MPs urged to preach unity at Christmas

Page 15, Dec 23, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

PARLIAMENT has adjourned for the Christmas festivities with a call on Members of Parliament (MPs) to use the period to preach peace and unity needed to create the right conducive environment for the country’s development.
The adjournment last Monday, which marked the end of the Third Meeting of the First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic also marked the end of the First Session of the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
The House is expected to resume on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 to begin the First Meeting of the Second Session of Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
The First Session began on January 7, 2009 after the new Speaker, Mrs Joyce Bamford-Addo, and Members of Parliament (MPs) of the new Parliament were sworn in.
During the third meeting, which began on October 27, 2009, the House held a total of 34 plenary sittings within eight weeks, while a total of 100 papers, including 14 bills, two Legislative Instruments (LIs), two Constitutional Instruments (CIs), nine international agreement, 55 reports and nine other reports were laid before the House.
The Budget Statement and the Economic Policy of the Government for 2010 was also presented to the House by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Dr Kwabena Dufuor.
Out of the 14 bills which were presented to the House, seven were passed into law.
They include the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous) Provisions) Bill, 2009, Appropriation (Bill No 2), 2009, Interpretation Bill, Customs and Excise (Duties and other Taxes) (Amendment) Bill 2009 and the Ghana Revenue Authority Bill.
There were also a total of 118 committee sittings, 13 statements, while 95 questions were asked by the MPs for both oral and written by the answers from the various ministers.
Other notable events during the session were the deaths of the MPs for Jirapa and Chireponi, Mr Edward Salia and Mrs Doris Asibi Seidu respectively.
In his closing remarks, the Majority Leader and Leader of the House, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, said the First Session of the Fifth Parliament was eventful, since it witnessed the swearing in of the new Parliament, a third of whose members were tasting parliamentary life for the first time.
He noted that despite that sizeable proportion of new MPs, the House did extremely well since the new MPs braced the challenge firmly, learnt and adapted to their new profession within a short space of time.
Touching on the performance of the Speaker, Mr Babgin stated thus: “I can say confidently and proudly without any fear of contradiction that you have faithfully, conscientiously and diligently upheld your oath”.
He noted that the immense experience of the Speaker from the bench reflected on her leadership of Parliament, adding that “your performance has been sterling. No wonder members always miss your absence”.
Mr Bagbin commended the Minority Leader and the entire Minority side for their co-operation and support in seeing through the business of the government.
He noted that Ghana must commend itself for being a member of the league of true democracies; although there were disagreements, the House never got to a boiling point where tables were thrown and blows exchanged.
Mr Bagbin, however, called on members to strive to raise the bar on discipline by showing respect and decorum to the Speaker and to one another, in addition to being temperate in heckling during debates.
For his part, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, noted that the high point of the meeting was the presentation of the 2010 Budget.
He said although the Minority disagreed and still disagree with some of the policy directions of the government, he believed that it was the hope of all Ghanaians that the implementation of the budget would go a long way to positively impact their lives.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu expressed hope that if bottlenecks arose along the way and there was a need to change course, the Finance Minister would do so.
He registered the displeasure of the Minority with the late submission of budget estimates of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) which constricted space for diligent scrutiny of the budget and debates of the various committee reports.
The Minority Leader reiterated the commitment of his side to facilitate the implementation of government business, adding that “we expect this to be reciprocated”. And in that enterprise, there should not be any blackmail”.
The Speaker, Mrs Bamford-Addo, said the House deserved to be commended for what it achieved during the period under review.
She wished the MPs Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year and urged them to use the recess to preach peace and unity in order create the needed atmosphere for the development of the country.