Page 14, Jan 15, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
TWO committees, the Business and Appointment committees have been formed by Parliament, to see to the day-to-day running of the House and vet ministers who will be appointed by the President.
The Committee of Selection on the Composition of Committees based the composition of the two committees on the consensus reached between the Majority and Minority caucuses pending the determination of the exact numerical strengths of the two sides.
The committee also agreed to meet and form the other committees during the two weeks that the House will be on break, beginning from yesterday and submit its report when the House resumes sitting on Tuesday, January 27, 2009.
The 26-member Appointments Committee, has the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho as its Chairman, with Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Majority Chief Whip as his vice.
The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, is the Ranking Member of the committee with the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery as his Deputy.
Fourteen members of the committee are from the Majority while twelve are from the Minority.
The 20-member Business Committee, has the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin as its Chairman, with the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr John A. Tia as his deputy.
Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu and Mr Dery are also the Ranking and Deputy Ranking members of the Business Committee.
Eleven members of the committee were selected from the Majority while nine members were from the Minority.
In a related Development, Parliament on Tuesday went on recess for two weeks.
Meanwhile the Minority on Tuesday held a press conference to introduce its leadership to the press. They are Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu (Suame), Minority Leader, Mr Ambrose Dery (Lawra/Nandom), Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah (Suhum), Minority Chief Whip, Mrs Gifty Kusi (Tarkwa-Nsuaem), First Deputy Minority Whip and Mr Ben Ayeh (Upper Denkyira West), Second Deputy Minority Whip.
Mr Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, who addressed the conference assured supporters of the party that the party would work hard to recapture power during the 2012 general elections.
He expressed concern about the appointment of some people to temporally take charge of certain ministries without the mandate of Parliament.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
House expresses concern about inaugural ceremony
Spread, Jan 10, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) yesterday expressed concern about the haphazard manner the inaugural ceremony of President John Evans Atta Mills and the Vice President, Mr John Mahama, was organised last Wednesday.
They were contributing to a statement made on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin, to congratulate and thank the President for his election, swearing in and his inaugural speech.
In his statement, Mr Bagbin noted that “I will be failing in my duty if I do not express serious concern about the manner in which the inaugural ceremony was organised”.
“We have witnessed difficult and suffocating inaugural ceremonies in this country. But to put it mildly, this inaugural ceremony went over the imagination of everybody,” he said.
Mr Bagbin noted that the crowd overran the security and turned the parliamentary sitting into a national political rally.
He said as a Majority Leader, he saw no arrival nor departure of any dignitary, including the Speaker, adding that MPs were subjected to, “a scene of a struggle between the security personnel and the perambulating members of the public, particularly the prying teeming media”.
Mr Bagbin stated that the scene was chaotic and precarious and cautioned that such repeated inaugural ceremonies posed a challenge that should be confronted for a solution.
In his statement, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, stated that the MPs were trapped in their buses for almost two hours and had to get down to trek to the Independence Square.
He said at the Square, there were insufficient number of seats for MPs while ‘strangers’ occupied some of the few seats allocated to them.
Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu added that although the programme was one by Parliament, yet it appeared that MPs were rather the gatecrashers.
He suggested that by what happened at the Independence Square on January 7, 2009, January 7, 2005, January 7, 2001 and January 7, 1997, Parliament may have to resolve that the swearing-in of any President-elect should take place right in the chamber of the House.
Other MPs from both sides of the House who contributed to the statement also expressed concern about the manner in which the ceremony was held.
Both Mr Isaac Asiamah, NPP MP for Atwima-Mponua and Ambrose Dery (NPP, Lawra/Nandom), called on Parliament to ensure that future Presidents were sworn in in the chamber of the House.
Mr Iddrisu Haruna (NDC, Tamale South) and E.T. Mensah (NDC, Ningo/Prampram), who contributed to the statement, congratulated the President and the Vice President on their feat.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) yesterday expressed concern about the haphazard manner the inaugural ceremony of President John Evans Atta Mills and the Vice President, Mr John Mahama, was organised last Wednesday.
They were contributing to a statement made on the floor of the House by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin, to congratulate and thank the President for his election, swearing in and his inaugural speech.
In his statement, Mr Bagbin noted that “I will be failing in my duty if I do not express serious concern about the manner in which the inaugural ceremony was organised”.
“We have witnessed difficult and suffocating inaugural ceremonies in this country. But to put it mildly, this inaugural ceremony went over the imagination of everybody,” he said.
Mr Bagbin noted that the crowd overran the security and turned the parliamentary sitting into a national political rally.
He said as a Majority Leader, he saw no arrival nor departure of any dignitary, including the Speaker, adding that MPs were subjected to, “a scene of a struggle between the security personnel and the perambulating members of the public, particularly the prying teeming media”.
Mr Bagbin stated that the scene was chaotic and precarious and cautioned that such repeated inaugural ceremonies posed a challenge that should be confronted for a solution.
In his statement, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, stated that the MPs were trapped in their buses for almost two hours and had to get down to trek to the Independence Square.
He said at the Square, there were insufficient number of seats for MPs while ‘strangers’ occupied some of the few seats allocated to them.
Mr Kyei Mensah-Bonsu added that although the programme was one by Parliament, yet it appeared that MPs were rather the gatecrashers.
He suggested that by what happened at the Independence Square on January 7, 2009, January 7, 2005, January 7, 2001 and January 7, 1997, Parliament may have to resolve that the swearing-in of any President-elect should take place right in the chamber of the House.
Other MPs from both sides of the House who contributed to the statement also expressed concern about the manner in which the ceremony was held.
Both Mr Isaac Asiamah, NPP MP for Atwima-Mponua and Ambrose Dery (NPP, Lawra/Nandom), called on Parliament to ensure that future Presidents were sworn in in the chamber of the House.
Mr Iddrisu Haruna (NDC, Tamale South) and E.T. Mensah (NDC, Ningo/Prampram), who contributed to the statement, congratulated the President and the Vice President on their feat.
Review Standing Orders-Samia
Page 3, Jan 10, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
HAVING entered Parliament as the sole Member of Parliament (MP) on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah is in a dilemma as to whether to belong to the Majority or the Minority in the House.
The MP, who is the daughter of the founder of the CPP, the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, says she has been forced to sit with the New Patriotic Party Minority side due to the provision of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Standing Orders allows MPs to either belong to the Majority or the Minority side without giving them the chance to be on their own.
When the issue came to the floor of the House yesterday during the discussion of the report of Leadership on the Membership of the Committee of Selection, Ms Nkrumah made it categorically clear that although she would sit on the side of the Minority, she would vote on issues.
“My constituency is Ghana in general and Jomoro in particular and my contributions and voting patterns will be based on how such issues will positively affect the people,” she explained.
She said she was in a difficult situation pending the revision of the House’s Standing Orders, which would allow her to be on her own without being coerced to belong to either the Majority or the Minority.
“I am appealing to the leadership of the House to expedite action on the revision of the Standing Orders to enable me to assert my independence.”
When the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, laid the report on the membership of the committee of selection, he explained that it was the duty of the committee to prepare and report within the first 10 sitting days after its appointment, lists of chairmen, vice chairmen and members to compose the various standing committees of the House.
By an agreed formula, the committee, which has the Speaker as its chairperson, has 10 members from the Majority side and nine members from the Minority side.
From the NDC side are, Mr Alban Bagbin, Mr John A. Tia, Deputy Majority Leader; Mr E.T. Mensah, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Alhaji Muntanka Mubarak, Mr Yaw Effa-Baafi, Alhaji Abukari Sumani, Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh and Raymond A. Tawiah.
The NPP side comprises Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader; Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader; Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Professor Dominic Fobih and Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
HAVING entered Parliament as the sole Member of Parliament (MP) on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah is in a dilemma as to whether to belong to the Majority or the Minority in the House.
The MP, who is the daughter of the founder of the CPP, the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, says she has been forced to sit with the New Patriotic Party Minority side due to the provision of the Standing Orders of the House.
The Standing Orders allows MPs to either belong to the Majority or the Minority side without giving them the chance to be on their own.
When the issue came to the floor of the House yesterday during the discussion of the report of Leadership on the Membership of the Committee of Selection, Ms Nkrumah made it categorically clear that although she would sit on the side of the Minority, she would vote on issues.
“My constituency is Ghana in general and Jomoro in particular and my contributions and voting patterns will be based on how such issues will positively affect the people,” she explained.
She said she was in a difficult situation pending the revision of the House’s Standing Orders, which would allow her to be on her own without being coerced to belong to either the Majority or the Minority.
“I am appealing to the leadership of the House to expedite action on the revision of the Standing Orders to enable me to assert my independence.”
When the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, laid the report on the membership of the committee of selection, he explained that it was the duty of the committee to prepare and report within the first 10 sitting days after its appointment, lists of chairmen, vice chairmen and members to compose the various standing committees of the House.
By an agreed formula, the committee, which has the Speaker as its chairperson, has 10 members from the Majority side and nine members from the Minority side.
From the NDC side are, Mr Alban Bagbin, Mr John A. Tia, Deputy Majority Leader; Mr E.T. Mensah, Ms Akua Sena Dansua, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, Alhaji Muntanka Mubarak, Mr Yaw Effa-Baafi, Alhaji Abukari Sumani, Elizabeth Amoah-Tetteh and Raymond A. Tawiah.
The NPP side comprises Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Minority Leader; Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader; Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, Mrs Gifty Eugenia Kusi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, Professor Dominic Fobih and Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah.
Kaaseman Rural Bank raises more deposits
Page 33, Jan 9, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Kaaseman Rural Bank in the Bia District in the Western Region mobilised a total of GH¢4.46 million in deposits for 2007, as against the GH¢4.32 million mobilised the previous year.
The bank also recorded a net profit before tax of GH¢70,361 for .00000.
2007 as against GH¢55,034.00 the previous year.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Mr Kwame Twumasi Ankra, made this known at the 20th annual general meeting of the shareholders at Sefwi Kaase.
He said in line with the bank’s policy of assisting its customers, it increased its loan and overdrafts portfolio from GH¢4.32 million in 2006 to GH¢4.45 million in 2007.
The total assets of the bank also increased from GH¢5.14 million to GH¢5.55 million.
However, Mr Ankra stated that the bank’s purchase of Akuafo Cheque fell from GH¢17.6 million in 2006 to GH¢12.62 million in 2007 and said it was a major challenge since majority of the bank’s agencies were located in cocoa-growing areas.
He said as part of the bank’s commitment to social responsibilities, it put up police quarters at Kaase at the cost of GH¢6,549 in addition to the contribution of GH¢550 to a number of institutions in its operational areas.
For his port, the Chief Manager of the bank, Mr David King Gbeblewu, said one of the major operational challenges facing the bank was that inability of loan beneficiaries to pay back, leading to a large provision for doubtful debts.
He thanked the board, staff, shareholders and customers and the chiefs and people in the bank’s catchment area for supporting it over the years to grow.
The Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu, announced that the new minimum capital requirement for rural banks had now been pegged at GH¢150,000.
He explained that rural and community banks with capital below GH¢150,000 would not be allowed to pay dividends or open new branches or agencies until they attained the required capitalisation.
The Solicitor of the bank, Mr Otu Essel, noted that the bank was adopting measures to retrieve loans from the bank’s defaulters.
He said the situation had made it impossible for the bank to advance more loans and called on such beneficiaries to pay their debts to enable many clients to benefit from the facility.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Kaaseman Rural Bank in the Bia District in the Western Region mobilised a total of GH¢4.46 million in deposits for 2007, as against the GH¢4.32 million mobilised the previous year.
The bank also recorded a net profit before tax of GH¢70,361 for .00000.
2007 as against GH¢55,034.00 the previous year.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank, Mr Kwame Twumasi Ankra, made this known at the 20th annual general meeting of the shareholders at Sefwi Kaase.
He said in line with the bank’s policy of assisting its customers, it increased its loan and overdrafts portfolio from GH¢4.32 million in 2006 to GH¢4.45 million in 2007.
The total assets of the bank also increased from GH¢5.14 million to GH¢5.55 million.
However, Mr Ankra stated that the bank’s purchase of Akuafo Cheque fell from GH¢17.6 million in 2006 to GH¢12.62 million in 2007 and said it was a major challenge since majority of the bank’s agencies were located in cocoa-growing areas.
He said as part of the bank’s commitment to social responsibilities, it put up police quarters at Kaase at the cost of GH¢6,549 in addition to the contribution of GH¢550 to a number of institutions in its operational areas.
For his port, the Chief Manager of the bank, Mr David King Gbeblewu, said one of the major operational challenges facing the bank was that inability of loan beneficiaries to pay back, leading to a large provision for doubtful debts.
He thanked the board, staff, shareholders and customers and the chiefs and people in the bank’s catchment area for supporting it over the years to grow.
The Managing Director of the ARB Apex Bank Limited, Mr Eric Osei-Bonsu, announced that the new minimum capital requirement for rural banks had now been pegged at GH¢150,000.
He explained that rural and community banks with capital below GH¢150,000 would not be allowed to pay dividends or open new branches or agencies until they attained the required capitalisation.
The Solicitor of the bank, Mr Otu Essel, noted that the bank was adopting measures to retrieve loans from the bank’s defaulters.
He said the situation had made it impossible for the bank to advance more loans and called on such beneficiaries to pay their debts to enable many clients to benefit from the facility.
MPs unhappy over misspelling of names
Page 3, Jan 9, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic had its second sitting yesterday, with some new and old Members of Parliament (MPs) expressing concern over the misspelling of their names and the exclusion of their titles.
When the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting were discussed, some of the MPs were not happy that their names had been misspelt and their titles left out.
For about 30 minutes a number of the MPs drew the attention of the Speaker, Mrs Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, to the misspelling of their names.
One of those MPs was Professor Samuel Kwadwo Amoako, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Akim Abuakwa North, whose name had been written without his title.
The Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Lawra/Nandom, Mr Ambrose Dery, also expressed concern over the fact that his name in the votes and proceedings had been written as Dery P. Dery.
The NPP MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, intervened that since the Fifth Parliament was in its early days, such mistakes were bound to happen and called on those affected to contact the Office of the Clerk to Parliament for the corrections.
In another development, there was laughter in the chamber when the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who was the Deputy Majority Leader in the previous Parliament, referred to the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, as the Minority Leader.
Members from the Majority side teased Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, while some of them were heard calling on him to be abreast of the new change of roles in the House.
For the Speaker, she had her first baptism of fire when her mobile phone rang when she was leading the House to effect changes in the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting.
When the mobile phone rang, it caught the attention of the MPs and the audience in the press and the public galleries.
While everybody was looking in the direction of the MPs to see who might have caused such a stir, the Speaker realised that it was her phone which was ringing and she quickly put it off and apologised to the House.
“Honourable members, these are early days and I must learn,” she said apologetically.
The House adjourned sitting to enable the leadership to meet to discuss the formation of committees of the House to ensure its smooth running.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic had its second sitting yesterday, with some new and old Members of Parliament (MPs) expressing concern over the misspelling of their names and the exclusion of their titles.
When the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting were discussed, some of the MPs were not happy that their names had been misspelt and their titles left out.
For about 30 minutes a number of the MPs drew the attention of the Speaker, Mrs Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, to the misspelling of their names.
One of those MPs was Professor Samuel Kwadwo Amoako, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Akim Abuakwa North, whose name had been written without his title.
The Deputy Minority Leader and MP for Lawra/Nandom, Mr Ambrose Dery, also expressed concern over the fact that his name in the votes and proceedings had been written as Dery P. Dery.
The NPP MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, intervened that since the Fifth Parliament was in its early days, such mistakes were bound to happen and called on those affected to contact the Office of the Clerk to Parliament for the corrections.
In another development, there was laughter in the chamber when the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who was the Deputy Majority Leader in the previous Parliament, referred to the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, as the Minority Leader.
Members from the Majority side teased Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, while some of them were heard calling on him to be abreast of the new change of roles in the House.
For the Speaker, she had her first baptism of fire when her mobile phone rang when she was leading the House to effect changes in the votes and proceedings of Wednesday’s sitting.
When the mobile phone rang, it caught the attention of the MPs and the audience in the press and the public galleries.
While everybody was looking in the direction of the MPs to see who might have caused such a stir, the Speaker realised that it was her phone which was ringing and she quickly put it off and apologised to the House.
“Honourable members, these are early days and I must learn,” she said apologetically.
The House adjourned sitting to enable the leadership to meet to discuss the formation of committees of the House to ensure its smooth running.
5th Parliament inaugurated
Backpage, Jan 8, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Parliamentary democracy in Ghana was further entrenched yesterday when the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic was inaugurated.
Efforts at deepening parliamentary democracy in the country after independence failed in the past as a result of frequent military interventions until 1992 when the country decided again to use the ballot box to determine who takes charge of affairs. From then, the full cycle of four parliaments has already been achieved.
It was, therefore, all joy when the Fifth Parliament was inaugurated by the country’s first female Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo.
By the results of the December 7, 2008 parliamentary elections, the National Democratic Congress (NDC),which currently has 114 seats, formed the Majority while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with 107 seats formed the Minority.
The House also has two members from the People’s National Congress (PNC), one from the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and four independent members.
Two seats, Akwatia in the Eastern Region and Asutifi South in the Brong Ahafo Region, are yet to be declared as a result of electoral disputes.
The quest of Ghanaian women to have more representation in Parliament, however, failed to yield the needed dividend as the 25 seats in the Fourth Parliament that were occupied by women has been reduced to 20 in the current Parliament.
All the 228 MPs were present at the inauguration while both the public and press gallaries of the House were filled to capacity with both Ghanaian and foreign media, members of the diplomatic corps and a cross-section of the people.
About 140 old MPs retained their seats while the rest of the MPs are newly elected.
The beauty of the solemn ceremony was further enhanced with the splendid outfits of the MPs and the spectators.
While some of them wore the traditional Kente cloth and smock, others wore suits and other traditional apparels to drum home the beauty of unity in diversity.
Supporters of the NDC, who won majority seats and the presidency, were seen at all coners of Parliament with the party’s flags and other party paraphernalia.
At exactly 9.25 am, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Anyimadu, convened the meeting and after he had led the day’s prayers he called for the nomination of the new Speaker of the House.
The nominations of Mrs Bamfo-Addo as Speaker and Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, MP for Ave-Avenor, as the First Deputy Speaker by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin received the support of the Minority.
In the same vein, the nomination of Professor Mike Oquaye, MP for Dome-Kwabenya, as the Second Deputy Speaker by the MP for Nsuta-Kwamang, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, received the support of the Majority thereby sparing the House the ordeal of the use of secret ballot to determine the Speaker and her two deputies.
The Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood, administered the oaths before the new Speaker was robed after which she swore in the 228 MPs.
The mood in the House as the two dominant political parties, NDC and NPP, exchanged seats showed that the country’s parliamentary democracy had come of age as members crossed from one side to the other to congratulate one another after they had been sworn in.
They teased each other with the ‘We are moving forward’ and ‘Yeresesamu’ that were used by the two parties during the electioneering.
Two of the independent MPs, Mr Joseph Osei-Wusu (Bekwai) and Nana Yaw Ofori-Kuragu (Bosome-Freho) told the Daily Graphic that they would prefer to belong to the Minority while the only CPP MP, Samia Nkrumah (Jomoro), said although she would sit at the Minority side, she was waiting for the review of the Standing Orders of the House for her to make up her mind.
The two PNC MPs, however confirmed that they had decided to belong to the Majority side of the House.
Some of the new MPs told the Daily Graphic that they had been well psyched up to perform their functions as MPs.
Mr Osei-Wusu called for measures that would enable Parliament to assert its independence and play its expected role without interference from the Executive.
“I expect a Parliament with fresh ideas and views from its members,” he said, adding that it was refreshing that most of the new MPs were young men who were willing to learn in order to contribute to the development of the country.
The NDC MP for Cape Coast, Mr Barton Oduro, stated that the present composition of the House was good for the country’s democracy and called for consensus building in the interest of the people.
For his part, Mr Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi (NPP-Ejisu-Juaben) said since neither the Majority nor the Minority had absolute majority, it would be better for backstage consultations to ensure that Ghanaians derived the best from the current democratic order.
Mr Ambrose Dery (NPP-Lawra/Nandom), who is now the Deputy Minority Leader, stated that although the job would be challenging, the NPP would constructively collaborate with the NDC to ensure the smooth governance of the country.
He urged the NDC to make good its promises during the electioneering, since the NPP would keep the government on its toes.
The NDC MP for Ablekuma South, Mr Flitz Baffour, said the victory of the NDC was a pleasant experience that should be backed by action to enable the people to benefit from the confidence they had reposed in the party.
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
Parliamentary democracy in Ghana was further entrenched yesterday when the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic was inaugurated.
Efforts at deepening parliamentary democracy in the country after independence failed in the past as a result of frequent military interventions until 1992 when the country decided again to use the ballot box to determine who takes charge of affairs. From then, the full cycle of four parliaments has already been achieved.
It was, therefore, all joy when the Fifth Parliament was inaugurated by the country’s first female Speaker of Parliament, Mrs Joyce Adeline Bamford-Addo.
By the results of the December 7, 2008 parliamentary elections, the National Democratic Congress (NDC),which currently has 114 seats, formed the Majority while the New Patriotic Party (NPP) with 107 seats formed the Minority.
The House also has two members from the People’s National Congress (PNC), one from the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and four independent members.
Two seats, Akwatia in the Eastern Region and Asutifi South in the Brong Ahafo Region, are yet to be declared as a result of electoral disputes.
The quest of Ghanaian women to have more representation in Parliament, however, failed to yield the needed dividend as the 25 seats in the Fourth Parliament that were occupied by women has been reduced to 20 in the current Parliament.
All the 228 MPs were present at the inauguration while both the public and press gallaries of the House were filled to capacity with both Ghanaian and foreign media, members of the diplomatic corps and a cross-section of the people.
About 140 old MPs retained their seats while the rest of the MPs are newly elected.
The beauty of the solemn ceremony was further enhanced with the splendid outfits of the MPs and the spectators.
While some of them wore the traditional Kente cloth and smock, others wore suits and other traditional apparels to drum home the beauty of unity in diversity.
Supporters of the NDC, who won majority seats and the presidency, were seen at all coners of Parliament with the party’s flags and other party paraphernalia.
At exactly 9.25 am, the Clerk to Parliament, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Anyimadu, convened the meeting and after he had led the day’s prayers he called for the nomination of the new Speaker of the House.
The nominations of Mrs Bamfo-Addo as Speaker and Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, MP for Ave-Avenor, as the First Deputy Speaker by the Majority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin received the support of the Minority.
In the same vein, the nomination of Professor Mike Oquaye, MP for Dome-Kwabenya, as the Second Deputy Speaker by the MP for Nsuta-Kwamang, Mr Kwame Osei-Prempeh, received the support of the Majority thereby sparing the House the ordeal of the use of secret ballot to determine the Speaker and her two deputies.
The Chief Justice, Justice Georgina Wood, administered the oaths before the new Speaker was robed after which she swore in the 228 MPs.
The mood in the House as the two dominant political parties, NDC and NPP, exchanged seats showed that the country’s parliamentary democracy had come of age as members crossed from one side to the other to congratulate one another after they had been sworn in.
They teased each other with the ‘We are moving forward’ and ‘Yeresesamu’ that were used by the two parties during the electioneering.
Two of the independent MPs, Mr Joseph Osei-Wusu (Bekwai) and Nana Yaw Ofori-Kuragu (Bosome-Freho) told the Daily Graphic that they would prefer to belong to the Minority while the only CPP MP, Samia Nkrumah (Jomoro), said although she would sit at the Minority side, she was waiting for the review of the Standing Orders of the House for her to make up her mind.
The two PNC MPs, however confirmed that they had decided to belong to the Majority side of the House.
Some of the new MPs told the Daily Graphic that they had been well psyched up to perform their functions as MPs.
Mr Osei-Wusu called for measures that would enable Parliament to assert its independence and play its expected role without interference from the Executive.
“I expect a Parliament with fresh ideas and views from its members,” he said, adding that it was refreshing that most of the new MPs were young men who were willing to learn in order to contribute to the development of the country.
The NDC MP for Cape Coast, Mr Barton Oduro, stated that the present composition of the House was good for the country’s democracy and called for consensus building in the interest of the people.
For his part, Mr Kwabena Owusu-Aduomi (NPP-Ejisu-Juaben) said since neither the Majority nor the Minority had absolute majority, it would be better for backstage consultations to ensure that Ghanaians derived the best from the current democratic order.
Mr Ambrose Dery (NPP-Lawra/Nandom), who is now the Deputy Minority Leader, stated that although the job would be challenging, the NPP would constructively collaborate with the NDC to ensure the smooth governance of the country.
He urged the NDC to make good its promises during the electioneering, since the NPP would keep the government on its toes.
The NDC MP for Ablekuma South, Mr Flitz Baffour, said the victory of the NDC was a pleasant experience that should be backed by action to enable the people to benefit from the confidence they had reposed in the party.
4th Parliament ends
Page 3, Jan 7, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
AFTER four years in existence, the life of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic came to an end at 12.00 midnight yesterday.
The dissolution of the Fourth Parliament was to pave the way for the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament today.
During its lifespan, the Fourth Parliament legislated on areas that would enhance the growth and progress of the country.
Mention could be made of the National Pension Reform Act, the Chieftaincy Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Northern Development Fund Act among other salient legislation.
The Fourth Parliament comprised 205 males and 25 females (NPP-20 and NDC-5).
Of the 230 Members of Parliament, the New Patriotic Party had 128 seats, the National Democratic Congress, 94 seats, the People’s National Convention (PNC), four seats, the Convention People’s Party, three seats, and one independent member.
While nine of the MPs had been in the House since 1993, 45 of them had also been MPs since 1997 with 122 being new entrants. Five of them could be described as returnee MPs.
Addressing the last sitting of the Fourth Parliament yesterday, the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, stated that the MPs exhibited a high sense of duty and responsibility.
“The knowledge displayed by both old and new members in parliamentary procedures and practices kept improving day by day which contributed to the quality of debates on the floor of the House,” he stated.
He regretted, however, that Parliament was still contending with inadequate office space for its work and expressed the hope that efforts at completing the new office complex and the committee secretariat would be stepped up.
Mr Aidooh also suggested that the car loans that were given to MPs should rather be in the form of grants, since MPs, as public servants, used their cars for their day-to-day work as parliamentarians.
For his part, the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, commended the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, for the quality of his leadership, which resulted in consensus building between the Majority and Minority MPs on important national issues that came before the House during the period.
In his final remarks, Mr Hughes thanked the MPs, the staff of the Parliamentary Service and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps for their support during the period.
“Whatever I managed to achieve was largely due to your co-operation and advice. My knowledgeable and indefatigable deputies propped me well and so did the leadership of the caucuses,” he said.
“Honourable members, pursuant to Article 113 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana will stand dissolved at midnight tonight,” he said amidst the shout of “agbenaa”, agbenaa”, from the Minority side while some MPs from the Majority side shouted “we are moving forward”.
An emotional atmosphere was created when the Speaker moved from one table to the other to shake the hands of the MPs after the dissolution of the House.
Some of the MPs who lost their seats during the recent general election said they would miss debates and the cordial relationship among MPs during the period.
They include Kwabena Okerchire Adusa (NKawkaw), Mr Yaw Asiedu-Mensah (Dormaa West), Mr Lee Ocran (Jomoro) and Dr Ben Kunbuor (Lawra/Nandom).
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
AFTER four years in existence, the life of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic came to an end at 12.00 midnight yesterday.
The dissolution of the Fourth Parliament was to pave the way for the inauguration of the Fifth Parliament today.
During its lifespan, the Fourth Parliament legislated on areas that would enhance the growth and progress of the country.
Mention could be made of the National Pension Reform Act, the Chieftaincy Act, the Domestic Violence Act and the Northern Development Fund Act among other salient legislation.
The Fourth Parliament comprised 205 males and 25 females (NPP-20 and NDC-5).
Of the 230 Members of Parliament, the New Patriotic Party had 128 seats, the National Democratic Congress, 94 seats, the People’s National Convention (PNC), four seats, the Convention People’s Party, three seats, and one independent member.
While nine of the MPs had been in the House since 1993, 45 of them had also been MPs since 1997 with 122 being new entrants. Five of them could be described as returnee MPs.
Addressing the last sitting of the Fourth Parliament yesterday, the Majority Leader, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, stated that the MPs exhibited a high sense of duty and responsibility.
“The knowledge displayed by both old and new members in parliamentary procedures and practices kept improving day by day which contributed to the quality of debates on the floor of the House,” he stated.
He regretted, however, that Parliament was still contending with inadequate office space for its work and expressed the hope that efforts at completing the new office complex and the committee secretariat would be stepped up.
Mr Aidooh also suggested that the car loans that were given to MPs should rather be in the form of grants, since MPs, as public servants, used their cars for their day-to-day work as parliamentarians.
For his part, the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, commended the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, for the quality of his leadership, which resulted in consensus building between the Majority and Minority MPs on important national issues that came before the House during the period.
In his final remarks, Mr Hughes thanked the MPs, the staff of the Parliamentary Service and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps for their support during the period.
“Whatever I managed to achieve was largely due to your co-operation and advice. My knowledgeable and indefatigable deputies propped me well and so did the leadership of the caucuses,” he said.
“Honourable members, pursuant to Article 113 (1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana will stand dissolved at midnight tonight,” he said amidst the shout of “agbenaa”, agbenaa”, from the Minority side while some MPs from the Majority side shouted “we are moving forward”.
An emotional atmosphere was created when the Speaker moved from one table to the other to shake the hands of the MPs after the dissolution of the House.
Some of the MPs who lost their seats during the recent general election said they would miss debates and the cordial relationship among MPs during the period.
They include Kwabena Okerchire Adusa (NKawkaw), Mr Yaw Asiedu-Mensah (Dormaa West), Mr Lee Ocran (Jomoro) and Dr Ben Kunbuor (Lawra/Nandom).
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