Aidooh commends MPs

Page 13, Dec 20, 2007
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
The Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, has commended Members of Parliament from both sides of the House for the level of co-operation that ensured the success of the Third Meeting of the Third Session of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, which ended on Tuesday.
During the meeting, the House passed a number of bills, including the Anti-Money Laundering Bill, and approved the government’s Economic Policy and Budget for 2008, which was presented to Parliament on November 15, 2007.
It also gave approval to the nomination of the Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, as a Minister of State.
The First Meeting of the Fourth Session of the Fourth Parliament is expected to begin on January 22, 2008 and end on May 16, 2008.
In his remarks, Mr Aidooh assured the MPs that the House would see improvement in its infrastructure next year to solve some of the accommodation problems facing Parliament.
He added that the rehabilitation process of the Job 600 (Tower Block) had begun with the engagement of consultants to look at the structural integrity of the block.
The Majority Leader advised MPs from both sides of the House to resist the temptation of cheap politics to destroy the bond of co-operation that had developed in the House.
For his part, the Minority Leader, Mr Alban Bagbin, expressed the hope that the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning would incorporate suggestions made on the floor of Parliament during the debate of the 2008 budget, especially the budget of the Electoral Commission to enable it to be sufficiently resourced to perform its duty in the 2008 elections.
He noted that the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament showcased what Parliamentary committee was capable of doing during its public sittings.
Mr Bagbin touched on the recent chieftaincy dispute in the Anlo Traditional Area and urged the government to take steps to unravel the circumstance that led to the dispute.
He commended staff of the Parliamentary Service and the Parliamentary Press Corps for their untiring efforts that ensured the success of the meeting.
In his closing remarks, the Speaker of the House, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes, commended the leadership of the House for the show of maturity and high level of co-operation, which he observed had deepened parliamentary democracy.
He wished the MPs a merry Christmas and a happy New Year and expressed the hope that they would reconvene refreshed to begin the last lap of the Fourth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.