Author: Enestina GhanaMPs

Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson has pointed out in his remarks at the emergency two days recall of Ghana’s Parliament that their position to kick against tax waivers being granted to companies has not changed.
According to him barely ninety four days (94) to the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, the Majority NPP has recalled the House to enable them fast-track the rail-road tax giveaways to their crony businesses.

“We have always maintained that these tax exemptions are not in the best interest of the tax payer and our position has always been that until these exemptions are converted to tax credit or linked to equity shares as stipulated in the Tax Exemptions Act, we will not support giving away over $350 million to crony businesses in an opaque and nontransparent manner.

“Rt. Hon Speaker, giving away inordinate tax exemptions is not an urgent issue that should warrant a recall of this House. Ghana’s economy is still bleeding, cost of living continues to be high, and Ghanaians can simply not make ends meet. These are the real bread and butter issues that should concern any serious government and not the giveaway of much-needed tax revenue”, the Minority Leader stated.

The Minority Leader further pointed out that, COCOBOD has been shut out from borrowing from international banks, the International Banks are running away from Ghana COCOBOD and the cocoa sector is on its knees. Rt. Hon Speaker, the prevailing price of cocoa on the world market and the exchange rate means that COCOBOD will be selling a bag of cocoa at GHS9, 700. The cocoa farmer cannot be paid anything less than GHS6, 000 per bag. The payment of GHS6, 000 per bag of cocoa is critical because cocoa farmers deserve the benefit of their hard labour.

Again, the Electoral Commission has admitted that the Voter Register is riddled with irregularities and flaws and I dare say that the scale of these irregularities is such that somebody may have tempered with the Voter Register database.

“I am sorry Mr. Speaker; we cannot vouch for the integrity of the Voters Register as it stands and the details of the irregularities are so fertile and cannot be accepted. We therefore demand a forensic audit into the Voters Register database”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called on his colleague, the Minority Leader to desist from attacking the Electoral Commission since that would erode public confidence in the institution.

Mr. Afenyo- Markin who was reacting to the Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson’s comment suggesting that the EC’s register for the 2024 elections is not credible, reminded the House that the former President John Dramani Mahama and the Presidential candidate for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in 2015 urged Ghanaians to have confidence in the EC and also urged us not to condemn state institutions that have been given constitutional mandates.

“I want to plead with my respected colleague on this matter”, in his remarks to an emergency sitting of the House for two days.

The Leader of government business who was making remarks at the two days emergency sitting of the House rather appealed that identified challenges should be pointed out for correction instead of attacking the EC and eroding the confidence Ghanaians have in the EC and our democracy.

“We can do all the criticism but we should ensure that we hold in fidelity the institution of state that has the responsibility to sheared this democracy”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/EcowasNewsOnline.com

Leader of Government Business in Ghana’s parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has admonished politicians to be careful of the words they use, as extreme partisanship in their commentary stands to destroy the country’s economy.

According to him as representatives of Ghanaians, it is their duty to support Government, and so far the current eighth Parliament has done well despite the hang nature of the parliament, with one hundred and thirty-eight (138) Majority and one hundred and thirty-seven (137) Minority.

“We have enriched our democracy despite the challenges we face as a House and I am proud of that. With our recall we should be guided by the national interest”, he said in his open remarks on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, when the House was recalled for two days sitting.

Rt. Hon Speaker, I humbly submit that the application of the recall was well grounded in good faith in spite of the disagreement with some of the issues you raised on abuse of the recall, thanks to the staff and board for their guidance and seeing to it that parliament get to this point. I will have my own disagreement with some of the issues raised as the basis for the business to be considered for the meeting”.

According to him, he is very clear that the government of Nana Akufo-Addo has taken the country through challenges and study leadership, as the country was given hope in 2017 when it ambitiously introduced the Free Senior High School (SHS) policy, an initiative that brought relief to parents and children who will have otherwise not have the benefit of secondary education.

Again, free vocational training programme was added to the free SHS so we have free TVT; the vulnerable persons in society who will have become a burden are also being educated.

He affirmed that the government is investing in the very resources that will be needed to develop the economy, adding that one point six million of Ghanaian youth are currently in secondary schools benefiting from free SHS, noting that despite the challenges with Covid-19 among others the programme has been sustained.

The government he said has been up and doing in keeping the economy afloat as there was no single day that lines were seen at filling station for fuel, the lights have been on despite the challenges and “I believe this economy will bounce back”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has expressed worry over the invocation of Article 112 clause (3) to recall the House.

According to him this should be of concern to Members of Parliament (MPs) since this is the second time it has been invoked.

“Whiles, the provisions are clear and unambiguous, we must consider the broader context in which they are intended to operate and legislate to set down the preconditions under which the Article could apply. Parliament recedes to focus more on its other functions of scrutiny, representation, advocacy, and diplomacy. It should be recalled when and only when an exceptional or urgent matter or business arise and requires Parliament’s immediate attention”.

Article 112 should not become a tool to keep Parliament in perpetual or continuous session, thereby preventing Parliament and Members from performing the other aforementioned constitutional functions and duties to the country and constituencies.

The Speaker added that, a frequent invocation of Article 112 (3), particularly in a House composed such as this eighth Parliament, could pose challenges to the governance of the country. The good intentions of the drafters of the Constitution could be turned into a horror movie.

For instance, frequent recalls can disrupt planned legislative annual budget and workflow, drain national resources, and affect the overall productivity of Parliament.

“Hon Members, I invite members to, at the appropriate time, deliberate on this matter to establish when it is appropriate to resort to the use of Article 112 (3)”.

Article 112 (3) of the Constitution states:

“Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, fifteen percent of members of Parliament may request a meeting of Parliament and the Speaker shall, within seven days after the receipt of the request, summon Parliament.”

Similarly, Order 53 (1) of the Revised Standing Orders of Parliament echoes this provision with an additional demand. In the words of the Order:

“(1) Despite any other provision, fifteen per cent of Members of Parliament may request a meeting of Parliament and the Speaker shall, within seven days after the receipt of the request, summon Parliament.”
and

“(2) Parliament shall convene within seven days after the issuance of the notice of summons”

And we are also meeting here in this dome rather than our usual chamber because, during this recess, the decision of the Parliamentary Service Board to address structural defects and replace outdated audio and video equipment in the chamber was programmed to be implemented. This became an imperative to be done this time after an earlier attempt fell through during the May/ June recess. The implementation of the Board decision to replace and upgrade the facilities became compelling as a result of the frequent equipment failures and the structural defects that has, on many occasions, disrupted proceedings of the House.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Ranking member on the Committee of Defense and Interior James Agalga has alleged that the Government of Ghana under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo has a hidden agenda of deploying the military on Ghana’s borders in the Northern part of the country claiming their role is to prevent smuggling of cereals out of the Country due to the drought that affected the countries agriculture.

According to him the deployment of the military up Northern Ghana should have come with timelines if indeed it is related with the crises of drought.

“We back this by what happened at the run off to the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections, we were all in this country and some of us pointed out that the said attacks by some people to form an independent Country out of the Volta Region, was not true to warrant massive troops to the Volta Region and Oti Region”.

In an interview, he questioned what has been done to neutralize the secessionist treat? “So our suspicions are justified as far as there are no time lines, it means this government has a hidden agenda”.
“We will be watching with an eagle eye this time around, we will not allow anybody to use the military in our country to intimidate voters”, he emphasized.

Mr. Agalga further added that this whole scheme of deploying the military is to intimidate and harass eligible Ghanaian voters who are residence outside the borders of our country from entering our country to exercise their civic responsibility of voting.

We have Ghanaian residence in, Togo, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire who want to cross the borders and vote. The fact that foreigners’ would infiltrate our country and vote is neither here nor there because we have the voters’ register. And before people were registered they went through an elaborate procedure to have their names captured, so the idea of closing borders and deploying military around our borders is an attempt to intimidate eligible Ghanaian voters who support the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC), he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Wa West Peter Lanchene Toobu said it is unfortunate for Ghana’s military to be reduced to being deployed to the borders in Northern region to prevent the export of grains outside the Country in the wake of drought that has hit the Northern Region.

According to him Ghana’s military has a mandate that is stipulated in the 1992 Republican constitution and it’s unfortunate to lower the standard of such a well-respected institution.

“The president is the commander -in -chief of the Ghana Armed Forces and chairman of the national Security Council; he is not the military, he acts on advice and whoever advised him to deploy the military to prevent the export of gains that particular person must bow his head in shame”.

I want to believe that, he, the commander in chief will listen more to his Chief of Defense Staff; I am not sure that the Chief of Defense Staff in the person that I know Lt. Oppong preprah will advise the president to deploy the military. That is the fundamental thing we are talking about if there are no hidden agenda that it is not the duty of the military, he added.

According to him, this is an election year and every Ghanaian should be interested in all that is happening around us. When we talk of electoral violence, it does not happen one day, if you see the buildup coming you will see the early warning signs.

“If you are a responsible patriotic Ghanaian do not be silent, we saw it in 2020 we were all silent but this time around we will talk about it as they intend to violate the right of people by unfortunately using the military at the end of the day it’s the image of the military that will suffer”.

“We, should stop it because the image of the military is standing tall anchoring our democracy, and any attempt by any politician to dent their image should be resisted by Ghanaians; it’s wrong today and will be wrong tomorrow”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ecowasnewsonline.com

The House has been recalled from recess for an emergency sitting today, Tuesday, September 3, 2024 where members of Parliament are expected to deal with some urgent business of the House after the Majority of the House triggered the meeting.

According to a communiqué issued by the Speaker of the House, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin on Wednesday, August 7, the decision follows a petition from the Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin.

On Tuesday, July 30, 2024, the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin adjourned the House Sine Die but the Majority leader was disappointed in the way and manner it was done without allowing the leadership of the House to speak.

In his letter to Speaker Bagbin dated Wednesday, July 31, Afenyo-Markin underscored the necessity of reconvening Parliament to address urgent government business.
The agenda for the emergency sitting includes discussions on the Financing Agreement between the Government of Ghana and the International Development Association, requests for tax exemptions for beneficiaries under the One District, One Factory Programme, matters concerning the Ghana Financial Stability Fund, and the consideration of several bills.

“Mr Speaker will recall that Parliament adjourned sine die on Tuesday, 30 July 2014, at which time the aforementioned items had been duly advertised and scheduled for consideration. The urgency of these matters necessitates our reconvening to fulfil our constitutional mandate and serve the interests of the Ghanaian people.”
“We wish to emphasise that this requisition is made in the utmost good faith and in the national interest, to enable the Government to discharge its constitutional and democratic obligations to the people of Ghana.”

“The matters outlined herein are of pressing importance and require the urgent attention of Parliament,” he said.
The emergency sitting would be held at the Dome of the Accra International Conference Centre as the main chamber of the House undergoes retrofitting.
Ghanamps.com

The public hearing of Government Assurance Committee on Tuesday, August 27, 2024, had to be halted and pushed to Wednesday, August 28, 2024, due to a thick smoke that engulfed the first floor of Job 600.

Officials of the Ministry of Works and Housing were in Committee room 1&2, and administration block when the fire alarms went off.

The Committee could not have its public hearing. Despite an initial communications to the media that the hearing will come on later in the day, a later communication had it that it had been pushed to Wednesday.

It took personnel from the Ghana Fire Serve stationed in parliament and re-enforcement team almost an hour to put the smoke and fire under control.

Meanwhile, investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the fire.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Majority Leader Mr. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo – Markin has categorically stated that, he would use all legal means to recall Parliament back very soon to complete businesses which the House should have done before adjourning sine die.

He explained that the decision of Mr. Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin to adjourn Parliament abruptly on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, was not properly done especially where several national interest businesses were before the House and could not be completed.

In addition, he expressed his disagreement with the decision of the Speaker to adjourn Parliament sine die on Tuesday without even allowing leaders of both sides of the House to give their closing remarks.

The Effutu Member of Parliament in addressing the media noted that he was in the chamber and was the one who called for motion 23 which has to do with the two hundred and fifty million dollars facility from the World Bank.
And he signaled his colleague the Minority leader for them to discuss the Supreme Court nominees before the appointment Committee as earlier the Minority chief whip raised issue with regards to the vetting process.

“Surprising, the Speaker did not give his closing remarks neither did he allow leaders to make some remarks, stating that closing remarks have become part of the practice of Parliament. “These notwithstanding, he is the father of Parliament; we do not want to have banter with him and appear to be disrespectful of the chair except to say we disagree with the unilateral decision to adjourn the House sine die.

We would engage the caucus to get their signature according to the law to recall the House; so expect a recall from us the Majority”, he affirmed.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Rt Hon Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has today ordered the Marshall (head of Security in Parliament ) to drive Member of Parliament for Sefwi Wiawso who was also the immediate past Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Kwaku Afriyie out of the Chamber whilst proceedings were underway.

Speaker’s order came as a results of a challenge Dr Afriyie posed at him (Speaker) for certain comments he made after reading a communication from the President, proposing two justices for the Supreme Court.

Ghanamps.com