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Minority kick against establishment of
government public relations unit
Accra, Dec. 14, Ghanadot/GNA -The NDC Minority in Parliament
on Friday raised issues over a proposal to establish a
public relations unit within the Ministry of Information.
They also kicked against plans to appoint more government
spokespersons to help in public education on government
policies and programmes.
Mr. Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader, said the proposals to be
carried out next year, was waste of state resources and a
duplication of functions since Ministers of State were
already performing such duties.
The Minority Leader was contributing to a motion to approve
a sum of 47,941,603.00 Ghana cedis for the services of the
Ministry of Information and National Orientation for the
2008 fiscal year.
Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, (NDC-Tamale South) also supported the
position that the size of government was becoming bigger and
waste was being encouraged.
He touched on the performances of some of the agencies under
the ministry, and said the Ghana News Agency (GNA) was under
performing because of lack of funds.
Mr Iddrisu said the agency needed to cover every district
and region adequately and there was the need for the Finance
Ministry to make an arrangement to enable the GNA retain its
internally generated funds to resource its activities in
providing coverage for the entire country.
The House also approved a sum of 564,473,148,00 Ghana cedis
for the services of the Ministry of Energy with a call on
the country to showcase its oil discoveries to the outside
world to get the best investments in the industry.
Mr Moses Asaga, NDC minority spokesperson on Energy, said
Equatorial Guinea generated a lot of interests in its oil
industry because it was proactive in its bid to get the best
for the sector.
He said to avoid corruption, the contry should get as many
companies interested in its oil discoveries to generate
healthy competition for the best investments.
Earlier, Mr Yaw Baah (NPP-Kumawu) made a statement on the
floor of the House on issues arising from the Economic
Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and
the African, Carribean and Pacific countries.
He said it should be stressed "to our European counterparts
that development is at the core of the Cotonou Agreement and
the EPA, and should not be de-linked from trade issues by
being negotiated at different stages."
Dr Mustapha Ahmed (NDC-Ayawaso East) had, in an earlier
statement, touched on problems associated with this year's
Hajj, and called on the House to institute
a judicial enquiry into the organisation of the Hajj in the
last five years to bring culprits to book.
GNA
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