Controversy over NCCE budget

Accra, Mar. 5, GNA - Parliament on Friday unanimously approved an amount of 40.976 billion cedis for the services of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) for the 2004 fiscal year amidst a controversy over the adequacy or otherwise of the amount.

Members from the minority and majority sides of the House got themselves entangled in a heated debate, either trying to make a case for the need to allocate more money to the NCCE or to say the over 40 billion cedis allocated to the NCCE this year was even too much.

Dr. Kwabena Adjei, NDC - Biakoye, in his contribution to the debate on the NCCE budget for a motion said the amount allocated to the commission was woefully inadequate.

He noted that over the years, the NCCE had been ill resourced and that had rendered the Commission feeble and ineffective. "The NCCE is such an important institution to the development of good governance and democracy in the country and yet so feeble it is as if it does not even exist," he said. "It has protested against the way government disregards its role several times but it protestation is usually very feeble."

Dr. Adjei said the NCCE was responsible for democratic education in the country, adding that when all political parties told the people one thing or the other with regards to the truth about national issues, the NCCE served as the only neutral state institution, which went to the people with the actual truth.

He said despite this important and critical constitutional assignment of the NCCE, it was so ill resourced that there was mass democratic ignorance in the public, simply because the NCCE did not have what it took to undertake its role effective.

Dr. Adjei urged the Ministry of Finance to go back and take a second look at the budgetary allocation of the NCCE with the view to appreciating it to enable the Commission to meet its target, adding that "for instance the 500 million cedis allocated under the NCCE budget for education is not even enough for them to educate me alone."

On the other hand, Mr. Joe Baidoo-Ansah, NPP - Kwasimintim, said the amount allocated to the NCCE was "very sufficient" or could eve be described as "too much" depending on the NCCE's own programs for the year and their budget for their programmes.

He argued that the NCCE had not done enough in educating the captured publics such as schools, churches, offices and other places, which did not cost much money, adding that the commission only "cry" for more money to organise workshops and seminars, which involved the hiring of hotels and feeding of participant.

Mr. Baidoo-Ansah said the NCCE had no business committing more resources into organising its target audience in a workshop of seminar setting before educating them on their rights as that process was expensive, adding that the Commission could develop more cost effective programs targeted at the captured audience to save money.

"In terms of vehicles to move around to educate the public, the NCCE does not need to send personnel from Accra to administer programs in the regions since the NCCE has offices all over the country - it can make use of the regional offices and also collaborate with the Information Service Department (ISD) and make use of their information vans to undertake its work."

He said there was no need for duplication of resources by buying information vans for the NCCE as it had been requesting, when the ISD had information vans, they could make use of

Mr. Peter Ala Adjetey, the Speaker noted that for the role such as that of the NCCE, more or less money was related to its own programs for a particular year, saying that if the NCCE outline expensive programs in place of cost effective alternative, then even twice the amount could not meet its budget.

Mr. Doe Adjaho, Majority Chief Whip noted that it was not the best that when the NCCE budget was being approved, the NCCE officials were not present in Parliament to listen to the comments of members of Parliament.

He urged that organisations whose budget estimates were presented before Parliament for approval should be represented in the House to hear the comments of members.

When the Ghana News Agency called the NCCE, the Chairman Mr. Larry Bimi was not available, but at least two officials of the Commission said the Commission was not aware their budget was being approved on Friday.

In a related development, an amount of 1.653 billion, being the least budgetary allocation to one institution was unanimously approved for the National Media Commission (NMC), with a call by members on the media to check itself and maintain professional integrity and a good relationship ethics toward the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, "if democracy and good governance is to thrive in this country."