The Minority in Parliament has described as totally unconscionable an advise to the National Security Minister not to respond to questions on the travel cost of President Nana Akufo-Addo Akufo-Addo.
According to the Caucus, it is unpardonable to abandon a presidential jet that is in pristine condition and be renting expensive charted aircrafts for the President’s journeys abroad.
The advise, the NDC insists, is an affront to Parliament and undermines the authority of the Speaker who has admitted questions on the matter for the National Security Minister to answer.
The Minority’s objection follows a statement by Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee that he has advised the Minister not to respond to questions relating to the President’s travels.
That information, he said, is classified and therefore making it public will jeopardise the life of the President.
Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa who has raised the matter several times and is in hot pursuit of the Minister to provide details of the President’s travel cost spoke to the media in Parliament on Wednesday.
According to him, Order 66 of the Standing Orders is clear and provides the Speaker shall be the sole judge of the admissibility of a question.
“So no member of Parliament, and no other person than the speaker can admit a question.”
“And the question in issue relates to the President’s May travels to Belgium, France and South Africa, and it is a question that has been duly admitted by the Speaker. It does not lie in the mouth of the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee to advise the Minister who only last week was expected to respond to that question.”
“The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee is totally out of order and is arrogating to himself powers that he does not have. He must stay clear of the speaker’s authority under Order 66.”
Mr. Ablakwa argued since the questions were scheduled, the National Security Minister has never indicated the information is classified top secret.
“We do not see any national security consideration in this matter. The Speaker of Parliament did not see any national security issue that will prevent the executive from responding to the matter. That is why the question was duly admitted under Order 66 (1).
“The cost of presidential travels is known in every democracy. Just google the cost of presidential travels of US president and you see that the cost per hour is about $206,000.”
“Cost of the royal family of the United Kingdom, their air travels, you’ll see it rated at about 5,000 pounds an hour and that of the German Chancellor and the French president. It is known by citizens of those countries and is known by even us who don’t live in those jurisdictions and who are not taxpayers in those jurisdictions,” he added.
The Minority expressed shock the government is refusing to be accountable to the Ghanaian people at a time the budget it has presented for approval is demanding more taxes.
According to Mr. Ablakwa, it is ironic government wants more taxes and is increasing fees and charges and imposing hardship after hardship on an already suffering Ghanaian public and yet President Akufo-Addo wants to continue to live like a Russian oligarch, an Arabian King, a British aristocrat at the same time at the taxpayer’s expense.
“The Ghanaian people will not accept this. You want more taxes, you must be accountable,” he stressed.
The North Tongu legislator stated the NDC minority is opposed to the 2022 budget because it lacks transparency and accountability and stressed the side will not support it.
Source: MyPublisher24.com/Osumanu Al-Hassan
