MP urges house to be punctual

Accra, June 28, GNA - Mr. Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, on Wednesday urged members of Parliament to be punctual and attend to business in the House on time to ensure that the business of the House did not suffer.

He said the House must be able to criticize itself from time to time to ensure a smooth running of business. Mr. Bagbin was commenting on the issue of lateness and lack of seriousness in attending to the business of the House raised by Mr John Tia, Minority Chief Whip.

Mr. Tia had earlier called on the Speaker to adjourn proceedings because of the lack of quorum to transact business, which had been necessitated by the empty seats, especially on the majority side. "They have the responsibility as the majority to do government business.... they are not serious to do the business of government... look at their side," Mr Tia said drawing attention to the vacant seats on the majority side.

He quoted Standing Order 48 (2) which states that, if at the time of sitting a member took notice or objection that there were present in the House, less than one third of the number of all the members of Parliament, and after an interval of 10 minutes, a quorum was not present, the person presiding shall adjourn the House. He therefore, asked the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes to adjourn the house.

Mr Akwasi Osei Adjei, a Deputy Foreign Minster, who caught the Speaker's eye said it was wrong for Mr Tia to say the majority side was not serious in attending to business in the House and said he was trying to incite the people against the government.

Mr Bagbin, who then stood up, said this was no issue and it was for members of Parliament to be punctual just as Mr Speaker was doing to ensure that business did not suffer.

Later, members, before the commencement of public business, urged the authorities in-charge of planning and development to ensure sanity in the erection of structures to avoid flooding.

They said the haphazard erection of structures and unplanned estate development could cost the nation dearly.

The members were contributing to a statement on town and city planning by Mr Charles Hodogbey, (NDC-North Tongu) Mr Hodogbey said in many countries, infrastructural development such as streets, pipelines, electricity and telephone lines were provided before the commencement of development.

"In our case though some real estate developers are taking the initiative, we let buildings shoot up first before these utilities are sent to the area.....I call on authorities to implement and enforce requirements as set in their designs for a better Ghana.," he added. Mr Kwadwo Adjei Darko, Minister of State at the Office of the President, in his contributions said the administrators and assemblies had no control over land use in the country and hence the problem of haphazard development could only be stopped with proper land administration and use.

He said families, who had no regard for proper land use but were only interested in profit, sold lands.