Mills travel to South Africa is a wasted journey

Accra June 25, GNA - The Minority in parliament on Friday said President John Mills' three day South African trip was a wasted journey since President Jacob Zuma would not be around to meet him.

"In diplomacy Presidents talk with Presidents," said Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, member for New Juabeng North, adding that it would be better if the President was clear that he was going to South Africa to support the Black Stars in their match with the US.

Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, the Minority Leader who raised the issue after the Speaker read the message from the Presidency, said article 59 of the 1992 Constitution was clear on the issue that the President must notify parliament before he travelled.

He said the president had already left for South Africa before his missive to parliament and by extension the people of Ghana which he added was a violation of the constitution.

The Deputy Majority Leader, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, said the issue of Presidency went beyond the President as a person and that if the President was not in the country, President Mills could meet with other officials who could equally perform the functions of the absent President.

He argued that the letter to parliament came to the Speaker's Office since yesterday and insisted the President did not violate the constitution in any way.

The Speaker Joyce Bamford said she had the letter just this morning. She said under that circumstance the letter could be delivered to herat home because of the seriousness of such letters.