Majority Leader, Others Abandoned Parliamentary Business For Funeral

Deputy Minority Whip Ahmed Ibrahim says it is time the Executive takes government business more seriously.

He says just a year after Ghanaians voted the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) into office, some ministers of state are taking the business of Parliament for granted.

His comments come on a day when five Ministers who had questions to answer on the floor as well as some Members of Parliament (MPs) abandoned government business to attend the late Asantehemaa’s funeral in Kumasi.

“If you look at the order of the day, the business committee cannot sit and arrange business for the day and not even one of the businesses that were slated is ready for execution.

“Railway, Lands, Regional Organisation Ministers are all not ready to answer questions? Just one year down the line, if you can’t handle the power then give it to us…we are ready,” the Banda MP said.

With this kind of attitude, he wondered how Ghana will go beyond aid, a mantra President Akufo-Addo has so popularized.

But the Majority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu told journalists the sitting on Thursday was brief because MPs had to go participate in the funeral ceremony of the Asantehene’s deceased mother in Kumasi.

“The statement was mischief inspired…we have decided that we will be part of the funeral of the Asantehemaa, so this day was to count as a sitting day that is why we migrated a lot of the business to be transacted today to Friday and Monday,” he said.

He said he is surprised by the comments because the minority was aware since it was a collective agreement adding he communicated with the Minority Leader.

According to him, it also has nothing to do with the Thanksgiving ceremony organized by the NPP to celebrate its election victory.

“The Thanksgiving was slated to end at 9 am in the morning,” he said.

However, Mr Ibrahim said there was no agreement in the house, adding the Majority Leader who is the leader of government business in the House and also the chairman of the Business Committee should have known better.

He questioned how Mr Mensa-Bonsu who is fully aware of the upcoming funeral scheduled appearances of five ministers to answer questions on the same day.

The MP argued that the Ministers were aware that they must appear before the House and Wednesday's order of business also mentioned it so he had ample time to inform the MPs about the cancellation which he failed to do.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com |Abubakar Ibrahim