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Nana Addo accuses two NDC officials of
predicting election violence
Accra, Nov. 29, Ghanadot/GNA - Debate on the 2008 budget
shifted dramatically to politics on Thursday when Nana Ado
Dankwa Akufo-Addo,(NPP-Akim Abuakwa South) alleged that two
NDC officials had indicated that the country would see
violence should the NPP retain power in the next general
elections.
Nana Akufo-Addo, who was contributing to the debate on the
budget, veered off into politics by referring to some
newspaper publications alleging that some NDC officials had
threatened mayhem should the NPP win the elections.
He said such utterances should not be encouraged to ensure a
peaceful election.
The allegation brought Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, to
his feet, who said Nana Akufo-Addo's comments were untrue
and mere allegations.
He said it was improper that Nana Akufo-Addo should use
newspaper publications as a reference point to argue in
Parliament without checking out the facts on the ground.
The Speaker, Mr Ebenezer Sekyi Hugues, stepped in and asked
that, Nana Akufo Addo speak to the motion on the floor of
the House, which was to approve the 2008 financial policy of
government.
Earlier, Nana Akufo-Addo began his contributions to the
debate by saying that revenues, which would accrue from the
discovery of oil in the country, should be handled with
transparency.
He said such revenues should not be used to line up the
pockets of a few in power to the detriment of the citizenry
because this could lead to problems as is the case in some
other African countries who have discovered oil.
Mr Mahama Ayariga, (NDC-Bawku Central), in his
contributions, said government had not shown commitment to
addressing poverty and improving upon access to potable
water.
He said the 2007 budget was supposed to provide over a 1000
hand-dug wells but only 63 such wells have so far been
provided.
Alhaji Collins Dauda (NDC-Asutifi South) said Forestry
Sector had requested an amount of 620 billion cedis for the
support of activities in that sector in 2008.
He suggested that the Ministry of Finance took measures to
make the Forestry Commission more efficient in its revenue
collection.
Alhaji Dauda said out of an arrears of 637 billion cedis,
the Commission was only able to collect 288 billion cedis
with the remnant still in arrears of timber rights.
He therefore reiterated that full payment was made before
rights were granted to increase the revenue available to the
Forestry Sector, adding that if all these were paid, there
would not be any need to tax airtime on making mobile
telephone calls.
Mr Joseph Henry Mensah (NPP-Sunyani East) in a comparison of
Ghana's export levels said Ghana needed to remove the plugs
that hindered her export development.
He observed that China currently exported half billion
dollars of goods everyday, a situation he attributed partly
to the devaluation of that nation's currency.
"What can we do to our exports." Mr Mensah asked?
The House earlier congratulated the Zion College in Anloga
in the Volta Region on the celebration of its 70th
Anniversary after Mr Albert Zigah (NDC-Ketu South) had made
a statement on it.
GNA
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