Parliament in solidarity with China, Burma and Myanmar

Accra, May 20, GNA-Ghana's Parliament reconvened from the Easter break on Tuesday and expressed its solidarity with the people of China following the devastating earthquake that hit that country on May 12. "Mr Speaker, in this terrible aftermath of the May 12 disaster I urge Honourable Members to join me in sending our deepest condolences to the government and people of China and especially to the bereaved families for the loss of their dear ones", Mr Kwame Frimpong, MP for Ahafo Ano North, said in a statement.

More than 50,000 people are dead, with hundreds of thousands injured or missing in the earthquake that hit parts of China. The Sichuan Province of China, which a Ghanaian parliamentary delegation recently visited, was also affected by the quake. Mr Frimpong traced Ghana-Sino relations to the 1960's when the two countries established diplomatic relations.

"Ghana's active co-operation with China reflects in the consistency with which Ghana has followed a policy of recognising one China only. "Set against this positive development has been the efforts by the Chinese government to assist our Parliament to develop the capacity of Honourable Members and also improve Parliament's infrastructures," Mr Frimpong said.

Also, consultations were held at the highest level to strengthen co-operation between the National Assemblies of the two countries during the recent visit of Ghana's Parliamentary delegation to China. Mr Frimpong called on the international community to rally behind the Chinese government in a united effort in providing relief to the people affected by the disaster.

Minority Leader Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, in a contribution, said it was sorrowful, tragic and sad for China to experience such a disaster when she was seen "as a rising star in global politics".

He endorsed the call for a global effort to enable China stand on its feet.

Majority Leader Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh recalled the tragic scene of pictures of school children trapped in the rubble. He, together with Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, MP for New Juaben North, who also expressed solidarity on similar events in Burma in recent, called for Ghana to put in place adequate measures to reduce the magnitude and effects of such massive disasters. Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes in a welcome message, urged the MPs to finish the last leg of the fourth parliament without any cause for absenteeism or lateness. He said they should build on the foundation of the founding fathers of the nation and be tolerant of the different opinion represented in the House to consolidate the democratic governance of the nation.