GRi in Parliament 19 - 12 - 2001
Parliament screening amendments on National Reconciliation Bill
President to seek Council of State's advice on future honours
Accra (Greater Accra) 19 December 2001 - Members of Parliament on Tuesday began an act of screening the various amendments tabled on the National Reconciliation Bill, known in Parliamentary practice as windowing.
Papa Owusu Ankoma, the Leader of the House, said the windowing was necessary because amendments that bore similar intentions would be reconciled to make the third reading of the bill less tiresome.
Already, indications were that the House would relive the fierce and uncompromising debate that characterised the second reading as it entered the consideration stage slated for Wednesday.
The Minority had tabled various amendments to dates, duration and nature of the proposed commission as made known in their submissions during the second reading.
One glaring instance was their amendment to the long title of the bill and the proposal that the coverage should date back to 1957. The original bill excluded all constitutional regimes from the period in which the proposed commission was to investigate.
In another development, the House adopted the report of the Committee on Communications on the ratification of the Acts of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) 1999.
The ratification of the Act would enable the Ghana Postal Service to improve on their relations with other Postal Services around the world.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 December 2001 - Members of Parliament on Tuesday hailed the government's call to them to undertake farming but threw the challenge back saying that they should be motivated to do that.
Mr Kosi Kedem NDC-Hohoe South said the Ministry of Food and Agriculture should come out boldly and clearly with concrete proposals to empower MPs to accept the government's challenge.
Making a statement in Parliament Mr Kedem urged MPs to accept the challenge thrown to them by the Vice President on the 17th Farmers' Day celebration.
Alhaji Aliu Mahama on that day asked MPs to take up serious farming to lead the new agrarian revolution in Ghana and to help achieve national food security.
Alhaji Mahama had cited the example of parliamentarians in Kenya, Cote d'Ivoire and Burkina Faso, who had contributed to the success of agriculture in their respective countries and that if Ghanaian MPs took to farming they would motivate and inspire the youth to do the same.
Mr Kedem said: "I have no doubts whatsoever that many MPs actually want to contribute their quota to making agriculture successful in Ghana because the economic prosperity of the country is inextricably tied to it."
The MP said very soon the major farming season would start and that it was, therefore, necessary for the Vice-President to demonstrate the government's practical support to the MPs to go into serious farming.
"Farming in Ghana is not always an easy job and so as much as possible people try to avoid it. There are many hurdles and constraints to overcome in becoming a successful farmer."
Mr Kedem said the government could make them overcome the most serious constraints facing farmers such as access to capital, farm inputs, labour, guaranteed prices, marketing and agro-based industries.
Supporting the statement, Mr Brandford Adu NPP-Okere, said the government should allow the MPs to use 10 per cent of their share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) to go into agriculture with the intervention of the Agricultural Development Bank and called for reduced interest on agriculture loan.
David Y. Mensah NDC-Atebubu North, called for change of attitude to farming, saying the venture should not be taken as a form of punishment in school.
Captain Nkrabea Effah-Dartey (rtd), Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said the reliance on nature and the use of simple tools were also a contributing factor to low agricultural productivity.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 19 December 2001 - Bestowing national honours and awards on individuals and groups would no longer be at the will and pleasure of the President but on the advice of the Council of State, a bill to that effect went through the second reading in Parliament on Tuesday.
Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidoo, Chairman, Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Committee, said apart from the 1960 Constitution that conferred on the President of the day "the fount of Honour", all succeeding Presidents continued to confer honour and awards under the 1960 warrant.
He said the awarding of honours by the Presidents was in recognition of excellent service to the Republic was an act that motivated people to do their best in their areas of endeavour.
"Additionally, the bill seeks to establish and give legal backing to the National Honour Secretariat as part of the Public Service which has for many years been operating administratively."
Mr Kosi Kedem, NDC-Hohoe South, said," at least the President would consult somebody before he honours people".
He called for clear-cut criteria to guide the activity adding: "The time has come for us to name streets and monument after the distinguished sons and daughters of the land."
Captain Nkrabea Effa Dartey, NPP-Berekum, said life went beyond the acquisition of wealth and having fun. "What makes a man is how he contributes to the development of his community, makes a name and leaves his footprints on the sands of time."
He said: "I'm looking forward to the day when anyone, no matter his or her stature, who has contributed to the upliftment of society in his own small way would be recognised and honoured."
Mr D. Y. Mensah, NDC-Atebubu North, who sounded religious, said," in the Old Testament, the Assyrians did not honour their old nor did they have pity on their young but we should honour our heroes".
He said: "Let's go back to the pre-independence era and put on roll all those who sacrificed life and property to pave way for our independence and honour them."
Mr Isaac Amoh, NPP-Ayawaso West-Wougon, said such national honours should go with privileges. "Come and see the kind of deprivation our war veterans are living in. They live in the midst of poverty and difficulties. I believe most of them have been honoured but their condition is worth nothing to write about."
GRi../
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