The Vigilance Bill May Not Be Made During an Urgent Parliamentary Reminder

General News on Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Source: Ghananewsagency.org

2019-04-30

Parliament was recalled on Monday for an emergency meeting, but the 2019 Vigilance and Related Offenses Bill may not be included in the five-day meeting that took place on Monday. Monday, April 29 to Friday, April 3, 2019.

At the end of the meeting, on Friday, April 12, 2019, the House was informed of a possible reminder of the suspension of the meeting to consider, among other things, the Vigilance and Related Offenses Bill, 2019 .

However, the majority leader and deputy of the Suame constituency, Osei-Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, told the House, at the opening of the emergency meeting in Accra, that "the indications from the Committee on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs reveal the need for further consultations. . "

He added that the report of the committee of Professor Emmanuel Asante on his meeting with the political parties was included and that "under the circumstances, the examination of the bill at this meeting of urgency would perhaps be not done ".

Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu added that the Chamber would, however, focus on the 2018 Societies Bill, on Sinohydro tax exemptions, which should be urgently addressed by the end of the year. of the month of April, because of their high economic benefits. to the nation.

On behalf of the Business Committee, the majority leader congratulated legislators for their positive response to the House's reminder. "We hope that the deputies will support the transaction of urgent cases on which the Parliament must decide," said the head of government.

In response, the minority leader and MP for Tamale South Haruna Iddrisu asked why the law on vigilance was not included in the proceedings, members being informed of the possibility of a possible reminder for the purposes of its review .

He indicated that the House was ready to deal with government affairs, but warned that legislators should also play their role of representation, being in their constituencies and with their constituents.

This, he said, was a determining factor for the legislature's survival in Parliament, and warned that the Legislature should not be treated as an extension of the executive.

In response, the majority leader said that the House's business was a public matter and urged political parties to develop systems to allow MPs to survive. Insist that government business still needs to be done.

Earlier in a welcoming statement, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye, President, appealed to the executive for it to cooperate with the House leadership in ensuring the prompt submission of information in the House and on its committees.

Apparently, referring to the ministers who appear in the House on behalf of the Speaker, the Speaker stated, "Their presence in the House should not be a question of explanation, but a reality."

The Speaker badured the House to ensure that the necessary resources for the proper conduct of the work are made available; and called on the leaders and members of the House to cooperate fully to fulfill their obligations in a credible manner.

He also urged the Clerk of the House to be proactive, as always, to ensure that administrative mechanisms are in place to achieve good results.