Donkor freed of Jan. 1 promise by MPs

Parliament’s Government Assurance Committee says it cannot hold Minister of Power Dr Kwabena Donkor down to his promise of resigning on January 1, 2016 if the loadshedding does not end since that promise was not made on the floor of the House.

According to the Committee’s Chairman, the only record of the Power Minister as regards loadshedding is to end it by close of year.

Speaking to TV3’s Komla Klutse on Tuesday, December 29, Emmanuel Bedzrah said Dr Donkor is accountable to Ghanaians since he made the promise to them.

As a result, the Ho West Member of Parliament continues, the Power Minister can only resign on moral grounds.

Dr Donkor is racing against time over his vow to leave his post if the power crisis is not solved by December 31, 2015.

At a meeting with the Assurance Committee last week, the Pru East MP said his promise was “give or take” two weeks from the end of the year and insisted that he promised to end loadshedding and not dumsor – which has been coined by Ghanaians to mean power cuts.

Mr Bedzra says since the promise of the Power Minister is to end the loadshedding by close of year, the Committee will prepare its report after year-end.

President John Dramani Mahama has also promised to hold the Power Minister to his word though the Minister has already made intentions clear he will resign before being fired if the crisis lingers on.