Debate Of Presidential Address Begins Today

Parliament will today began to debate President John Kufuor\'s sessional address. This was announced to Members of Parliament (MPs) by Papa Owusu Ankomah (NPP-Sekondi) and deputy Majority Leader on behalf of the Majority Leader and Minister of Government Business, Mr. John H. Mensah (NPP-Sunyani East) last Friday.

The decision to commence the debate on the State of the Nation address was not without its fair share of friendly taunts from the Minority National Democratic Congress (NDC) members who charged the Majority New Patriotic Party (NPP) members that since the address contained nothing they did not want the minority to have copies of the address for study and the eventual debate.

Led by former Works and Housing Minister now deputy Minority Leader Mr. I. K. Adjei-Mensah (NDC-Techiman South) and supported by Mr. Kofi Attoh (Ho Central), they insisted that they cannot use the reproduced speech in the Hansard for the debate.

According to Attoh, \"I want to quote from page three of the President\'s address not page three of the Hansard.\"

But Papa Owusu Ankomah said the speech would have been ready for distribution to the members for study before next week but technical details made it impossible to distribute it during the sitting of the House.

He, however, assured Members that everything possible was being done to get them the copies in readiness for the debate.

The Majority members countered that the address is very rich on the way forward for Ghana and they, therefore, want the Minority members to read it and understand its contents before the debate begins.

Earlier in a statement, Alhaji Abah Mohammed Seidu Issah (NDC-Chereponi), informed the House of a bushfire incident at Banjani and Tinanboni in his constituency in which one person died.

He, therefore, called for \"a national consensus and clearer policy on bushfires and to move beyond the annual launching of the anti-bush fire campaign to enforcement of the available laws and bye-laws.\"

He was supported by Members from both sides who all called for the intensification of the anti-bushfire campaign to save the farming communities from such disasters.

In another statement, Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey (NPP-Berekum) called for the immediate re-establishment of the Arts Council of Ghana.

An accomplished theatre practitioner, he said the present arrangement that places responsibility for the arts under the National Commission on Culture with a director of programmes who has no specific programme to direct has not been worthwhile.

He, therefore, called on the President to take a second look at the urgent need to re-establish the Arts Council of Ghana.

This statement was supported by Attoh who explained the role arts can play in educating the citizens and complained of the cost involved in managing theatre groups while D.Y. Mensah (NDC-Atebubu North) complained about the gradual adulteration of our culture and the arts as can be evidenced in the preference for foreign names.