The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned its Minority leader in Parliament,Hon. Haruna Iddrisu against supporting the proposed 450-seat chamber.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, said the party is against the proposed construction of a new chamber for legislators because they “do not think Ghana needs a new parliamentary chamber at all”.
Mr Nketiah, who addressed the press at the party’s headquarters in Accra on Thursday, 4 July 2019 said the party has communicated its position to the Minority MPs and warned: “If you go to support it there will be consequences”.
In a press release prior to the media encounter, the party said it would be “unconscionable in the face of these challenges for President Akufo-Addo to spend $200 million on a Parliamentary Chamber at a time when one already exists and is serving the needs of Parliament. Parliament only recently had the Job 600 project undertaken to provide decent offices for MPs. We are unable therefore to appreciate the basis upon which a new chamber should be built”.
The party emphasised that: “National resources must be channelled into projects and expenditure that have a direct bearing on the lives of the people not grandiose and prestige projects of doubtful relevance”.
The NDC wants President Akufo-Addo to “learn from the example of the NDC that invested heavily in education, health, housing, communications, water, roads transportation and other sectors which brought relief to the people of Ghana. He must not subject the public purse which he promised to protect”.
