Local government to be restructured
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - The Leadership of Parliament on Tuesday said they were working together to find an amicable solution to an impasse that hit the House during the debate on President John Agyekum Kufuor's State of the Nation Address. The Speaker Mr Peter Ala Adjetey had barred Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, NDC-Kunbungu, from speaking in the chamber of Parliament until further notice.
The Member had refused to comply with a ruling the Speaker gave, demanding of him to withdraw a statement he had made in his contribution to the debate. "Mr Speaker, I would look ridiculous in the face of Ghanaians if I withdraw, since the statement is a well known fact," Alhaji Mumuni had said.
The Speaker then replied: "Then I can no longer hear you. You would not be heard in the House until the Committee on Privileges has sat and made recommendations on the matter."
The Member had asserted that during the last New Patriotic Party (NPP) congress, Mr J. H. Mensah, Senior Minister, said by the time the trial of former National Democratic Congress (NDC) officials was over, the party would have collapsed and claimed that there were subtle manoeuvres by the government to subdue the Minority.
Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidoo, NPP-Tema West and the Majority Chief Whip, rose on a point of order and challenged Alhaji Mumuni that Mr Mensah never said those words and prayed the Speaker to ask the member to withdraw it.
The Speaker asked Alhaji Mumuni to substantiate his statement or to withdraw it. Alhaji Mumuni said the statement had been published widely in the media and had not been refuted and declared that he would look ridiculous if he did so.
The Speaker then ruled that he would not be heard and that the case was being referred to the Privileges Committee of Parliament because it was an affront to him since a member could not challenge his ruling without a substantive motion.
Papa Owusu-Ankomah, the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, speaking to the media in his office after the House had adjourned, said the Leadership would resolve the issue in a manner that would not do any damage to the proceedings there.
He said open defiance to the Speaker was a serious thing but it should be recognised that parliamentary proceedings "are always emotive. You live with the Speaker's ruling. If you don't where do you go," he asked.
Mr Alban Bagbin, the Minority Leader, said: "For a member and the Speaker to disagree is a normal parliamentary practice." Mr Bagbin, who was not in the chamber during the incident, said he was in touch with the Speaker and that the Leadership of the House would come out with an amicable solution on matter. "It is part of a parliamentary game. I don't see it as a serious matter that will affect proceedings in the House."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Tuesday said it had forgiven the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for subjecting them to severe criticisms when they were in power in the spirit of reconciliation and the development of the nation.
The Minority denied that they were lambasting President John Agyekum Kufuor's state of the nation address as retribution of the bashes the NPP had subjected the addresses of ex-President Rawlings to in the past.
Mr Isaac Adjei-Mensah, NDC-Techiman South, and the Deputy Minority Leader raised the issue on a point of order to correct the contribution by Mr Alex Korankye, NPP-Asante Akim South, that the Minority was paying back the NPP in its own coins.
Mr Korankye said: "I am not surprised that the Minority has for more than one week or so now been describing President Kufuor's address as uninspiring, lacked bite, hollow and et cetera.
"I must confess that it is not surprising to hear them do so because when Rawlings delivered his 2000 address it received bashes from the then Minority. They are paying us back."
Mr Adjei-Mensah replied: "Don't impute bad motives to our cause. We are contributing to our nation's development. It is not retribution. "We are doing it in the spirit of reconciliation. We have forgiven you."
Mr Korankye continuing his contribution said the President's address was premised on the pursuit of vigorous infrastructure development, modernisation of agriculture and enhanced social services with special emphasis on education and health, good governance and private sector development.
He said President Kufuor has demonstrated that he had the political will to take decisions and he has done that by stabilising the cedi, taken the state out of a state of hopelessness, fear, intimidation, poverty and indiscipline.
Mr Korankye said: "The address encompasses everything that Ghanaians needed to develop. There is light at the end of the tunnel."
Mr Mumuni Seidu, NDC-Wa Central said criticism and tolerance were the beauties to parliamentary democracy and urged the government to be tolerant of critical views. "It is unfortunate that some of us have not acquired the acceptance of criticism and have become worst enemies to democracy and have fallen into complacency.
"I was gladly satisfied that the NPP was continuing about 85 per cent of NDC's projects and policies unlike other regimes when the ruling government threw overboard the policies of previous government. "We should not allow change of government lead to change of policies. This is what we want in Ghana."
Mr Seidu said the government should, however, pursue its promises and that one would have expected that the President had concluded the work on the code of conduct for his ministers as he promised in his previous address.
He said he agreed with the President that one must first know where one was coming from to be able to know where one was going but that one year was long enough for the NPP "to know where we are going."
Mr Seidu said the fact that there was the need to review the educational reform programme did not mean that it had failed and that in reviewing it the government should not adopt any gimmicks and play to the gallery because the exercise was more important "than giving promises".
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Accra (Greater Accra) 13 February 2002 - Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, on Tuesday said the legislative instruments setting up the district assemblies are to be reviewed to ensure their effective functioning.
The size of the membership of the District Assemblies are also being looked into while consideration of over 70 applications for creation of new ones would be covered in conformity with the law and the economic capability of the country.
At the resumed debate on the State of the Nation Address by President J. A. Kufuor, Mr Baah-Wiredu told Parliament that a team had been constituted to work on the Local Service Bill to be submitted to Parliament during this session.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said guidelines on the Members of Parliament share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund were to be enforced. On sanitation, the Minister said a comprehensive plan was being organised to handle waste disposal at residential, commercial and industrial centres while solid and liquid waste would be cleared especially choked drains at lorry parks and markets.
Mr Baah-Wiredu said a proposal for setting June 28th as Sanitation Day ("Cleanup") with the support of non-governmental organisations, the private sector, schools, churches/mosques, the media, politicians and rotary club was being considered.
He said 86 billion cedis belonging to District Assemblies, which have not benefited from the sanitation vehicle deduction of five per cent for the years of 1998, 1999 and 2000 were to be given back to them to help them fight the sanitation situations of their areas.
Mr Baah-Wiredu called for the needed support and good governance, so that the country would experience a sustainable and an enhanced local socio-economic development. After the Minister's contribution the NDC members did not make any input.
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