Apraku welcomes new political parties law

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Accra (Greater Accra), 21 Jan. 99

Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, minority spokesman on finance, yesterday welcomed the government's plan to introduce

a new political parties bill this year as said by the President in his sessional

address.

Dr Apraku, however, said he will introduce a bill on funding

of political parties this year since the president was silent on that.

On the whole, he described the address as ''lacking vision'',

saying ''I expected an address that will bring forward a Ghana agenda not an NPP or NDC

agenda and a vision that goes beyond the President, an address that is

non-partisan and national in scope and character''.

Mr Moses Asaga, a deputy minister of finance, on a point of order

wondered if Dr Apraku was present when the address was presented

since it was based on the Vision 2020 document.

Dr Apraku's contribution to the debate on the President Sessional

address which drew a lot of points of order and information, as well as heckling,

was mainly on the economic and political vision for the country in the next

century.

He said the address should have brought out measures as to how the

country was going to deal with global competition, trained manpower,

how to produce enough food and how to deal with technological advancement

in the next century, among other things.

The member noted that the introduction of the bill has become

necessary as a result of "popular demand" emanating from the national forum

organised by the Electoral Commission.

''The demand for a new political parties bill from the people came from

the recognition by the people of the need to institutionalise democracy, Ihave

done a lot of research and consultations, and I hope that when it is

brought to the house, members will support it''.

Mr Doe Adjaho, majority chief whip on a point of order, said the

member was going contrary to the constitution by anticipating a bill.

On the economy, the minority spokesman said: ''It was in a mess''

adding that if inflation has truly gone done from 70 per cent in 1995 to 16 per

cent today, this should have reflected in rediscount rate as well as other

significant macro-economic indicators.

He said it is not fair that government is burrowing at 37 per cent

interest rate, while the private sector and ordinary Ghanaians borrow at

42 per cent

Again on a point of order, Mr Asaga said the rate for nine-day

treasury bill has dropped from 40 per cent to 19 per cent.

Dr Apraku said the fact that interest rates on treasury bills are falling

does not mean that industrial sector should be happy, since the rate of borrowing is still high.

He said if the rate of inflation has truly come down, the government must

be bold to let it reflect in other indicators, adding that the President's remark

that ''the problem is not knowing what should be done but doing what

we know'' shows the government is suffering from ''lame duck paralysis''.

The minority spokesman said the exchange rate stabilisation is a

"fuss

and an illusion", since the rates advertised by forex bureaux are not the

same as what one gets when one goes to change money and warned that the

days of black market will emerge again soon if nothing is done to change the trend.

He said the rates are there, but one needs to negotiate since there=

is a shortage of foreign exchange on the market. The adverts therefore only

present a semblance of stability.

Mr Doe Adjaho, Mr M. A. Seidu and some members of the majority,

said it was a serious indictment on the forex bureaux, so the member should

substantiate or withdraw the statement.

Mr Justice Annan ruled that whether the rates are correct as

advertised is a matter of opinion.

Mr Asiedu Nketia on another point of order said the member was

condoning

illegality by negotiating instead of paying the advertised rates.

''Try and understand what a free market economy means'', Dr Apraku

replied

Dr Apraku said the government's expectation of achieving a

balanced budget by the year 2001 is of much concern to him.

The way estimates are arrived at by the Ministry tends to ''conceal''

some government expenditure to the tune of about 500 billion cedis from

the books, he said.

The majority objected to the word ''conceal'', saying it was in

contempt

of the government, the ministry of Finance, IMF and the World Bank

and asked the member to withdraw.

The member withdrew the word ''conceal'' and said the budget deficit=

does not capture the total deficit of about 50 billion cedis, which has been

provided for in ''arrears''.

The member said the house should review the principle by which

roads are to be tolled, saying that they should not impose unnecessary burden on

the poor.

''The government has by its policies made education and health the

preserve of the rich; and to make roads also the preserve of the rich is

totally unacceptable. Alternate routes should be made available to the poor''. =

He said by making the Offinso road a toll one, the majority want torob

him of his seat, a remark which brought the house into bouts of laughter.

Mr Kofi Attor, NDC Ho Central, said the member was on a ''borrowed

seat, which will be taken back in the year 2000''.

revenue neutral, but the first quarter estimates showed that VAT will

triple

revenue for this quarter and cautioned that care should be taken not to

hurt the

economy.

He called for the establishment of a National Science and

Technology

Advisory Group to ensure that the country does not suffer from

technological

advancement from the world.

Mr Thomas Yeboah, chairman of the Committee on Mines and

Energy,

said for something to be nationalistic, it must have the support of the

majority

of the people; since the address was from the majority party, it was

nationalistic.

''If the member is not convinced that the address from the

Progressive

Alliance is not a national one, then, God, help him''.

Mr Yeboah said the president presented a balance sheet in his

address,

because the ''assets are more than the liabilities'' and ''the strengths =

are

more than the weaknesses''.

He denied that promises made by the president have not been

fulfilled,

saying the promise by the president that all district capitals will be

connected to the national grid has been fulfilled.

The ministry of Mines and Energy also came out with pragmatic

programmes to

solve the energy crises as promised.

He said the water level of the Akosombo dam at the end of the rainy

season

was 252 feet and the government's policy is to ensure that it is not run

down to

below 240 feet.

Mr Yeboah said the government is also tackling the problem of

energy of

the steel mills and is considering waiving taxes on oil imports of

Independent

Power Producers, so that cost of energy supplied to the steel mills will b=

e

reduced.

''Energy supply to VALCO will also be increased to enable the

industry to

operate two more potlines''.

He spoke about future energy security programmes like the third

phase

of the Aboadze plant, West Africa Gas Pipeline Project, GNPC Western

power

project and the development of the Bui hydro dam, which he said are all

on

course.

Mr Yeboah suggested that the government should consider the use

of nuclear

energy in future to save the country from future energy crises.

He commended Unilever Ghana Limited for introducing energy and

water conservation

programmes, which have saved the company 3.74 billion cedis between

1984 and

1994, and asked other companies should emulate them and suggested

that taxes on energy conservation appliances should be waived.

The government should also look at the problem of some

communities

demanding compensation for fallow lands from mining companies.

Mr Kojo Armah, PCP-Evalue-Gwira, described the President's address

as

"business as usual", but containing ''nothing new''.

On energy, Mr Armah said Ghana has large deposits of natural gas

at

Cape Three Points in the Western Region which could be developed as a

sustainable alternative source of energy.

He said he was not enthusiastic about the West African gas

pipeline

project, a collaborative effort by Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Benin,

because the

project could be aborted by lack of political will and understanding from

the

member-countries.

"If we develop our own gas pipeline, we can always depend on it if

such a situation arises".

Mr Armah cited the CIMAO project for the production of cement

involving Ghana, Togo and Cote d'Ivoire, to illustrate his point, stressin=

g that the CIMAO project failed because the lack of political will of some of th=

e members undermined the success of the venture.

Mr Armah said when the energy crisis hit the country last year, the

Minority Group called for a timely action and long-term planning to avert

any

future recurrence, but ''our efforts were thwarted by the Majority side''.=

Mr Armah wondered what is preventing the government from

seeking funds to undertake the Bui Dam project in the Brong Ahafo Region,

which has the potential of generating about 400 megawatts of power.

"We need to build this dam as an alternative source of energy

supply and save the country from any future energy crisis", he said.

Mr Armah said it was unfortunate that after about 18 years rule, th=

e NDC government has now recognised that the mass of the unemployed

youth can be put to good use in the agricultural sector.

The member, however, supported the ideals behind the "Youth in

Agriculture Programme'', but cautioned that ''this should not become

another wing of the NDC. It should be properly organised to be effective to

attain the

objectives for which it was instituted.=94

Mr Armah said while the country is pursuing educational reforms,=

it

is important that all bottlenecks along the way are removed to ensure the

success of the programme.

He was worried about the continued stay of Ghanaian troops in

Liberia

and Sierra Leone and wondered when the soldiers would be brought

back home.

"How long can we support the government in Sierra Leone? We

cannot sustain any government in power from the outside", he said.

He commended the Armed Forces for their international peace-

keeping efforts and their contribution to civil work, including road construction,=

and asked them to help in the other sectors of the economy.

Mrs Grace Coleman, NPP-Effiduase Asokore, said although

there are "tremendous challenges ahead" as the country braces itself for

the next millennium, the president's address did not capture them.

She therefore called on the government to change its attitude towards=

the next century and ready itself to face the challenges ahead adding if

there is goodwill and the government sits up, a lot could be achieved in the economic sector.

Mrs Coleman urged the Bank of Ghana to reduce the interest rate

further, saying the difference between the 16 per cent inflation rate and

the 37 per cent interest rate is "staggering''.

She said all the economic indicators should be looked at and the

necessary remedies provided to ensure a sound and sustainable

economy adding that because of the over-liberalisation of the economy,

more than 2,000 companies

have closed down under the NDC government.

"If the government has now seen the need to help local industries,

then, every effort should be made to enable them to thrive and be

competitive".

Mrs Coleman bemoaned the low pensions paid to some pensioners

who received 38,000 cedis under the SSNIT pension scheme and 8,000 cedis under the

Government scheme.

On corruption, Mrs Coleman said merely talking about it will not

remove the problem. What is needed is a sustained effort to eradicate

"this social canker".

In his intervention, Mr Mahama Adam, NDC-Damongo-Daboya,

said the address has a clear vision to propel the country into a middle- income

nation in the next millennium.

It is a "masterpiece" and "down to earth in development plans".

GRi.../

Sessional address has exposed liars and detractors - Sowu

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Accra (Greater Accra), 22 Jan. 99

Debate on the President's Sessional address continued

in parliament yesterday with Squadron Leader Clend Sowu describing it

as an address with a vision.

Commenting on four aspects of the address - productivity, quarterly

review, decentralisation and the Keta Sea Defence Project - the member said the

''liars and detractors'' using the Keta project have been exposed and that the

programme is on course.

He said the project will definitely come off ''otherwise I do not see=

how I will have the guts to present myself for re-election come the year 2000'',=

adding that members of the minority who are using the project to make

inroads in his constituency will be disappointed.

''Next time you go to Tegbi, just be careful!,'' the member said to =

the minority group who, he claimed, are using the project to detract his

supporters.

This comment attracted a point of order from Mr Kwamena Bartels,

minority spokesman on Works and Housing, who was of the view that the

minority group has been threatened with that comment.

However, Mr Justice Daniel Francis Annan, Speaker ruled that Mr

Bartels could react to that statement when he gets the chance to contribute to

the debate.

Squadron Leader Sowu gave a chronology of events about the

project from 1994 through the time that the President cut the sod for the work to begin=

in 1996, to the recent remarks in the address and said that the President has not

deceived the people of Keta as being alleged by some members of the minority

In the address, President Rawlings said among other things, that

work will start in earnest this year after the Exim Bank's approval of the technical=

appraisal and its readiness to provide full financing of the foreign

component of the project.

Squadron Leader Sowu welcomed the quarterly economic review

mentioned by the President and suggested that parliamentary committees should also

be made to report quarterly on the performance of their sectors.

He quoted from a 1953 document which spells out guidelines for

budget preparation and said those guidelines should be reintroduced if they

have been removed from the books to check corruption and improve on work ethics.

The member called for the implementation of the establishment of ful=

l complement of decentralised departments for the sub-metro's, municipal

and district assemblies as well as a review of the distribution of the common

fund.

He said high productivity could be attained if all are encouraged to

play their respective roles in society