Motion on Tema Oil Refinery adjourned

Sponsors of the well-advertised motion on the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), pleaded for time on Tuesday for what they claim "a vital document they needed to launch a credible argument was not within their reach."

The private members' motion that is at the instance of the Minority front benchers is now at the mercy of time and the Business Committee.

Sponsors include Mr Alban Bagbin, Minority Leader and Mr Doe Adjaho, Minority Chief Whip.

Others include Mr Abraham Kofi Asante, Minority Spokesman on Energy, Mr Moses Asaga, Minority Spokesman on Finance and Alhaji Ali Amadu, NDC-Attebubu South.

When the decks had been cleared for the motion to be moved, Mr Bagbin said:" We would get some vital documents by tomorrow (Wednesday) and would be ready by Thursday."

The Majority bench appealed to the Speaker to adjourn the motion sine die since the Minority were yet to gather information.

Mr Abraham Ossei Aidoo, Deputy Minority Leader, said he does not understand why a motion that was filed about three weeks ago could not be moved when the floor had been cleared.

He said if the Minority group had not been able to gather their facts, then they should be ready to have their motion rated second stage if it is allowed at all.

The Debate on the State of the Nation address is due to start Wednesday and that the TOR motion cannot have prominence over it.

Papa Owusu Ankoma, Majority Leader, said the Majority had always allowed the Minority to have their day in the house.

He said the group seemed to be in disarray," I had wanted them to move the motion last Friday since they needed enough time to press home their views but they could not."

He said the debate on the state of the nation address would not take less than seven days hence the need to rethink the TOR debate.

Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, Speaker, therefore, refereed the motion to the business committee to reconsider it.

The motion which had two main amendments to it read, "that this house investigates the Tema oil Refinery to determine the following

(a), Whether or not the allegations of corruption, fraud, inefficiency and mismanagement levelled against it by his Excellency are true.

(b),the true state of indebtedness of the company and (c),Whether the very high increase in prices of petroleum products recently by the government is realistic.