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The Minority on the Appointment Committee has taken a swipe at their colleagues on the Majority side for breaching time-tested practices of the Committee, as they went ahead to vet Minister of State designate at the Ministry of Energy.

According to a statement issued by the Deputy Minority leader, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah there is a long-standing parliamentary practice that requires national circulation of information on memoranda from the public.

That is, the public ought to be given adequate time to submit memoranda to make representation; and the Minority is at a loss as to the rationale for the indecent haste on the part of the Majority, more especially as there is a substantive Minister of Energy, and the nominee is already a Deputy Minister at the sector.

Last week, it took a strong push back from the Minority to call off the vetting of the same nominee just a day after the referral by the Speaker to the Appointment Committee to ensure that the appointment was advertised.

The Minority wishes to serve notice that it will not be part of any hasty process deliberately designed by the Majority to deny the people of Ghana participation in the work of the Appointment Committee and Ghana’s democracy.

Consistent with the Minority’s earlier position, the Caucus will not participate in the vetting of any ministerial nominee that adds to the already bloated size of this Akufo-Addo/ Bawumia government.

Again, the Minority cannot support the President’s nomination for the Minister of State at the Ministry of Energy at a time when Ghana is going through very difficult periods, including crippling economic crisis, food insecurity, debt default, corruption, state capture and wasteful expenditures.

The Minority once again calls on President Akufo-Addo to downsize his government to signal to the people of Ghana that, at the very least, he is in tune with feedback and appreciates the challenges resulting from the bad economic policies of his government. It cannot be the case that whiles the government asks the people to tighten their belt; those in government would have no belt at all.

Under the circumstances, the NDC Minority Caucus cannot in good conscience participate in the vetting of yet another injury time ministerial nominee, he affirmed.

Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for North Dayi, Joycelyn Tetteh has today, Monday July, 8, 2024 toured three (3) Basic Examination Certificate Examination Centres in her constituency and provided each candidate twenty five (GHc 25) Ghana cedis for the week at the ongoing examination.

According to her she is aware of the socioeconomic situations hence supporting these candidates to at least buy breakfast each day before they sit for their exams.

She challenged them to pass their exams with good grades and she will be there to support them heavily with their SHS prospectus.

The lawmaker further provided one hundred Ghana cedis GHc 100 to the invigilator and some support for various teachers from the schools that have brought their candidates to the centers as motivations for their commitment to serving her beloved pupils.

Hon. Joycelyn has assured to doing her part as far as educational activities are concerned in North Dayi Constituency.

The candidates, invigilators and the teachers alike were grateful for this supportive and benevolent gesture from their MP. They wished her well in all her endeavours.

Bismark Kwabla Kpobi

The Majority in Parliament has expressed disappointment in the Minority for standing in the way of government, as it makes efforts to ensure Ghanaians have fair pricing of cement in the country.

Majority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo Markin at a press conference on Thursday, July 4, 2024, expressed worry over the attitude of some members of the Minority, when government is taking steps to ensure Ghanaians do not experience constant price increase in cement produce.

According to him, more worrying is the fact that the NDC Minority keeps calling on government to leave up to expectation by halting the arbitrary increase in cement products in the country, and yet their attitude in parliament towards that effort speaks otherwise.

“We are disappointed at the manner in which the minority went about the Legislative Instrument (LI) which was laid two days ago in Parliament”, he stated.

The Majority Leader asserts that the main objective of the L.I as contained in the paper presented is to promote competition within the cement industry, but not to regulate pricing of cement; adding that government is not seeking to re-introduce price control as if we are a communist government.

He said this government believes in free market enterprise, but it should be regulated and checked. ‘When the matter came up for the laying of the L.I. the Minority raised a strong objection to the effect that we should subject the L.I. to a pre-laying, which suggestion we agreed. It was made and referral was made to the Subsidiary Legislation of Parliament, it is headed by Dr. Dominic Ayeni after their deliberation they came up with a document, a report signed by the chair of the committee”.

The content said if the sector Minister would take into consideration all the amendments, then they are not opposed to the L.I. The Minister incorporated every single amendment proposed by the committee into the new L.I before same was laid. In other words, the old L.I. was changed so the Minority amendment was factored into the new L I.

“So how come the next day some members of the Minority came attacking government? They are the same people complaining about cost of leaving, cost of pricing of food stuffs and production, and government is taking steps to protect the consumer, the ordinary user of cement in Ghanaian.”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Justmoh Company Dr. Justice Amoh, currently constructing the Boankra Inland port has appealed to Parliament to intervene and ensure that funds are made available for the completion of phase one of the project which is forty percent complete.

According him this is an important national project hence they have been to their banks to ensure that the project goes on even though they have not been paid since November 2023.

He made this appeal when the Committee on Roads and Transport visited the site on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, as part of their oversight to see for themselves where the project has reached as there is much public interest in the project.

More so, it is hoped that the visit of the MPs would help facilitate how best funds would be made available to the contractor for successful completion of the project.

The CEO of Justmoh thanked the Committee for coming around and pointed out that the visit is historic, adding that in his thirty-five years being in the construction industry this is the first time he has had a visit from a parliamentary Committee.

Concerning the regulation of his contract on the Boankra project, he noted that the process is ongoing, and to the best of his knowledge, it is before the Public Procurement Authority and they have given approval for the project to continue; “but we are yet to finalize the signing of the contract.”

According to him, the contract that was approved by parliament was three hundred and thirty million dollars; but this was revised now to three hundred and eighty million dollars and “we signed one hundred and ten million dollars with the concessioner for a section of the project”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee, Kennedy Osei-Nyarko has explained that the current contractor working on the Boankra Inland Port project has been regularized based on issues raise by the Minority members of the Committee on controversies between Ashanti Port Service and Justmoh on the abrogation of their contract.

According to him the sector Ministry has explained that Ashanti Port Services were given time to get the needed fund to work but could not do it and their contract was subsequently terminated as the Ministry has gone to the Public Procumbent Authority to regularize the contract of Justmoh, the current contractor working on the project.

He said the Attorney General and lawyers would deal with whatever they need to do in the wake of a possible judgment debt as some of the parties are in court.

In an interview, he pointed out that they have advised the ministry to bring the new contract to Parliament as the initial contract was brought to Parliament.

Mr. Osei-Nyarko further noted that the Committee has learnt that there were some variations in the contract, indicating that in the initial feasibility study, it did not come out that some portions were water logged, and when not worked on, in the future additional money would be spent to do filling. And working on those areas delayed the project a bit.

Meanwhile, the committee has requested for the new contract to be brought to it for them to be well informed on the current development to help them adequately inform the public and the media on the project.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Chairman of the Roads and Transport Committee Kennedy Osei-Nyarko in the company of other Committee members has expressed satisfaction in the work so far done at the site.

The Committee members as part of their oversight role paid a day’s working visit to the ongoing Boankra Inland port project in Ejisu constituency on Wednesday, July 3, 2024.

According to him, the Ministry, contractor and consultant have done well so far with forty percent of phase one of the project done.

“What we witnessed is impressive; when you are outside you hear so many things as if nothing is happening, all of us are witnesses; you the media, we on the side of the committee, I would say we are impressed. We were told by the consultant that the contractor has not been paid since November 2023, the IPC that has been raised has not been honoured”.

He affirmed that the project is such a great initiative, and that the government and the ministry should do well to ensure the project goes on, since it would be helpful for the nation.” It is not for only the Ashanti Region; but the Sahel and the Northern part of the country; it is going to serve a great part of the Northern half of the country”.

And further pointed out that initially he was of the view that the first phase would be completed by the end of this year, “but we have been told in 2026 due to the new changes that came in. We are happy as a committee and we are going to the House to report it; where ever we have to find money for the contractor to finish the work we would do for the project not to halt”, he assured.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority members on the Appointment Committee have boycotted vetting of deputy Trade and Industry Minister nominee, Kofi Ahenkorah Marfo on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.

According to a statement issued by the Minority Leader Dr Atto Forson, they, as a caucus are affronted by the already large size of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and its poor economic performance. “We are again unable to support this nomination by President Akufo-Addo at this time because our country has gone through very difficult periods, including crippling economic crisis, food insecurity, debt default as a result of excessive borrowing, corruption in government and wasteful and reckless expenditure.

He further pointed out in his statement that, ordinary Ghanaians going through excruciating hardships and businesses relocating from Ghana as a result of the high tax regime created by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, one would have expected the President to downsize his already large government.

This would have sent a signal to the people that President was mindful of the economic realities and was willing to do things differently to restore the needed confidence in the economy. That the President continues to nominate additional ministers to his already large sized government at this injury time demonstrates a lack of appreciation of the economic mess that his government has unleashed on Ghanaians as a result of its bad economic policies.

And consistent with their position as announced on May 17, 2024, the NDC Minority Caucus cannot out of good conscience support the approval of this injury time deputy minister nominee, especially when this Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has been reckless, wasteful and insensitive about the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian.

“We will not, and cannot, take part in a decision to further burden the already suffering Ghanaian, especially when the president is unmindful of the financial consequences of his bloated government”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Majority Leader Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has admonished his colleagues to respect the decision of their flagbearer on who he presents as his running mate and who the New Patriotic Party (NPP) structure accepts as the running mate.

In the wake of Andy Appiah Kubi making unfavourable remarks about the possible candidature of his colleague Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh as the running mate, the Majority Leader further pointed out that officially the part has not announced who the running mate is.

In an interview he stated that names of those likely to be running mates coming up are respected party members who have worked hard for the party, and it would be inappropriate for one individual to call out one person and denigrate the person.

He discouraged colleagues from coming out with some attacks, described people in bad manner. This game of politics when destiny choose you is like that, it does not matter your age and height, educated or not educate, humble or not, we should all wait and ensure the unity of the party.

Again, when Professor Jane Nana Opoku was chosen, the decision was around thirty five percent we know, but when the decision was announced they rally and we did not hear a single soul in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) coming out publicly to say no; none is perfect, we have to manage each other and see what the person brings on board and cautioned that his colleagues should be mindful of what they say out there if the decision is eventually made.

We should support the party and not attack the decision of the party and the flagbearer; we have done so much for this country, we will make Ghana proud by protecting our legacy, he emphasized.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Contrary to some media speculations that the Chairman of the Finance Committee Kwaku Kwarteng is being demoted, Majority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin says he is rather being elevated.

According to him with the revision of the standing orders, the new standing orders has s a Committee on Finance and Economy; and with election 2024 approaching, any serious political party would want to project its bests.

“And our respected colleague Kwaku Kwarteng, the very hard-working Chairman of the Finance Committee, during former President Kufour’s time was government spokesperson on the economy”.

Again, when we were elected to power in 20216, he was made the deputy minister for finance and appeared on many media outlets speaking for government on the issue of the economy, he added.

At a media briefing, he pointed out that finance is a subset of the economy so “we felt that, with this new committee coming up, it is important to elevate our respected colleague to this new committee to chair it so that he can take the fight to the NDC. So far they claim they have answers to the economic challenges but they know that our colleague who has better knowledge on the economy can better show case our issues on the economy when made majority spokesperson on the economy. That is good news, it is not fair to the issue for any media house to say he has been removed”, he emphasized.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Leader of Government Business Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has pointed out that the current ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) government has nothing to hide regarding the national cathedral project, saying the government has been transparent, hence the reason the Deputy Majority, Leader Patricia Appiagyei filling a question about the project.

According to him the Asokwa lawmaker has filled an urgent question on how much has been paid on the construction of the national cathedral and if there has been value for money audit made.

Again, it should not be said that only Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who cares about Ghana and the opportunity is for the Minister for Finance to come to the House so that they all know if the right thing was done. “My colleagues have been in government before, they know that with government money, you just do not wake up and pay it into an account, there are structures at the ministry, and audit would have to be done”.

The Majority Leader made these remarks on Friday, June 28, 2024, after he presented Business statement for the ensuing week and members wanted to know when monies pumped into the foundation for the building of a National Cathedral would be accounted for.

He asserts that the Minister is going to bring all of these to the House, “and if there was work done before payment, we will know. If at that point anyone is dissatisfied, and we want further probe we would do that. There is no problem at all, this government is a transparent government. That is why a deputy Majority leader would file such a question; we are not covering anything up, we know the essence of transparency in government; that is what we are doing”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com