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I’m disappointed in 8th Parliament; we’ve achieved very little – Joe Wise
First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has openly expressed his deep disappointment in the performance and conduct of the Members of the 8th Parliament of Ghana.
In an interview with Citi News, Joe Wise, as he is popularly called, described the current parliamentary session as lacking focus, riddled with controversies, and failing to prioritise its core responsibility of lawmaking.
According to Joe Wise, the 8th Parliament has failed to meet the legislative standards set by previous sessions, ultimately falling short of expectations.
In his remarks, Joe Wise lamented the state of the 8th Parliament, pointing out that instead of concentrating on its primary duty of making laws, the House has frequently been sidetracked by unnecessary and unproductive disputes.
The Deputy Speaker specifically highlighted the insufficient number of laws passed during this parliamentary session as compared to previous ones.
He emphasised that the legislative output of the 8th Parliament has been conspicuously low, both in terms of major laws and smaller legislative instruments.
“Let me say that I am disappointed in the eighth Parliament, generally. I said the other time that we have done very little in legislation. You can just take the number of laws and smaller legislations we have done. We have wasted so much time on inconsequential things, inconsequential matters. Our main job is making laws,” he expressed his disappointment.
“You go and take the number of laws we have made in the last four years and compare with the other Parliaments and you see that the eighth Parliament has been the least,” he added.
He “It has been full of controversy. Matters that previously we used to sit down and discuss and overcome and do, now we take them into fisticuffs and that is most disappointing to me.”
Source: Citinewsroom.com
The family of Ambassador James Victor Gbeho, a distinguished statesman and diplomat, has paid a courtesy call on President John Dramani Mahama. They officially informed him of his passing.
The delegation, representing the Gbeho family, noted that it was culturally and diplomatically important to formally notify the President of the loss before making a public announcement of his death.
Ambassador Gbeho was a towering figure in Ghanaian and international politics. He served in many diplomatic missions, including New York. He was Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, a Member of Parliament for the Anlo constituency, and President (formerly Executive Secretary) of the ECOWAS Commission.
He was widely respected for his role in regional integration and his contributions to global diplomacy at the United Nations.
President Mahama expressed his condolences and shared reflections on Ambassador Gbeho’s contributions to the country, West Africa and the world.
Funeral details will be announced later.
The Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, has revoked all firearm permits in Ghana with immediate effect and announced a new registration process for all gun owners.
The minister made the announcement on Tuesday, June 23, at the information service department saying all individuals who currently hold licences to own firearms or sidearms must undergo a fresh registration process.
“From this afternoon, all permits that have been granted to any individual that you are holding a sidearm or firearm is hereby revoked,” Mr Muntaka said.
He explained that the government had identified gaps in the country’s firearm registration system and needed to introduce stricter measures to improve public safety.
“We are opening the window where everyone will have to come forward again to register or re-register the gun because we’ve changed the procedure,” he stated.
According to him, the government decided not to wait until the end of the year to make the changes because lives could still be saved within the next six months.
The Interior Minister said one of the new requirements would be mandatory mental health screening for applicants seeking firearm licences.
“We’ve seen that people with mental health have already gone through and have the sidearm. Now we are introducing mental health. Before we give you the sidearm, we have to be sure that you have the mental stability to hold the firearms,” he said.
Mr Muntaka also announced that applicants would be required to undergo drug tests before being granted licences.
“We’ve also realised that people who are on drugs are also holding their arms and they are legitimate because it’s been registered. Now you have to go through drug tests to be sure that you are not on drugs before you can hold sidearms,” he added.
The minister said the new measures form part of efforts by the government to tighten firearm control and prevent legally registered weapons from falling into the wrong hands.
He urged all firearm owners to cooperate with the new registration process once details of the exercise are announced.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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