Our voices got lost in Airbus debate – Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu

Majority leader Osei-Kyei Mensah Bonsu has recounted how the NPP Members of Parliament who were then in opposition were silenced in the heat of the Airbus debate under the Mills-Mahama administration.

According to him, the then majority members (the NDC) used their superior numbers in the house to push through the deal despite fierce opposition from the NPP.

He said as part of measures taken by his side in parliament then to counter the agreement, they raised concerns about the value and pricing of the plane to the extent that even some details about the stairs of the plane were flagged.

“If you look at the indecent haste they rushed the process through, it was awful...We went to the website of this company and saw the price...They had described the specifics of the aeroplanes and said the cost of the CASA, the new one as of 2011 was 25 million dollars if my memory serves me right. And the government then came to say it was 35 million, not dollars but Euro. And that was scary...they said they even had to refurbish the steps onto the plane and that was about 18 million dollars. ”

He continued, “So those were some of the things that we raised and they didn’t dispute it. The third-hand plane that they procured the price was higher than a brand new plane. So those were the issues that we raised but as I said, our voices got lost because the government was in a situation to push their way through."

The Minister further explained that as per the apparent nature of Ghanaian politics over the years, the majority side by virtue of their numbers in most instances get their way in parliamentary debates, thus the reason the deal was finalized without due consent.

The statesman who now is the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs made this known in an interview with CitiNews’ Umaru Sanda.