Majority leader justifies construction of new parliamentary chamber

Majority leader, Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has argued in favor of the proposed 450-seater parliamentary chamber set to be constructed.

Speaking on GHOne TV, the Suame MP averred that the construction of the new chamber is long overdue and is necessitated by several factors, ABC News can report.

According to him, the current chamber was originally built to serve as a conference room for the state but was later re-modeled into a chamber. Further increment in the number of Members of Parliament required an expansion of the chamber. He says there are restricted movements in the house owing to limited space due to the increased number of members. This, he says, will be a recipe for disaster in case of an emergency.

Responding to the sentiments of a section of the public on the need for the construction of a new chamber, the majority leader said that it was important citing the example of Presidents being sworn in at the black star square instead of being sworn in before the house at Parliament. The exposure during swearing in, he says, puts the president at risk of attacks due to the openness of the environment.

Speaking on the matter of prioritizing the construction of the chamber over the provision of basic social amenities, he argued that the new chamber is not luxurious as perceived but is a necessity just as other basic amenities. “Tell me, we do know the basic needs of human beings; food, clothing, shelter. Whenever have we been able to achieve this before we start building our stadia? Or national theatre? There’s a housing deficit of close to two million yet we’re building roads. The priority should be on housing, but we build roads. They are all to inure to the quality of life, so let’s not say that until we satisfy the basic needs, other things are luxuries, they are not”.