Speaker refers behavior of minority MPs to Privilege Committee



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Minority deputies who waved placards during the swearing of Ayawaso West Wuogon MP, Lydia Seyram Alhbadan, last Tuesday, are facing Parliament's committee on privileges for their behavior.

The first Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu, who issued his decision yesterday, asked the Clerk of the Parliament to obtain cbadettes or video recordings of the day's proceedings to identify the deputies. involved in the display of placards with the inscription "Bloody Widow" was sent to Ms. Alhbadan to be referred to the Committee of Privileges.


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After a debate on the lifting of the placards, following a request from the Chief Whip Chief, Chief Whip, Mr. Mathew Nyindam, to ask the minority party to apologize for this act, Mr. Osei-Owusu decided that the leaders of the minority should apologize on behalf of their members.

But this decision was rejected by the minority, led by deputy leader of the minority, James Avedzi, and by the minority chief bad, Alhaji Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka.

Both leaders said that the Standing Orders of the Parliament did not say that they should apologize for the conduct of their members.

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Speaker's Ruling

The Deputy Leader of the Majority, Sarah Adwoa Safo, then rose on a point of order. It suggested that once the Speaker had rendered his decision, the minority party had no choice but to abide by standing orders.

She stated that the minority party could challenge the decision only by submitting a substantive motion.

Supporting her position, MPP for Suhum, MP Frederick Opare-Ansah, admitted that the presidency's decision was not included in the Standing Orders. President to use his discretionary power for a decision.

In response, Alhaji Muntaka said that members of the minorities could not comply with the decision and that they would challenge it by a substantive motion.


"You (Mr. President) have made a decision, we can not comply and we will challenge it with a substantive motion," he said.

There was some ruckus in the house and Mr. Osei-Owusu asked Marshall to remove the NDP deputy for Tamale North, Suhuyini Alhbadan Sayibu, from the chamber for shouting aloud.

Debate

During the debate, the majority group led by Ms. Safo said that displaying the signs "The Bloody Widow" was an attack on widowhood and women.

In addition, the majority stated that the law was an affront to the dignity of Parliament, whereas the Standing Orders did not recognize the bashing of the image of a member of Parliament.

But minority MPs, led by Avedzi, said the minority MPs were not referring to Alhbadan, but rather the violence that characterized the by-election.

The minority deputies argued that even though the statement that Ms. Alhbadan had been badaulted was true, at the time when some of them had brandished the placards, she was not yet sworn in. as a member of Parliament.

Alhaji Muntaka said in a conciliatory tone, indicating that the posting of cards was not included in the rules, which allowed MPs to post all kinds of unjustified messages.

He called for a concerted effort by the majority and minorities to ban the use of placards by MPs in the House of Parliament.

Earlier, the majority women's caucus in Parliament held a press conference and condemned the minority for badaulting the widow by displaying the signs.

Recall

Last Tuesday, the minority in Parliament boycotted Alhbadan's swearing-in so as not to give credit or legitimacy to his election and the ensuing swearing-in.

Dressed in black and red clothing, the minority MPs carried signs in the House with the inscription "Bloody Widow" to show that they described his election as bloody.

Immediately after the first Vice-President of Parliament, Mr. Joseph Osei-Owusu, read a statement from the Electoral Commission (EC) informing the House of Election of Mrs. Alhbadan and claiming that it was convened before the chamber to take the oath Alhaji Muntaka said that members of the minority could not participate in the swearing-in, his election being characterized by violence.

But Mr Safo claimed that Parliament respected the rules in force, since Ms Alhbadan had been duly elected and the results of the election had been communicated to Parliament by the EC.

Immediately after the departure, minority MPs led by Alhaji Muntaka joined forces with the Ghanaian police headquarters to express their solidarity with their colleague, NDC MP for Ningo-Prampram, Mr. Samuel Nartey George, to file a complaint for the He was badaulted during the partial election of Ayawaso West Wuogon on January 31, 2019.

Ms. Alhbadan, a New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate who won the by-election, replaces the late MPP of Ayawaso West Wuogon, Emmanuel Kyeremateng Agyarko.

The poll was tainted by a shootout at the home of one of the candidates, Mr Kwasi Delali Brempong, NDC candidate, who wounded 18 people and injured an observer in one of the polling stations.

At La Bawaleshie School Park, Mr. George, who was watching the election, was allegedly attacked by strangers.

The incident also led the NDC to order its agents to withdraw from the different polling stations.

Fact sheet

Minority MPs face Parliament's Privilege Committee for posting "Bloody Widow" signs.

The controversy around the UNIPASS national single window is far from over, with West Blue Ghana Limited, an IT solutions company, suing the system's operators for allegedly hacking its software for the project.

The lawsuit, filed in front of the commercial division of the High Court of Accra, concerns Ghanaian companies Link Network Services Limited, the International Customs Agency UNI-PASS (CUPIA, Korea) and Work Smart Limited.

West Blue is seeking a court order prohibiting all three companies, their officers, their agents, or anyone acting on their behalf from using their software under the UNIPASS system.

He also asks the court to award damages to the accused for violating his copyright by cloning his software without authorization.

The lawsuit comes just two months after the Economic Management Team (EMT), led by Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, ordered the suspension of the UNI-PASS customs clearance system, scheduled to begin on January 1. 2019.

In the statement, the EMT instructed CUPIA of Korea and Ghana Link Network Services to demonstrate that they had developed "comprehensive systems of customs technology solutions, successfully tested, with an independent stress report , and a full implementation project at the EMT by the end of January 2019 ".

Context

On August 4, 2015, West Blue entered into a one-stop government agreement with the government as part of efforts to integrate service provider systems in the country's ports and to facilitate the clearance of goods without excessive paperwork. while reducing the transaction time. .

The contract was due to expire in 2020, after which West Blue would entrust the system to the Government of Ghana.

However, in March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce signed a 10-year contract with Ghana Link Network Services Limited and its overseas partner, CUPIA Korea Customs Service, for a one-time supplier. to oversee the implementation of the National Single Window project, including the paperless system. , in the ports.

Ghana Link, with its overseas partners, the Korean Customs Service CUPIA, will provide the management system for trade and customs facilitation activities at a rate of 0.75% (FOB), in accordance with their contract with the Ministry of Commerce.

This figure is higher than the existing suppliers, West Blue and GCNet, currently receive as a commission.

West Blue Consulting currently earns 0.28%, while GCNet gains 0.4%. Thus, the two existing suppliers providing single window operations in Ghana together account for 0.68%, which is lower than what UNIPASS will take (0.75%).

Why West Blue went to court

In its statement of claim accompanying its mandate, West Blue stated that Ghana Link, in July 2018, had copied its Pre-Arrival Assessment Reporting System (PAARS) and its Risk Management System, which were modules of its unique operating system in Ghana.

The computer company also stated that the features, design and operations of the UNIPASS system were identical to those of its existing system.

"The social media link on the supposed new system redirects West Blue's social media handles," he said.

According to West Blue, stakeholders in the country's ports have learned that the UNIPASS system is a cloned form of its system after a demonstration at the port. Blue Blue also stated that it learned that Ghana Link had copied its application because the UNIPASS system may not be ready by 1 January 2019, the deadline for the takeover; the piracy of his system was therefore to help Ghana Link meet the deadline until the establishment of its own system.

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