MThe Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has indicated that Parliament is ready to listen to the interests of Ghanaians before a final decision will be taken on the construction of the proposed 450-seater new chamber block for parliamentarians.
“I will strongly suggest that if the people we
represent insist strongly that we shelve this idea of a new chamber, why not?
We will do it because, after all, we represent them and cannot force anything
on them,” he said.
He
expressed these sentiments yesterday at a media briefing by the leadership of Parliament
to react to what they called ‘misconception’ about the proposed project and the
subsequent public outcry over the intended project.
He
said members of the public might be justified in their criticisms because the
process of getting the public to understand the intention behind the project as
well as involving the entire membership of Parliament was not handled very well.
He pointed out that the Parliamentary Service Board was prepared to learn from
its mistake.
He
also used the occasion to profusely apologise to his fellow parliamentarians
for leaving them in the dark as far as the intended project was concerned.
“I
think it was most inappropriate and offensive not to have
informed parliamentarians first in whose name the project was being done before
any process was initiated,” he said stressing
the Members of Parliament (MPs) should have been informed first about
the new chamber block because they will be the direct beneficiaries.
He said
the decision on the project had not been finalised and if that is done it would
definitely be presented to Parliament for approval.
According
to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, the decision on the proposed project
was taken entirely by Parliament as an independent institution and did not
emanate from the Executive, for which reason the Executive must not be blamed
for any lapses in the execution of the project.
He
said Parliament had learnt from its mistakes and would definitely do the right
thing in the best interest of the Ghanaian public.
He,
however, explained that the project which had been bastardised was well
intended to provide more spacious chamber to allow a newly elected president to
be sworn into office before Parliament as the 1992 Constitution says.
He also said that the facility is not meant for 450 MPs but rather to provide more seats for visitors to the chamber during ceremonial events like state of the nation address, budget and swearing-in ceremonies which are usually witnessed by important national figures like former presidents, former first ladies, former chief justices as well as ministers of state who are not MPs.
By Thomas Fosu Jnr
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