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The Minority on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 led by its leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has given indications that they would hold forum in collaboration with their party the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as to why they are kicking against Electoral Commission’s introduction of a constitutional instrument (CI)to make Ghana Card the sole document to acquire voters ID.

According to him this would afford Ghanaians the opportunity to understand the issues better and noted that the CI if implemented would undermine the Ghana’s democracy and disturb the peace of the country.

And further pointed out that some of the groups to engage are the Ghana’s development partners, faith based organisations to get them appreciate the issues better.

His press conference comes at the back of the EC and the National Identification Authority briefing Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

 “That is why under the current C.I 91 as amended by CI 126, Ghanaian passport and guarantor system are allowed as evidence of citizenship.

And it’s important to remind the EC headed by Madam Jean Mensah that the Commission is enjoined by the constitution to advance the right to vote not introduce any law that seeks to curtail same.

The NIA which is responsible for issuance of the Ghana Card has admitted that there is a back log of millions of Ghanaians who are yet to be issued the Ghana Card; and in addition three point five million 3.5m have been locked up in bonded warehouse due to its indebtedness of one point five billion to a private partner of the NIA, which has contracted loans from the banks to undertake printing of the cards.

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Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Central Mahama Ayariga has expressed worry over comments by the Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu that the business of the Electoral Commission (EC) is a government business.

According to him since the EC is an independent body, anything they do should be seen as coming from an independent body. He made this assertion in the wake of the EC briefing Parliament on Tuesday, February 28, 2023 on plans to work on a Constitutional Instrument that would see the Ghana Card as a sole document for getting the voters ID.

Responding to questions after the Minority organised a press conference to register their displeasure, of the Ghana Card being pushed as the sole document to acquire voters ID, he noted that the EC could have brought the CI long ago but did not do that.

“The EC has engaged us to make her case; we are also engaging you and the public to make our case why the Ghana Card should not be use as a sole document to get the voters ID”.

“EC is not government and government is not EC; this a consensus building process and I believe that it should have started at the political party level, because they have a major stake in voter registration but the evidence is that NDC as a political party was not involved in the deliberation leading to the production of the CI so we are bringing it up as Minority MPs for us to look at it”.

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As part of its oversight duty in checking for value for money in the area of malaria control, the select committee on Health has embarked on its oversight tour to the Berekum East constituency in the Berekum Municipal Assembly.
Chairman of the Committee Dr. Nana Ayew Afriye noted that the oversight was to check how funds, the tax payers money was being applied in the aspect of malaria control.

According to him in the next two or three weeks they have a budget to approve for the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), and in it includes malaria control which goes to a private company which is good.

In a media briefing after touring some sites where the malaria control project is being embarked on in the Berekum Municipal Assembly, Dr. Ayew lauded the idea of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) in the malaria control project in which Zoomlion is spraying stagnant waters that breed mosquitoes in one hundred and five districts (105) out of the two hundred and sixty (261) districts in Ghana.

“We have mapped out regions and communities in the districts, so we needed to be sure the money that was given them, where it went and what they are doing. So that when they come back to us for some resources we have a reason to approve or disapprove of their request”.

As to the level of satisfaction of the project, he noted that the malaria focal person in Berekum Municipality says in three years after the collaboration with the malaria control programme cases of malaria in the Municipality was twenty two thousand last three years, last two years was nineteen thousand reported cases, and for last year it was sixteen thousand.

So, in his estimation there is gradual drop in the reported cases of malaria and the aspect of value for money is the overall component for the point of going to spray; and the number of people they are employing and the number of times they are supposed to do the spraying.

That is the period before raining season and through raining season to the end, “so we need go and put pen on paper, we need to have their schedule, we asked of it and they were not able to give us, they said they have it, I could not see it”.

Again, he pointed out that they are in Berekum to do their work; it may appear that they may be having results but scientifically they need to have a lot of things on paper when they look at it as a metrics, they can check list it; but that is not there.

So they are there, either to improve it, to stop it or to ascertain whether the communities have value for money in this. He stated that the team would have a board room discussion after the visit to know when is the best time for them to be doing the spraying.

According to the malaria control program they are supposed to be spraying from March through to October but as it is on the ground they spray the third or the fourth week of the month from June to October annually.

The spraying last for four weeks and it means if they go on the field today it would take another four weeks before they come in, in between they say they do desilting which is laudable, but noted that the output may be okay but the measure of the output to the needs of the objective is what they are looking for as representatives of the people.

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Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has announced to Parliament that chair of the Electoral Commission madam Jean Mensah would be in the House to brief Committee of the whole on preparation to conduct the District Level elections and the Constitutional Instrument being worked on.

According to him the EC chair was outside the country at the ongoing Nigeria elections, when officials of the Commission established contact with her on Thursday, February 23, 2023 in view of the Minority side demanding to have her presence in the House before the Constitutional Instrument (C. I) could be discussed.

The Majority Leader got in touch with the Minority Leader if Committee of the whole could be held on Friday, February 24, 2023 but Dr. Ato Forson indicated to the Majority Leader that it was not possible because most of his members were going to pick forms to contest their primaries.

“It would not be wise for us to do that hence the EC should delay in coming for us to have the meeting on Tuesday, February, 28, 2023 so could not have space in the Business Statement and I have to provide the House with this information”.

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Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin has said in parliamentary democracy, alleged signs of mistrust should not be an excuse for a lawmaker to opt for physical fight.

According to him supposed mistrust should not be an excuse to use one’s strength to attack another person in the chamber that would undermine democracy.

“I would want to encourage the Minority that no matter what happens and as the Speaker said this should be the use of brain power”.

His comment did not go down well with the Minority side of the House, whose members started heckling, not also happy with the attitude of the Minority members pointed out to them he is on his feet and that is not the way to use the, “brain power”.

Again you get up quietly and catch the Speakers eye and more especially, when your colleagues in the Minority Leadership are on their feet you do not make noise, on our side we are quite to listen to them, he said.

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The Deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah said for his side of the House to work with the Majority side of the House there is the need to work with two key things – trust and respect for each other.

According to him his side is committed to ensuring that Ghanaians’ business is attended to in the House and work that comes to the House is done.

“We should work together in trust and respect; we believe if we can get that and trust each other all the things the Speaker has said we are committed to work together at the Committee of the whole”.

The Deputy Leader was responding to an urgent appeal made by the Speaker to both side of the House to jaw jaw on matters that comes to the floor of the House where both sides have strong opinion on the matter.

Ghanamps.com gathered that at the Committee of the whole meeting after adjournment on Thursday, February 23, 2023 the police had to be called into the chamber as tensions were high which nearly resulted in physical fight on the Constitutional Instrument which seeks to make the Ghana card the only authentic reference document to acquire a voters ID.

Rt. Hon Speaker Alban K. Sumana Bagbin said, “I am happy to hear that because outstanding issue should be resolved, I do not want you to come and repeat what happened on Thursday”. He made this remarks on Friday before the House was adjourned.

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The Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Samuel Nartey George has said the LGBTQI+ Bill would be laid before Parliament before the end of March this year.

According to him, he met the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Dame on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 who agreed that the Bill is in its best form and would help address the intended purpose of the Bill.

Addressing the media, he noted that sponsors of the Bill have also engaged the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and can confirm that much progress has been made on the Bill.

And further pointed out that their meeting that last close to ninety minutes when the Attorney General brought his memo on the matter, he was assured that his concerns have be addressed on the clause to clause.

The AG raised issue on cost on some human right issues and his attention was drawn to the fact that those issues have been addressed. One issue that was addressed was what “proper canal knowledge” is; the second has to do with marriage where marriage is recognized as between man and wife as the sponsors were clear on that welcome by the AG.

“If you go and contract marriage between same sex, if you get into the jurisdiction of Ghana it becomes null and void and the AG appreciated our Bill”.

And the AG was happy where the Bill strengthened the child’s Act section 86 K, it is clear and was an amendment pass by Parliament, with that nobody in a same sex relationship can come and adopt a child.

In his media briefing Samuel Nartey noted that within a week the report of the Committee should be on the floor of the House.

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A member of the Ghanaian delegation to the Community Parliament who is part of the Parliament’s observer team, ahead of Nigeria’s Saturday, February 25, 2023 general elections, Ayaba Abdul-Aziz Musah believes Nigeria would make Africa and the sub-region proud.

According to him Nigeria being big brother of Africa, in terms of its economy and population is not a joke more especially considering the role it plays in the West African sub-region.

In an interview on Thursday, February 23, 2023 before embarking on his trip to Nigeria, he noted that Ghana, Nigeria and other sub-regional countries are champions of democracy and expect that whatever would happen in Saturday’s election would enhance Africa and West Africa’s democracy.

“We are certain and hopeful that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security would be able to come out of the election successfully. It’s going to be a tough election, its expected, if you monitor what is going on from the various campaign teams”.

“What we expect is that the election would be peaceful, free and fair; we are certain, I am a member of the ECOWAS Parliament, we know what Nigeria brings to the table when it comes to democracy, we expect so much from them and I am certain we would not be disappointed”, he emphasised.

According to him, even in developed democracies they do have challenges with their elections and in the case of Nigeria, should there be issues the way and manner in which those issues would be handled that is where they have interest.

He further noted that, Nigeria would learn from their upcoming general election which would add on to the future electoral reforms.

In addition, he noted that this is his first as a lawmaker in Ghana’s Parliament and the ECOWAS Parliament, hence his first time in observing elections on the ticket of ECOWAS.

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Majority Leader of Ghana’s Parliament Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said Ghana needs a constitution that would frown on a democratic practice where after election the winner-takes-all and rather promote collaboration.

According to him collectiveness and consensus building in decision making at all levels of governance is the way to go in his remarks to launch the 30th anniversary of Parliament democracy which was done on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 on the floor of Parliament.

He further pointed out that, there is also the need to have a constitutional order that would ensure gender equity and, in many respects, equality to promote real development.

He disclosed that the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) has resolved that by 2025 all Parliaments in the world must comprise at least 30% of women, the CPA has adopted a similar position since last year, and queried how prepared the Parliament of Ghana is to align without the relevant amendment to the Constitution.

Again, “we need a constitutional order that will mitigate the winner-takes-all and prevent the do-or-die combat associated with our elections”.

We need a new constitutional order that will prevent the constant increase in the numbers of seats in Parliament. A new constitutional order that will put a cap in the number of Ministers of State; a new order that will ensure that the Speaker of the Parliament is a serving member of Parliament and that the Parliament of Ghana does not remain as one of only 9 Parliaments in the world whose Speakers are not Members of Parliament.

Additionally, a new constitutional order that will accord Parliament the financial independence that is required to enable Parliament stand on its own feet; a new constitutional arrangement that will liberate Parliament to perform its legislative functions without impediments, intended or unintended.

As well as, an order that will give birth to an economic paradigm which will engender wealth creation, entrepreneurial spirit and talent development as well as jobs for our people, especially, the youth with active partnership of Parliament.

A new constitutional order that will remodel the composition of the NDPC to purge it of the overly party-coloration and populate it with neutral citizens who will develop a real Long-Term National Development Plan around which parties would extract their manifestoes and therefore ensure that succeeding administrations continue the programs and projects started by their predecessors in order to prevent the wanton dissipation of the scanty resources of the country.

A new constitutional order where the Auditor-General would respect the fact that he is a tool for Parliament in the performance of Parliament’s oversight functions and therefore, cannot unilaterally exact and prosecute surcharges and, even before submitting his reports to Parliament, find a way to leak the recommendations to the general public.

A new constitutional order where assets declared by public servants can be traced and tracked by the Auditor-General for purposes of tax compliance and not to encourage a system where public servants declare assets that they do not have but assets that they hope to have.

A new constitutional order that will better define the role of the Council of State. Should it be transformed into a second chamber.. Should the composition be more democratic?

A new constitutional order where the appointment of officers of the Constitutional creatures, in particular, Electoral Commission, CHRAJ, NCCE, Media Commission, etc. would be subjected to the prior approval of Parliament, perhaps using absolute, not simple majority.

A new constitutional order where there will be no place for public tribunals. A new order where the qualification criteria to the apex court of the land would be enhanced and there will be a cap on the number of Justices for the Supreme Court.

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Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin has called for serious effort to be placed on strengthening Ghana’s democratic institutions if we have to sustain the country’s democracy.

He made this remarks on Wednesday, February 22, 2023 when Ghana’s Parliament launched its 30 year anniversary under the 4th Republican constitution which was on the theme – “30 years of Parliamentary Democracy in the Fourth Republic: Challenges and Prospects”, and is a year-long celebration.

In his speech the Speaker noted that, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) will hold its annual conference here in Accra.

The tentative date is from 30th September to 6th October, 2023 and selecting Ghana to host this prestigious conference in itself is an honour. Beyond that, it is proof of how the world sees and rates our parliamentary democracy.

“We have indeed come very far as a democratic country. We should keep this in mind as we prepare to host the CPA in Accra. Let us put our A Game on display in whatever role we are assigned so that at the end of the day, the CPA conference in Accra will leave lasting memories on the minds of participants”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghaanamps.com