News:
June 30, 2019
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Leader of Government Business, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said the completion of the intended new chamber block of Parliament would afford it space to accommodate swearing in of a new President.
According to the Leader of Government Business, the practice where newly elected Presidents are sworn in at the ‘Black Star Square’ would be over; we should come to terms with that once the new chamber is completed.
He noted that Black Star Square should not be where we swear in presidents; indicating that currently animals including sheep and goats as well as members of the public have taken over the entire space in breach of protocols.
“When the new chamber is in place, we would have space to accommodate our citizens when the President is being sworn in”.
He made this remarks when Adjaye Associates who had won the bid to build the new chamber block of Parliament brief leadership of the House on how the structure would look like when completed.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu pointed out to the contractor working on the new chamber block to consider putting up a curtain made up of glass that would prevent strangers from thinking of committing suicide having access to the main chamber during plenary session.
He recounted an incident that occurred weeks back when a stranger wanted to jump from the public gallery into the main chamber to committee suicide.
“The press gallery is even more dangerous, perish that taught, we could have a situation where some other person not a Journalist mix up with the Parliamentary Press Corps, on top of the Speaker pour an acid on the head of the speaker. That before we are aware a great harm has already been caused”, he lamented.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com