The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has reiterated the need for politicians to take advantage of the current composition of the 8th Parliament to improve on the democratic gains of the country.
“I still maintain that the composition of Ghana’s current parliament as a hung one presents the Legislature with the unique opportunity to right some errors in the past” he stated.
The Rt. Hon. Speaker made these statements when he opened a three-day workshop for members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA UK) under the theme “Trade and Security: Effective Parliaments in Times of Complexities” in Accra.
According to the Speaker, whilst a hung parliament by itself is not bad, the challenges associated with it can be daunting and can lead to complexities, adding that the need to consult, dialogue, cooperate, compromise, collaborate and achieve consensus has become an imperative.
The Speaker emphasised that one such opportunity he is pursuing is leading a process that will ensure that the Legislature is strengthened to play its role as an equal partner to the other arms of government, in the deliverance of an open, transparent and accountable government.
The Rt. Hon Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has expressed shock and sadness over the accident that resulted in the tragic loss of lives, varying degrees of injury and the loss of property in the town of Appiate, near Bogoso in the Western Region.
“I offer my condolences and prayers to the victims and their families. Their pain and grief is unimaginable. But the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18).
In a statement issued on Friday, January 21, 2022 he entreated Ghanaians to remember them in their prayers. “I also encourage those in adjourning communities to open their doors to them.”
And to the rest of Ghanaians to offer whatever support they can by way of food, water, building materials, clothing, and anything essential to ease the grief of our fellow country men and women.
“Let us, in the proverbial Ghanaian spirit of love and hospitality, help them to rebuild their lives”, he noted.
Former Trade and Industry Minister under former President John Agyekum Kuffour’s administration, Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, ahead of the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) flagbearership contest has said the party should select the best candidate with the capacity to deliver.
According to him it is not an issue of the NPP selecting a flagbearer from an ethnic minority for the party to be acceptable to Ghanaians in the 2024 Presidential elections especially talking about breaking the two term eight (8) years.
“We should have someone who would sustain the confidence of the people, and it should be we are willing to give it to you because, we know you would break the 8 to continue and sustain it. Again it’s deeper than just saying it should be given to the man of the moment, I believe I am the one who has the capacity”.
Dr. Kofi Konadu Apraku, Commissioner for Macro Economic Policy and Economic Research of ECOWAS was speaking on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 on a current affair programme ‘Ekosiisen’ on Asempa Fm.
He indicated his intention to contest the NPP presidential primaries when the time is due.
As to who the man of the moment is when it comes to the upcoming flagbearership contest; he noted that there has not been any election to determine that.
“People can come up with names, I have not been involved because, ECOWAS rules do not permit me, so people are even surprise and have said, so you would come, if you would come then we would support you that is what I hear”.
Again, “we should not overstretch this concept of ethnicity; it is not helpful, Ghana want the best person to lead us”, and whether the current Vice President Dr. Mahmud Bawumi would be a good president because his name has come up is yet to be known.
He noted that it’s not for him to judge but it’s the NPP delegates. And touching on the vice-president as head of the economic management team, he indicated that if he has been impressive, “the people would reward him, I cannot judge if he has been good or bad”, he stated.
“I have the capacity to deliver and Dr. Apraku should be rewarded”. Touching on policies he would be bringing up when elected as flagbearer, he pointed out that the NPP has a lot of policy programmes being rolled out, and he does not have to come out with one now.
“We should have a resilient economy where people would live in dignity and I would ensure that the law and regulation of this country works irrespective of personalities, and there should be accountability; government should be responsible to the people a lot more”, he added.
In the wake of the brouhaha surrounding the withdrawal of military protection of the Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin compelling the Minority to issue a statement that they would hold the president responsible for the compromise of the security of the Speaker, the Majority has also issued a counter statement on the development.
The Majority on their part have issued a statement that the Speaker of the 8th Parliament is the only Speaker under the 4th Republican constitution who has requested military protection.
According to the Majority, this has never being the regular feature of the Parliamentary Service and the Ministry of Defense has to accommodate this request by the Speaker.
And further pointed out that the Speaker has four police officers in his residence and five police office in his secretariat which none of the previous Speakers have had half of the police cover.
“It must be emphasised for the record that the current Rt. Hon Speaker has been served with the largest number of security personnel of his protection than any of the previous Speakers had”.
“How does the military insistence on regularising his security detail compromise the Speakers security, or put him in harm’s way as the speaker himself has stated?”
The Speaker is the only speaker who has invited serving military officers to serve in parliament, as there is a colonel as a Marshal of Parliament and has never happened since 1957, “if it is the opinion of the Speaker that the police have some deficiency shouldn’t all of us work to cure any deficiency so detected?”
The Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has written to inform the presidency of his absence in the country from Friday, January 7, 2022 till Sunday, January 23, 22 as part of honoring a medical review appointment in the United Arab Emirate.
In a statement he noted that he would resume sitting for the first meeting of the second session of the 8th Parliament on Tuesday, January, 2022.
Prior to the resumption of the House, he further noted that Parliament intends to undertake COVID-19 booster vaccination exercise for Members of Parliament and Officers of the Parliamentary Service as part of measures to contain the infection and spread of the coronavirus disease within parliamentary precincts.
“Particularly in the wake of the spike in infections as well as the new wave of the Omicron variant of the disease, please accept Mr. President, the assurances of my highest esteem”.
The Minority in Ghana’s Parliament has served notice that it would hold the President Nana Akufo-Addo led government responsible should the security of the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Bagbin be compromised in anyway.
A statement issued by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu further calls for the immediate withdrawal of the letter with ref no: GH/ 1002/ 01/ COS written on behalf of the armed forces by the chief of staff and purporting to withdraw the military personnel attached to Mr. Speaker’s office.
“The Minority in Parliament is saddened and strongly denounces the withdrawal by President Akufo-Addo’s government of the military detail attached to the office of the Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin with effect from the 14th January, 2022.
It is pertinent to note that the only reason given for the shameful withdrawal of Mr. Speaker’s security detail is that the attachment was done without following the proper procedure.
Minority in Parliament
Curiously, the government fails and/or omits to spell out the procedure for the attachment of military personnel to high profile personalities such as the speaker of Parliament.”
It also indicated that if the action of the military high command is in good faith, the irregularity in relation to the attachment could be rectified without necessarily having to withdraw the personnel.
“The only logical conclusion a reasonable mind would draw with respect to the failure of government to indicate the nature of the procedure supposedly breached by Mr Speaker’s outfit is that proper procedure was followed for which reason the military high command had no difficulty attaching the military personnel in question to his office.”
Indeed, the Clerk to Parliament on the 21st January, 2021 did write to the chief of staff of the Armed Forces and duly requested the attachment of the military personnel in question. At this point, the chief of staff did not detect any procedural irregularities in relation to Mr Speaker’s request.
One year on the same chief of staff who on behalf of the military high command granted the request now wants Ghanaians to believe that he acted in error in the first instance? The posturing of the chief of staff in this regard is to say the least preposterous, the statement indicated.
The minority states further without any equivocation that the attachment of military personnel to the office of the Speaker is not an isolated incident at all.
For instance, members of the executive branch of government other than the president and Vice President who are below the Speaker of Parliament in terms of status and rank as provided for in the constitution have at various times had soldiers attached to their offices. A notable example is the current Attorney General and Minister for Justice who, even as deputy Attorney General had a soldier for his bodyguard.
Another example of a state official below the Speaker in terms of status and rank who roams town with military protection is the chairperson of the Electoral Commission, Madam Jean Mensah.
Flowing from the above, the minority is certain that the action of the military high command relative to the withdrawal of Mr. Speaker’s security detail is politically motivated and calculated to diminish his confidence in his bid to impartially and independently steer the affairs of the legislative arm of government, they stated.
The Authority of Heads of States and Government of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is unhappy with Malians Military Transition Government’s new calendar to conduct presidential elections at the end of December, 2025 setting a duration of five and a half years transition.
According to the Heads of States and Governments of ECOWAS, the new timetable indicates that the illegitimate military transitional Government would take the Malian people hostage during the next five years.
The Authority was briefed on the conclusions of the Assises National de la Refondation (ANR) of 13 December 2021, leading to the adoption of a calendar on the Transition in Mali.
The calendar submitted on the 31st December 2021 by the transition authorities to the Chairperson of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, schedules presidential elections to take place by the end December 2026. This will imply a transition period of six and a half (6.5) years.
The Authority noted that important stakeholders did not participate in those ANR, thus reflecting a lack of consensus by national stakeholders with regard to the proposed calendar.
In view of that the Authority has upheld the initial sanctions already imposed on Mali and on the transitional authorities and additional economic and financial sanctions, in conformity with its deliberation at its sixtieth Ordinary Session held in Abuja Nigeria on December 12, 2021.
They are as follows:
a) Recall for consultations by ECOWAS Member States of their Ambassadors accredited to Mali;
b) Closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Mali;
c) Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Mali, with the exception of food products, pharmaceutical products, medical supplies and equipment, including materials for the control of COVID-19, petroleum products and electricity;
d) Freeze of assets of the Republic of Mali in ECOWAS Central Banks;
e) Freeze of assets of the Malian State and the State Enterprises and Parastatals in Commercial Banks;
f) Suspension of Mali from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly, EBID and BOAD.
This was contained in a communiqué at the end of an Ordinary Session in of the Authority of Heads of States and government in Accra Ghana held on Sunday, January 9, 2022.
In addition, in view of the potentially destabilizing impact on Mali and the region, as a result of this transition in Mali, the Authority decides to activate immediately the ECOWAS Standby Force, to enhance its preparedness, should the need arise.
The Authority calls on the African Union, the United Nations and other partners to support the process for the enforcement of these sanctions and continue to provide support for a successful political transition. It invites the neighbouring countries of Mali, which are not members of ECOWAS, particularly Algeria and Mauritania, to support the implementation of the sanctions. ECOWAS will shortly field a mission to these neighbouring countries led by the Chairperson of Council of Ministers.
Despite the denial by the Malian Transition Government, the Authority remains deeply concerned by consistent reports on deployment of private security agents in Mali with its potentially destabilizing impact on the West Africa Region. The Authority notes that this situation is closely related to the stalled political transition in the country.
The Authority strongly condemns the continued arrest and imprisonment of Malian Political personalities and former dignitaries by the Transition Authorities and demands that their cases be handled in line with the rule of law and respect of human rights.
Regarding Guinea, the Authority remains concerned on the slow progress of the transition process four (4) months after the coup d’Etat. The Authority regrets the absence of an electoral calendar and the National Council of 6 Transition (CNT). It also directs a mission be fielded to Conakry to discuss the transition process with the transition authorities.
Concerning the Institutional Reforms of ECOWAS, the Authority instructs the President of the Commission to take all necessary measures for the new statutory appointees to take office on 1st July 2022 at the end of the tenure of the current Management. This implies the finalization of the allocation of remaining statutory positions and the launch of the recruitment process.
The Parliamentary Service Board of the 8th Parliament has set Tuesday, January 25, 2022 as the commencement of the Second Session of the current Parliament.
This overturns the initial Tuesday, January 18, 2022 as announced before the House went on recess in December.
A statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of the House pointed out to lawmakers to take note of the new date as well as members of staff of the House and attend upon it timeously.
Former Member of Parliament (MP) for the Anlo Constituency, Clement Kofi Humado said the Ghana Government’s policy that allows few wealthy Ghanaians to travel outside the shores of Ghana through the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) whiles land borders still remain closed to ordinary Ghanaians is a bad one
According to him the ordinary Ghanaian wants to earn a living across the land borders and he does not think Ghana has an option.
“I think we should open few of the land borders officially and let Ghanaians know that those who want to go across the borders can go across specific borders, strengthen the vaccination and COVID protocols along those points; inspect the vaccination cards of people who want to cross the borders. I do not think total lock down of the borders is the answer”.
In a telephone interview, the former Community lawmaker pointed out that, he was disappointed about President Nana Akufo-Addo’s message to the country on measures the county is taking to deal with COVID-19 pandemic, when he announced that the country’s land borders would not open on January 1, 2022 as ECOWAS is planning.
“I do not think it shows good example because if expects of ECOWAS have met and recommended opening of the borders, he, who is the chairman of ECOWAS should be leading the cause for the opening of land borders in the sub region. I find this whole thing puzzling; there is the need for greater coordination between our president and the rest of the Heads of states and government in the sub-region”.
ECOWAS chairman and President of Ghana
He further indicated that Ghana has fifty entering points along its borders with Togo, Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, and together with immigration and Interior Ministry can decide to open five entering points to the country’s land borders and enforce the protocols.
And the West African Health Organisation (WAHO) is making the point that they should be made aware of the land border points that would be opened within the ECOWAS member states, so that they can work with them to strengthen the COVID protocols at those places.
Meanwhile, Leaders of West African countries have agreed to the reopening of all land borders in the region by January 1, 2022. They also welcomed the reopening of already opened borders.
This was part of the resolutions reached at the 60th Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS , held in Abuja third week of December 2021.
“The Heads of states and government welcomed the reopening of land borders in ECOWAS for the free movement of persons,” the leaders said in a communiqué.
At a virtual meeting of sectorial ministers, the reopening of the borders was recommended based on the economic effect the closure has had on the economy of the region.
They noted at the meeting that in addition to the closure of borders on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the member states facing security crisis had also tightened security checkpoints within and at the borders of their respective countries.
This resulted in a loss of 6.7 per cent of the GDP of ECOWAS States between 2020 and 2021, the officials estimated. This corresponds to about $50 billion.
The ECOWAS Commissioner for Trade, Customs and Free Movement,
Tei Konzi said the reopening of borders for economic recovery “has now become a fundamental issue as the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 in West Africa adversely impacted the volume of trade and mobility of persons.”
“The hasty closure of borders in a bid to tackle the pandemic suspended the implementation of community integration texts on the free movement of persons and goods.”
Some ECOWAS member states shut their borders two years ago for different reasons including to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The parliament of Ghana has witnessed yet another physical confrontations resulting in abrupt temporarily stop to proceedings in the House.
A decision by the first Deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei Owusu to have himself counted during a “division” angered the Minority MPs who reminded him that that was inappropriate and not in line with the rule of law.
But the Speaker went on to have himself accounted.
Just when he resumed his seat, the Minority reminder him to leave the seat. Sensing the anger of the Minority, the first Deputy Speaker announced for the Second Deputy Speaker to takeover proceedings. But that was not to be as the Minority MPs vowed and prevented him from resuming the seat.
This led to some physical struggles between the two groups, with some even exchanging blows.
The standoff took well over an hour before calm returned.
The House was considering the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy) under the certificate of urgency: but the process was challenged by a member from the Minority, Mahama Ayariga.
The Second Deputy Speaker who was in the chair at the time ruled against the objection and continued to take a voice note on whether or not the Bill should be taken on the certificate of urgency.
His ruling for the “Yes have it” was challenged by the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka who called for division.
Unfortunately, the Second Deputy Speaker could not proceed with the division, instead suspended the House for sometime only for the First deputy Speaker to take over.
The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has reiterated the need for politicians to take advantage of the current composition of the 8th Parliament to improve on the democratic gains of the country.
According to the Speaker, whilst a hung parliament by itself is not bad, the challenges associated with it can be daunting and can lead to complexities, adding that the need to consult, dialogue, cooperate, compromise, collaborate and achieve consensus has become an imperative.
According to the Majority, this has never being the regular feature of the Parliamentary Service and the Ministry of Defense has to accommodate this request by the Speaker.
This was contained in a communiqué at the end of an Ordinary Session in of the Authority of Heads of States and government in Accra Ghana held on Sunday, January 9, 2022.
They noted at the meeting that in addition to the closure of borders on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, the member states facing security crisis had also tightened security checkpoints within and at the borders of their respective countries.