounds that the people from the Volta Region in the party are not happy about the running mate not coming from their region considering their contribution to the party, he pointed out that the Volta caucus has issued a statement congratulating the running mate and pledged their support to work with her extensively, and that is all that matters. “People would have their wishes it is legitimate but at the end of the day the larger interest of the party is what is needed”.

“Our party is a national party and has people from all the regions, rather the high handedness and lack of development in the region by this administration is an insult to them”.

The intimidation and attack on the people from the Volta Region is enough for them to kick out this “insensitive government”. The region is entitled to its fair share of the national cake and the region remains key on the agenda of the NDC.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

2020 election is likely to be run on provisional voters’ register — Haruna

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Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has expressed worry over the current Constitutional Instrument (C.I 94) laid before the House on behalf of the Electoral Commission by the Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu on election regulation 2020.

According to him with the current C I, the 2020 presidential and parliamentary, elections would be on a provisional register unlike previously, where the register was certified, registered and clarified.

“You saw that I was struggling to bring this to the attention of the Speaker, by the virtue of Article 11 of the 1992 Constitution, parliament can only watch and neither add or subtract and delete because it is inferior legislation to the parent Act 11. It gives me much to be concerned and worried”.

He stated that without fear of contradiction, the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections is likely to run on a provisional register and not a final certified voters’ register because; “A person whose name appears on a provisional register not as it was in CI 94 on a certified final register it mean that, the EC is running behind time what the ramification would be on the 2020 presidential and Parliamentary elections your guess is as good as mine”.

And further explained at a hurried press conference that the nomination for the presidential and parliamentary elections would be on a provisional register and wanted to draw the speaker’s attention, so that it is addressed.

“EC is supposed to make certified copies of the provisional results to the political parties for the conduct of the elections, this exposes Jean Mensah’s unpreparedness, incompetent and threat to sustain our democracy”.

Mr. Iddrisu urged the media to be interested in what is going on with the registration exercise as many of the registration centers are non-functional and pointed out his fear of many people suffering because of the inefficiencies of the EC.

As to whether the issue was not raised at the Business Committee, he noted that there was an attempt to define new C.I. but revealed that the current state of the C.I would see elections conducted on a provisional and not final certified register.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

EC Registration: “We should observe COVID-19 protocols for our safety”—Ursula

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Minister for Communications, Ursula Owusu-Ekufful has said the need to observe social distancing during the Electoral Commission’s registration exercise is for the benefit of individual Ghanaians, and they are not doing it for the state.

According to her observing the protocols against the spread of COVID-19 would protect ones family especially those who are older in the family; fathers, mothers, aunties and uncles.

In an interview, she pointed out that in her rounds to observe the registration exercise by EC, she noticed that when her constituents see her they start observing the social and physical distancing protocols but when she goes away they relax it.

Again, note that it is not that people do not have the facemask, they do, it is either in their pocket, bag, they are holding it or they have it on and it is under their chin. “Yes the state would enforce mask wearing, we should not be chased with whips, it’s for our own safety, we need to take responsibility for our safety”.

The Ablekuma West lawmaker further pointed out that the coronavirus does not have legs, it is human beings that move it and it needs a host to carry it, “we should not allow ourselves to be that host”.

“If you feel you are invincible and you cannot get it what about your children, wearing of facemask is something we have to do for the foreseeable future until we find a cure for COVID-19, and you see as a country our numbers keep increasing”.

On  the argument whether the registration done by the EC is necessary, she pointed out that the Supreme Court has given a ruling on it and as a nation we have gone beyond that debate, “whether limited registration or not those who turn eighteen years would have registered and there would have been queuing”.

And urged the media to help educate Ghanaians on the safety protocols to enable Ghanaians exercise their civic responsibility. “We should not take chances as a people let us observe the safety protocols against the spread of COVID-19”, she observed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Ablakwa demands to know those acting for COVID-19 affected Ministers

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Member of Parliament for North Tongu Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has requested that Parliament be told who is acting for Ministers affected by COVID-19 as the norm has been for other Minister to act for those not at post.

According to him if a Minister is not at post currently the executive arm of government appoints another minister to act on his or her behalf.

He pointed out that key Ministries  like Health, Education and Regional Re-organisation do not have their Ministers  at post at the moment due to COVID-19 infection, hence there is the need to know those acting so that if lawmakers have issues they can reach out to them.

Addressing his concern as raised on the floor of the House, Majority Chief Whip, Kwesi Ameyaw-Cheremeh who presented the Business Statement on behalf of the Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu noted that, that issue was not within the purview of the Committee.

“If the Executive makes this information available to the Speaker it would be announced on the floor of the House, for now let us hold our guns”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Ras Mubarak kicked against Monday sitting

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Member of Parliament for Kumbungu Ras Mubarak has urge leadership of  the Business Committee to reconsider their decision for include Monday sitting’s for Constitution Instrument (C. I. 94 ) for mature.

According to him the current registration exercise going on lawmakers need to be in their constituency to observe the exercise, more especially educate constituents on the need to observe social and physical distance.

“It looks like our constituents are not taking the education serious we need to as MPs be on the ground to reinforce the need to observe the protocols.

The Majority chief whip Kwesi Ameyaw-Cheremeh pointed out to the Kumbungu lawmaker that there is the need to have twenty one sitting days for the new CI to mature for the Subsidiary Legislature to pass the CI 94.

As this would allow students who are registering now the opportunity to transfer their votes as during the elections they would not be in school they can transfer their votes and participating in the voting exercise.

Speaker professor Aaron Michael Oquaye noted that the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu emphasis the point that if the House needs to sit on Saturdays and Sundays it would be done for the twenty one sitting days to be met.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

“Moneytisation makes it difficult for MPs to choose lawmaking as a career”—Dr Darkoh

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The Chief Director of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, Dr.  Evans Aggrey-Darkoh has said the wave of moneytisation that has clouded the process of getting lawmakers into the Ghanaian Legislature is making it difficult for them to choose lawmaking as a career.

According to him, unlike what pertains in the advanced democracies like the United States of America where one becomes a senator for over a decade and seen as a career, in the Ghanaian system, one or two term lawmaker is contested by a new comer with enough resources and becomes victorious.

His comment comes in the wake of high attrition rate in the Ghanaian Legislature as parliamentary primaries conducted by both the Minority and Majority parties witnessed long and new serving MPs losing and would not be part of the eight legislature next year.

As far as the country is concerned Parliament should have the best of brains as political theories have argued; “laws are the ways the societies are managed and when well crafted inure to the benefit of all”, he stated.

In an interview with Dr. Aggrey-Darkoh, he pointed out that when lawmakers enter Parliament and they are hit with the reality that the House is a resource constrained environment, then they come to the relisation that their expectations would not be met.

“When people become frustrated and expectations are not met they do not perform, and it affects their legislative duties and Parliament as an institution suffer from it”, he lamented.

He further pointed out that, at the Ministry’s engagement with political parties and other stakeholders it came out clearly that vote buying has a certain cascading effects.

When a group of people support your campaign, they are interested to know what they would gain in return as they are not “father Christmas”. They want policies shaped in their favor and added that if care is not taken, these financial fathers would dictate the pace.

In addition, the lawmaker would not be in control, rather the individuals who supported the lawmaker would be in control.

“We would have what we call state capture, the financial fathers are in control and corruption would fester, as we say, he who pays the piper calls the tune and this has a dire consequence for the nation”.

On the issue of moneytisation that has engulfed the Ghanaian politics and generated debate, he noted that as a country, anytime the country suffered a setback there has been a resilience comeback to deal with it.

“Since we continue to put moneytisation of our politics on our public agenda, I am sure that we would find innovative ways to address it head on”, he said.

Dr. Aggrey-Darkoh again, emphasized that if money becomes the sole consideration for one to become an MP, it is a problem and a worrying development and dilutes the politics of the state.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Speaker serves notice to sanction research assistance who do not work from home

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Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye has served notice to research assistants of Members of Parliament that if they not comply with directives to work from home, they would either be suspended, or their salaries would not be given to them.

According to the Speaker, directive has been given to the research assistant to work from home and submit research work they carry out to lawmakers electronically.

Before leaving the chair Thursday afternoon July 2, 2020 for the first Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu to take charge, he re-emphasised this point as some lawmakers have complained of their research assistants seen on the floors of their offices.

“Those who do not work from outside the House would be dismissed according to the rules of the House. You cannot defile what would be in the mutual safety of MPs and staff without the relevant sanctions”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Parliament to start sitting on Mondays

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Majority Chief Whip Kwesi Ameyaw-Cheremeh in presenting the Business Statement on the floor of the House on Friday revealed that to meet the constitutional requirement relating to the coming into force of the subsidiary legislation presented to the House, the Business Committee has proposed that House sit on Mondays commencing with Monday, July 13, 2020 to August 3, 2020.

He further told the House the Office of the Majority Leader would liaise with the chairperson of the Electoral Commission to determine a suitable date for the Commission to attend upon the House for a briefing on their work programme.

“Mr. Speaker mindful of the busy schedule of the EC, and in view of the ongoing registration exercise, a favorable date as may be agreed upon would be communicated to members of Parliament.

The Majority Chief Whip, who presented the Business Statement on behalf of the Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, further revealed that there would not be question time this week.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Chief of Pramkese cautions subjects to take COVID-19 seriously

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The Chief of Pramkese in the Kwaebibirem Municipal Assembly, Barima Ofori Frimpong has cautioned his people to take the COVID-19 pandemic serious as it is not a joke and killing people.

According to him some young persons’ in the community beat their chest that when they take local drink, Akpeteshie, they would not get infected with the corona virus.

He, emphasised the seriousness of the disease when one person contract it and infected ten other individuals, thus how dangerous the virus is. As a country, two people got infected and the country is almost going beyond fifteen thousand, he noted.

The chief made this remarks when Pramkese indigenes leaving in the UK donated some health items, like examination gloves, infrared thermometer, goggles, liquid soap theatre boots etc to a health facility in the district.

On the health items donated, he urged the health workers to take good care of the items donated which is meant to provide health service to the people and to save life.

“You should not put the health items in the room and turn around to say you do not have Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)”. He further urged the teachers to ensure that students who are back to school observe the needed protocols so that they do not contract the COVID-19 and had same advice for parents as well.

He assured those who donated the health items that it would be kept well and not sold as has been reported in other places so that the indigenes staying outside the country would see the good use in which the health items have been put to.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Pramkese indigenes donate health items to health facility

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Pramkese indigenes residents in the United Kingdom have donated health items to health facilities in the Kwaebibirem Municipality in the Eastern Region.

Dr. Kwame Antwi who represented them donated, face shield, theatre boots, overalls, examination gloves, syringes 5ml and 10ml, infrared thermometer, hand sanitizers, liquid soap, face masks, goggles etc

According to him as indigenes they need to come together, work and ensure their health facility would be elevated to a district facility and he revealed that he is the first person to contribute towards a laboratory built in the district.

He further emphasized the need to contribute individually to ensure their health center functions well and not always waiting for government to always provide little things like pipe and repair leaking roof as is the situation now.

The midwife in charge of Pramkese Health Center, Mabel  Nyarko was thankful for the items received, but quickly outlined some challenges they are  facing  at the health facility, including the leaking roofs right from the OPD to the labour ward.

She stated that  they surfer a lot during the raining season, adding that a labour ward which should be warm to receive a new born baby is rather cold. “It is serious to the extent that the scale on which a baby is put get wet as we resort to mopping and cleaning most of the times when it rains”

Madam Mable Nyarko lamented over the nature of the delivery room which is not conducive for them to work leading to women in labour taking more hours to give birth lasting between eight to twelve hours, which should not be the case.

On the issue of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), she noted that it is nothing good to write home about, as they are copping as health providers. “We do not have face shield and again when some of the women are birthing and burn down they discharge urine which pour on us and enters our nose and mouth”.

A Physician Health Assistant, Harrison Atiobio on his part noted that few of the staffs are on government pay role, and they had to pay the remaining people through their Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) which leaves them with no money after paying salaries.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com