Majority , Minority Tear At Each Other At Parliament Public Forum

The 2002 edition of the Annual Public Forum on Parliament displayed clearly that Parliament was indeed a divided house as the Majority and Minority were at each other's throat each time they had the chance to explain an issue.

The event which was under the there "Democratic Governance under the 1992 Constitution-challenge and Prospects," commenced with an introductory remark by the Hon. Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs read on his behalf by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General Nana Akuffo Addo, which sought to applaud the originator of the practise and acknowledged it was a tradition worth sustaining.

He promised his ministry's assistance to Parliament without charged if concerns raised by the public stem out of the lack of knowledge of Parliamentary practise.

The speaker the chairman for the occasion used the occasion to brief the general public extensively on the *** of Parliament during the last session.

This included the passages of 23 bills refused to the house by the Executive, 17 legislative instruments were also presented to the house and home suffered annulment even though parliament had the power to do so, domestic and foreign policy matters were also considered including some 25 international agreements.

He also touched on the challenges facing Parliament by way of finance and logistics making it difficult for parliament to function by way it ought to.

He praised members on both bids for exhibiting a very high sense of responsibility, patriotism, and forbearance, but worried about the way some members in purported exercise of their democratic right of expression resort to "walk out' whenever they strongly oppose a particular course of action or decision.

He craved the support of all and sundry to make to work of parliament even better. Issues on the Reconciliation Act 2001 and education was the main done of contention during the question time as both the majority and the minority sought to undo each other.

As regard the Reconciliation Act 2001, the minority was of the view that since it caused only military regimes and gave only a window of opportunity for those oppressed under other regime was discriminatory and that the views of the general public that was sought indicate that the period should cover 1957 to date.

The Attorney General however disagreed with this assertion.

He state among other things that though the view of public was very important, the final decision test on the representatives of the people and that it exactly what was done.

Explaining further he said the government had no ill motives as far as the Reconciliation concerned.

It was borne out of genuine desire that is why the regime that overthrow Nkrumah of which his father was the first regime to be included.

The majority also blamed the minority for plunging the educational system into a total mess thus making it virtually impossible for corrective measures to be put in place they however assured the people of Ghana, that serious measures are being put in place to make the educational system workable.

This the minority disagreed since some of the measures to purge the not in the educational system were start whilst they were in office.

They urged the majority to give credit where it is due.

At the end of the program the speaker assured the general public the programme will go nationwide to give people in the other regions the chance to interact with parliament.