The controversial “Mighty Minority in Parliament led by Member of Parliament for Nsawam-Adoagyiri and Majority Chief Whip of the 8th Parliament of Ghana, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, is the Constituency that has chosen to desert the Parliamentary Chamber over what they described as electoral violence in Ghana’s body politics.
They say walkouts and boycotts are accepted in multiparty democracy in line with rules governing participatory democracy in both developing and advanced countries, but in unprecedentedly, the Minority in parliament has chosen a very important day in the history of Ghana to exercise those rights without recourse to their oversight duties as elected Members of Parliament.
The parliamentary oversight function is said to be one of the cornerstones of democracy. Oversight is a means for holding the executive accountable for its actions and for ensuring that it implements policies by the laws and budget passed by the parliament. The robust monitoring of the executive by the parliament is an indicator of good governance. Besides the parliament’s legislative function, it is through oversight that the parliament can ensure a balance of power and assert its role as the defender of people’s interests.
Interestingly, the NPP ‘Mighty Minority’ in the Ghana parliament has reneged with impunity, allowing the NDC majority alone to exercise that cardinal right of ‘oversight’ as the Minister for Finance, Dr. Casiel Ato Forson, presented the Mid-Year Budget Review in Parliament.
In their absence, the Majority has the free ride to transact business and indeed the NDC Majority led by MP for Bawku Central has transacted public business and ratified a mining lease without input (s) from the popular “Mighty Minority”, a situation many Ghanaians described as unfortunate.
As they walked out and boycotted the chamber for the rest of the day, the sided House ratified mining lease agreements for the following Newmont Golden Ridge for mining of gold at Akyem West in Birim North District, Newmont Golden Ridge for mining of gold at Akyem East in Birim North District, Gateway Exploration Ltd for mining of gold at Obobetwao in Birim North District and GBF Associates Ghana Limited for the mining of gold and other minerals at Ntotroso in Asutifi North District of Ahafo Region and Abosso Goldfields Ltd for mining of gold at Damang in Wassa West District, Western Region.
The overall objectives of these leases, as stated in the Committee’s report, are to bring socio-economic benefits to the people of the mine area and Ghanaians at large. The Lease provides for the payment of levies and funds, such as the Community Development Fund, that would be put into the development of the communities in the mine area. The lease also has the potential to create about one thousand (1,000) direct mining jobs and several indirect jobs for the communities within the mine area.
Meanwhile, the Committee noted that the request for ratification places no financial burden on the Government. The ratification would give the Company validity to mine and accrue the Government benefits with the potential to have a multiplier effect on Ghana’s economy over the tenure of the Lease.
The House without the “Mighty Minority too the report of Lands and Natural Resources, committee and according majority ratified a total of one hundred and thirty-one (131) Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) under Article 268(1) of the Constitution, Section 9 of the Timber Resources Management Act, 1997 (Act 547), and Regulation 77(1) of the Timber Resource Management and Legality Licensing Regulations, 2017 (L.I. 2254).
On revenue mobilization and economic gains, the Committee said “the formalization of these extant timber rights ensures the payment of appropriate Timber Rights Fees (TRFs) and other statutory charges” and it will also improve revenue collection mechanisms within the forestry sector and contribute to the fiscal sustainability of forest management operations. “Increased legal timber operations will further stimulate local economic activity, particularly in the timber processing and export value chains”, the report noted.
Written by Edzorna Francis Mensah, Journalist and Social Commentator
edzornanews@gmail.com
