New Chamber: MPs are too fast for comfort – Joyce Mogtari

General News of Saturday, July 6, 2019

Source: 3news.com

2019-07-06

Former Speaker John Dramani Mahama's spokesperson, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, described the Parliamentary Service Council's decision to build a new 450-seat room for the House as a misplaced priority.

The news of the new chamber elicited public outrage and rallies gathered as part of the #DropThatChamber social media campaign, which led to the arrest of three of the protesters in Parliament on Friday.

The main concerns of the public and some members on both sides of the House were whether the chamber was a priority. Some are also concerned about the estimated $ 200 million in play.

The leader of the majority, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, justified his decision by the reason why the Chamber was congested, making it difficult for some MPs to capture the President's attention.

However, he said at a press conference that the project was still in its preparatory phase and that members of parliament had not yet been informed.

Joyce Bawa Mogtari, a former deputy transport minister, said Saturday that the most urgent issues, especially in the health sector, deserved more attention than the desire to build a new room.

According to her, the conduct of Parliament can stem from a quick desire to satisfy the comfort of its members.

She explains that until the completion of the Job 600 office complex under the John Mahama administration, some MPs did not have an office and others also shared offices.

She therefore finds it surprising to see how they are now pushing to have a new room soon after the completion of the office complex.

"Take back, these are people who did not even have an office anyway … you know sometimes that I think we're a little rushed to worry about our comfort and when you look at the reasons given by the majority, I was caught short, "she said.

Ms. Bawa Mogtari said that what caused the disaffection of the public and the Parliament itself was largely related to the "lack of communication" on the part of House leaders.

She said that she had heard about the project for the first time by the leader of the majority, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who, according to her, was not aware of the matter itself .

"And I must admit that the very first time I heard about these issues is when I heard the leader of the majority talk about the issue. He appeared [he was] not sure of the numbers, but he gave a number; between 150 and 200 [million Cedis], She noted.

Recalling the events that led to the announcement of the new chamber, the MP for Akwapim South, OB Amoah, reiterated that this was something that came from the parliamentary service council.

He added that MPs had not been informed of the issue until they had called a meeting with the Majority Leader, who had told them that he was still in the preparatory stages.