General News of Wednesday, 25 January 2017

Source: classfmonline.com

We erred; Adwoa Safo was best female MP – Odekro

Adwoa Safo, Deputy Majority Leader Adwoa Safo, Deputy Majority Leader

Odekro, a transparency organisation with focus on proceedings in Ghana’s parliament, has apologised to Deputy Majority Leader Sarah Adwoa Safo for erroneously naming her among the 50 worst performing legislators in Ghana’s sixth parliament.

According to Kinna Likimani, a member of the group, the mistake was published in the factsheet released to the media but the primary data source had figures which ranked her as the best performing female MP in the last parliament.

“We erred, and we are apologetic for this error…We have apologised to her and we hope the mistake is corrected. For the avoidance of doubt, Madam Adwoa Safo ranked 58th in the Sixth Parliament with a contribution score of 52.02/60 and an attendance score of 24.13/40, totalling 76.15 per cent,” she indicated on Wednesday, January 25.

Also ranked low was Assin Central MP Ken Agyapong, former Deputy Central Regional Minister and Agona East lawmaker Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr, and former MP for Klottey Korle Nii Armah Ashitey.

However, the bottom spot for the worst performers in the sixth parliament of the Fourth Republic is occupied by Evans Paul Aidoo, who scored 11.50%.

Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr scored 16.98%; Dr Nii Oakley Quaye-Kumah had 17.09%; Ken Ohene Agyapong managed 18.29% while Dr Mustapha Ahmed had 18.60%.

A total of 19 legislators never spoke on the floor of the sixth parliament throughout their four years in office, a report by Odekro, a transparency organisation with focus on proceedings in Ghana’s parliament, has revealed.

The STAR-Ghana-funded project indicated that the 19 MPs comprised 16 MPs of the National Democratic Congress (who were then the Majority) and three from the New Patriotic Party.

Included in the list of ‘silent MPs’ is the former MP for La-Dadekotopon Nii Amasa Namoale.

MP for Old Tafo, Anthony Akoto Osei, was crowned the best performing MP for scoring 94.12%.

James Klutse Avedzi ranked second with a score of 93.39%; Joseph Yieleh Chireh placed third with a score of 92.21%; Papa Owusu-Ankomah, who amassed 92.17%, placed fourth; and Alexander Afenyo-Markin, with 91.03%, came fifth.

73 MPs were absent without permission, a clear violation of article 97(1)(c) of the constitution. 28 MPs never absented themselves without permission.