Rumors that the lateKumawu MP, Philip Basoah fainted in the House and was taken to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital have been refuted by Solomon Basoah, the MP’s brother.
Philip Basoah, aged 54 was pronounced dead on the dawn of Tuesday, March 28, exactly a week after the passing of Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto, another stalwart of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Reacting to the rumour put out by the Speaker of Parliament that the Kumawu legislator collapsed in Parliament on Friday [March 23], Solomon Basoah said the account of Alban Bagbin is misleading.
“I heard the Speaker say that my brother collapsed in Parliament. That is far from the truth. My brother went to Parliament on Thursday [March 23] and returned home and the houseboy was expecting him to wake up on Friday [March 24] and when he didn’t come out, he called people to help break the MP’s door and saw him unconscious on his bed and took him to the hospital,” the brother of the late MP told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM.
He added that when they broke his door and found him unconscious on his bed, “they took him to the LEKMA Hospital and then to Euracare Ghana Hospital, and finally to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital where he died.”
He also dismissed the widely circulated rumour that the late lawmaker was brought in an ambulance to vote to approve President Akufo-Addo’s six new ministerial nominees.
“It is never true that he was brought in an ambulance to Parliament to come and vote to approve President Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominees.”
According toSamuel Nartey George, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram, it would be politically suicide should President Akufo-Addo decide not to sign the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill when Parliament approves it.
According to the MP, if the President fails to assent to the bill otherwise known as the Promotion of Proper Sexual Human Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill, two-thirds of members of Parliament can vote in favour of the bill to be passed into law.
Speaking on Eyewitness News, Samuel George indicated that failure to approve the bill will be an indictment on the government.
“The President will be requested by Parliament to sign the bill into law. It will be politically suicidal, and it will mark the sound of a dead mill on his abysmal government if he said he was not going to sign that bill into law. That will be the beginning of the collapse of his government and his legacy. And so I don’t want to have that thought because I think that his advisers and handlers will advise him accordingly,” theNingo Prampram MP said.
President Akufo-Addo during a joint press conference he had with US Vice President, Kamala Harris at the Jubilee House on Monday, disclosed that his government had intervened to modify the current anti-LGBTQ Bill.
Kamala Harris also tried to belittle Ghana’s efforts to pass the anti-LGBTQ bill.
Incensed over the comments, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin lambasted Akufo-Addo and Kamala Harris describing the comments as undemocratic.
“As the Vice President of the USA, Kamala Harris did yesterday, these things should not be tolerated, that is undemocratic. What is democracy? That someone should have to dictate to me what is good and what is bad? Unheard of, because we have decided to devalue ourselves and go begging? Come on, we have more than enough. God has created more than enough for every person, the Bill will be passed,” Bagbin added.
Speaker Alban Bagbin has categorically stated that President Akufo-Addo cannot overturn the outcome of the anti-LGBTQ+ Bill should Parliament pass it.
Speaking during a meeting with some religious leaders, he said the President cannot interfere with the works of the House.
“This is a word to the President of the Republic, there is no way you can intervene,” he said.
The Speaker’s comment was in reaction to a claim by the President regarding the passage of the proposed anti-LGBTQ+ before Parliament.
President Akufo-Addo, during a joint press brief held on Monday, March 27, 2023, for himself and the Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, at the Jubilee House, distanced himself from the Bill.
He clarified that his administration has no hand in the proposition of the Bill and further asserted that he would “come in” after the passage of the Bill.
“The Bill is going through the Parliament [and] the Attorney has found it necessary to speak to the committee about it regarding the constitutionality, otherwise, of several of its provisions and the Parliament is dealing with it.
“At the end of the process I will come in but in the meantime the Parliament is dealing with it. And then I have no doubt that the Parliament of Ghana will show as it’s done in the past, first of all its sensitivity to human rights issues as well as to the feelings of our population and we’ll come out with a responsible response to the proposed Bill,” the President added.
However, it appears this comment has triggered anger buttons of some personalities in the country, of which the Speaker is among.
In reaction, the Speaker called President’s bluff, insisting he (President Akufo-Addo) has no say after Parliament decides on the Bill.
“The Bill will be passed…That answer he gave that it’s now before Parliament and when it gets to a stage that he has to he will come in. Hey, please , this is Legislation, this is not Execution.
“Wait until we pass it and we direct you to execute it . That is when you come in, that’s why we are the representatives of the people. So in terms of Law which is part of policy, we finalise it and then the Executive now has the authority to implement it.
“Let’s get this clear, while this Bill is before here, he’s not in charge , I am in charge,” he added.
The Rt. Honorable Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, has formally been introduced as a newly installed sub Chief of Awudome with the title Togbe Nutefeworla Awudome I.
The enstoolment was done by the Paramount Chief of the Awudome Traditional Area, Togbega Addai Kwasi Dzani XIII.
Togbega Addai Kwasi Dzani XIII expressed his gratitude to Speaker Bagbin for accepting their invitation to attend the Awo Festival as a special guest of honour in 2022.
He praised the Speaker for his integrity and unique sense of impartiality, which kept democracy at peace.
The Paramount Chief called on Speaker Bagbin to maintain his balance in the supreme interest of Ghana, and expressed the desire of the people of Awudome to build an everlasting relationship with his character and integrity which called for the highest honor of Awudome to be bestowed upon him as “Man of Integrity” .
Addressing the delegation, Speaker Bagbin expressed his deepest appreciation for the delegation’s presence and thanked the Chiefs and people of Awudome for the invitation and honour.
He assured them of his continuous commitment to impartiality and serving the people of Ghana with dignity and honor. He emphasized that impartiality gives honour and dignity to the House and expressed his pleasure at having the delegation present at the humble ceremony led by the Togbega himself.
In attendance at the ceremony were Members of the Parliamentary Service Boards, Members of Parliament and Staff of the Parliamentary Service .
The Chiefs and people of Awudome Traditional Area in the Volta Region honored the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, as Togbe Nutefeworla I for his contribution to national development during the AWO Festival in 2022 .
Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, Rita Odoley Sowah, reportedly missed her late father’s burial just to be in parliament to partake in the secret ballot on President Akufo-Addo’s six new ministerial appointments.
The House had an extended sitting as it considered the votes on the inconclusive report of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, on the nominations of some six persons as ministers and one deputy minister.
Although the Minority MPs from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) had clearly stated that they would reject the nominations, the results, as announced by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, showed a different picture.
In the end, all the nominees got approved by parliament, with all of them receiving majority votes. It is worth noting that the House had 136 MPs on either side.
Reacting to this, NDC member, Dzifa Gunu, used the opportunity to celebrate the La Dadekotopon MP for sacrificing so much for the party, although their intentions were not met.
“On Thursday, whilst your late dad was laying in state to be buried on Friday, you were in Parliament because you were responding to a call to service.
“Friday, the final day of your late dad’s funeral, you spent less than 3 hours at the church service, you couldn’t stay to even watch his coffin being carried to the cemetery, you left for Parliament House.
“At a point, the Regional Chairman called me to enquire if you were in parliament, indeed you were in parliament for the rest of yesterday.
“Unfortunately, sadly, your sacrifice was in vain, the reason why you couldn’t fully be at your own dad’s funeral didn’t materialise,” he wrote.
Although the NDC MPs have stated on several occasions, including during debates ahead of the vote, that they would reject the nominees because the government needs to rather downsize, when the results were declared, it showed a sharp contrast.
All the six ministerial nominees were approved by majority votes, with many describing the move as a betrayal from the NDC MPs, especially when there were 136 of them on either sides of the House.
The MPs for Madina, Tamale North, and North Tongu, Francis-Xavier Sosu, Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa respectively, have also since put out cryptic messages, registering their disappointments.
The House also approved the nominations of two Supreme Court justices.
The leadership of the NDC is yet to issue a statement on the outcome of this vote.
This is how the MPs also voted on the day for the ministers:
Total eligible 275
Absentees = 3
Total valid votes = 272
KT Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry
Yes = 154 No = 116 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 1
Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture
Yes = 167 No = 98 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 3
Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
Yes = 147 No = 122 Abstention = 3
Mohammed Amin, Minister of State at the Presidency
Yes = 152 No = 117 Rejected = 1 Abstentions = 2
Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of Local Government and Decentralization
Yes = 149 No = 120 Abstentions = 2
Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry
When the Members of Parliament from the Minority side (National Democratic Congress MPs) walked into the Chamber of Parliament on Friday, March 24, 2023, they went in with one profound message: we will reject the ministerial nominees of president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Their reasons were that the government of the day, led by Akufo-Addo, was already too crowded and there was the need for it to rather be cut down.
The leadership of the NDC party had also sent the same communication to the MPs not to approve the six ministerial appointees and the two remaining Supreme Court judges’ nominees.
As an affirmation of this direction, arguments ahead of the vote on Friday, from the NDC MPs, all clearly indicated their resolve to cause the change for which many voted for a hung parliament: to keep the government properly in check.
But then things went sideways very quickly after the Members of Parliament cast their secret votes later that evening.
Surprisingly, and in what many have described as a betrayal by the NDC MPs, all the nominees of the president were approved by the House by an outright majority.
The results were declared by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, after extended sitting on Friday, March 24.
Disappointed in the turn of events, some three MPs from the Minority side: Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, North Tongu; Alhassan Sayibu Suhuyini, Tamale North; and Francis-Xavier Sosu, Madina; put out some very cryptic messages.
Shared on their social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp), the MPs, through their messages, showed indications at their surprise and disappointment in the turnout of the votes.
Here are their messages below:
This is how the MPs also voted on the day for the ministers:
Total eligible 275
Absentees = 3
Total valid votes = 272
Hon KT Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry
Yes = 154 No = 116 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 1
Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture
Yes = 167 No = 98 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 3
Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
Yes = 147 No = 122 Abstention = 3
Mohammed Amin, Minister of State at the Presidency
Yes = 152 No = 117 Rejected = 1 Abstentions = 2
Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of Local Government and Decentralization
Yes = 149 No = 120 Abesmtion = 2
Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry
The new Minister for Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong, received the highest votes cast by Members of Parliament on Friday, March 24, 2023, to determine whether or not to approve the appointees of the president.
In total, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, told the House that there were 275 MPs eligible to vote, 3 absentees, and 272 valid votes cast.
At the end of the secret vote, Bryan Acheampong received 167 Yes votes, 98 No votes, and 1 rejected vote.
According to the records on the day, there were 136 MPs apiece on both the Majority and the Minority sides of the House, however, the votes that were cast for all the nominees, were in outright majority.
In the specific case of Bryan Acheampong, who is also the MP for Abetifi, with a total valid vote of 167, it meant that he clearly had an extra 31 votes from the Minority side.
This is the case because, what was certain going into the vote was that all the MPs from the Majority side (New Patriotic Party; also the party in power) were going to give a Yes vote to the nominees.
The Minority MPs had also sent a very clear message about their position on the fact that they would not approve the appointees of the president.
They had given their reasons that the government was overcrowded and that there was the need for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to downsize his government instead so that the public purse is not further under pressure.
Arguments from the debates on the approval of the nominees, plus some two other appointees for the Supreme Court of Ghana, had all indicated that the Minority were going to reject the nominees.
However, in the evening of Friday, March 24, when the House held a secret vote on the matter, all the results came out in favour of the nominees, as all of them were confirmed.
Some of the MPs from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) have since openly expressed their disappointments in the way things turned out, with some of them describing the outcome as a betrayal.
This is how the MPs voted on the day for the ministers:
Total eligible 275
Absentees = 3
Total valid votes = 272
KT Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry
Yes = 154 No = 116 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 1
Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture
Yes = 167 No = 98 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 3
Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
Yes = 147 No = 122 Abstention = 3
Mohammed Amin, Minister of State at the Presidency
Yes = 152 No = 117 Rejected = 1 Abstentions = 2
Osei Bonsu Amoah, Minister of Local Government and Decentralization
Yes = 149 No = 120 Abstentions = 2
Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry
North Tongu Member of Parliament, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has expressed disappointment at the outcome of a vote on six ministerial nominees of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The MP posted a quote attributed to Ouida, philosophically stressing the pain that he felt by way of the impact that the outcome of the tense vote had on him.
The quote read: “There is no knife that cuts so sharply and with such poisoned blade as treachery.”
Parliament approves all six nominees, two Supreme Court Justices:
Parliament on Friday, March 24 approved all six ministerial nominees of president Akufo-Addo after a heated debate, 24 hours prior and a tense voting process.
Final results declared by Speaker Alban Bagbin showed that all nominees got more votes than the minimum of 138 votes required because out of the 275 eligible voters, there were three absent.
Below are the final figures for each nominee:
Total eligible 275
Absentees = 3
Total valid votes = 272
Hon KT Hammond, Minister for Trade and Industry
Yes = 154 No = 116 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 1
Bryan Acheampong, Minister for Food and Agriculture
Yes = 167 No = 98 Rejected = 1 Abstention = 3
Stephen Asamoah Boateng, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs
Yes = 147 No = 122 Abstention = 3
Mohammed Amin
Yes = 152 No = 117 Rejected = 1 Abstentions = 2
Osei Bonsu Amoah
Yes = 149 No = 120 Abesmtion = 2
Stephen Amoah, deputy minister of Trade and Industry
Yes = 146 No = 123 Abstentions = 3
Meanwhile, there is a debate on deciding on whether or not to take the vote on the remaining two Supreme Court justice nominees appointed by Akufo-Addo.
Out of the four that were appointed, two of them were approved, leaving George Kingsley Koomson, Justice of the Court of Appeal, and Justice Ernest Yao Gaewu, Justice of the High Court.
Parliament was in a state of disarray on Friday, March 24, 2023, after Speaker Alban Bagbin briefly suspended the voting of President Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominees.
The House agreed to decide the fate of seven candidates today. During the debate on a secret balloting, the Majority and Minority side clashed as the former sought to reschedule the meeting due to their numbers.
The Minority would not have it and tried to convince the Speaker. This resulted in disorder as MPs shouted on top of their voices – an action that prompted the presence of the Marshalls.
Unable to obtain decorum, the Speaker suspended the sitting briefly.
The Minority, displeased by the action chanted in union “We will vote” as the Speaker left the chamber. They kept chanting for close to three minutes with some Majority MPs interjecting with “You can’t vote.”
Speaker of the House,Alban Bagbin has made a joke about cutting off the hand of a legislator.
Bagbin was making reference to the Effutu MP Alexander Afenyo-Markin‘s habit of fling his hand during debates when he is not in support with a topic being discussed in the House.
“Deputy Majority Leader, one day I will give a directive that this your hand that you’ve been swinging, it be cut off,” Bagbin said as members on both sides, including the affected MP, broke into laughter.
The incident happened on Thursday, March 23, 2023; during an extended sitting of the House.
Lawmakers were busily debating the Appointments Committee report on six recently vetted nominees and Bagbin had called on the Minority Leader to make his submissions when he saw Afenyo-Markin’s gesture and commented on same.
Both sides had been granted three slots to speak to the report with the Majority making a strong case for approval even as the Minority vowed to reject the nominations on grounds that the current size of government was too big vis-à-vis the economic downturn.
Voting on the report will be held today when the House reconvenes for business.
Ministerial nominees awaiting approval or rejection:
The nominees include:
a. Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, Kwabena Tahir Hammond as Minister-designate for Trade and Industry
b. Abetifi MP, Brian Acheampong for Minister of Agriculture and
c. Stephen Asamoah Boateng who has been nominated for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
d. Former deputy Energy Minister, Mohammed Amin Adam as Minister of State at the Finance Ministry
e. Osei Bonsu Amoah for Minster of state at the Local Government Ministry and
f. Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, Dr Stephen Amoah for Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry.
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, is once again being urged to resign from his post on the Parliamentary Service Board.
The calls that were made upon his nomination to the board by Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin on March 29, 2021 have been repeated in light of his recent election as NDC chairman.
Speaking on a recent edition of Peace FM’s Kokrokoo Morning show, former CPP General Secretary, James Kwabena Bomfeh (Kabila) argued that the NDC National Chairman “can’t continue to be a member of the Parliamentary Service Board”, while describing it as inappropriate for party officers to hold state positions.
“Party Chairmen, General Secretaries, party officers who are appointed to state-owned boards should also stop because the same principle applies there,” he said.
“You should resign,” Kabila reiterated as he condemned Mr. Asiedu Nketiah’s decision to remain on the Board.
In the same vein, former Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan who was speaking on the same show “Asiedu Nketiah must resign from the Parliamentary Service Board, because how do you sit on a board that is duly informed about the president coming to deliver the State of the Nation Address and then turn around to also read an address contrary to what the president did. That is clearly a conflict of interest.”
Kwamena Duncan was referencing Mr Asiedu Nketiah’s True State of the Nation Address which sought to poke holes in the president’s address on the current state of the Ghanaian economy.
The Parliamentary Service Board is responsible for promoting the welfare of the Members of Parliament and staff of the Service.
The Speaker of parliament, Rt Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has assured of the nation’s commitment to collaborate with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to fight intolerance and promote peaceful co-existence in societies.
According to him, this is the only sure way for the world to know true peace and prosperity.
In a speech at the ongoing 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, on Monday, March 13, 2022, the Speaker touted the values of good democratic governance, which the Ghanaian parliament is translating for the utmost benefit of its people.
Explaining further, Speaker Alban Bagbin said this is evident in the large gender parity delegation the Ghanaian parliament sent to the conference to further the course of the theme and humanity as a whole.
“The IPU can rely on the Parliament of Ghana to achieve the theme of this Assembly. The Parliament,of Ghana will partner with the IPU and all members to fight intolerance and promote peaceful co-existence and inclusive societies. The Parliament of Ghana is translating the values and principles of good democratic governance into concrete benefits for the people,” he said.
“This explains why a large gender parity delegation of four ladies, four men, three of whom are from government and three from the opposition, led by the Speaker from Ghana, is here to work with the IPU and its members to craft out resolutions that will further the course of the theme and humanity as a whole,” he added.
Rt Hon Bagbin also added charged legislators worldwide to encourage tolerance and inclusive development through the laws they promulgate.
“As legislators, it behoves on us to encourage tolerance and inclusive development through the laws we make and, particularly, through the tools of our oversight of the Executive to ensure that our respective countries are set on the paths of peace, security and sustainability. We have to commit ourselves to holding governments of our countries to contain corruption, eliminate waste, ignorance and greed. This is the smooth road to building fair, just and prosperous societies.”
He also noted to participants and the world at large to be mindful of the need to co-exist.
“We must, therefore, not only learn to co-exist in peace, but we must also work to promote inclusive growth and development by consciously working to prop up the development of the least developed nations. Underdevelopment and poverty are some of the main drivers of intolerance, such as xenophobia, terrorism, conflicts, etc.”
Some 2,700 delegates drawn from more than 179 countries across the globe have gathered in the Kingdom of Bahrain for the conference under the theme, “Promoting peaceful co-existence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance.”
Former President John DramaniMahama received loud cheers from both sides of the house following his introduction by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, although each side had its own message.
Members of the minority side cheered Mr. Mahama on, while their counterparts on the majority side chanted “pensioner.”
Throughout this, President Akufo-Addo smiled and rubbed his arms together. The former statesman had arrived in a grey suit and was welcomed by many, including former President John Agyekum Kufour.
Mahama was one of many statesmen and personalities in parliament to listen to the president’s address on the state of the nation. Other attendees included former presidents, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, members of the diplomatic corps, justices of the Supreme Court, traditional leaders, and others.
State of the Nation Address:
The State of the Nation Address (SONA) is a constitutional obligation and yearly tradition in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. This article states that the President shall deliver a message on the SONA to Parliament at the start of each session and before the dissolution of Parliament.
During the SONA, the Commander-In-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces reports on the status of the country, unveils the government’s agenda for the coming year, and proposes certain legislative measures to Parliament.
According to Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, Members of Parliament (MPs), the Speaker of Parliament, and the Judiciary are obliged to receive the President’s SONA.
On Wednesday, March 8,President Akufo-Addo will deliver the State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Parliament.
This is in accordance with Article 67 of the 1992 Constitution, which states that the President shall deliver a message on the State of the Nation to Parliament at the start of each session and before the dissolution of Parliament.
The address, which was rescheduled from last month, is expected to highlight the government’s key policy objectives for the coming year as well as provide information on how the government intends to address economic conditions.
Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, explained why the meeting has been rescheduled.
“After extensive discussions, the address has been shifted to the 8th of March. It is for good reason that the President agreed to the date. The 6th is an important date for all of us and there will be national event in Ho and the President is expected to be there. On the 7th also, definitely for good reason, it cannot be held. So, we have agreed to sacrifice some assignments and do the SONA on 8th.”
The speaker of parliament has indicated that courage is not a criteria for appointing a minister of state or deputy minister to serve for the country.
According to him, there are very important factors that are considered for one to be appointed in governance leadership.
His comment comes after the deputy minority leader questioned Afenyo-Markin if he had held a ministerial or deputy ministerial position after the latter said he (Emmanual Armah Kofi-Buah) was not courageous and honourable.
Emmanuel Buah who had an exchange with Afenyo-Markin said; “…Afenyo-Markin will have the courage to tell me, honourable Kofi Buah, a four-term member of parliament who has worked 20 years in the cooperate world, who has served as deputy minister properly vetted, served as a minister of state that I don’t have the courage. I am a courageous man that is why I served this country honourably. Have you ever been a deputy minister in this county since I have been here? You?” Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah fumed.
In reaction to this, the speaker of parliament said “…we don’t appoint deputy ministers, ministers of state based on their courage. So that one is not a good bases to say that because you serve as a deputy and minister for state you have courage. Courage is something else oo,” Alban Bagbin said.
With Europe previously having been by far the largest market for Russian oil, that narrowed the nation’s pool of buyers dramatically. It also meant the barrels had to be discounted at the point of export to compensate for relatively high delivery costs.
Ghana’s Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has asked the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund not to sideline Parliament in their negotiations with the Executive.
In his submission, the Speaker indicated the IMF and the World Bank must be more democratic than they are.
He said in negotiating deals with Ghana, they must engage the parliament.
The Speaker noted that “the two institutions should know that in negotiating these things, they must hear from this House and get our stamp, and then they carry the whole country along.”
He lamented that “when it is only with the Executive, then it means that the world’s structures we’ve established have outlived their usefulness, and we now have to get new structures, including the United Nations. We have to change those structures to respond to the current relatives of our time. That is a notice to the IMF and the World Bank.”
To the Finance Minister, he admonished him to seek approval from parliament before implementing any policy or policies.
He told him that the Jubilee House represents the state, whereas the Parliament of Ghana represents the people.
“This is where the powers are, and this is where sovereignty resides. Sovereignty is in the people, and we represent the people. And the powers of government are also in the people. So anytime there is any key issue like a key policy, you need the approval of this House; very important.
“You can get the go-ahead from the Jubilee House, but this house is the one that would approve and say it is in the interest of the people so go ahead and implement it,” he said.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta will appear before Parliament today Thursday, February 16, 2023, to respond to concerns from Ghanaians concerning government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
This follows a directive by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to the Business Committee of the House to summon the Finance Minister to give a policy brief on the programme due to the ongoing picketing at the Finance Ministry by pensioner bondholders for an exemption from the programme.
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin presenting the business statement of Parliament last Friday said it was necessary for the Minister to appear before Parliament to provide answers to questions raised by constituents of members of the House.
“Mr. Speaker, on the issue of the DDEP, pursuant to your directive, we engaged the Finance Minister, and we have his assurance to be here on Thursday, February 16, 2023,” the Deputy Majority Leader said.
The programme has faced stiff opposition from groups and individuals since its announcement.
The Ministry of Finance however said it has achieved 85% of its target under the programme.
Meanwhile, members of the Pensioner Bondholders who are demanding an exemption, say they would be in Parliament to witness proceedings.
“We had information that Parliament was trying to get the minister to Parliament. We have also heard that the meeting was scheduled for Thursday. Because we are not going to converge on the day, we will go to Parliament to see what is happening there,” the Convener for the Pensioner Bondholders, Dr. Adu Anane Antwi said.
The Finance Minister on February 15, 2023, engaged the pensioner bondholders but was cut short as a social activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor interrupted the meeting.
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has been summoned by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to appear before the House on Tuesday, February 14, 2023.
This followed calls for some exemptions from government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) by some Members of Parliament (MPs).
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Tuesday, February 7 endorsed a call from both sides of parliament for the minister to brief the House on the policy statement and issues emerging since its introduction.
According to him, this should be treated as an urgent matter by Mr. Ofori-Atta, particularly in the wake of protests by pensioners at the Ministry of Finance.
“Honourable Members, my understanding is that both sides agree that the Minister be scheduled to come and brief the House on the policy statement and some details about the debt arrangement …Parliament has spoken that is the end of the case,” the Speaker said.
“Parliament is ever prepared to assist the government to get out of this quagmire. So, what I can say now is that parliament has spoken and that is the end of it. The Minister must be scheduled by the business committee as early as possible because this is an urgent matter because the pensioners are picketing at the Ministry.
“We need to do this as quickly as possible. Business Committee should schedule the Minister to appear before the house for a brief on the state of affairs,” he added.
He proposed 14th February, 2023 for the appearance of the Minister.
Background:
The Pensioner Bondholders Forum has asked the government to exempt them entirely from the debt exchange programme.
The bondholders’ demand comes after the new terms the government has introduced after various consultations with stakeholders.
Wielding placards whiles picketing the Finance Ministry on February 6, 2023, the bondholders insisted that until a meeting is granted them and a resolution is given to their plea, they would picket the premises every day.
According to the group, attempts to have their investment exempted from the programme have proved futile reason for their decision to picket at the Finance Ministry until their demands are met.
The deadline for the government’s Domestic Debt Exchange Programme has been extended to Tuesday, February 10, 2023.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has all but endorsed former Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu to sail through upcoming party primaries for the Tamale South seat.
Asiedu Nketiah said the four-time Member of Parliament (MP) had become so powerful in his constituency that it would even be surprising if he is contested at all when the primaries are held later this year.
“The outgone Minority Leader, Honourable Haruna Iddrisu, he is so powerful in his constituency, he is almost always not contested at all. I have my doubts whether anybody will contest him,” Asiedu Nketiah told party faithful during a meeting in London last week.
The one-time General Secretary was addressing concerns that the January 23 changes to the party’s leadership in Parliament was going to affect some of the replaced leaders at the upcoming primaries.
“They will not be impacted by the changes, one of the ousted persons, Dr. Avedzi (former deputy Minority Leader) is not going to Parliament again,” he explained.
On the case of Mohammed Muntaka-Mubarak, Asiedu Nketiah said despite recent challenge he was facing, “we didn’t think that this change will affect his fortune one way or the other and so we felt this is the best time to undertake these changes.”
He stressed that the advantages of expedition outweighed the concerns that were being raised about the timing.
NDC rings changes in parliamentary leadership
The NDC, through its General Secretary Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to announce the replacement of three members: the Minority Leader, the deputy Minority Leader, and the Minority Chief Whip.
The NDC picked Ato Forson to replace Haruna Iddrisu as leader of the Minority Caucus.
Other changes included Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembele, who is the new deputy Minority Chief Whip.
While Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, will replace Asawase MP Muntaka Mohammed as the Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First deputy Minority Chief Whip, while Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is also retained as second deputy Minority Chief Whip.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Johnson Asiedu Nketiah has given another reason for which the party reshuffled its leadership in Parliament.
Having earlier defended the decision to ring the changes amid the backlash from some Members of Parliament, the former party General Secretary revealed at a party gathering in London that a key reason was lack of cooperation between the outgone leadership and Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament.
He explained that there was no need to fight to elect a Speaker from the party yet turn round and be giving the Speaker problems at a time even the Majority Caucus maintained a cordial relationship with him.
What Asiedu Nketiah said:
“My priorities in Parliament, is to see our parliamentary caucus working together and also cooperating with the Speaker of Parliament.
“Why did we struggle to get an NDC person elected as the Speaker of Parliament? There are certainly some advantages and those advantages can be tapped into when your leadership is cooperating with the Speaker,” the National Chairman stated.
He continued: “So we cannot have a situation where the NPP leadership is cooperating with the Speaker while our leadership the NDC have challenges in cooperating with the Speaker.
“If you are given a party whose leadership in Parliament is not working together what will you do? You make the changes or you resign and I am not ready to resign.”
Asiedu Nketiah was addressing the NDC UK/Ireland Chapter during a visit to London where he accompanied former president John Dramani Mahama for a public lecture engagement at Chatham House.
General Mosquito as he is referred to, also stated that the party held consultations contrary to the view out there, but that it was the national executives who eventually took the decision because they are clothed with the capacity so to do.
Bagbin appoints Asiedu Nketiah to PSB
Asiedu Nketiah is a member of the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB), a position that he assumed when Bagbin became speaker.
Speaker Bagbin has routinely gotten into heated exchanges especially with Member of Parliament for Asawase Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka, who incidentally was very influential in the processes that led to the election of Bagbin into office on the morning of January 7, 2021.
Bagbin had cause to ‘threaten’ Muntaka in November 2022 when they clashed over the procedure Bagbin wanted to adopt in a Censorship Motion brought by the Minority against Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Muntaka during proceedings on November 11 vehemently disagreed with Bagbin’s decision to refer the censorship motion to a committee, interrupting him a number of times much to Bagbin’s chagrin
“Mr. Speaker, I come to second the motion with the clear indication that any attempt to move this matter to a committee will be a travesty of justice done to the chamber of this House.
Then the Speaker retorted again: “Hon. Members, I direct that all that the Minority Chief Whip has said after I have told him to withdraw and apologize, be expunged from the records. I so direct. Hansard expunge everything from the record.
“Minority Chief Whip, you’ll have a difficulty in catching my eye again,” reference to getting to speak again during the session.
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, provided a second explanation for the party’s decision to change the composition of its parliamentary leadership.
Having earlier defended the decision to ring the changes amid the backlash from some Members of Parliament, the former party General Secretary revealed at a party gathering in London that a key reason was lack of cooperation between the outgone leadership and Alban Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament.
He explained that there was no need to fight to elect a Speaker from the party yet turn round and be giving the Speaker problems at a time even the Majority Caucus maintained a cordial relationship with him.
What Asiedu Nketiah said:
“My priorities in Parliament, is to see our parliamentary caucus working together and also cooperating with the Speaker of Parliament.
“Why did we struggle to get an NDC person elected as the Speaker of Parliament? There are certainly some advantages and those advantages can be tapped into when your leadership is cooperating with the Speaker,” the National Chairman stated.
He continued: “So we cannot have a situation where the NPP leadership is cooperating with the Speaker while our leadership the NDC have challenges in cooperating with the Speaker.
“If you are given a party whose leadership in Parliament is not working together what will you do? You make the changes or you resign and I am not ready to resign.”
Asiedu Nketiah was addressing the NDC UK/Ireland Chapter during a visit to London where he accompanied former president John Dramani Mahama for a public lecture engagement at Chatham House.
General Mosquito as he is referred to, also stated that the party held consultations contrary to the view out there, but that it was the national executives who eventually took the decision because they are clothed with the capacity so to do.
Bagbin appoints Asiedu Nketiah to PSB
Asiedu Nketiah is a member of the Parliamentary Service Board (PSB), a position that he assumed when Bagbin became speaker.
Speaker Bagbin has routinely gotten into heated exchanges especially with Member of Parliament for Asawase Mohammed Mubarak-Muntaka, who incidentally was very influential in the processes that led to the election of Bagbin into office on the morning of January 7, 2021.
Bagbin had cause to ‘threaten’ Muntaka in November 2022 when they clashed over the procedure Bagbin wanted to adopt in a Censorship Motion brought by the Minority against Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta.
Muntaka during proceedings on November 11 vehemently disagreed with Bagbin’s decision to refer the censorship motion to a committee, interrupting him a number of times much to Bagbin’s chagrin
“Mr. Speaker, I come to second the motion with the clear indication that any attempt to move this matter to a committee will be a travesty of justice done to the chamber of this House.
Then the Speaker retorted again: “Hon. Members, I direct that all that the Minority Chief Whip has said after I have told him to withdraw and apologize, be expunged from the records. I so direct. Hansard expunge everything from the record.
“Minority Chief Whip, you’ll have a difficulty in catching my eye again,” reference to getting to speak again during the session.
The newly appointed leadership of the minority caucus of Parliament has paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, at his home at Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra, on Thursday, January 26, 2023.
According to the new executive, their visit to the Speaker forms part of engagements they have been having since their appointment.
Addressing the press after their visit, the new deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembele, said that they were resoundingly advised by Alban Bagbin.
“We have been having engagements the whole day and as part of these engagements, we visited the Speaker’s residence. I have to say that we were warmly received. We benefited from his wise counsel. And so, we are very encouraged by it,” he said.
The deputy Majority Leader also said that the main focus of the leadership of the minority caucus is to unite the caucus.
“Our priority right now is to make sure that we unite our caucus, that is our number one priority and that is so important to us.
“You cannot lead when you people are not united and that is our singular focus and we are confident we will do that,” he said.
Meanwhile, some MPs of the party have petitioned the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to suspend the appointment of the new leadership of the party in Parliament.
The NDC MPs calling for the suspension, including Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka (MP for Asawase), Dominic Ayine (MP for Bolgatanga East) and Cletus Avoka (MP for Zebilla), argue that the appointment was not made by any of the party’s decision-making structures but was imposed by just a few people.
The change in the leadership of the minority caucus of Parliament has led to some confusion in the NDC with some members of the party, including some Members of Parliament saying that the party’s parliamentarians should have been consulted before the move.
The NDC leadership has appointed the former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as the minority leader in the 8th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic who replaced the MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu.
According to the NDC, Kofi Armah Buah, MP for Ellembele, will take over as the Deputy Minority leader.
While Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, will replace Asawase MP Muntaka Mohammed as the Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Whip.
This was contained in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, from the National Democratic Congress dated January 23, 2023.
The newly appointed leadership of the minority caucus of Parliament has paid a courtesy call on the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, at his home at Oyarifa, a suburb of Accra, on Thursday, January 26, 2023.
According to the new executive, their visit to the Speaker forms part of engagements they have been having since their appointment.
Addressing the press after their visit, the new deputy Minority Leader, Emmanuel Kofi Armah Buah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembele, said that they were resoundingly advised by Alban Bagbin.
“We have been having engagements the whole day and as part of these engagements, we visited the Speaker’s residence. I have to say that we were warmly received. We benefited from his wise counsel. And so, we are very encouraged by it,” he said.
The deputy Majority Leader also said that the main focus of the leadership of the minority caucus is to unite the caucus.
“Our priority right now is to make sure that we unite our caucus, that is our number one priority and that is so important to us.
“You cannot lead when you people are not united and that is our singular focus and we are confident we will do that,” he said.
Meanwhile, some MPs of the party have petitioned the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to suspend the appointment of the new leadership of the party in Parliament.
The NDC MPs calling for the suspension, including Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka (MP for Asawase), Dominic Ayine (MP for Bolgatanga East) and Cletus Avoka (MP for Zebilla), argue that the appointment was not made by any of the party’s decision-making structures but was imposed by just a few people.
The change in the leadership of the minority caucus of Parliament has led to some confusion in the NDC with some members of the party, including some Members of Parliament saying that the party’s parliamentarians should have been consulted before the move.
The NDC leadership has appointed the former Deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, as the minority leader in the 8th Parliament of Ghana’s Fourth Republic who replaced the MP for Tamale South, Haruna Iddrisu.
According to the NDC, Kofi Armah Buah, MP for Ellembele, will take over as the Deputy Minority leader.
While Kwame Governs Agbodza, MP for Adaklu, will replace Asawase MP Muntaka Mohammed as the Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Whip.
This was contained in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, from the National Democratic Congress dated January 23, 2023.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has outlined what he believes is accounting for some resistance in the recent announcement of changes in the leadership of the Minority in parliament.
The national leadership of the NDC, on Tuesday, January 23, 2022, wrote to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, announcing a change in the leadership of its caucus in the House.
The announcement by the party, described by some critics as a palace coup, has attracted resistance from some members of the NDC, including some MPs who have signed a petition asking for the reversal of the changes.
Speaking on the Thursday, January 26, 2022, edition of Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Sam George said the resistance of the MPs against the changes is mainly due to a lack of engagement that went into the decision.
According to him, some NDC MPs had absolutely no idea about the changes in their caucus leadership until it was announced in the media.
“The problem I see MPs having, Randy, is not about the change. The problem of the caucus is not about the change; the problem of the caucus is not about the capacity of the people who are being changed; the problem of the caucus is the lack of engagement. The fact that as members of parliament we heard about a change in leadership on the radio and many of us had eggs in our faces because we said it is fake until Adabraka came out to say that yes we wrote that letter,” he said.
Sam George, despite describing the changes in the minority caucus as democracy at play, noted that the party failed to engage extensively during its consultations.
“Randy, even in senior high school, the headmaster doesn’t sit in his office and appoint who becomes the head boy. Right now, they do manifesto, they do voting,” he added.
Despite his concerns, Sam George lauded the former leadership and the newly-appointed leaders of the caucus for their restraint and comportment following the announcement.
“Here, I would want to salute the restraint that has been shown by Honourable Haruna Iddrisu and Honourable Muntaka Mubarak. Because the expectation was that by now the NDC in Tamale and Asawase will be up in flames. We have seen comments that have been made but they have been managed (sic) without rocking the fortunes of the NDC and that, for me, is very critical. Because it then means that these individuals irrespective of how they may feel, slighted or not, justified or not still put the forward march of the NDC to salvage this country in the 2024 polls ahead of any personal misgivings or challenges they may have, and that for me is very telling and we must celebrate them.
“In like manner, I also want to celebrate Ato Forson, Buah and Agbodza for also holding back their regions and their followers from any over-the-top comments that would incinerate or inflate passion in a certain way. We have seen measured statements from people in the Volta Region, Central Region and Western Region, and once again I celebrate them because they have managed their base and their following to ensure that this remains a decorous conversation,” he added.
Sam George however called on the leadership of the NDC to bring what he says should be a finality to the matter in the next 48 hours, through adequate consultation with the parties involved in the changes.
Background
A former deputy Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has been appointed as the Minority Leader, as replacement for Haruna Iddrisu.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah has also been named as the new Deputy Minority Chief Whip.
Kwame Agbodza takes over as Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim, MP for Banda, has been maintained as the First Deputy Minority Chief Whip, while Comfort Doyo Cudjoe-Ghansah, MP for Ada, is the Second Deputy Minority Chief Whip.
This was contained in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, from the National Democratic Congress dated January 23, 2023.
The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has said that the party’s 2024 election campaign message would focus heavily on the economy, which is why it has decided to reorganize its parliamentary leadership.
According to him, the know-how of the new leadership will best to propagate the message of the party.
The NDC in a letter to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin dated, Monday, January 23, 2023, stated that it had decided to replace Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu with Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Other changes include Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle who has been brought in to replace Ketu North MP, James Klutse Avedzi as the Deputy Minority Leader while Kwame Governs Agbodza has also replaced Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak as the Minority Chief Whip.
Ahmed Ibrahim and Comfort Doyoe-Ghansah were, however, maintained in their positions as First and Second deputy Whips respectively.
Speaking to Citi News, Mr. Asiedu Nketiah said the party has put its best foot forward in a bid to win the 2024 election.
“The 2024 election is going to be fought around the economy, so the debate is basically going to be about the economy. So if you are a serious party fighting to win an election. You must put your best foot forward to win the debate”.
“You can’t just tell people that the economy is in shambles when you have not been able to put your experts there to be able to communicate to Ghanaians how you will do things better. So this is the point where we need our finance and economic people around, and that is why we put them there,” Mr. Asiedu Nketiah explained.
Some supporters of the party in the Tamale South constituency on Tuesday after hearing the news besieged the party’s constituency office in protest of the changes in the party’s leadership in Parliament.
Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has also described as surprising the leadership changes by the National Democratic Congress in Parliament.
Mr Fuseini believes the unexpected changes are part of a grand strategy by the party ahead of the 2024 general elections.
Member of parliament for Old Tafo, Vincent Ekow Assafuah, has lauded Speaker Alban Bagbin and referred to him as the Fourth Republic’s best head of the legislative branch.
In an interview with Oyerepa TV, the MP stressed that but for the leadership and fairness of Bagbin, Ghana would have experienced lots of chaos in the lawmaking chamber.
“Alban Bagbin is one of the perfect and excellent speakers that we have ever had because of the circumstances that he finds himself.
“Check from the first till seventh parliaments, every speaker has been elected from the government of the day and so their actions and inactions is always tilted towards the government of the day,” he added.
Assafuah said Bagbin opting to serve the interest of the nation above that of his party had positioned himself as a statesman.
“He is my speaker… probably even for the century because this particular speaker, I doubt we might have any other like him especially in a short while. He won against tight circumstances but since he won, he has shown that he is a statesman in these circumstances that we find ourselves, it is certainly God who gave us this NDC man.”
Bagbin became speaker on January 8 after a rancorous vote that saw the ruling New Patriotic Party’s nominee, Aaron Mike Oquaye losing out on a second term as speaker.
At the time of his election as speaker, Bagbin had left Parliament after close to 30 years as a lawmaker, during which time he served as Majority and Minority Leader at different times and later as a Minister of Health.
Members of Parliament (MPs) were led by Speaker Alban Bagbin on Monday to honor the late Professor Kwesi Botchwey, a former finance minister, for his outstanding contributions to the country from 1882 to 1995.
In the age of 80, Prof. Botchway passed away at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra on November 19, 2022, following a brief illness.
The date of his funeral is Thursday, December 22, 2022.
The Speaker referred to Professor Botchwey as a great statesman as he led the House in observing a minute of silence in his memory.
In the 1970s, while Prof. Botchwey was lecturing at the University of Ghana’s Law Faculty, Mr. Bagbin claimed to have been one of his students.
“And it is some of them who inspired us to where we are. He has a sharp brain, he was flashy…and a man who was a true Ghanaian,” the Speaker said.
He mentioned how the late Professor Botchwey was always at home with everyone since he spoke so many languages.
“We will have, as a House (to) find space to celebrate more of such great Ghanaians to bring home to our people that, this is a great nation, made up of great men and women.”
Prof. Botchwey’s passing, according to him, was startling, but at least he got to enjoy his 80th birthday.
The first person to pay tribute to the late Prof. Botchwey was Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, the minority leader in parliament and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Tamale South. He described him as a great intellectual and a statesman in the league of great Ghanaians who had helped improve the country’s image.
The Minority Leader said the late Prof. Botchway was an outstanding scholar and academic, an outstanding legal luminary and an outstanding statesman; saying, “he simply was an adorable politician and a political mentor to me personally. I am an ardent mentee of Prof Kwesi Botchway.”
“Mr Speaker, his contribution to Ghana’s economic development as one of the longest serving Ministers of Finance, is more visible than any other.”
He noted that the late Prof Botchwey was a simple man, who inspired many with his uncharacteristic humility.
Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP for Bekwai, in contributing to the statement said Ghanaians would remember the late Prof Botchwey for introducing the Programme of Action to Mitigate the Social Costs of Adjustment (PAMSCAD) and the Structural Adjustment Programme.
He said throughout the late Prof. Botchwey’s leadership of the Finance and Economic Planning committee, he would also be remembered for his strength and the communication skills with which he defended his economic policies.
Mr Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the Deputy Majority Leader and NPP MP for Efutu, eulogized the late Prof. Botchwey for bringing his expertise to bare on the economy of Ghana.
He noted that the late Prof. Botchwey took the country through very challenging times; declaring that “Mr Speaker, the man led the implementation of the Economic Recovery Programme (ERP) Phase One, Two and Three and PAMSCAD.
Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Minister of Information and NPP MP for Ofoase-Ayirebi, in his contribution also eulogized the late former Finance Minister for stabilizing Ghana’s economy and building upon it.
“Mr Speaker, some of the most difficult period of our economic history, Prof. Botchwey was the man responsible for fiscal policies and key among the things that he was responsible for ensuring the successes were revenue measures, some of which were not popular with the people of Ghana at the time that he was introducing them. But over the years, I think many will agree that his service to this Republic is one that ought to be celebrated,” he stated.
Mr Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, the NDC MP for Ellembelle, said the late Prof. Botchwey was a very diligent and friendly man, who spoke his mind and that he supported the development efforts of the nation.
He noted that the late Prof. Botchwey held the view that politics must not be divisive; saying “I think on a day-by-day basis, we must learn from Prof. Kwesi Botchwey’s long list of experience, his dedication and his respect for the ordinary Ghanaian.”
Speaker of the House Alban Bagbin has come under criticism from Minority Chief Whip Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka (Member of Parliament, Asawase), who has called his former boss a tyrant.
Muntaka, whose most recent exchange with Bagbin on the floor of Parliament was in connection with the procedure of the censure motion against Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, stressed that it was a hard thing to say about Bagbin but he felt obliged so to do.
“I am sorry to say this, when you want to turn the Chamber of Parliament into a palace, then you become a tyrant,” when pushed about whether Bagbin was a tyrant, he responded: “He is becoming a tyrant.”
He stressed that Bagbin had increasingly become intolerant and was seeing people who disagreed with him as being disrespectful.
“You are not a chief, you are supposed to be a Speaker of Parliament and a Speaker listens to both sides patiently even where there is a disagreement and that is the essence of democracy to sometimes even agree to disagree but where you personalised it as if a disagreement is a disrespect to you .. then I am sorry you are becoming a bad Speaker,” he added.
He added that even though Bagbin was his favourite of all speakers he has worked under, Speaker Mike Oquaye Snr, Bagbin’s predecessor was far better at building consensus during his time.
Muntaka’s comments ties in to recent submission by former Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu who also slammed Bagbin over his directions on the same censure motion.
Amidu’s views were contained in an epistle titled; ‘Games in Parliament – The Speaker and the Minority’s Motion of Censure.’
It read in part: “Mr. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin needs to be told to stop talking down on Ghanaians as though he is a village chief and we, his subjects.
“No humble, learned, erudite, and experienced person will ever seek to silence his critics in a constitutional democracy by telling them that: ‘In all humility, please note that there is deep thought in whatever I do. Don’t underrate my knowledge, skills, experience, and expertise in Parliamentary practice and procedure.’
“It is for the public or one’s professional peer group, to determine one’s level of knowledge, skills, experience, and expertise and not for one to subjectively assert them and trumpet his competences to the world,” the statement added.
Speaker of Ghana Parliament, Alban Bagbin has disclosed that it is his wish to live longer in order to see things as he had once been told.
In his closing remarks after the censure vote to remove Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta had been lost by the Minority because the number of Members of Parliament (MPs) did not meet the two-thirds vote requirement, he narrated a story told him by a senior statesman.
According to him, it is his prayer to live long in order to see things though he was not specific on which on the particular things he was talking about.
He narrated: “One senior statesman, I actually refer to him as an elder statesman told me a story that when they were in school, a gentleman used to visit them and whiles walking on the streets he would be repeating one statement and I quote ‘if we don’t die early we will see things’
“I have been praying to God to allow me not to die early so that I can see things. I am not yet old but I have started seeing things,” he said.
It would be recalled that the Minority caucus filed a motion of censure against the Finance Minister, accusing him of mismanagement of the economy, financial recklessness, conflict of interest, gross mismanagement of the economy.
An eight-member ad-hoc committee set up by the Speaker to probe the motion brought against the Finance Minister presented its report to Parliament on November 25, 2022 but it was debated and voted upon yesterday, December 8.
The Majority staged a walk out rubbishing the allegations levelled against the Finance Minister causing the vote to be lost.
Martin Amidu has taken on Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin over recent comments Bagbin made on the floor of Parliament relative to his experience in Parliamentary democracy.
He accused the Speaker of behaving somewhat like a village chief who was treating Ghanaians and Members of Parliament like his subjects.
The former Special Prosecutor also admonished Bagbin to stay off boasting about his credentials and to allow colleagues and others who have known him overtime to do so.
Amidu’s views were contained in an epistle titled; ‘Games in Parliament – The Speaker and the Minority’s Motion of Censure.’
It read in part: “Mr. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin needs to be told to stop talking down on Ghanaians as though he is a village chief and we, his subjects.
“No humble, learned, erudite, and experienced person will ever seek to silence his critics in a constitutional democracy by telling them that: ‘In all humility, please note that there is deep thought in whatever I do. Don’t underrate my knowledge, skills, experience, and expertise in Parliamentary practice and procedure.’
“It is for the public or one’s professional peer group, to determine one’s level of knowledge, skills, experience, and expertise and not for one to subjectively assert them and trumpet his competencies to the world,” the statement added.
Amidu also pointed to Justice D. F. Annan, the first Speaker of the Fourth Republic, to emphasise how someone who has not been an MP distinguished himself as a Speaker.
He charged Bagbin to take a lead from his predecessors and maintain his role as an umpire in the affairs of the House and stop acting like what he termed “a transactional member” of the House.
“The conduct of Mr. Bagbin in the processes leading up to the passage of the 2022 Budget Statement and subsequent Appropriation Act, 2022 and the current motion of censure filed by the Minority Caucus of Parliament against the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta vindicate the assertion that Mr. Bagbin behaves more as a transactional Member of Parliament than the Speaker of Parliament as an umpire,” Martin Amidu argued.
In order to restore macroeconomic stability and other issues, Ghana is now negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for an economic support program.
As negotiations draw to a close, Speaker Bagbin stated that the government must do well to make sure that public support its commitment to addressing the present economic issues.
Addressing journalists in Ho-Volta region over the weekend, Alban Bagbin called on the Finance Ministry in particular to demonstrate transparency in all its activities and dealings.
“The absence of openness and transparency can lead to suspicion and a profound sense of despair and hopelessness. It is in this regard that I call on the Minister of Finance to muster the courage to be candid, open and to speak truth to power,” he said.
“Don’t come and repeat what we have been told already, we know it. Give us policy alternatives,” Alban Bagbin added.
Meanwhile, the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has come under a lot of backlash and pressure from both within and outside his party, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), to either resign or be sacked by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo over his handling of the economy.
Ghana is however hoping to secure some US$3 billion under an Extended Credit Facility from the IMF once an agreement can be reached.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, wants the government to be open and candid with Ghanaians as its negotiation with the International Monetary Fund nears completion.
Mr. Bagbin said the government must bring all Ghanaians on board to find solutions to the challenges.
Speaking to journalists in Ho in the Volta Region, Mr. Bagbin said the Finance Ministry must show openness in all its dealings.
“The absence of openness and transparency can lead to suspicion and a profound sense of despair and hopelessness. It is in this regard that I call on the Minister of Finance to muster the courage to be candid, open and to speak truth to power,” he said.
“Don’t come and repeat what we have been told already, We know it. Give us policy alternatives,” Mr. Bagbin added.
Critics of the government have accused it of not being forthright about the country’s finances.
The opposition National Democratic Congress, for example, accused the government of fiscal recklessness and creative accounting as Ghana’s economic crisis took shape.
The government is currently seeking $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund to support the economy.
The government sought the International Monetary Fund’s support months after being urged by the opposition to do so amid worsening inflation and forex challenges.
Before going to the International Monetary Fund, the government had claimed it was on sound financial ground and did not need International Monetary Fund support.
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin believes that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta will take a cue from the ordeal suffered over the past few weeks.
Between a censure motion from the Minority and a decision by the Majority to kick him out of office, Mr Bagbin is sure that Ken Ofori-Atta has picked lessons for the future.
Ghana is currently at the doors of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a possible $3 billion bailout amidst intensifying hardship, skyrocketing fuel prices, a rising cost of living and a depreciating cedi.
Ghanaians are reeling under this condition and have been calling for a pragmatic solution.
The Minority MPs insist that Ken Ofori-Atta, in this regard, has lost his grip on the country’s economy and must be axed.
Beyond that, majority of NPP MPs in the House are pushing for his removal, triggering crunch-time interventions from the party caucus and President Akufo-Addo.
With all these developments, the Speaker says Ken Ofori-Atta has learnt in a hard and unprecedented way.
“As he sits here, he has learned a bitter lesson. It is uncommon to come across members of your own party rise up in Parliament against your own minister. It’s uncommon,” he said on Sunday .
Members of Parliament will this week debate the 2023 budget statement presented last week and the Speaker of Parliament has a warning for government.
He cautioned government against using sheer bravado to push through their revenue measures, instead he thinks dialogue with the opposition may yield a common ground.
The Speaker says anything other than this will lead to acrimony and conflicts which will not augur well for the economy.
Meanwhile, the House awaits the report from the committee that probed the motion to subject Mr Ofori-Atta to a vote of censure.
Pre-budget huddling, according to Speaker of the House Alban Bagbin, is necessary to foster greater understanding, consultation, and compromise among lawmakers (MPs).
The MPs would better understand the topics discussed during the post-budget workshop, according to him, if they spoke with the relevant ministries in advance and were involved in setting the agenda, he claimed. The goal would be to highlight the necessity for the Budget Act’s passage by Parliament.
He said: “This will give MPs notice of underpinnings of the Budget, thus providing a solid foundation during the debate and a better monitoring and evaluation basis of policies and programmes of government.”
Mr Bagbin said this when he addressed MPs at the opening of the 2023 two-day Post-Budget Workshop underway in Ho in the Volta Region.
The annual Post-Budget Workshop has the primary goal of equipping MPs and Senior Officers of the Parliamentary Service with the skills required for scrutinising the Budget and Economic Policy of the Executive arm of government for the 2023 fiscal year.
It also had the objective of offering MPs the opportunity of a deeper appreciation of the 2022 Budget and Economic Policy of the government.
The key expected outcomes would be quality deliberations of the statement on the floor of the House in the ensuing day’s relevant legislation and the ultimate Appropriation Act for the 2023 financial year.
According to Mr Bagbin, in the current global village, trends, data and evidence guided policy and decision-making.
“Honourable Members, when reliable information, analytical tools, and supporting evidence are presented in advance, members will have a better understanding of the issues and debate the budget more competently as representatives of their people.
“Consequently, if a post-budget workshop like this one is critical, then a pre-budget huddling of some sort is also essential for purposes of deeper understanding, consultation and compromise,” he said.
To that end, Mr Bagbin noted that the establishment of the Budget and Fiscal analysis department in Parliament would be essential in supporting MPs in the performance of oversight functions, adding that effective oversight generated momentum towards sustainable development through revised and enhanced legislation policy.
Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader, bemoaned the freeze on civil and public-sector employment, saying it would worsen the unemployment situation in the country.
He, therefore, asked the government to consider the number of youths that risked the tendency of becoming jobless as against the existing unemployment.
The government in its 2023 Budget and Statement and Economic Policy presentation to Parliament on Thursday, November 24, announced a freeze on hiring into the public and civil service effective January 2023 as part of cabinet directives for expenditure rationalisation.
However, Mr Iddrisu disagreed and described the 2023 Budget as an indication of the highly distressed state of the country.
“Mr Speaker, Ghana’s economy and as I listened to the Honourable Minister of Finance, the 2023 budget statement is replete with evidence that government is simply broke and the economy is in crisis. An economy under life support that needs some resuscitation,” he said.
According to him, some of the interventions the government was seeking to make including the capping of enrollment of nursing and teacher trainees and the reduction of the size of convoys could rather worsen the state of the economy.
On his part, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Majority Leader, said external shocks and the depreciation of the cedi had been major contributing factors to the current economic hardships that the 2023 Budget sought to address.
“These (COVID-19 and Russian-Ukraine war) have created internal and external imbalances in the economic woes; high inflation and unsustainable financing of the current economic deficit and rapid depreciation of the cedi.
“Suddenly, these variables have brought a lot of hardships to the citizenry, particularly the poor and vulnerable,” he said.
He explained that the budget intended to alleviate the plight of Ghanaians through increased spending on social protection.
Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister for Finance called for a partnership that would get the economy thriving.
By Article 179 of the 1992 Constitution and section 21 of the Public Financial Management Act, 2016 (Act 921) the Mr Ofori-Atta, Minister for Finance on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, presented the 2023 Annual Budget Statement and Economic Policy of Government to Parliament on Thursday, November 24.
Among other things, the 2023 Budget focused on Government’s strategies to restore and stabilise the macro economy, build resilience and promote inclusive growth and value creation.
It also featured updates on Ghana’s engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for an IMF-supported Programme; year-to-date macro-fiscal performance of the economy; the YouStart initiative under the Ghana CARES Programme; climate action strategies; fiscal measures and debt management strategies to ensure fiscal and debt sustainability and promote growth.
Among the topics discussed by resourced persons at the two-day workshop included Policy Underpinnings of the 2023 budget-General Analysis of the Budget; Overview of the 2023 Budget- Macro Economic and Fiscal Management; What to consider in Analysing the 2023 Sectoral Budgets; Employment Generation and the 2023 Budget; and Revenue Mobilisation and Debt sustainability.
The 8-member Ad-hoc Committee set up by Parliament to investigate the minority’s censure motion against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori- Atta, has laid its report before the House.
This comes a week after the committee concluded its work. The chairman of the committee, Speaker Alban Bagbin, gave the committee a seven-day ultimatum
to present their findings for debate in the House.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a member of the committee, expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of dealing with the committee’s report and making
a final decision on the Finance Minister.
He said, “I was unhappy about the laissez-faire attitude… the heart of this issue is that Article 82 has been triggered. It says that during the
debate, the minister facing a vote of censure must be heard, and that has been done. I thought that in the business statement for next week it would have been specifically and clearly programmed so that we would have a day set aside for the debate”.
His view is that the longer the Finance Minister remains in office, the greater the hardships Ghanaians will suffer.
“Every single day that Dr Ofori Atta continues to stay and operate from the Finance Ministry, we see more
downgrades, inflation begins to get through the roof, the cost of living crisis is becoming debate more unbearable, nothing new except the imposition of taxes” the MP emphasized.
Mr Ablakwa believes that once the minister has been heard as stipulated by Article 82, “it is now time for a full-blown debate, and most importantly, the Ghanaian people are looking up to us,” adding that this assignment must be completed so “Ghanaians can know where their MPs stand.”
The North Tongue MP also invited NPP MPs to join them in removing the Finance Minister, warning that if Mr Ofori-Atta remained in office, MPs would have abdicated their responsibility.
“I hope that we meet the two-thirds threshold if only our colleagues on the other side will just show some principles and consistency…” he
said.
“To the extent that he doesn’t want to resign and the President does not want to dismiss him, the onus is on us MPs and I do hope that my colleagues will value public opinion, will respect the will of the people and will remember that it is the Ghanaian people who elected us and brought us here, and we must at all times reflect what they expect,” Mr Ablakwa added.
The eight-member ad-hoc committee probing the censure motion against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta is expected to present its report to the plenary on Tuesday, November 22, 2022.
This follows its conclusion of public hearing into allegations levelled as the basis for the censure motion against the Finance Minister last Friday.
In his concluding remarks, a Co-Chair of the committee, Dr. Dominic Ayine announced plans to seek an extension of time from the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin to finalize its report.
“We will apply to the Speaker for an extension of time to be able to file our report and the purpose of the report will simply be to continue the debate on the motion for the vote of censure and the report will be laid in Parliament hopefully on Tuesday.”
KT Hammond, another co-chair, announced that the committee would have to present a draft copy of the report to the Finance Minister to ensure that his responses are properly captured before the full report is tabled before Parliament for debate.
Seven allegations have been levelled against the Finance Minister by the Minority in Parliament, calling for his removal from office.
The Minister is accused of conflict of interest, gross mismanagement, recklessness of the economy among others.
The committee was given seven days by the Speaker to probe the censure of motion, which ended today.
The Committee was set up by the Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, chaired by Dominic Ayine and K.T Hammond.
The fate of the Finance Minister will be known after the committee had presented its report to the Speaker, as to whether the censure of vote will go in his favour or otherwise.
The Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori Atta, says he has cautiously supervised the country’s fiscal operations and has not been reckless in the management of finances.
He said this when he appeared before the Ad-hoc Committee of Parliament on Friday, set up by Speaker Alban Bagbin to probe the allegations for the motion of censure raised against him by the Minority.
He, however, said the government’s “strenuous efforts to protect the public purse is what has helped.”
Mr Ofori-Atta insisted that he had, as required of him, always presented government revenue and expenditure propositions to Parliament, which had in turn raised no concerns.
“On all occasions, I have come to Parliament to present the annual or mid-year budget, I have discussed all propositions of government in revenue and expenditure and financing, and on all these occasions, I have received approval as Parliament subsequently passed appropriation bills on them,” he said.
“Every key expenditure made has been supported by this house. Indeed, we also saw the dire consequences when the house, for months, refused to pass a major revenue generation item introduced by the Government to support the financial stability of the economy.”
Mr Ofori-Atta told Parliament’s Ad-hoc Committee that “Parliament’s delay in passing the E-levy has cost the country.”
The Minority in Parliament are calling for the dismal of the finance minister over the poor handling of the economy.
The cedi has seen its value drop by over 50 per cent compared to the United States dollar in the first ten months of this year.
The development had since placed the cedi as one of the worst in the world according to ratings by Bloomberg.
Fiscal recklessness leading to the downward trend of the cedi was one of seven grounds raised by the Minority to demand the dismissal of the finance minister.
Per the Consumer Price Index (CPI) data released by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on Wednesday, November 9, the country’s inflation rate has hit an all-time high of 40.4 per cent in October 2022.
The data said food and non-food inflation also rose to 43.7 per cent and 37.8 per cent, respectively.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has bemoaned the failure of the government to give financial clearance to some medical doctors who have completed their housemanship.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Thursday, November 18, 2022, the speaker said that he has come across doctors working in government hospitals without pay.
He added that because of the poor working conditions of health professionals in Ghana, including nurses and doctors, many of them are now leaving the country for greener pastures abroad.
“One and a half weeks ago, I met my colleague Speaker of Parliament of Barbados and he informed me that between last year and this year they were able to recruit 400 nurses … I meet some in Canada (medical officers) who told me, they are no longer interested in returning because of the lack of tools in our health facilities.
“… a few years ago, we had what we call brain gain, health personnel were returning to the country to work because things had greatly improved. I think the substance has gone down and you will have to sit up.
“It is a very serious matter, as of now, I know a number of district hospitals being manned by doctors who are not being paid. The new doctors that you are talking about financial clearance, they are unemployed and they have just volunteered to go to those district hospitals just to work for free. So, it is an urgent matter,” he said.
Speaker Bagbin urged the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, to engage the Public Services Commission of Ghana to help resolve the challenge of getting financial clearance for doctors who have completed their housemanship.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has denied banning the use of mobile phones in the gallery of the House.
This comes after Daily Guide in a publication claimed that the Speaker of Parliament had issued a directive banning the use of mobile phones in Parliament as part of enhanced security measures.
But a statement issued by the Office of the Speaker of Parliament rejected the report, describing it as false.
“Mr. Speaker has issued no such directive banning the use of phones in Parliament,” the office said in the statement.
Mr. Bagbin’s office also said, “no member of Parliament has been stopped from using his phone in the chamber.”
“The press corps who operate from the press gallery have equally not received any directive banning them from using their phones in the execution of their functions as parliamentary reporters”.
There have been suggestions in the past for MPs to be banned from using their phones in Parliament.
In 2020, the Majority Leader remarked that phones were a source of distractions during proceedings in Parliament.
Parliament has announced a raft of stringent security measures such as mandatory body scan for everybody including the speaker of Parliament.
The House through the Marshall’s office is also considering the idea of banning the use of mobile phones by journalists in the press gallery.
This idea is however vehemently opposed to by leadership and members of the Parliamentary Press Corps.
In announcing some of the security measures on the floor, speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin explained the decision to enhance security in the legislative house is for the good of members, staff and visitors given the times the country finds itself.
“It’s compulsory for all Members including me, Speaker to pass through the machine to be scanned before we enter the Chamber of Parliament. All strangers who are also to do so, who intend coming in, whether to the public gallery, or to the Press gallery, or to the important visitors’ gallery are all to pass through the scanning machine. It’s for your own good that we want to implement this rule.
“So please, starting from tomorrow, any person who is not willing to pass through this machine will definitely not be allowed to enter this chamber.”
Former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, has signaled that the constitution of the ad hoc committee set up by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, could pose an obstacle at the end of the proceedings.
The committee which was set up by the Speaker to investigate allegations of corruption and incompetence leveled against the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta by the Minority side of Parliament in their motion of censure is evenly constituted with members from both divides of the House.
The 8-member ad hoc committee is chaired by the Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T. Hammond and Bolgatanga East MP, Dominic Ayine.
Other members of the committee from the Minority side are; North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Klottey-Korle MP, Dr. Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings and Akatsi South MP, Bernard Ahiafor.
The rest from the Majority side include; Okaikoi Central MP, Yaw Boahmah, Ashanti Akyem Central MP, Emmanuel Anyimadu-Antwi and Sekondi MP, Andrew Egyapa Mercer.
According to Inusah Fuseini, while the membership of the committee may be trying to communicate a sense of neutrality, recent developments in the house may suggest otherwise.
“After the time that the Speaker established this committee, you could see the partisanship. And you could see the various actors in Parliament lining up behind their various leaders. So I’m not surprised at all that even though there had been attempt to appear to be neutral and interested in [presenting] the facts for people to understand what is at stake, those who are disputing the facts have laced their objections with political undertones.
“And there has been an attempt by the Minority to prove beyond doubt that Ken must go, and equally the Majority who are unrelenting in their defence of the Finance Minister. So then you have for the first time in our parliamentary democracy, apart from the censure motion, this is the only time a committee of Parliament has been formed which has no Majority, which has no Minority,” he said.
He noted that this membership structure will prove to be a problem at the end of the seven days when members are expected to come up with a resolution to be presented before the House.
According to him, with the even distribution of the committee and the unyielding stance of both sides, it is unlikely that a consensus will be easily reached, that is, even if it is reached at all.
“Committees of Parliament take decisions based on unanimity or consensus. So if it is going to be consensus, the issue would have to be put to a vote and I don’t know whether Speaker in establishing the eight member committee with co-chairmen had also thought of the custom vote. Because if the vote is taken and there is a tie, what happens?
“The constitution says that when there is a tie in parliament on an issue, the issue fails, it falls. What will happen at the committee level? So there are many around that. We’re waiting cautiously to see what happens after Friday because the issues cannot be resolved at the committee level. And like I told you when the committee was established, this issue will finally be resolved on the floor of the House,” he said.
The Electoral Commission of Ghana has said that it has no knowledge of a directive from the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, asking the Commission and officials of the National Identification Authority (NIA) to appear before him with a briefing over the new Constitutional Instrument seeking to make the Ghana Card the sole document for the registration of voters ID.
According to the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, the commission does not operate with hearsay.
He added that if indeed the Speaker has issues with the process, he must officially write to the Commission.
Dr. Serebour’s comment comes on the back of a warning from the Alban Bagbin, asking the EC to forget laying the new C.I in parliament if they fail to meet the leadership of the House.
But in the view of the EC, they cannot honour the Speaker’s request when they haven’t been officially invited.
“We’ve not heard anything from the speaker. Officially they have to write to us if they have issues with our C.I. We have no letter from parliament and we don’t work with hearsay. We’ve already met the subsidiary committee and the budget committee but nobody has invited us to come because we can only go to parliament when we have been invited. It’s like going to somebody’s house without invitation,” Dr. Serebuor said in an interview with the host of Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV’s morning show, Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
Dr. Serebour further explained that the move by the EC to make the Ghana Card the sole document for the registration of voters ID remains unchanged.
He added that NIA officials have so far captured about 17 million Ghanaians into its system.
“We met the NIA officials about 2 weeks ago and per the statistics, they have covered more than 17 million Ghanaians. The backlog now is about 400,000 that is persons who are yet to receive their cards after being registered. I can tell you that some of the district officers are empty now because the NIA officials have registered everyone in the district.”
“People are no more complaining about the issuance of the card and we have two more years to go so we are still standing by our earlier position,” he added.
The eight-member ad hoc committee set up by Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to probe embattled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta will start sitting today, a member of the committee has announced.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, in a social media post revealed that sittings will be public and also broadcast live.
According to him, doing so will ultimately be in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
“The Ken Ofori-Atta Vote of Censure Parliamentary Committee will commence sittings tomorrow 15/11/22 at 11 am.
“It’s an absolute delight to announce that the committee shall sit in public & all proceedings will be broadcast live in the true spirit of transparency & accountability,” his post read.
Speaker sets up ad hoc Committee over Ofori-Atta censure motion
Alban Bagbin, on Thursday, November 10 announced an ad hoc committee to probe allegations in a vote of censure motion against the embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The 8-member ad hoc committee was constituted with Members of Parliament elected by the leadership of both sides of the House.
Their main task is to probe the seven allegations contained in the censure motion filed late last month by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, which motion is seeking the removal of Ofori-Atta from office.
The committee is expected to submit a report within 7 days.
The composition of the committee is as follows:
It will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
The three members from the Minority side are:
MP for North Tongu; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa;
MP for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and
MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.
From the Majority caucus, the members include:
MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah;
MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and
MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.
How motion of censure against Ofori-Atta was argued
The Minority Leader filed a motion of censure late last month against Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
The motion was duly admitted by Speaker Alban Bagbin and on November 10, the motion was moved by Haruna Iddrisu to trigger debate and a vote on same.
Speaker Bagbin, however, in his interpretation of the rules the Minority relied on referred the issue to an 8-member ad hoc committee formed to probe the Minority’s claims against the Finance Minister.
The committee co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (NDC) and KT Hammond (NPP) is expected to present their report in seven-days, following which the House will proceed with the censure process or otherwise.
Below are the seven-points for which the Minority want Ofori-Atta censured:
a. Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang
b. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral.
c. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.
d. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament
e. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world
f. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis
g. Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
The eight-member ad hoc committee set up by Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, to probe embattled Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta will start sitting today, a member of the committee has announced.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, Member of Parliament for North Tongu, in a social media post revealed that sittings will be public and also broadcast live.
According to him, doing so will ultimately be in the spirit of transparency and accountability.
“The Ken Ofori-Atta Vote of Censure Parliamentary Committee will commence sittings tomorrow 15/11/22 at 11 am.
“It’s an absolute delight to announce that the committee shall sit in public & all proceedings will be broadcast live in the true spirit of transparency & accountability,” his post read.
Speaker sets up ad hoc Committee over Ofori-Atta censure motion
Alban Bagbin, on Thursday, November 10 announced an ad hoc committee to probe allegations in a vote of censure motion against the embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The 8-member ad hoc committee was constituted with Members of Parliament elected by the leadership of both sides of the House.
Their main task is to probe the seven allegations contained in the censure motion filed late last month by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, which motion is seeking the removal of Ofori-Atta from office.
The committee is expected to submit a report within 7 days.
The composition of the committee is as follows:
It will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
The three members from the Minority side are:
MP for North Tongu; Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa;
MP for Korle Klottey, Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings; and
MP for Akatsi South, Bernard Ahiafor.
From the Majority caucus, the members include:
MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah;
MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and
MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.
How motion of censure against Ofori-Atta was argued
The Minority Leader filed a motion of censure late last month against Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
The motion was duly admitted by Speaker Alban Bagbin and on November 10, the motion was moved by Haruna Iddrisu to trigger debate and a vote on same.
Speaker Bagbin, however, in his interpretation of the rules the Minority relied on referred the issue to an 8-member ad hoc committee formed to probe the Minority’s claims against the Finance Minister.
The committee co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (NDC) and KT Hammond (NPP) is expected to present their report in seven-days, following which the House will proceed with the censure process or otherwise.
Below are the seven-points for which the Minority want Ofori-Atta censured:
a. Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang
b. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral.
c. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.
d. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament
e. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world
f. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis
g. Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
The Ken Ofori-Atta Vote of Censure Parliamentary Committee will commence sittings tomorrow 15/11/22 at 11am.
It’s an absolute delight to announce that the committee shall sit in public & all proceedings will be broadcast live in the true spirit of transparency & accountability.
The former Member of Parliament for Offiso South in an exclusive interview on the Kumasi-based OTEC 102.9 FM’s breakfast show, Nyansapo, on Friday, November 11, 2022 said the speaker did the right thing.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin on Thursday, November 10, 2022 referred the censure motion moved by the Minority to have Finance Minister; Ken Ofori-Atta removed from office to an 8-member ad hoc committee for consideration.
According to Mr. Bagbin, the Finance Minister will be given ample opportunity to defend himself.
He stated that the Minister in question is also entitled to appear before the committee with a counsel.
The Speaker noted that after the process, a report will be submitted before the House for a decision to be taken.
‘What I can do at this time is to allow the motion to be seconded and I will give opportunity for it to be responded to by our standing orders which I can interpret. The matter will be referred to an ad hoc committee to be investigated,” he said.
After this declaration, the motion was debated further by both sides of the House. It was subsequently upheld.
The 8-member ad hoc committee will be chaired by the Adansi Asokwa MP, K.T. Hammond and Bolgatanga East MP, Dominic Ayine.
The Minority Leader, who said the motion was in accordance with Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution, cited seven grounds for it.
The seven grounds include a despicable conflict of interest that he (Mr Ofori-Atta) directly benefited from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies’ received commissions and other unethical contractual advantages, particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang.
He alleged the unconstitutional withdrawal from the Consolidated Fund in contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution for the construction of the National Cathedral among other things.
But following the setting up of the committee by the Speaker of Parliament, the former Member of Parliament for Offinso South has praised the speaker’s move.
He called on the members of Parliament to follow due procedures in this particular move by the minority to pass vote of no confidence in the Finance Minister to avoid any constitutional blunder.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, on Thursday, November 10 announced an ad hoc committee to probe allegations in a vote of censure motion against the embattled Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta.
The 8-member ad hoc committee was constituted of Members of Parliament elected by the leadership of both sides of the House.
Their main task is to probe the seven allegations contained in the censure motion filed late last month by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, which motion is seeking the removal of Ofori-Atta from office.
The committee is expected to submit a report within 7 days.
The motion was duly admitted by Speaker Alban Bagbin and on November 10, the motion was moved by Haruna Iddrisu to trigger debate and a vote on the same.
Speaker Bagbin, however, in his interpretation of the rules the Minority relied on referred the issue to an 8-member ad hoc committee formed to probe the Minority’s claims against the Finance Minister.
The committee co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (NDC) and KT Hammond (NPP) is expected to present their report in seven days, following which the House will proceed with the censure process or otherwise.
Below are the seven points for which the Minority want Ofori-Atta censured:
a. Despicable conflict of interest ensuring that he directly benefits from Ghana’s economic woes as his companies receive commissions and other unethical contractual advantages, particularly from Ghana’s debt overhang
b. Unconstitutional withdrawals from the Consolidated Fund in blatant contravention of Article 178 of the 1992 Constitution, supposedly for the construction of the President’s Cathedral.
c. Illegal payment of oil revenues into offshore accounts, in flagrant violation of Article 176 of the 1992 Constitution.
d. Deliberate and dishonest misreporting of economic data to Parliament
e. Fiscal recklessness leading to the crash of the Ghana Cedi which is currently the worst-performing currency in the world
f. Alarming incompetence and frightening ineptitude, resulting in the collapse of the Ghanaian economy and an excruciating cost of living crisis
g. Gross mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy which has occasioned untold and unprecedented hardship
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin and the Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka clashed in Parliament on Thursday, November 10, 2022, when a motion of censure against Minister of Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta was moved by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu.
After a preliminary objection was raised by Deputy Minority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, and shot down; the speaker delivered a ruling in which he directed that the vote of censure be referred to a committee.
But the Minority through Muntaka sought to explain why there was no need for a referral to a committee but instead why there was the need to proceed to a vote on the matter citing wording in the relevant rules.
Muntaka’s submission appeared to have veered into an area where the Speaker robustly stepped in, charging the MP of attacking his ruling.
He ordered Muntaka to retract and apologize, which order Muntaka expressly refused to heed neither did he listen to orders to resume his seat.
The Speaker subsequently ordered all he said when he had been asked to sit to be expunged from the Hansard – i.e. the official records of the House.
Below is a transcript of the Bagbin vs. Muntaka banter:
Muntaka: Mr. Speaker, with all respect and humility to you, in this text, nowhere did it say Mr. Speaker will refer the matter to any ad hoc committee. It says that the House will take a decision and decisions in this House Mr. Speaker is taken by vote.
So, if any member can move a motion… Mr. Speaker, it is for the decision of this House, that is what Order 106 is saying.
Bagbin: Hon, you are completely, completely out of order. Hon. Member, I don’t take my rulings lightly, please. You are attacking my ruling and I think you don’t have that authority to do so. If you want to attack my ruling, come by a substantive motion.
Your understanding of ‘during the debate,’…. debate of matters before the House is not only during the plenary session. At the committee level, what you do there is to debate. That is why when you agree at the committee level and you come and put the matter here, you don’t waste time to debate again.
Bagbin proceeded to explain that plenary rules applied to the committee level, explaining further that the decision is taken by the House not the speaker but also that the rules say motion for censure “will be made by a member and referred to a committee, that is exactly what I said I am going to do.”
Muntaka: The House is defined in this Standing Orders as Parliament and Mr. Speaker, Parliament is this Chamber with 275 members.
Bagbin: Hon. Member please, the House cannot be constituted without a speaker. You must understand that. It is when a Speaker is presiding that it becomes a House. You can’t have this room with 275 Members seated here and call yourself a House.
Move away from the understanding that you are the makers of everything here, I have been listening to you, don’t give me that temptation.
Muntaka sought permission to continue his submission and was granted, Bagbin, however, added: “but I think that you have to withdraw what you said. Hon. Member, you have to withdraw it and apologize.”
Muntaka: I’m happy you’ve given me permission to speak, one of the cardinals of democracy is to listen to each other even when we disagree with each other, stressing that ruling was wrong and cannot be right.
Bagbin: Hon. Member resume your seat, resume your seat.
Muntaka: Mr. Speaker, I come to second the motion with the clear indication that any attempt to move this matter to a committee will be a travesty of justice done to the chamber of this House.
Bagbin: Hon. Members, I direct that all what the Minority Chief Whip has said after I have told him to withdraw and apologize, be expunged from the records. I so direct. Hansard expunge everything from the record.
Minority Chief Whip, you’ll have a difficulty in catching my eye again.
How motion of censure against Ofori-Atta was argued
The Minority Leader filed a motion of censure late last month against Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
The motion was duly admitted by Speaker Alban Bagbin and on November 10, the motion was moved by Haruna Iddrisu to trigger debate and a vote on the same.
Speaker Bagbin, however, in his interpretation of the rules the Minority relied on referred the issue to an 8-member ad hoc committee formed to probe the Minority’s claims against the Finance Minister.
The committee co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (NDC) and KT Hammond (NPP) is expected to present their report in seven days, following which the House will proceed with the censure process or otherwise.
Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin defended a ruling he handed down in the matter of a vote of censure filed against Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta by the Minority Caucus.
In doing so, he also schooled Minority Chief Whip Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, who Bagbin accused of attacking the ruling he gave despite not having the authority so to do.
It started when Muntaka rose to second the motion of censure vote as moved by Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu, he started off by quoting Order 106 of the Standing Orders which Bagbin relied on to rule that the censure motion be referred to a committee before it comes back to the plenary.
Muntaka in disagreeing made comments the Speaker deemed an attack on his ruling.
Bagbin interjected the Asawaase MP’s submission stating: “Hon, you are completely, completely out of order. Hon. Member, I don’t take my rulings lightly, please. You are attacking my ruling and I think you don’t have that authority to do so. If you want to attack my ruling, come by a substantive motion.
“Your understanding of ‘during the debate,’… debate of matters before the House is not only during the plenary session. At the committee level, what you do there is to debate. That is why when you agree at the committee level and you come and put the matter here, you don’t waste time to debate again,” he stressed.
Muntaka proceeded to seek to drum home his point that it was solely the decision of 275 MPs to decide on the issue but Bagbin explained that a House cannot be properly constituted without a Speaker.
“Move away from the understanding that you are the makers of everything here, I have been listening to you, don’t give me that temptation,” he said before demanding a withdrawal and apology for Muntaka’s pronouncements.
The MP’s refusal forced Bagbin to order that the latter part of his submissions be expunged from the Hansard.
“Hon. Members, I direct that all what the Minority Chief Whip has said after I have told him to withdraw and apologize, be expunged from the records. I so direct. Hansard expunge everything from the record.
“Minority Chief Whip, you’ll have a difficulty in catching my eye again,” Bagbin warned.
How motion of censure against Ofori-Atta was argued
The Minority Leader filed a motion of censure late last month against Minister for Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
The motion was duly admitted by Speaker Alban Bagbin and on November 10, the motion was moved by Haruna Iddrisu to trigger debate and a vote on the same.
Speaker Bagbin, however, in his interpretation of the rules the Minority relied on referred the issue to an 8-member ad hoc committee formed to probe the Minority’s claims against the Finance Minister.
The committee co-chaired by Dominic Ayine (NDC) and KT Hammond (NPP) is expected to present their report in seven days, following which the House will proceed with the censure process or otherwise.
The Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, sought to object to the motion when the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, moved it a few minutes to 2 p.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2022.
The motion hinged on Article 82 of the 1992 Constitution and, according to the minority, is influenced by issues such as the mismanagement of the Ghanaian economy by the minister.
Midway through the minority leader’s presentation, the deputy majority leader asked the speaker for permission to raise a preliminary objection to the motion.
However, his attempt was met with heckling from members on the minority side who shouted at the Deputy Majority Leader to “sit down.”
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, intervened immediately and caused the members of the house to take into consideration the importance of the exercise being undertaken.
The speaker implored the MPs to exercise decorum in the discharge of their mandate.
The speaker, however, refused the objection request by the deputy majority leader and granted the minority leader the opportunity to go ahead and move the motion.
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has referred a vote of censure motion filed by the minority cause of Parliament for the removal of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to an 8-member ad hoc committee
The committee is expected to make a determination on removal of Ofori-Atta within 7 days.
The speaker announced that the committee will be chaired by Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond and the MP for Bolgatanga Dominic Akuritinga Ayine.
Alban Bagbin added that the determination of Ofori-Atta’s removal will be made in consultation with the leadership of the House.
The committee members from the majority caucus are MP for Okaikwei Central, Patrick Yaw Boamah; MP for Asante-Akim Central, Michael Kwame Anyimadu-Antwi; and MP for Sekondi, Andrew Kofi Agyapa Mercer.
“The clerk to the committee is Mr. Puaman Kamilo… The proposal is in consultation with the leadership, I hope that it will be accepted by the House,” the speaker added.
The minority, led by Haruna Iddrisu, moved the motion on Thursday, November 10, 2022, seeking to pass a vote of censure against the under-fire minister for finance.
Arguing against the motion after it was moved by the minority leader, Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin said admitting the motion in the house would amount to injustice being dealt against the minister for finance.
