News:
May 24, 2022
Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said there is the need for the 1992 Republican constitution to be looked at holistically as some public officers have been excluded from the assert declaration regime.
According to him public officers like the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives as well as officers of the Economic Crime Office and Council of State members have been excluded the practise.
He noted that Article 285 sub-section 5 on assert declaration wants assert lodged with the Auditor General, but unfortunately the Auditor General cannot open the envelop. The Auditor General would not open it based on how the constitution has captured it, he noted.
He said the whole idea of lodging it with the Auditor General is for the purpose of those public offices to respond to their tax liabilities; but unfortunately the Auditor General is disabled due to the construction of the Ghanaian constitution.
And further noted that the clause is an entrenched position and for the review of the constitution no one should see his call for the review of the constitution as doing that through the back door.
He made this remarks on Tuesday, May 24, 2022 as he welcomes his colleagues back from recess.
He further pointed out that he disagree with the point made by the Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu for a rule to me made so that no government borrow beyond 70 per cent of GDP; but rather the point should be made that you cannot borrow beyond 6 per cent within a period of four years of a government.
On the issue of flooding within the national capital, he noted that there is the need for more education and the Assemblies should be up and doing because they are the ones who grant permit for people to build and they build in water ways which is usually the cause for the flooding.
Touching on the proposal by the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Bagbin on recent ruling of the voting right of a Deputy Speaker as some disagree, parliament would create a platform for those in academia and civil society to look at the matter, adding that he was not comfortable with it.
“I have no idea who the civil society operatives are or who the members of the academics are; one can hope that the persons nominated are going to present a very balanced analysis and not yield to other terminations and come to disparage the Supreme Court”, Mr. Kyei-Mensah stated.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com