Parliament debates maiden State of Nation Address

Page 16, Feb 26, 2009
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah

THE debate on the maiden State of the Nation Address delivered by President John Evans Atta Mills began in Parliament on Tuesday with members of the Majority and the Minority sides expressing divergent views about its contents.
While members from the Majority side, led by the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Mr Fuseini Inusah, described the address as an encompassing one serving as a rescue plan for a better Ghana, the Minority said the address lacked direction.
Mr Fuseini, who moved the motion to thank the President for the address, argued that the acknowledgement of the first President of Ghana, the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as well as the institution of a founder’s day was a good initiative that would encourage people to commit themselves to the cause of the country.
The MP said President Mills gave a clear indication of his intention to fight corruption in the system, adding that his resolve to ensure the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill to complement the Whistle Blower’s Act attested to his determination to fight the canker.
However, he stirred some controversy when he referred to an allegation purportedly made by officials of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government that the Castle was not suitable for human habitation, which was why former President John Agyekum Kufuor stayed in his own house throughout his tenure of office while commuting to the Castle daily.
The NPP MP for Effia Kwesimintim, Mr Joe Badoe-Ansah, on a point of order, called on the Speaker to rule Mr Inusah out of order, and asked him to withdraw his statement if he could not substantiate the allegation.
The Majority Leader, Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, supported the assertion by Mr Inusah and mentioned Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey as the one who made the comment.
Mr Alban Bagbin added that Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey even took television cameras to the Castle to take pictures to show to the whole world conditions at the Castle that did not make the place suitable for human habitation.
However, the Speaker prevailed on Mr Inusah to withdraw that aspect of his assertion after a heated debate between the two sides on the issue.
When he resumed the debate, Mr Inusah commended the President for his intention to revive the Aveyime Rice Project, saying that if the plan was implemented it would save the country from importing a sizeable part of its rice requirement from other countries.
The NPP MP for Okaikoi South, Nana Akomea, who seconded the motion commended President Mills for being “quite conciliatory” in his address, explaining that by so doing he followed the trend set by former President Kufuor in his various state of the nation addresses.
He said in spite of the warmth of the address, the President failed to touch on the numerous problems that characterised the transition period during which, he said, supporters of the NDC brutalised NPP supporters, as well as the snatching of cars belonging to former government officials.
He stated that there were no new ideas in the address since all the proposals in it were ideas from addresses delivered in the House since 1993.
Nana Akomea stated that the NPP left a healthy economy than it inherited from the NDC government.
He said all the projects mentioned in the address were those which the NPP government had already started, and called on the government to give praises where they were due.
The MP, however, commended President Mills for his bold step to implement a one-time premium payment for the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS),and noted that if that plan became sustainable, it would be a novelty.
The NDC MP for Ablekuma South, Mr Fritz Baffoe, in his contribution acknowledged the President’s resolve to fight corruption from the system and urged him not to relent in his effort.
He also commended him for his ideas for the arts and noted that the development of that sector would bring in a lot of positive returns to the country.
When he caught the eye of the Speaker, the NPP MP for Subin, Mr Isaac Osei, stated that the address lacked vision and accused the President of failing to touch on what he called “the official car snatching and post election violence”.
He noted that the situation did not augur well for the development of the business sector in the country.
For his part, the NDC MP for Wa Central and Minister of State designate, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, noted that the address gave the nation a road map of the government’s economic rescue plan.
He stated that the President’s zeal to see the passage of the Freedom of Information Bill in addition to other bills attested to his resolve to rid the country of corrupt practices.
He called for the review of the Local Government Act to enable it to reflect current realities to ensure the proper implementation of the decentralisation process.
Mr Pelpuo noted that the resolve of the President to continue with the projects of the past government should rather be seen as a plus for the country’s democracy, and called on politicians to appreciate the contributions of others in the country’s development.
For her part, the NPP MP for Evalue-Gwira, Mrs Catherine Ablema Afeku, said it was unfortunate that the President failed to mention the construction of the Bui Dam when he spoke about his plan to increase the power generation capacity of the country.
She noted that Ghanaians were expecting to hear about the President’s plan to reduce the price of fuel in response to the reduction of the price of crude oil on the international market.
Mrs Afeku said although she felt sad when the President failed to mention his plan for the water sector, she took consolation in the fact that the NPP government did a lot in that sector, which might have explained why the President had nothing to say about it.