Parliament approves Osei-Mensah as ECOWAS MP

Accra, June 19, GNA-The Legislature on Thursday approved the nomination of Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, MP for Bosomtwe to replace Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, Member of Ghana's Delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament, who has been appointed as Minister of State.

This becomes necessary because under the Protocol and Rules of Procedure of the ECOWAS Parliament, a Member appointed to carry out executive function in a Member State should resign as a Member. Under Article 5 of the Protocol relating to the Community Parliament of ECOWAS, a total of eight seats have been allotted to the Parliament of Ghana out of a total of 120 seats for the entire 16-member ECOWAS Parliament.

The Protocol also stipulates that elected Representatives to the Community Parliament of ECOWAS shall be drawn from the National Assemblies of Member States or their equivalent institutions or organs which shall elect such Members from amongst themselves. Much of the time of the sitting, which lasted 35 minutes before adjournment, was engaged in a debate on who takes over the leadership of the Ghanaian delegation to the ECOWAS Parliament from Mr. Kyei-Mensah Bonsu.

Minority Chief Whip John Akologo Tia, who is also a Member of the ECOWAS Parliament, had raised an issue on who would become the leader of Ghana's delegation and pointed out the failure of the motion in addressing that.

In an intervention, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Minister of Trade, Industry and President's Special Initiatives suggested that the matter must be left to be handled by the leadership of the House in conformity with conventional practice.

However, Majority Leader Ossei Aidooh, observed that like the Pan African Parliament, Members of the ECOWAS Parliament subdued their national identity to the interest of the sub-regional assembly, and the most senior member of the Majority side of the home parliament becomes the leader of the delegation.

Earlier, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, had raised a point of order on the absence of neither the Attorney General (AG) and Minister for Justice nor his Deputy to move a motion for the second reading of the Anti Terrorism Bill which the Majority Leader had indicated that he was capable and competent as Leader of Government Business, to handle. Interventions from the Minority strongly objected to the Majority Leader's acting role to move the Bill.

Mr Tia argued that the Bill was a very sensitive one, and not a simple matter.

" It's not a child's play... the AG goes outside the country to represent us at international programmes, not the Majority Leader in that capacity as AG . We want to do something that will stand the test of time," Mr Tia said.

The leadership of the House could not resolve the wrangling about whether the motion on the Anti-Terrorism bill could be moved by the Majority even though the Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Sekyi Hughes allowed them some time to resolve the impasse.

The House adjourned without taking the motion on the Anti Terrorism Bill through the second reading in the absence of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice or his Deputy. Sitting continues. 19 June 08