Monday, March 9, 2009

Examine budget critically-Minister of Finance appeals to MPs

Frontpage, March 9, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah
THE Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, has urged MPs from both sides of the political divide to critically examine the 2009 budget and provide useful suggestions for its effective implementation.
“I implore all of you to make time to read the budget and suggest alternatives or better ways you think we can implement it,” he told the MPs at a budget review workshop for Parliament in Accra last Saturday.
The minister stated that the country was facing some economic challenges and needed the contributions and constructive criticisms of all MPs in order to make life better for Ghanaians.
“We need all of you on board as we tackle these economic challenges,” he told the MPs, adding, “I believe we can surmount these economic challenges if we work together.”
He said since there was only a slim majority in Parliament, it was important for the MPs to work in the true spirit of collaboration.
The minister stated that the President had expressed his intention to reduce government expenditure and gone ahead to reduce the number of cars in his motorcade, the number of officials on foreign trips and the number of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Dr Duffuor added that the President had also indicated his intention to reduce State Protocol budget for official travels of all MDAs, as well as that for official seminars and workshops.
“I would be grateful if Parliament will, this year, as part of its oversight responsibility, monitor the expenditure of the MDAs to help the government to achieve this objective. Please help us to fight waste in the system,” he said.
The Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, in a speech read on her behalf by the Second Deputy Speaker, Professor Mike Oquaye, said Parliament had the prime duty of monitoring public expenditure to ensure that moneys were authorised and used for their intended purposes.
She said the ripples of shrinking economies of the developed world were gradually being felt in the Ghanaian economy and that as a result of that the public would have great interest in Parliament’s debate of the 2009 budget.
She advised the MPs to take advantage of the workshop to obtain an insightful examination on the perspectives of the 2009 budget.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, said the workshop had proved useful over the years.
“In the past five years, through this forum the leadership of parliamentary committees had interacted with resource persons outside Parliament and the Executive, as well as the MDAs, on the annual budgets and economic policy statements of the government,” he explained.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said his side would criticise and offer suggestions not to destroy the intentions of the government, as contained in the budget, but assist in their achievement.
He reiterated the need for consensus building and called on the Majority to reciprocate such a gesture from the Minority.
The In-Country Co-ordinator of the Parliamentary Centre, Ms Marilyn Aniwa, said the centre, in partnership with the Parliament of Ghana, and under the Ghana Parliamentary Committee Support Project, had, over the past six years, organised a series of post-budget workshops to help parliamentary leadership to review the government’s budget and economic policy statement.
“The partnership with the Parliament of Ghana is based on the centre’s belief that vigorous and continuous parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of the budget process is at the heart of qualitative Executive-Legislative relations,” she stated.

Parliament passes Petroleum Bill

Page 3, March 7, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah, Daniel Nkrumah
PARLIAMENT on Thursday passed the Customs and Excise (Petroleum Taxes and Petroleum Levies) (Amendment) Bill, 2009 to reduce excise duty on petroleum products.
The passage of the bill was in response to the proposed reduction of taxes on petroleum products as announced by the Minister of Finance, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, when he presented the 2009 budget to Parliament.
By the passage of the bill, it is expected that the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) will make the necessary announcement to reflect the reduction in petroleum prices.
According to the report of the Finance Committee, excise duty taxes on the various petroleum product would be as follows:
Premium petrol excise duty tax will be reduced from 7.1800Gp per litre to 2.7800Gp per litre, while that of gas oil will be reduced from 6.2000Gp per litre to 1.800Gp per litre. Excise duty tax on kerosene will be reduced from 4.5375Gp per litre to 1.0375 Gp per litre, while that on liquefied petroleum gas will go down from 7.2246Gp per litre to 0.7246 Gp per litre.
For marine gas oil (local), the reduction in excise duty tax is from 3.9945Gp per litre to 0.2945Gp per litre, while residual fuel oil will have excise duty tax reduced from 5.2094Gp per litre to 3.2094Gp per litre.
Excise duty tax on unified gasoline will go down from 7.1820Gp per litre to 2.7800Gp per litre.
Dr Duffuor moved the motion for the passage of the bill and he was seconded by the Chairman of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Mr James Klutse Afedzi.
In seconding the motion, Mr Avedzi said the committee had been informed that the reduction measures, as contained in the bill, would result in a revenue loss of about GH¢5 million per month. Thus for the remaining 10 months of the year, it would cost the nation a total of GH¢50 million.
Contributing to the ensuing debate, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Dr Anthony Akoto Osei, said the House expected the Finance Minister to come back to explain how the revenue that would be lost as a result of the passage of the bill would be recovered.
He said the Minority appreciated the difficulty in which the government found itself after making an electoral promise.
The MP for Afigya Sekyere, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, stated that the removal of the excise duty taxes from petroleum products would not have any significant impact on Ghanaians “but we will support our friends opposite to fulfil their electoral promise”.

Vetting continues on Monday

Page 22, March 6, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Appointments Committee of Parliament will on Monday March 9, 2009 begin the vetting of three ministers of state and 23 deputy ministers whose nominations by President John Evans Atta Mills was referred to it through the Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, for consideration and report.
According to the work schedule of the committee, the three ministers of state designate, Mr Abdul Rashid Pelpuo, Alhaji Seidu Amadu and Mr Kwajo Tawiah Likpalimor, who are all Members of Parliament (MPs), Mr Seth Tekper and Mr Fiifi Kwetey, both of who are designated for the Ministry of Finance, would appear before it on Monday, March 9, 2009.
On Tuesday, March 10, 2009, the following deputy ministerial nominees will appear before the committee. They are: Mrs Elizabeth Amoah-Tettey, Education; Dr Kwabena Donkor, Education; Dr Joseph Annan, Education; and Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Energy; while Nii Nortey Dua, Youth and Sports; Mr Henry Ford Kamel, Lands and Natural Resources; Mr John Gyetuah, Trade and Industry; and Mr Moses Mabengba, Deputy Northern Regional Minister designate, will take their turn on Wednesday, March 11, 2009.
Mr Eric Opoku, Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister designate; Ms Hawawu Boya Gariba, Women & Children’s Affairs; Mr Kale Caesar, Upper West; and Dr Nartey Siaw-Sappore, Communications, come face to face with the Appointments Committee on Thursday, March 12, while Dr Kwesi Akyem Appea-Kubi, the Interior; Ms Dzifa Peace Aku Attivor, Transport; Mr Gideon Quarcoo, Communications; and Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, Local Government and Rural Development, will take their turn on Friday, March 13, 2009.
The vetting exercise continues on Monday, March 16 with the following deputy ministerial nominees making their case as to why they deserve their nominations. They are Mrs Betty Bosomtwe-Sam, Western Region; Col Cyril Neku (retd), Volta Region; Baba Jamal, Eastern Region; and Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo, Roads and Highways.
On Tuesday, the only nominee who will appear before the committee is Mr Kwabena Owusu Acheampong, who is designated for the Ministry of Tourism as the Deputy Minister.

Mixed reactions greet budget statement

Centre spread, March 6, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah, Daniel Nkrumah & Musah Yahaya Jafaru
THE maiden budget of the NDC government, under the Presidency of Professor John Evans Atta Mills, has received varied reactions from the Minority and the Majority sides of Parliament.
After the Minister of Finance had spent close to two hours to present the abridged version of the budget, amid intermittent heckling, the Minority described it as “Sakawa Budget”.
‘Sakawa’ is a local term used to describe Internet fraud.
In the middle of the presentation, MPs from the Minority side stood up holding sheets of paper on which were printed “Sakawa Budget” in bold letters, with the Majority responding by holding up sheets with “Better Ghana Budget” printed on them.
The Minority created laughter in the packed chamber when they responded “ongoing, ongoing” when the minister mentioned a wide range of projects outlined in the budget.
As Dr Duffour continued to drink water occasionally during his presentation, the Minority shouted, “More water, more water”, to which he responded, “Water is life, you know.”
The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr John Tia, described the budget as one which met the aspirations of Ghanaians, saying it was all-encompassing, not restricted to just a few sectors.
He stated that it had a socialist flavour and was a budget for the people, explaining that it would ensure that the rich in the country were appropriately taxed and the money spread to cater for the poor.
Mr Tia said it was one of the best budgets ever read in Parliament and that it would help to significantly address the plight of the poor and improve the standard of living in the country.
The MP for Wa Central, Mr Abdul Rashid Pelpuo, said the budget was comprehensive, as it contained policies to address economic challenges and propel economic development in the country.
He said for the first time the budget was specific on how to address the challenges facing deprived regions and indicated that it would focus on effective resource mobilisation, instead of hinging budget support on borrowing.
The MP for North Tongu, Mr Charles S. Hodogbey, also described the budget as one of the best ever read in the country, saying it was geared towards addressing most of the problems facing the country.
He said it was impressive to note that the budget placed emphasis on cutting costs by reducing government spending, noting that it was also geared towards increasing food production and addressing the unemployment situation in the country.
The MP said the government also demonstrated its commitment to ensure that more Ghanaians benefited from the National Health Insurance Scheme with the proposed introduction of the payment of a one-time premium.
The MP for New Edubiase, Mr Ernest Kofi Yakah, said the budget was an impressive one that covered all areas of the economy, saying the government was determined to implement the good policies and measures outlined in it to improve living conditions in the country.
He said the government, by demonstrating its commitment to reduce petroleum prices, had shown that it had the interest of the people at heart.
For his part, a former Minister of Finance and Economic Planning in the past government, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, noted that Dr Duffour did well by articulating the current economic problems of the country.
He said it was true that the global financial crisis would affect foreign remittances as a result of the loss of jobs by Ghanaians living abroad.
Mr Osafo-Maafo, while describing the budget as “okay”, said it fell short of putting in adequate measures to make up for the expected shortfall in the country’s revenue.
Touching on the government’s commitment to collaborate with the private sector to make the sector the engine of growth, he said the statement should be considered mere rhetoric, since the Finance Minister did not give any clue as to how that was going to be done to achieve the intended objectives.
For his part, a former Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour, said the intended reduction of the prices of petroleum products would not have any serious positive effect on Ghanaians.
He said, however, that the targeted 5.9 per cent growth was achievable, since the country’s current growth was 6.2 per cent.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the budget was too academic and failed to outline concrete measures to address the socio-economic challenges in the country.
He said, for instance, that the Finance Minister did not spell out how to reduce inflation and prevent the depreciation of the cedi against the foreign currencies.
A former Minister of Trade and Industry, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, described the budget as “business as usual”, since it did not have any bold initiatives to support the economy “in this era of depression”.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah, who is the MP for Sekondi, said the budget could only qualify for a “management budget” which could not rescue the economy and bring about the needed development in the country.
For his part, the MP for Dome-Kwabenya and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, said energy was at the base of the country’s economy and expressed worry that the Finance Minister did not give any details as to how the government was going to improve the energy sector.
Besides, he said the proposed review of petroleum taxes and petroleum-related levies was a deceptive political ploy to convince Ghanaians that the government had reduced the prices of petroleum products and indicated that it was just a temporary measure.

Ghana's parliamentary democracy, a showpiece

Page 24, March 5, 2009
Article: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
GHANA’S parliamentary democracy became the showpiece in Africa and beyond with the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Ghana’s independence Parliament of 1957 supervised the country’s growth to become a Republic, a status that was achieved on July 1, 1960.
Despite the many periods of military rule, there have been up to 10 parliaments, namely, the Independence Parliament (Nkrumah), the two Parliaments of the First Republic (Nkrumah), the Parliament of the Second Republic (Busia), the Parliament of the Third Republic (Limann) and the four Parliaments of the Fourth Republic (Rawlings and Kufuor and the current Parliament (J.E.A. Mills).
The 1969 and 1979 constitutions of the Second and Third republics, respectively, provided for 140 elected members, while the 1992 Constitution of the Fourth Republic provided for 200 elected members. However, the Constitution has since been amended to increase the number to 230, whose term of office is four years, just as the President’s.
The Fourth Republican Parliament has proved to be the most successful of all the parliaments. So far, five elections have been successfully held, while Parliament has operated successfully.
The 1992 Constitution is a hybrid of the American and British constitutions. Although it provides for an Executive President, some of the Cabinet members have to be chosen from Parliament.
In the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic, three parties were represented, namely, the National Democratic Congress (189 seats), the National Convention Party (eight) and the EGLE (one). It had 16 women, one of whom was an independent member.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), the People’s National Convention (PNC), the People’s Heritage Party (PHP) and the National Independence Party (NIP) boycotted the parliamentary elections because they accused the NDC of rigging the presidential election which had been conducted earlier.
During the 1996 general election, the minority parties participated in the parliamentary election but the NDC still maintained its dominance in Parliament with 133 seats; NPP — 61, the People’s Convention Party (PCP) — five, PNC — one, with the number of women increasing from 16 in 1992 to 18.
In 2000, the NPP won both the presidential and parliamentary elections with 100 seats, while the other parties had the following number of seats: NDC — 92, PNC — three, CPP — one, and independent candidates — four. There were 19 women, including one seat won in a by-election. In six by-elections held after the general election, the NPP won all, including three that were occupied by the NDC.
In the 2004 elections, the NPP maintained its majority in Parliament and increased its number to 128, NDC — 94, PNC — four, CPP — three, and independent — one. It must be noted that the seats in Parliament were increased from 200 to 230. The number of women in the House also increased to 25.
The NDC made a dramatic turn by winning both the presidential and parliamentary elections during the 2008 elections with 114 seats, leaving the NPP with 107, CPP, one, and PNC, two. Results from two constituencies — Akwatia and Asutifi South — are yet to be declared.
There are four independent MPs in the current Parliament.
Out of the total of 228 MPs currently in the House, only 20 are women. Five of the 228 MPs have been MPs since 1993. They are Mr Alban Bagbin, the Majority Leader and MP for Nadowli West; Mr Edward Doe Adjaho (Avenor-Ave), Alhaji Seidu Amadu (Yapei-Kusawgu), Kwadjo Tawiah Likpalimor (Kpandai) and John Akologu Tia (Talensi).
Again, five of the MPs can be described as returnees. They are Mr Cletus Avoka (Zebilla), Dr Alfred Tia (Nalerigu-Gambaga), Mr Dominic B.A. Nitiwul (Bimbila), Mr Mike Hammah (Effutu) and Mr Ernest Attuquaye Armah (Trobu-Amasaman), while as many as 85 MPs are first timers.
One of the independent MPs and the two PNC MPs have aligned themselves with the NDC to give it majority seats of 117, while three independent MPs and the one CPP MP have aligned themselves with the NPP to form the Minority group in the House.
The stage is thus set for a Parliament which will survive mainly with a lot of consensus building, instead of entrenched positions that had been the order of the day in the previous parliaments because of the clear majority the Majority sides had had.
Whichever way one looks at it, it is clear that Ghana’s democracy has come of age and it is serving as a leader on the continent, much in the same way that the country set the pace for the total political liberation of the African continent from colonial rule.

House ends debate on sessional address

Page 30, March 4, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
DEBATE on the State of the Nation Address presented to Parliament by President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday, February 19, 2009 ended yesterday, with Members of Parliament (MPs) either commending the President for his excellent vision or castigating him for his failure to include in his address a number of issues on other sectors of the economy.
The NDC MP for Tamale Central, Mr Inusah Fuseini, who moved the motion for the House to thank the President for his address, stated that the views expressed by MPs from both sides of the House had been candid, useful, important and valuable.
He said the quality of the debate would go a long way to enrich the vision of the President to work towards building a better country for the benefit of both the present and future generations.
Mr Inusah said some views by MPs, particularly those from the Minority, had been very critical, adding that that notwithstanding, “such criticisms are part of the current democratic dispensation”.
Tracing events leading to Ghana’s independence, the NPP MP for Dome-Kwabenya and Second Deputy Speaker, Professor Mike Oquaye, said Ghanaians could not pretend that the independence of the country was solely propelled by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, explaining that “Ghana does not have any one founder”.
He stated that although it would not be wrong to declare Dr Nkrumah’s birthday as a national holiday, it would be wrong to create an impression that he was the founder of the country, without acknowledging the work of the other members of “the Big Six”, as well as those who preceded them.
He called on Ghanaians to acknowledge the fact the country’s independence was a collective effort, not the effort of an individual, to enable the country to continue to enjoy its oneness and unity of purpose.
Contributing to the debate, the NPP MP for Afigya Sekyere, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, said the NDC administration had been presented with an opportunity due to the current fall in the price of crude oil from $140 a barrel to below $40 to reduce the price of the commodity to alleviate the suffering of the masses.
He welcomed the President’s decision to resolve the financial problems of the Volta River Authority and the Electricity Company of Ghana.
The MP, however, advised the government to be bold enough to allow the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to do its work without any political interference, since such political decisions had been the bane of the VRA and the ECG.
For his part, the NDC MP for Shama, Mr George Essilfie, chastised the past administration for spending eight years characterised by excessive spending.
He said it was unfortunate that the NPP tradition criticised both the Nkrumah and Rawlings regimes for borrowing for a number of infrastructural projects, yet found it expedient to contract loans to embark on ventures such as the presidential palace, the 50th anniversary celebration and the national awards.
When it was his turn, the NDC MP for Krachi East, Mr Wisdom Gidisu, called on people who had been entrusted with responsibilities by the current administration to work towards the provision of the needed infrastructure in the rural areas to minimise the current rural-urban drift.
He commended the President for his vision to provide hospitals in every district and expressed the hope that if that was carried through, it would go a long way to provide for the health needs of the people.
Mr Gidisu also called for the provision of teachers’ quarters throughout the country to entice teachers to accept posting to rural areas to contribute to efforts at providing quality education in the country.

’Exercise oversight responsibilities over children’

Page 21, March, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARENTS have been called upon to properly exercise their oversight responsibilities over their children in order to mould them to become responsible adults.
The founder and leader of the Pentecost Prayer Camp at Goka in the Jaman North District in the Brong Ahafo Region, Prophetess Sara Donkor, who made the call, said that was the only way to minimise the increasing moral decadence in the country.
She was addressing a special prayer meeting at Goka to thank God for ensuring a peaceful election last year.
Prophetess Donkor noted that the increasing spate of “wee” smoking and alcoholic intake by the youth did not augur well for the future of the country.
She, therefore, enjoined parents to team up with teachers to instil discipline in the youth.
She also reminded Christians of their responsibilities and urged them to embark on a crusade to rescue the youth whose lifestyles had become a source of worry to their parents and the society.
Prophetess Donkor thanked Ghanaians for the display of maturity during the 2008 general election and implored them to unite now that the election was over, with the common aim of developing the country.
Preaching the sermon, the Berekum Area Head of the Church of Pentecost, Apostle B.T. Coffie urged Christians to give thanks to God for ensuring a successful general election and urged them to continue to pray for the sustenance of the peace being enjoyed in the country.
Meanwhile, assembly members of two electoral areas in the area have appealed to the government to urgently rehabilitate the Drobo-Miremano and Nyame-Faaman roads to facilitate transportation in the area.
Mr Ansumana Amadu, the assembly member for Jenjemireja-Miremano and Mr John Nkrumah, the assembly member for Nyame-Asuogya, made the appeal through the Daily Graphic at Goka.
They expressed fears of a possible cut off of the area from the rest of the district if urgent measures were not taken to rehabilitate the two roads.
They noted with concern the deplorable nature of the roads and the insensitivity of governments over the years to tar the them.

Parliament reconstitutes membership

Page 17, March 3, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

PARLIAMENT has reconstituted its membership in the Pan-African Parliament and the ECOWAS Parliament.
By the provision of Article 5 (3) of the protocol of the Pan-African Parliament, if a member ceases the national parliament he belongs to, he automatically loses his seat in the Pan-African Parliament.
During the December, 2008 elections, four out of the five members who represented Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic lost their seats, hence the need to replace them.
They are Alhaji Malik Alhassan Yakubu, Mr John Dramani Mahama, who is now the Vice- President, Mr Kwabena Adusa Okerchire and Ms Josephine Hilda Addo.
The reconstituted members who would represent Ghana in the Pan-African Parliament are Mr Edward Adjaho, First Deputy Speaker and MP for Ave-Avenor, Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader, Mr E.T Mensah, MP for Ningo-Prampram, Mr Moses Asaga, MP for Nabdam and Ms Elizabeth Agyeman, MP for Oforikrom.
The reconstituted membership of Ghana’s delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament are Mr John Akologu Tia, Deputy Majority Leader, who is the leader of the delegation, Mr Michael Teye Nyaunu, MP for Lower Manya, Mr Francis Yaw Osei-Sarfo, MP for Krachi West, Alhaji Dr Mustapha Ahmed, MP for Ayawaso East, Mr Stephen Kwaku Balado-Manu, MP for Ahafo-Ano South, Mr Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin North and Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, MP for Bosomtwe.
Meanwhile, the House on Thursday continued with the debate on the President’s State of the Nation address with the Majority MPs sticking to their line of argument by supporting the President’s programmes and policies while the Minority MPs criticised the President for failing to include some sectors such as tourism in his address.
The Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, indicated in his contribution that the government was committed to the expansion of fix and mobile telephones throughout the country as part of efforts to enhance easy communication, even in the remotest part of the country.
He said increasing access to communication would also enhance business activities among the people.
Mr Iddrisu commended the President for being forthright and truthful in his address, especially about the state of the country’s economy.
He stated that the NDC government would work towards the modernisation of agriculture in order to reduce the importation of food, especially rice to save the country’s foreign exchange for other purposes.
For his part, the NPP MP for Bosomtwe, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah said it was unfortunate that the President failed to include the plan of his government to develop the tourism sector in his maiden state of the nation address.
He explained that the development of the tourism sector was key to the solution to the reduction of poverty and wondered why President Mills did not deem it fit to include his plans in his address.
Touching on the President’s assertion on the country’s economy, the MP described the address as lacking what he termed “fair economic fact deficiency syndrome” and called on politicians to let what they say on political platforms reflect their actions when they were elected into office.
The Minister of Women and Children Affairs, Ms Akua Sena Dansua in her contribution stated that the number of programmes and policies outlined in the President’s address would ensure the welfare of women and children if they were implemented.
She added that the efforts would be made to mainstream gender issues in all government’s development programmes for the achievement of objectives of women affirmative action.
When she caught the eye of the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho who conducted the business of the House for the first time, the MP for Asante Akim South, Mrs Gifty Ohene-Konadu said it was in line of the provisions of the Afirmative Action of 1998 that the NPP government established the Women and Children’s Affairs Ministry and gave it a Cabinet status.
She said the Affirmation Action called for the mainstreaming of gender issues in all ministries, department and agencies.
Mrs Ohene-Konadu expressed the hope the NDC administration would continue with the good works started by the previous administration so that the quality of life of women and children would improve.

Samia grateful to Prez. Mills for honour done her father

Page 15, March 2, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah has commended President J.E.A Mills for his intention to honour the memory of the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first president of Ghana, with the institution of a founder’s day on his birthday, September, 21.
The MP,a daughter of the late former president, whose contribution to the ongoing debate to thank the President for his message on the State of the Nation address was delivered with emotions, said it was an established fact that the independence struggle was not began by Dr Nkrumah.
However, she said the world has acknowledged his great work and honoured him as the greatest African of the 20th Century through a BBC survey.
She noted that there have been previous attempts to honour Dr Nkrumah by Ghanaians and mentioned the state funeral organised by the previous administration for the widow of Dr Nkrumah, Fathia, as one of the acknowledgement of the role played by her father in the liberation struggle.
The MP said the plan by President Mills to introduce a legislation in Parliament to make Dr Nkrumah’s birthday a national holiday starting from this year, which is his 100th birthday anniversary, was very significant.
Mr Speaker, I call on Ghanaians not to allow the issue to divide us but rather use the institution of the day to unite us for the development of the country”, she said and received tremendous “hear, hear” from her college MPs from both sides of the House.
However, the MP for Bantama, Mrs Cecilia Dapaah, who spoke earlier said that although Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to the country’s independence was quite significant, the contributions of others should also be recognised and called for the institution of Founders’ Day and not a Founder’s Day.
Contributing to the Debate, the MP for Ketu North, Mr James Klutse Avedzi said it was good that for the first time, an MP’s Constituency Development Fund would be established separately from the District Assemblies Common Fund, which had created a wedge between MPs and their district chief executives.
The plan to construct a road linking the Volta region to the Northern region would also link the northern part of the country to the southern part by significantly reducing the length of kilometers one had to cover.
When he caught the eye of the Speaker, the NPP MP for Tano North and former Minister of Food and Agriculture during the NPP regime, Mr Enerst Akubuor Debrah said the nation was grateful to the President for his promise that the country would only change cause only when it became necessary and urged him to back his words by deeds.
He touched on the food situation in the country and said due to the good policies put in place by the previous administration, Ghana would be the only country south of the Sahara that would be able to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) requirement of halving poverty by 2015.
The debate on the address is expected to be concluded tomorrow.