Donkor lied to Parliament – MP

Member of Parliament for Manso Adubia has said the circumstances surrounding Power Minister Dr Kwabena Donkor’s resignation give him the impression that he lied to Parliament about the power crisis plaguing the country.

Dr Donkor tendered his resignation December 31, 2015, the same date he had promised Ghanaians he would end the four-year power crisis plaguing Ghana.

His resignation came a day after his Ministry had released a statement saying the load shedding programme had officially ended.

But Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo has questioned the turn of events, as the former Power Minister had, only a week before, appeared before the Government Assurances Committee of parliament December 23, 2015, and assured the committee that he was on course to ending the crisis.

“I am surprised by Dr Kwabena Donkor’s resignation. It’s really surprising to me because when he appeared before the committee he asked for a two-week grace period beyond the 31st December deadline. We considered the plans he claimed to have put in place and we were ready to wait for two more weeks, after all we had waited for three years to see an end to the load shedding,” said the MP.

“Nothing showed, during our meeting, he was going to fail to solve the problem by his self-imposed deadline. So, I was surprised to learn of his resignation. Probably he was privy to some information we hadn’t, and he failed to tell the committee. But going by what he told the committee, and the arrangements he said he had laid down to increase generation capacity within two weeks, there was good news in the offing for Ghanaians, and, hence there would have been no need to quit.”

Mr Addo felt the circumstances surrounding Dr Donkor’s decision to give up his job indicated he had not been truthful to Ghanaians regarding the power situation.

“Analysing his resignation profoundly, I sense he did not speak the truth to us in Parliament,” the legislator said.

“Unfortunately, he is no more a Minister, so, we cannot recall him before us, since there is no obligation for him to do so under the law in that capacity. But the Power Ministry, as a body, should still be able to explain matters to us because they cannot extricate themselves from Dr Kwabena Donkor’s assurances to fix the power crisis by the end of December.

“A day before that promised deadline, the Power Ministry releases a statement that the load shedding is over. Then next day, the sector minister announces he’s resigned. There can’t be any understanding of this until we meet the Ministry, so, they also tell us what they wish to say on the matter, so, we inform Ghanaians. For me, the situation is more confusing than before.”

“Parliament is on recess. Once we resume we have questions to ask,” Mr Addo said.