NPP  MP Kick Against New 450-seater Parliament Chamber

Hon Patrick Yaw Boamah, member of Parliament for Okaikwei Central Constituency, has asked government and Parliament to suspend any move to build a new chamber of Parliament for Ghana.

According to him, the proposed new chamber to accommodate 450 Parliamentarians is not a priority now and that, funds for such project should be channel towards building infrastructure for the free senior high school programme.

Mr Boamah who is the current Deputy Minister for Sanitation and Water Resources has described the decision as a misplaced priority and posed a serious political threat to the government of New Patriotic Party(NPP).

A design for the new edifice was unveiled by the Speaker, Mike Ocquaye during a courtesy call on him by the architect David Adjaye last Friday.

Majority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu in explaining the reason for the new edifice said the space in the current chamber no longer meets the purposes of the House.

The current chamber was designed and built by Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah.

But while his colleagues have shown support for the new project, Patrick Boamah told Journalists in parliament Wednesday July 3, he sees no need for it now.

In his considered view, Ghanaians are expressing disinterested in the new chamber and the government and parliament should listen to the voiced of Ghanaians," stating, I am totally against the building of a new chamber, we have free senior high school policy which face infrastructure challenges, we can channel the funds to solve that, that is even more urgent."

Mr Boamah said he sees nothing wrong with the current chamber and asked the idea should be abandoned for now as it has the tendency of causing disaffection for the government as many complained of economic hardship.

He further expressed worried as how to explain the decision and government policies to his constituents, adding that, Ghanaians love NPP government amenities like water, schools and roads.