Accra, Jan 22, GNA - Minority Leader Alban Bagbin, Thursday described the President's State of the Nation Address to Parliament as "inconsiderate and disappointing", saying that President John Agyekum Kufuor conspicuously evaded the issue of corruption.
Seconding a motion for the adjournment of the House till Friday moved by the Majority Leader, Felix Owusu-Adjapong at the end of the President's address, Mr Bagbin said, "the President has for the first time run away from the issue of corruption".
The Minority Leader's remarks attracted shouts of "Shame! Shame! Are you debating or seconding a motion?" This came from the Majority side while the Minority screamed "Hear! Hear!
Mr Owusu-Adjapong described the address as "thought provoking" and called on members to give attention to and reflect on it carefully before the debate began.
He said the address contained good features indicating that "Kufuor's scent no agye bebiaa", meaning the fragrance of Kufuor has spread everywhere, in apparent reference to the hit hip-life song "Scent no" by Sydney.
Both sides of the House repeated the refrain on several occasions during the President's one and a half hours' address. A cross-section of the Minority Members of Parliament GNA interviewed after address, expressed their disappointment over what they called "the President's failure to touch on his own policy of 'zero tolerance for corruption'.
Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, NDC - Wenchi West, said the President did not revisit his campaign of anti-corruption and "that was a major failure in the address."
He said after three years in government, the President still preferred to dwell on what the NPP Government inherited from the NDC Government instead of looking into the future as captured by the Nkrumahist slogan "forward ever backward never".
"This style of addressing the nation in the final year of his first term seems to suggest that he wants to propose another slogan like 'backward ever forward never' for this nation" he said.
Mr Edward Doe-Adjaho, Minority Chief Whip, said: "How can the President run away from corruption at such a critical period? This suggests that he has no new ideas for the country and it is time for him to pack and go.
"Instead of giving hope to the people he chose to dwell on the past performance of the NDC government and refused to accord us recognition for our good work," he said.
"It was as if he made a photocopy of his previous sessional addresses just to throw dust into our eyes."
Mr Adjaho, however, commended President Kufuor for his statesman-like gesture in saying "charity to all and malice to none" at the close of his address, where he urged all Ghanaians to maintain peace and order during the elections.
Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, NDC- Gomoa West, said, "at the moment we do not know the level of the NPP Government's tolerance for corruption - whether it is still zero or if it has shifted?"
She noted that the President continuous harp on the issues of poor state of the economy the NPP inherited from the NDC only went to polarise the country instead of forging reconciliation and unity. "The President himself called on Members of Parliament to help to move the various policies forward, and he forgets that Members of Parliament include those on the Minority Side, who he continues to accuse of mismanaging the economy during the NDC era," she said.
Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidooh, NPP -Tema West and the Deputy Majority Leader, disagreed with his colleagues of the Minority over the issue of corruption saying: "It is only desirable but not critical for the President to mention corruption in his address."
He said the President has laid a firm foundation to wipe out corruption by empowering good governance institutions such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Serious Fraud Office and the Office of Accountability at the Presidency.
"The President also championed the formulation of the Central Internal Audit Bill and the Public Procurement Bill, all of which deal with the issue of corruption," he said.
Ms Christine Churcher, NPP-Cape Coast, described the address as a masterpiece, saying after three years in government the President had the duty of using his final sessional address to tell the nation what he inherited and what he had done about it, "and in my opinion he did just that".
Accra, Jan 22, GNA - Minority Leader Alban Bagbin, Thursday described the President's State of the Nation Address to Parliament as "inconsiderate and disappointing", saying that President John Agyekum Kufuor conspicuously evaded the issue of corruption.
Seconding a motion for the adjournment of the House till Friday moved by the Majority Leader, Felix Owusu-Adjapong at the end of the President's address, Mr Bagbin said, "the President has for the first time run away from the issue of corruption".
The Minority Leader's remarks attracted shouts of "Shame! Shame! Are you debating or seconding a motion?" This came from the Majority side while the Minority screamed "Hear! Hear!
Mr Owusu-Adjapong described the address as "thought provoking" and called on members to give attention to and reflect on it carefully before the debate began.
He said the address contained good features indicating that "Kufuor's scent no agye bebiaa", meaning the fragrance of Kufuor has spread everywhere, in apparent reference to the hit hip-life song "Scent no" by Sydney.
Both sides of the House repeated the refrain on several occasions during the President's one and a half hours' address. A cross-section of the Minority Members of Parliament GNA interviewed after address, expressed their disappointment over what they called "the President's failure to touch on his own policy of 'zero tolerance for corruption'.
Mr Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, NDC - Wenchi West, said the President did not revisit his campaign of anti-corruption and "that was a major failure in the address."
He said after three years in government, the President still preferred to dwell on what the NPP Government inherited from the NDC Government instead of looking into the future as captured by the Nkrumahist slogan "forward ever backward never".
"This style of addressing the nation in the final year of his first term seems to suggest that he wants to propose another slogan like 'backward ever forward never' for this nation" he said.
Mr Edward Doe-Adjaho, Minority Chief Whip, said: "How can the President run away from corruption at such a critical period? This suggests that he has no new ideas for the country and it is time for him to pack and go.
"Instead of giving hope to the people he chose to dwell on the past performance of the NDC government and refused to accord us recognition for our good work," he said.
"It was as if he made a photocopy of his previous sessional addresses just to throw dust into our eyes."
Mr Adjaho, however, commended President Kufuor for his statesman-like gesture in saying "charity to all and malice to none" at the close of his address, where he urged all Ghanaians to maintain peace and order during the elections.
Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, NDC- Gomoa West, said, "at the moment we do not know the level of the NPP Government's tolerance for corruption - whether it is still zero or if it has shifted?"
She noted that the President continuous harp on the issues of poor state of the economy the NPP inherited from the NDC only went to polarise the country instead of forging reconciliation and unity. "The President himself called on Members of Parliament to help to move the various policies forward, and he forgets that Members of Parliament include those on the Minority Side, who he continues to accuse of mismanaging the economy during the NDC era," she said.
Mr Abraham Ossei-Aidooh, NPP -Tema West and the Deputy Majority Leader, disagreed with his colleagues of the Minority over the issue of corruption saying: "It is only desirable but not critical for the President to mention corruption in his address."
He said the President has laid a firm foundation to wipe out corruption by empowering good governance institutions such as the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Serious Fraud Office and the Office of Accountability at the Presidency.
"The President also championed the formulation of the Central Internal Audit Bill and the Public Procurement Bill, all of which deal with the issue of corruption," he said.
Ms Christine Churcher, NPP-Cape Coast, described the address as a masterpiece, saying after three years in government the President had the duty of using his final sessional address to tell the nation what he inherited and what he had done about it, "and in my opinion he did just that".
