Parliament adjourns business due to absence of Minister of Finance
Parliament began sitting on Friday but had to quickly suspend proceedings for 30 minutes and later adjourned due to the absence of the Minister of Finance to assist the house to resolve some discrepancy identified in the budget.
Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, First Speaker who took over affairs from the Speaker, Mrs Bamford Addo, could not help but ask that the house be suspended, saying “We cannot do anything if none of the Ministers is around.”
This was necessitated by a motion moved by the Minister for Local Government, Joseph Yieleh Chireh, NDC Member of Parliament (MP) for Wa West for the approval of a sum of GH¢226,237,907.00 for the Ministry for the year ending December 31, 2011 and seconded by Mr Azuma Dominic Azimbe, member for Garu Tempane.
According to Mr Adjaho, the figure in the budget and the one for the Ministry could not be reconciled and needed some clarification.
Mr Cletus Avoka, Majority Leader, who did not agree with Mr Adjaho did not succeed in convincing him and Adjaho boomed “I call for the suspension of the house”.
Members returned from the thirty-minute recess only for the house to be adjourned and to reconvene on Monday December 13, 2010, although the Minister of Finance, Dr Kwabena Duffour had by then arrived.
Dr Duffuor was seen standing on the floor with some sheets discussing with the Majority Leader but Mr Adjaho who told members that the Minister could not resolve the issue because they still had to check it and it was referred to the committee for further work.
Mr Opare-Ansah Fredrick, MP for Suhum in a press briefing later, said the situation was chaotic and not the best for the country. He wondered how three Ministers who were in-charge of a budget and for who the house was waiting not be found to guide the house and that even the Majority Leader did not have an idea of their whereabouts.
He said neither the appropriation bill nor the Petroleum Revenue Management (PRM) bill could be approved or debated because of the failure of the Minister to show up.
This followed an earlier inability for the house to carry on with debate on the amendment proposed on clause 17 of the PRM bill that the petroleum development funds as part of the consolidated national budget.
Mr Ambrose Dery, Deputy Minority Leader who supported the amendment proposed by Mr Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, said it was difficult to trace the revenue in the consolidated fund because projects and activities are not mapped out but that if it was petroleum development fund it was easier to know exactly what the revenue would be used for.
Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, member for Wa West opposed Mr Dery, and asked if the house was going to develop petroleum. He added that even the title of the bill itself was not correct.
He said the nation needed specific projects especially roads, educational and health facilities and that all the revenue accruing from the oil would be marked with specific activities.
The house, however, could not continue the debate and had to suspend proceedings and, subsequently, adjourned.
Source: GNA