Friday, May 22, 2009

Parliament reconvenes on May 26

Page 16, May 21, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
PARLIAMENT will reconvene for the second meeting of the first session of the fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on Tuesday, May 26.
The meeting, which is expected to last for 10 weeks, would end on Friday, July 31.
The Majority Leader and leader of the House, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic on Tuesday said that a number of bills and papers were expected to be laid before the House for consideration during the meeting.
In addition, a number of questions had been filed by some Members of Parliament (MPs) for almost all the sector ministers to appear before the House.
Sector ministers who would feature prominently during question time are, the Minister of Roads and Highways, Minister of Water Resources, Work and Housing and the Minister for the Interior.
Bills expected to be put before the House include the Customs, Excise (Duties and Others) (Amendment) Bill, 2009, the Debt Recovery (Tema Oil Refinery Fund) (Amendment) Bill,2009 and the Right to Information Bill.
Papers to be laid before the House during the meeting include; Voluntary Partnership Agreement on Trade and Development Cooperation with the European Union, and Petroleum Agreement among the Republic of Ghana, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Vanco Ghana Limited and Lukoil Overseas Ghana Limited for the commencement of exploration and production in the offshore Cape Three Points Deep Water Block.
The House would also consider for approval the Formula for the Distribution of the National Health Insurance (NHIS) fund during the meeting.
Mr Bagbin added that the Piublic Accounts Committee would also be busy during the meeting to consider 12 pending reports of the auditor general. While some of the reports had already been laid, others would be laid when the House reconvenes.
Another issue which would engage the attention of the MPs during the meeting would be their means of transport.
The Majority Leader had already hinted that the MPs would insist the government provide them with means of transport unlike the usual practice whereby loans were offered the MPs to purchase vehicles of their choice.
Some of the MPs, particularly the new ones still do not have their own means of transport to convey them to and fro the House and constituencies to Parliament.

C'tee to look into Vodafone sale inaugurated

Frontpage; May 19, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minister of Communications, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, yesterday inaugurated a five-member inter-ministerial review committee to look into the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) between the government and Vodafone International Holdings BV.
The transaction, which was entered into by the previous administration, enabled Vodafone to purchase 70 per cent shares of Ghana Telecom, with the remaining 30 per cent being retained by the government.
The setting up of the administrative review committee is in fulfilment of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) manifesto pledge to review the agreement and take a decision that will be in the strategic interest of the country.
The five-member committee is under the chairmanship of Mr Justice Emmanuel Addo, a retired international Appeal Court judge.
Other members of the committee are Mrs Ama Banful, a Chief State Attorney, representing the Attorney-General’s Department; Mr Benjamin Cudjoe, an Assistant Auditor-General, representing the Auditor-General; Mr Opoku Gyamfi Boateng, a financial consultant and representative of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and Mr Issah Yahaya, a representative of the Ministry of Communications, who is a member/secretary.
There are also four persons to provide technical support for the committee.
They are Dr Ben Adu, a communications consultant; Dr Raymond Atuguba, a legal practitioner; Mr Michel Bow-Amuah, a network consultant, and Ms Rita Sraha, a financial expert.
In his remarks, Mr Iddrisu stressed that the committee had no mandate to review the decision of Parliament but it would peruse the contents of the transaction for recommendations to be made to the House.
He recalled that the Ghanaian public and political parties in the opposition at the time of the agreement raised critical questions on the transaction.
“We need to find answers to these questions,” he said, and gave the assurance that the review was “being done in good faith and to assuage the concerns of the Ghanaian public”.
The committee, which has three months to present its report, will work under a 15-point term of reference.
It is to look into the justification and rationale of the indemnity clause in the agreement, its possible removal, as well as the value for money and financial implications for the government of the cash-free, debt-free basis of the transaction.
In addition, the committee will also seek answers for the huge liabilities of Ghana Telecom prior to the sale and why some of the liabilities were not declared at the close of the deal.
It will also examine the tenure of Telenor/Telecom Management Partnership (TMP) and also the three-member Interim Management Team of GT with the GT contract with Alcatel and how the $228 million loan and the $63 million escrow account was managed and disbursed.
The review will also examine the possibility of de-coupling the Ghana Telecom University College from the transaction to be spun off into a fully fledged ICT institute of excellence and the justification for the inclusion of the national fibre-optic backbone infrastructure in the GT transaction when it was conceived as a stand-alone, open-access, non-discriminatory project to support the development of ICT in the country.
Again, the composition and registration details of the 70 per cent shares and whether or not the government was dealing with Vodafone UK P/c or Vodafone International BV will also be examined, in addition to the status of and the repayment of the $30 million loan from China Eximbank for the implementation of the first phase of the national fibre optic backbone and its implications on future financing of ICT projects.
Other terms of reference for the committee include the examination of issues relating to the suspension/termination of contract with the transaction advisor and determining whether there were better offers from potential bidders that were received and ignored.
It will also examine the exemptions regime under the SPA in relation to offers of 3G licences, determine the extent to which Vodafone had injected working capital into GT, which was the basis for the sale, the implementation of employee restructuring and labour rationalisation and the absence of safeguards for the minority shareholder in the SPA, especially requiring agreement on issues such as the change of name and headquarters of GT.
In his remarks, Mr Justice Addo thanked the government for the confidence reposed in them and gave the assurance that the committee would discharge its duties to the best of the abilities of its members.
“We will say it as it is to enable the government to take its own decision,” he said.

Monday, May 18, 2009

MPs will demand official vehicles, says Bagbin

Frontpage, May 18, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Members of Parliament (MPs) will insist that the government provides them with official vehicles, according to the Majority Leader in Parliament, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin.
He stated that although the new government had not come up with any clear policy on the issue, “we will this time round insist that MPs are provided with vehicles that will assist them to discharge their duties, instead of going in for loans to purchase such vehicles to generate furore from the general public”.
Mr Bagbin, who is also the MP for Nadowli West, was addressing a press conference at the weekend to refute statements attributed to him in a story published by an Accra daily newspaper.
The comments attributed to him related to the Chinery-Hesse Committee Report on gratuity for MPs of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
The Majority Leader traced the history of the provision of vehicles for MPs right from the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic and wondered why there should be public outcry over vehicles purchased by MPs through loans which were eventually paid back.
He said during the First Parliament of the Fourth Republic, MPs were assisted to purchase second-hand vehicles which did not last, while, during the Second Parliament, the new vehicles which they purchased were not strong enough.
Mr Bagbin explained that it was only during the Third and Fourth Parliaments that they were offered loans to purchase 4x4 vehicles, during which the MPs received public bashing.
He stated that since MPs had to travel to their constituencies almost every week and tour remote areas to interact with their constituents, there was the need for them to get vehicles that would take them through such weekly trips.
He also touched on accommodation for MPs and stated that the government had provided GH¢30,000 for each MP to rent accommodation for two years and some months and that had enabled the government to make huge savings, since, during the last Parliament, the government had to spend GH¢2.5 million on MPs’ hotel bills.
Mr Bagbin stated that through the current arrangements, only GH¢600,000 had been spent.
Touching on the gratuity given the MPs of the last Parliament, the Majority Leader explained that GH¢82,000 was paid to each of the beneficiaries but that a sizeable chunk of that was used to repay the loans contracted to purchase vehicles for their official work.
He added that what each MP would get at the end of the day would be about GH¢20,000.
He advised former MPs against using stickers meant for MPs on their vehicles, since that would amount to impersonation.
On the earlier report attributed to him, Mr Bagbin said in presenting a “bizarre” report of the event in Kumasi, the newspaper pencilled down quotations which “it claimed came from my lips”.
He stated that he would always want to see a cordial and harmonious relationship between the media and Parliament to promote a just and free society and cautioned that “misrepresentations will never do anybody any good. Giving a dog a bad name and hanging it will not help us”.
He explained that in his presentation in Kumasi, he had stated a number of apologies Parliament had rendered for its inability to scrutinise the voluminous Chinery-Hesse Report before it was passed.
“We cannot run away from that fact. What else is expected of us to warrant this sordid twist of facts?” he asked, and reminded the media that the ability of the electorate to make informed decisions would depend on them.
“It, therefore, behoves all of us to be as objective as possible in our quest to ensure the flow of information from the government to the people and vice versa,” he added.

House yet to act on report on ex-Speaker. Says Chairman

FRontpage, May 15, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has stated that the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB) which constituted the ad hoc committee to look into the items allegedly taken away from the official residence of the former Speaker is yet to take a decision on the findings of the committee.
He said it was, accordingly, unfair for anybody to rush to the press to crucify the former Speaker over the recommendations of the committee.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who was the Chairman of the ad hoc committee, expressed these sentiments in an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday.
Reacting to a front-page story of the Thursday, May 14, 2009 edition of the Daily Graphic, the Minority Leader said the leaking of information from the ad hoc committee which investigated the truth or otherwise of the allegation was, therefore, unfortunate and a disservice to Parliament as an institution.
He also described the GH¢4.5 million quoted in the story as the value of the items allegedly taken away by Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes from his official residence after his retirement as “outrageous and a palpable falsehood”.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu quoted the correct value of the items to be about GH¢430,000 (¢4.3 billion) and not the GH¢4.5 million (¢45 billion) quoted by the paper and regretted that “because those who leaked the information to the Daily Graphic were in a hurry to cause mischief, they quoted such an outrageous amount”.
The Minority Leader explained that there seemed to be a policy in place from which some senior officers who retired from the Parliamentary Service had enjoyed by taking away some items in their residence and wondered why the former Speaker had to be singled out for mention to disgrace him.
He, therefore, called on the media, the public and those behind the leaking of information from Parliament to exercise restraint and allow the PSB to come up with a definite decision on the matter.
“Until that is done, it will be improper for us to condemn the former Speaker,” he said.
He said the sanctity of Parliament as an arm of government should always be upheld and that if anything untoward happened in the House, the matter should be dealt with within, instead of some people always hurrying to the press with issues which were before the PSB.
“What is happening is most unfair. Before the PSB meets, the items on the table are already in the media,” he said, and questioned whether such an attitude was being displayed within the Executive and the Judiciary.
“Whoever is behind such leaks is not helping the cause of parliamentary democracy,” he said.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu also described what he termed as occasional resort to statements to embarrass the former Speaker as “diversionary tactics by the government”.
He explained that after each of the three occasions when the Minority had held press conferences to respond to some actions by the government, they had been followed by publications on the former Speaker to divert the attention of the public from the issues that the Minority had raised.
He stated that while not condoning any misdeed, any such diversionary tactics would not help the country’s democratic dispensation.

Continue NPP’s sound economic legacy--Minority

Page 16, May 13, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Minority in Parliament says that Ghanaians expect the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to continue the sound economic legacy left by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in order to move the economy forward.
Addressing a press conference in Accra yesterday, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, noted that the new growth rate of 7.3 per cent achieved last year was reported to be one of the highest in 30 years.
“It is important to stress that that was achieved in the face of record high oil prices, high food prices and a meltdown in the world financial markets as well as the global recession in 2008,” he said.
He recalled that in 1999/2000 when oil prices rose to $36 per barrel, the GDP growth rate, under the NDC, was 3.7 per cent, and explained that with oil prices rising to $147 per barrel in 2008, the NPP was able to achieve a growth of 7.3 per cent.
“Against this background, how come that the NDC government and President Mills are talking about economic mismanagement, ” he questioned.
He said if by that the NDC meant that the per capita income (that is putting money in the pockets of Ghanaians) had risen from $300 in 2000 to $712 in 2008, “then we would gladly with pizzazz??? and romantic glee plead guilty as charged”.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said it was unfortunate that some activists of the ruling NDC had made various statements to the effect that the NPP government’s mismanagement of the economy “caused the disappearance of gold reserves”.
He said when some of those who made those statements had turned round to apologise, the NPP thought that such uninformed statements should be put behind them to enable them to partner the government to find solutions to the problems of fiscal management of the economy.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said it was unfortunate that the President himself descended “into the arena of conflict” in London that the NPP had “mismanaged the economy” and “looted the economy”.
“Let Professor Mills be informed that it is not true that in 2009 the budget deficit was 15 per cent of the GDP. The real deficit was 11.5 per cent of the GDP”, he said, explaining that the difference was financed by revenue and not through borrowing.
He added that what occasioned the 11.5 per cent GDP deficit included the purchase of generators, fuel to power the generators, crude oil for the Aboadze Thermal Plant, the world food crisis and world oil price hikes as well as the massive infrastructure projects.
The minority leader said that it was the expectation of Ghanaians that the Economic Advisory Council, together with the Ministry of Finance and the Bank of Ghana, would sit up and show them that they would be able to sustain the economic growth at 7.3 per cent.
He described the current target of 5.9 per cent for 2009 as an attempt by the government to lower expectation so that the government could come back next year to say that it had met its target.
“For the sake of Mother Ghana, we wish Professor Mills and the NDC well and we are all watching. We only advise them that they should seek the truth,for it is the truth which will set them free, ” he stated.
A former Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Professor George Yaw Gyan-Baffour, called for a bi-partisan discussion on when the country was expected to reach a middle-income level.
He argued that for postponing the NPP targeted year for the country to reach a middle-income level from 2015 to 2020, the NDC had reversed the country’s current economic growth to that of 2005.
Prof Gyan-Baffour said perhaps it was because of that that the NDC had targeted 5.9 per cent growth for 2009 when the Finance Minister was aware that the NPP achieved 7.3 per cent growth in 2008 in the face of the world economic recession.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

MoH negotiates with doctors

Centre Spread, May 7, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Ministry of Health has begun negotiations with the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) over unpaid allowances and stalled salary talks for doctors working in the country’s public health institutions.
The negotiations have become necessary because of the decision by junior doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi to embark on a strike.
The junior doctors claim that their fuel allowances have not been paid for the past 18 months. They also claim that since 2006 salary negotiations had been stalled.
Also involved in the negotiations are the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare, the Ghana Employers Association (GEA), among other stakeholders.
Leading the GMA team is the President of the association, Dr Emmanuel Adom Winful.
In his brief remarks before the commencement of the negotiations behind closed doors, the Minister of Health, Dr George Sipa-Adja Yankey, said the government was committed to solving the problems associated with the payment of doctors’ unpaid allowances and stalled salary negotiations.
“It is not fair for the country’s doctors to be treated this way,” he said, explaining that officials of both KATH and the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital had started the payment of allowances due the medical doctors.
Dr Yankey, however appealed to the GMA to be reasonable in its demands and expectations, bearing in mind the country’s economy.
He said he expected the negotiations to last for about two days.
He said efforts were also being made by the government to implement the single spine salary structure (SSSS) to ensure equal pay for equal work.
Speaking to newsmen later, the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, said the issue of salary negotiations with the GMA had to be tackled carefully so that the results would not have a negative effect on other groups in the health sector and other sectors of the economy.
He said it was for that reason that the government was committed to using the SSSS as a holistic approach for the solution of salary problems in the country.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Ministry to implement regulation on axle load

Centre spread, May 6, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Ministry of Roads and Highways will begin the implementation of the regulation on common standards and procedures for West African countries on the control of the gauge, weight and axle load of all vehicles from June 1, 2009.
The sector Minister, Mr Joe Gidisu, who announced this yesterday, stated that the ministry would hold a stakeholders’ forum to educate key players in the road transport industry on the enforcement of the regulation before the end of this month.
He was briefing the media on the outcome of the trip of a government delegation to Niger to intervene in the case involving some stranded Ghanaian truck drivers at the Burkina Faso-Niger border.
The trip was in response to an SOS message received from the Ghana Embassy in Burkina Faso on the plight of some Ghanaian drivers who were stranded due to overloading and other offences.
The Union Economique Monitaire L’Ouest African (UEMOA) Regulation 2005, which was adopted by ECOWAS, has set May 31, 2009 as the deadline for measures to be adopted by member states for the control of gauge, weight and axle load of all vehicles.
Mr Gidisu said the government would ensure that the UEMOA regulation was strictly enforced right from the country’s ports of entry to prevent roads from premature deterioration.
The specified standards, as stipulated by the regulation, are a maximum height of four metres above the road surface, 11.5 tonnes per single axle and 51 tonnes maximum for six-axle trucks.
He said the government would marshal all the necessary infrastructure and logistics required to achieve the objectives as contained in the UEMOA regulation.
He said in line with that, steps were being taken to restore the weighing scales installed in Tema and Takoradi to full operation as soon as practicable, explaining that in the interim the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) would make available portable weigh bridges at the ports to regulate loading.
He said with the completion of the weigh bridge station at Offinso, checks could be made on trucks plying the Acca-Paga corridor.
Mr Gidisu added that height gauges would also be made available at all checkpoints along the corridor.
“While the government is determined to make all necessary logistical support available to enable the axle load staff and the police to perform, acts of malfeasance will never be countenanced under any circumstance,” he said.
On the plight of the stranded Ghanaian truck drivers, he said at the time of the visit of the delegation, 73 out of the original 300 vehicles detained since January this year were left to be processed.
He said at a meeting with government officials in Niamey, it was made clear that a huge investment had been made in the road infrastructure and that the government was determined to prevent their premature deterioration due to overloading.
Mr Gidisu said after deliberations, the Ghanaian delegation and the Nigerien government officials came to an agreement that trucks found to be overloaded must settle their commensurate overloading fees.
In addition, it agreed that action would be expedited on trucks going through custom and administrative formalities to avoid undue delay.
The minister said considering the difficulty in arranging for trucks to transport the excess cargo from the weigh bridge stations, which had no storage facilities, it was agreed that overloaded trucks which had settled the overloading fees and gone through custom and administrative formalities be allowed to go to Niamey, where they would have access to storage facilities and easily arrange for the transport of the excess cargo.

Develop strategies to wean off donor dependency

Page 16, May 6, 2009

Story & Picture: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Oquaye, has challenged African countries to develop strategies which will wean off their economies donor dependency.
He said that could be achieved only if they were able to adequately address the weaknesses in their internal capacities in the management of their economies.
Prof. Oquaye was addressing the opening session of a five-day international workshop to assess the policy implementation of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Accra.
It is being attended by 35 participants from the Pan-African Parliament (PAP), selected MPs from Ghana, staff of the NEPAD Secretariat and civil society representatives, among others.
The workshop, which is being organised by the Canadian Parliamentary Centre, a non-governmental organisation, is expected to ensure a more effective PAP, which is able to contribute to democratic governance in Africa.
It would also ensure enhancement of PAP’s capacity to monitor APRM and NEPAD implementation and compliance and prepare a recommendation on the APRM and NEPAD to the 12th session of the PAP.
Prof. Oquaye said implementation of programmes of the priority sectors of NEPAD was key to the economic transformation of Africa and the establishment of self-sustaining and self-reliant economies.
He said it was, however, important to stress that no amount of external support could make NEPAD successful, explaining that the concept would succeed depending on how African governments and leaders show commitment and zeal to implement its principles.
Prof. Oquaye said that in the case of Ghana, Parliament had taken the responsibility for ensuring that the rule of law, respect for human rights, transparency and accountability were necessary conditions for political, economic and corporate governance to prevail.
He said that had been made possible through legislation of policies which were supportive of the NEPAD initiative, explaining that the passage of the Financial Administration Act and the public sittings of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament were all in line with the objectives of NEPAD.
Prof. Oquaye added that Ghana’s success story could be attributed to the government’s belief in democracy, good governance and acceptability to the people, making it the first country to be subjected to the Peer Review Mechanism, for which it had set up a Local Governing Council.
He identified poverty reduction as the biggest challenge of NEPAD, adding that while poverty was not specific to Ghana, it was striking and alarming that it was only in Africa that poverty had increased in recent years.
Prof. Oquaye called on African countries to learn from one another to avoid costly mistakes and reap the benefits of the NEPAD/APRM processes and their outcomes.
For his part, Dr Francis Appiah of Ghana’s APRM secretariat urged Parliaments in African countries to be interested in reports on the implementation of the APRM objectives which their countries submitted to the African Union (AU).
He said the NEPAD had given substance to the formation of the AU, and since achieving political independence, there was the need for African countries to be economically sustainable.
“Once we have gained political independence, what remains is economic independence, and it is the NEPAD which will ginger economic growth on the continent only if it will be well implemented,” he said.
The Director of Africa Programmes of the Parliamentary Centre, Dr Rasheed Draman, said the workshop would also examine how best practices could be replicated to other countries in order to develop and strengthen the monitoring and evaluation framework of the various committees of the PAP.

Pix I: Prof Mike Oquaye (fouth from left in the front roll) in a pose with the participants after the opening session. Also included in the picture is Professor Samuel K. Agyepong ( Chairman of the National Governing Council of the APRM.

Pix II: Prof Mike Oquaye (second right) delivering his address during the opening session of the workshop. Those with him are Dr Francis Appiah (extreme right) of the APRM, Dr Rasheed Draman of the Canadian Parliamentary Centre (extreme left) and Madam Oaderago (second left), a Member of both the Pan-African Parliament and Burkina Fasso Parliament.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Bridge spanning Volta River faces collapse — MP

Page14. May 4, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South, Mr Albert Kwasi Zigah, has drawn the attention of officials of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) to the imminent collapse of the bridge spanning the Volta River at Sogakope.
He said the warning had become necessary because of the way vehicles were made to wait for a long time before crossing the bridge to the other side during rush hours.
Mr Zigah, who is also a member of the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, said even though the bridge was not made to carry many vehicles at a time, vehicles were always seen standing on it while waiting for their turn to cross over.
“I have had cause to warn officials manning the bridge over the issue anytime I get there but this has fallen on deaf ears,” he said.
He said it was unfortunate that officials of the GHA had not detected that anomaly and stated that it would be in the best interest of the nation for immediate action to be taken to curb an imminent danger.
The MP added that it was similar actions by recalcitrant officials and drivers that resulted in the damage of some parts of the Adomi Bridge.
“We cannot sit down unconcerned for such a national asset to deteriorate as a result of the actions and inaction of a few people,” he said.

Friday, May 1, 2009

Agyenim Boateng calls for high journalistic standards

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Daniel Nkrumah

A DEPUTY Minister designate for Information, Mr James Agyenim Boateng has underlined the need for journalists to maintain high ethical standards in order not to unfairly harm the reputation of others.
He noted that journalists had a responsibility to respect the rights of their sources as well as well the privacy of others on issues that were of a confidential or sensitive nature such as health records of individuals or public figures.
When he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament, the 34-year-old Radio Presenter and News Editor at Radio Gold, said it was wrong for people to make allegations against others without any evidence stressing that “he who alleges must prove”.
He said there was the need to establish a broadcasting law in the country, that would help address some of the challenges confronting the electronic media.
Touching on the Right to Information Bill, the Mr Agyenim Boateng said the bill was critical to ensuring that there was transparency in the governance process and also emphasises the fact that sovereignty rests in the people.
He added that making information available to the masses could also promote accountability among public servants.
Also, appearing before the committee was the Deputy Regional Minister Designate for the Ashanti Region, Ms Anima Wilson, who told the committee that if given the nod, she would support the regional minister to effectively manage the region.
Ms Wilson had livened up the place, when she told the committee that a prophet in her church had prophesied that she was going to become a deputy minister.

NPP needs reorganisation to win power — Prempeh

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Manhyia, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has said it will take unity, good organisation and a sense of purpose for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to re-capture power in 2012.
He said the party needs to constantly engage in constructive criticism of activities of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and present credible alternatives, where necessary, to win back the hearts of Ghanaians.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the Manhyia MP acknowledged that the NPP lost power in December because it was a divided party.
“We failed to carry out our messages effectively, while we could not also effectively counter assaults of the opposition,” he said.
He noted that the NPP allowed the NDC “too much room to operate with lies” to paint the Kufuor government black.
Dr Prempeh said the NPP would, therefore, have to learn from its mistakes and capitilise on the weakness of the NDC in order to revive its fortunes and win back power.
Commenting on his experience in Parliament, he said he had come to learn that the work of an MP required personal sacrifices.
Dr Prempeh stated that the lack of resources for MPs was hampering their work and called on the society to recognise the crucial role of members of the legislature.
He said he found it very difficult to comprehend the volume of work done by Parliament in spite of the numerous challenges the institution had faced since the country returned to constitutional rule in 1993.
Dr Prempeh said it was unfortunate that supporters of the NDC and NPP sometimes considered themselves as enemies, explaining that the situation was, however, different in Parliament.
“Apart from few issues that we do not agree on in Parliament, we agree on a lot of matters brought before the House, share jokes and eat together,” he said.
He, therefore, called on supporters of the two parties not to consider themselves as enemies but rather as opponents, who also had different agenda for development of the country.
Dr Prempeh said he had come to enjoy debates in Parliament and said such healthy exchanges were good for the country’s democracy.
“Let us continue to work together, even though we may not share similar goals, since our common aim is to use politics to enhance the lot of our people,” he said.

MPs working hard to deepen democracy — Speaker

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo has said Members of Parliament (MPs) are working hard to deepen the country’s democracy and deserve every pesewa spent on them.
She has therefore expressed her gratitude to the MPs from both sides of the House for their cooperation during the First Meeting of the First Session of the Fifth Republic.
Mrs Bamford-Addo expressed these sentiments when the British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Nick Westcott paid a courtesy call on her on Monday.
“I tend to like all the MPs and I always look forward to meet them on the floor of the House everyday,” she said.
She said although the beginning of her tenure was a bit difficult since controlling Parliament was not like sitting at the bench, she had gradually overcome the initial difficulties.
Mrs Bamford-Addo said she had always made sure to maintain the unity and consensus building in the House during debates.
“Even though it is difficult to control the MPs when they are on a war path in few instances, I try as much as possible to control them,” she said.
For his part, Mr Westcott said he was proud with the country’s democratic achievements and congratulated Mrs Bamford-Addo for being the first Ghanaian woman to be appointed as a Speaker.

Minority will not tread on destructive opposition *Assuures Kyei Mensah-Bonsu

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Minority in Parliament yesterday reviewed the four-month administration of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and promised Ghanaians that it would play its opposition role responsibly.
“Unlike the NDC which made every issue partisan, we have decided not to tread this path of destructive politicking,” it said.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, made the promise when he addressed a press conference at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) headquarters in Accra. The conference was to draw the attention of the public to the fallout of the four months rule of Professor John Evans Atta Mills in the areas of finance and economic planning, constitutionalism, law and order and issues relating to security and public safety.
“Our message to the NDC is that there is a government in waiting. The party has been tested and proven capable in governance and faithful to its promises to the good people of Ghana,” he said.
Referring to the 2009 budget, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the “Duffuor’s budget” was an attempt to achieve cost savings through measures such as reductions in purchases in crude oil for VRA, delayed payments on Ghana’s contribution to the West Africa Gas Pipeline, delayed payments of Ghana’s liability to SSNIT on social security contributions and savings from HIPC, among others.
He said these measures were all not realistic or attainable, adding that one could, therefore, not see how the purported reduction in the deficit could be realised.
The Minority Leader said that was why a call was made to the Finance Minister to consider the budget as an interim one so that he could spend more time to do his homework and come back to Parliament with a more realistic one.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said while the Minority thought that this friendly advice had been heeded to, they were shocked when they heard Dr Duffuor telling Ghanaians that the Bank of Ghana was responsible for the fast-depreciating cedi by spending over $1 billion to prop up the cedi.
He said it was surprising that that statement came from the Finance Minister during whose tenure as Governor at the Bank of Ghana (BoG), the government’s “cheques were bouncing left and right; 91-day treasury bills stood over 40 per cent; lending rates hovered around 50 per cent; inflation reached 41 per cent”.
Other sour economic indicators the Minority said occurred during Dr Duffuor’s governorship were the depreciation of the cedi by 50 per cent, the refusal of the BoG to give licenses for retail banking, except only to a few, including his own UniBank, explaining that with such a record as a governor, Dr Duffuor should not be throwing any stone at all.
Touching on the NDC’s Vision 2020, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said when the NPP assumed office, the vision was scrutinised and reviewed with the target date being brought forward to 2015.
He said with the discovery of oil in commercial quantities, it was the expectation that, with prudent management, the target could be brought forward.
The Minority Leader stated that for shifting the post backward to 2020, “we can only tell the NDC in plain language to sit up and be more up and doing for with the anticipated inflow from our oil reserves, this nation cannot wait until 2020”.
He also expressed concern about the creeping ethnocentrism in the Ghanaian body politic and called on the President to break his deafening silence on the issue.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu added that recent pronouncements by ex-President Jerry John Rawlings and Togbe Afede were not good for national cohesion.
“We will do everything possible to resist this creeping compartmentalisation and fragmentation of this country on tribal lines, and we call on all well-meaning Ghanaians to do everything in their power to keep Ghana united, in the belief that united we stand, divided we fall,” he said.
He accused Professor Mills of presiding over a four-month period of public insecurity and un-safety; the prevalence of personal attacks and life threat; the emergence of ethnocentric outbursts and tribal politics and the intrusions into the security systems and operatives.
“It is a period which has witnessed the gradual erosion of recognition and acknowledgement of our country as an oasis of peace, security, safety and stability and also as a country whose integrity and unity is seriously threatened by tribal-card players,” he said.
The Minority Leader added that if the NDC government could not fulfil its election promises and guarantee safety and security to Ghanaians, “we would like the NDC to know that the NPP is ready to take over from them to move the country forward”.
Asked how much the NPP would rate the NDC’s four-month rule, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu declined to award any marks, saying that the Minority would continue to dwell on issues and leave the judgement to be done by Ghanaians.

2 new MPs sworn-in

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Alhaji Collins Dauda and Dr Francis Bawaana Dakura were yesterday sworn in as the Members of Parliament (MPs) of Asutifi South in the Brong Ahafo Region and Jirapa in the Upper West Region respectively by Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo, Speaker of Parliament.
The parliamentary results of the Asutifi South Constituency were delayed because of an electoral dispute resulting in an injunction being placed on it by the Sunyani High Court.
A final decision by the Supreme Court paved the way for the Electoral Commission to declare the results.
Dr Dakura was elected in a bye-election on April 7, 2009 following the death of the incumbent MP, Mr Edward Salia.
When the Speaker read the names of the new MPs before they were sworn in, it was met with loud ‘hear, hear’ by MPs from both the Majority and Minority sides.
The Speaker informed the House that she had received communication from the Electoral Commission declaring the two as winners of the elections held in their constituencies.
She, therefore, went ahead to swear the two into office and afterwards welcomed them to the House.
Alhaji Dauda told the Daily Graphic that he was relieved that the electoral dispute had finally been put to rest.
He thanked his constituents for renewing his mandate and promised to work hard to ensure that their needs were provided to justify the confidence reposed in him, saying there were no differences between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and called on his constituents to bury their differences now that the elections were over.
For his part, Dr Dakura expressed his gratitude to his constituents for reposing their confidence in him and said he would work hard for the people to realise the benefits of his election.
“I feel humbled,” he said, and explained that his first day in Parliament had shown that there was not much difference between the two major parties in the country.
With the swearing-in of the two, the NDC has increased its majority to 115, half of the 230 seats in Parliament, while the NPP still has a Minority of 107 seats, the People’s National Convention (PNC) -two, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) - one, and four Independent MPs.
The two PNC MPs and one Independent MP have joined the Majority while the remaining three Independent MPs and the single CPP MP are in the camp of the Minority.
The House now has 229 members with the electoral dispute in the Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern Region yet to be determined.
Welcoming the MPs to the two-day special meeting, Mrs Bamford-Addo commended them for their prompt response to the invitation and urged them to work hard to ensure that the unfinished business, as a result of which they had been recalled, were dealt with within the two days.
The special meeting will also be used to approve the proposed formula for the sharing of the District Assemblies Common Fund, the distribution of the subsidies to be paid to Licensed District Mutual Health Insurance Schemes for 2009 and formula for the distribution of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), which were laid yesterday.

Parliament approves 20 ministerial nominations

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE nominations of the last 20 persons for deputy ministerial appointments were approved by Parliament yesterday.
The 20 nominees were vetted by the Appointments Committee of Parliament after the House had completed its First Meeting of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
They are Mrs Betty Bosomtwi-Sam, Deputy Western Regional Minister; Dr Benjamin Kumbuor, Health; Mr Ebo Barton-Odro, Justice and Attorney-General; Dr Hanna Louisa Bisiw, Water Resources, Works and Housing; Mrs Lucy Awuni Mbun, Upper East Region; Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Environment, Science and Technology; Mr Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, Information; Col Cyril Neku (retd), Volta Region; Mr Baba Jamal Ahmed, Eastern Region; and Mr Robert Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, Roads and Highways.
The rest are: Mr Chris Kpodo, Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration; Alhaji Saani Iddi, Water Resources, Works and Housing; Mr Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, Employment and Social Welfare; Dr Alfred Sugri Tia, Food and Agriculture; Mr James Agyenim Boateng, Information; Mr Yaw Effa-Baafi, Food and Agriculture; Ms Anima Wilson, Ashanti Region; Nii Amasa Namoale, Food and Agriculture; Mr Kwabena O. Akyeampong, Tourism; and Mr Gideon Quarcoo, Communications.
The 45-page report of the Appointments Committee stated that “the committee, having satisfied itself that the nominees have met the requirements of the Constitution, respectfully recommends their nominations to the House for approval”.
Opening the ensuing debate, the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery, said although Article 94 stipulated the qualifications of a minister, it should not be taken as sacrosanct.
He, therefore, called on Parliament to set up a criteria by which future nominees would be vetted so that the Appointments Committee would not be labelled as a rubber stamp.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said the committee had dutifully discharged its obligations and called some of the nominees to continue to learn to enable them to meet the challenges of their offices.
For his part, the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, thanked members of the Appointments Committee for working hard to vet the nominees even when Parliament was on recess.
He called on the nominees to critically analyse comments made on the floor of the House about their performances before the Appointments Committee to enable them to improve on their shortcomings.
Rounding up, the Vice-Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Mr E.T. Mensah, thanked the MPs for their comments and appealed to them to approve the committee’s report.

Release funds to districts, MPs — Parliament

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

PARLIAMENT has recommended to the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Administrator of the District Assemblies Common Fund to release funds to districts and MPs to embark on their development activities.
The House also called for the strengthening of public-private partnership engagement between the sanitation service providers and the government to help improve the sanitation situation in the country.
These were contained in the report of the Committee of the Whole on the proposed formula for the sharing of the District Assemblies Common Fund Allocation for this year.
The report was signed by the Chairman of the committee who is also the Second Deputy Speaker, Mr Mike Oquaye.
In the 2009 budget, the proposed allocation into the DACF is GH¢345,483.00.?????
There are four factors considered for the disbursement of the fund to the district assemblies. These are the equality factor, need factor, responsiveness factor and the service pressure factor.
For this year, the equality factor is attracting 50 per cent, need factor, 40 per cent, responsiveness factor, four per cent, and service density factor, six per cent.
Meanwhile the House could not approve the formula for the sharing of the Ghana Education Service Trust Fund (GETFund) and the formula for the distribution of subsidies to be paid to Licensed Mutual Health Insurance Schemes alongside that of the DACF.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, told the House that reports on the two subjects had not been completed.
He explained that the House would sit in camera later in the day to discuss the formulae for the two funds and make sure that they were approved before the House ended its special two-day sitting.
In another development, the Speaker, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, yesterday referred a statement made by the MP for Kwadaso, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, to the leadership of the House to consider how security could be provided to MPs.
The MP had told the House that he was robbed by four armed robbers in his residence at East Lagon last week Friday at gunpoint.
He said the robbers made away with cash, computers, mobile phones, jewellery and wrist watches, among other valuables.
Dr Akoto said, the robbers escaped with their loot in a Range Rover of his friend who was on a visit to his House.
He said it was appropriate that MPs should be given protection, and called on the Minister of the Interior and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to take the necessary measures and make adequate resources available to the police to control armed robbery in the country.

Adenta MP advises BECE candidates

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Member of Parliament for Adenta, Mr Kojo Adu Asare, has cautioned final-year students who are writing the ongoing Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE) to refrain any malpractice that will lead to the cancellation of their papers.
He has also advised teachers handling the students to assist them to revise their notes instead of using unorthodox methods to reach out to the students in the examination hall to assist them write their papers.
Mr Asare was interacting with the final- year students who are sitting for the BECE at the Adenta Community School just before the examinations began yesterday.
The MP also distributed 1,450 mathematical sets to the students to motivate them to be successful in the examinations.
“My gesture is to inspire students in the constituency to come out with flying colours”, he said, adding that he would place premium on education during his tenure of office.
The items, worth GH¢2,300.00 were purchased from the MP’s share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF).
He added that besides the construction of school buildings, it was necessary for people in authority to periodically interact with students during this period to encourage them.
Mr Asare indicated that he would soon institute a scholarship scheme to assist needy, brilliant students to pursue higher academic laurels.
The MP appealed to parents of the students to create a congenial atmosphere to encourage the students to revise their notes to enable them pass their examinations.
An Assistant Director of Education at the Adenta Municipal Education Office, Mr Daniel Yeboah, thanked the MP for his gesture and expressed the hope that the students would be motivated to write the BECE.
A final-year student of the De-Youngster’s International School, Miss Celine Agbefu, on behalf of her colleagues commended the MP for the donation and promised that they would work hard to uplift the image of the municipality by coming out with excellent grades.

Consider making Majority Leader minister

Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has suggested to President J.E.A Mills to consider making the Majority Leader, a minister of state, to ensure the speedy discharge of government business in Parliament.
It was his contention that in a situation where the Majority Leader, who is the leader of government business, could not present papers on behalf of his colleague ministers because he was not a minister, it would be difficult for papers to be laid if sector ministers were not present in the House.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu made these observation when the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin had to rely on the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh to lay a paper when the Minister of Energy, Mr Oteng Agyei was not present in the House.
The energy minister, who was scheduled to lay a Petroleum Agreement among the government, the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and Vanco Ghana Limited and LUKOIL, Overseas Ghana Limited for the conduct of exploration and productions in the Offshore Cape Three points Deep Water Block, was not present in the House when the Speaker called for the paper to be laid.
“Mr Speaker, what we are witnessing is not proper”, Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu lamented and called on the President to make the conduct of business in Parliament part of the priorities of his government.
However, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah disagreed with his leader and stated that, “that is how the government has decided to conduct its business in the House”.
“My Speaker, if that is how the government has decided to conduct its business in the House by incapacitating the Majority Leader who is the Leader of Government Business, so be it”, he said.
Responding, the Majority Chief Whip and NDC MP for Ningo-Prampram, Mr E.T. Mensah acknowledged the NPP era during which both the then Majority Leader and his deputy were made ministers of state to enable them perform ministerial functions in the House.
He expressed the hope that “the proper thing will be done”.
For his part, the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin explained that by Parliament’s Standing Order 74, deputy ministers were not allowed to lay papers because they were not considered as ministers.
The order stipulates thus, “A paper may be presented to the House only by Mr Speaker, the Chairman of a Committee, a member or a Minister”.
He, therefore assured members of the House that their sentiments would be conveyed to the President.

MP donates to rainstorm victims

Page 23, May 1, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah, Derma
THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Tano South, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah has presented building materials worth GH¢7,500 to victims of a rainstorm that hit Derma and its environs recently.
The items, which included 200 bags of cement, 30 packets of roofing sheets and 25 boxes of roofing nails, were purchased from the MP’s share of the District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF).
Twenty-seven houses at Derma either had their roofs ripped off or parts of the buildings destroyed during the rainstorm that lasted for several hours.
Even though there were no casualties some of the over 1,000 victims of the rainstorm are currently putting up with friends and relatives.
Making the presentation, Mr Adjei-Yeboah expressed the hope that the beneficiaries would use the items for the purpose for which they were presented.
He said a committee was formed to assess the extent of damage and the needs of houses which were affected by the rainstorm and explained that it was on that basis that the items were distributed.
“The items were distributed to the victims irrespective of their political affiliation”, he said, adding that “I am the MP for the area and not for any political party”.
The assembly member for the area, Mr Samuel Amankwaah, who received the gift on behalf of the victims, thanked the MP for the gesture and said the items would go a long way to alleviate the plight of the victims.
The Derma Area Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Peter Antwi advised the people to plant trees in front of their houses to serve as wind breaks during such severe rainstorms.

MP’s must assert independence or lose importance — Ayeboafoh

Page 14, May 1, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE General Manager in charge of Newspapers at the Graphic Communications Group Limited, Mr Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh has called on Members of Parliament (MPs) to either assert their independence or risk losing their importance in the country’s democratic dispensation.
He said coupled with the desire of political parties to win power, MPs appeared to have surrendered their own power and authority to play subservient role to the executive, stating that despite some constraints imposed on Parliament, MPs could make better impact on the people if they objectively discuss policy issues.
“What is clear from our Constitution is that MPs do not depend on the President for their office. They are independent and they are to act as check on the President”, he said.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh was delivering a paper on the theme “The role of the former MP in a Democracy: The US experience and Best Practices” at a seminar for members of the Forum for Former Members of Parliament in Accra on Wednesday.
He said there have been many well-meaning Ghanaians who have expressed misgivings about the excessive powers and authority vested in the President, explaining that the awesome and overwhelming powers included appointment of ministers of state and other public institutions.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh said in certain circumstances, the presidential candidates held the key to parliamentary candidates.
He explained that that had translated into the inability of Parliament to reject nominees for ministerial appointments, although the authority to nominate and approve was mutually exclusive.
He added that neither the authority of the President to nominate nor the power of Parliament to approve was complementary to the other.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh said that the unintended consequence was that Ghanaians, including MPs themselves, held the impression that being a minister of state, no matter the portfolio, was more prestigious than an MP, although one could never be a minister of state if one was not qualified to be an MP.
“What it means, therefore, is that either by omission or commission, the relevance of the MP to national development and democracy is under-realised while they serve in the office, because of the application of the party whip”, he said.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh noted that what was imperative was for all Ghanaians to appreciate the fact that Parliament was the basis of the country’s representative democracy and without it; there would be no representative democracy.
He said, however, that one aspect of the country’s democracy had been that winning an election was everything and due to that, the deliberative processes of Parliament were sometimes by-passed.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh cited the recent debate on whether the Chinnery-Hesse Committee report on the emoluments, salaries and end-of-service benefits of certain Article 71 public office holders, was actually passed by Parliament to buttress his point.
He therefore advised members of the Forum to speak to the general public to enable them understand Parliament as an institution, to enable them to better gain a sense of how they could join the dialogue of democracy.
Mr Boadu-Ayeboafoh also encouraged them to speak to the media to enable them give a balanced sense of the strengths and weaknesses of Parliament and give its activities good coverage.
He also called on members of the Forum to help mentor and train new MPs,as some will serve as a link between the executive and the legislature and advise on policy formulation, especially from experiences gained as members of chairs of Parliamentary committees.
A former Member of Parliament for Ellembelle and First Deputy Speaker, Mr Freddie Blay called on politicians not to play politics with the economy “since we will all benefit when times are good and suffer when times are bad”.