MP calls on President to fulfil his promises

Accra, Dec.1 , GNA - Mr. Alfred Kwame Agbesi, Member of Parliament(MP) for Ashaiman on Monday called on President John Evans Atta Mills, to fulfil his promise to complete renovation works on the Job 600 building to provide offices for MPs.

This, he said would build a good image for his administration and dismiss public perception that his promise was a lip service. Mr. Agbesi was contributing to a debate on the 2010 budget statement, presented by Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, two weeks ago.

He said it was unacceptable for MPs who approve budgets to operate without offices.

"It is not just the matter of coming to the floor of Parliament to make promises, but the President should be able to back his promises with action in order to attach a level of importance to whatever he says," he said. He expressed regret that the Job 600 project, which had appeared in several annual budget statements was not receiving attention to ameliorate the plight of MPs.

Mr. Agbesi said most often the MPs meet with their constituents in either the public foyer of Parliament or in their vehicles.

"Madam Speaker, we have heard a whole lot of the talking and we want the President to take action to make us comfortable and not the words." Mr. Agbesi asked why the former office of the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs was relinquished to some personnel of the castle instead of the MPs. "Is it that our role here is not important?"

He expressed the hope that every MP of the house would be appropriately accommodated as contained in the 2010 budget statement.

Reacting to the contribution, Mr. Albert Abongo, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing said the renovation of the Job 600 project was currently going through the procurement process and said a concrete decision would be taken before the end of the year.

He said the 2010 budget had a lot of potentials for every Ghanaian and appealed to his colleagues to exercise restraint and allow the President and his team to execute the projects they promised to do in the statement. 1 Dec. 09