General News of Wednesday, 18 May 2011

Source: Daily Guide

Speaker sympathises with losing minority MPs

Parliament reconvened Tuesday for the second meeting of the third session of the fifth Parliament.

At exactly 10:00a.m., the Speaker of Parliament, Mrs. Joyce Bamford Addo, entered the Chamber and began proceedings of the day.

Before the beginning of the day's proceedings, MPs from the Majority side were seen congratulating their colleagues from the Minority side who successfully went through the recent New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries.

Welcoming the MPs back to the House, the Speaker sympathised with members from the Minority side who lost the recent parliamentary primaries organised by the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

For his part, the Minority Leader and Member of Parliament for Suame, Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, called on the ruling NDC to take steps to address the current wrangling within the party.

While sympathising with his colleagues who lost during the NPP primaries, he called on them not to lose hope, but continue to work hard until their term was over.

In his brief comment, the Majority Leader, Mr. Cletus Avoka, also urged the NPP MPs who lost during the parliamentary exercise not to be deterred, but use him as an example to fight their way back into Parliament in 2016.

A number of papers and loan agreements and bills were laid before the House during the day's sitting.

They include the Maritime (Amendment) Bill, 2011, the Ghana Shipping (Amendment ) Bill, 2011, the Renewable Energy Bill, the Ghana Maritime Security (Amendment Bill) and the Annual Report and Accounts of the Ghana Road Fund, 2008 and the Annual Report and Account of the Ghana Road Fund, 2009.