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General News of Friday, 17 August 2012

Source: Stephen Darko

Amaliba Chides National House of Chiefs over Chamber Request

An Accra based legal practitioner has challenged the National House of Chiefs (NHS) to be democratic by being gender sensitive or eternally discontinue their push for a separate chamber in Ghana’s Parliament.

Lawyer Abraham Amaliba insists offering a chamber to the group would be meaningless and tantamount to breaching the national constitution, if the House was not ready to accommodate their female counterparts.

Mr. Amaliba’s strong worded comment comes in the wake of members of the NHC urging government to offer it a separate chamber in the National Assembly, to enable it offer independent contributions on issues of national importance.

“We must be sincere to ourselves because if the NHC is not readily prepared to accept female members then we will be heading for doom, if their wish is granted.

… It is important for them to first of all, put their house in order before they even consider that option,” Mr. Amaliba bluntly stated.

The member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) legal team poured out his frustrations on the call by the NHS on Pravda radio in Accra on Thursday.

He, however, recognized the contributions of traditional rulers in the socio-economic development of the nation, intimating that the role of chiefs in Ghana’s development cannot be gloss over.