Parliament begin debates on sessional address with divergent views

Accra, Feb 24, GNA - Debate on President Mills' 2011 sessional add= ress began on Thursday in Parliament with divergent views from both majority and minority sides on the actual state of the nation.

On Thursday February 17 2011, President Mills delivered the state of the nation address on the theme; Raising Ghana to the Next Level. Mr Essiefie Gabriel Kodwo, Member for Shama, described the address as "the best so far" adding that the issues addressed by the President wer= e appropriate and called on President Mills to continue his fight against dru= g trade in the country.

He said all kinds of persons who involved themselves in the drug trade had become useless and homeless 93so let's worry about those whose lives= are affected by the use of drugs."

Mr Kodwo said it is out of place to heckle a President who comes to address a nation and urged the leadership of the house to set good examples because the young ones are watching what goes on in Parliament. He said the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, must be made to face the privileges committee for bringing the dignity of the house into disrepute before visitors who were present.

Mr Joe Garter, member for Esikadu/Ketan and Attorney General in the Kufuor administration, disputed the efforts by the Atta Mills government to fight drugs arguing that the rise in narcotic trade commenced in 1990s, during which the Provisional National Defense Council passed a decree/law with a preamble that documented the reality of the day- an increase in drug trade.

He quoted a Ghanaian Times report of September 20, 2008 which had its headline 93 Drug barons now scared of Ghana" saying, this was to proof that the fight against drugs was enforced by the NPP government.

Mr Ghartey again read a report by Reuters published by WikiLeaks in 2009 in which President Mills was reported to have told US Ambassador to Ghana, Donald Teitelbaum that he (Mills) knew elements of his government are already compromised and that officials at the airport tipped off drug traffickers about operations there.

He said it was necessary to revise the narcotics trade law 96PNDC Law 233, adding, it cannot be denied that in 2003 and 2007, the drug incidence was brought under control by the New Patriotic Party government through a number of institutions and laws including the Economic and Organised Crime, anti money laundering law.

Also the government compromised on the country's sovereignty by allowing British agents to fight drug trade in addition to the United Nations Office on drugs and crime which checked all containers at the harbour.

He said fighting narcotics is a process not an event and scolded the President for not delivering on his promise to amend the narcotics law to make it more relevant.

Mr Ghartey said the EOCO bill was not passed under the Kufuor administration because the government was about to change hands. He also disputed the President claim that investigation into the MV Benjamin case could find any culprit noting that nine people were convicted in the matter.

He said an investigative agency should carry out the investigation and not a Presidential Commission and supported the idea of President Mills ordering an investigation into the missing Cocaine case at the CID headquarters.