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Minority cries foul over proper accountability of COVID-19 expenditure by government
Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or account for one’s actions. It is often used in the context of individuals taking responsibility for their actions. An example is when an employee admits an error he or she made on a particular project.
IMPORTANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY
Accountability is so important because it eliminates the time and effort spent on distracting activities and other unproductive behaviour. When you make people accountable for their actions, it means you are effectively teaching them to value their work. For leaders to be accountable, they need to be committed to the business and its people. They must regard their role as leaders of people and build trust among team members. Leaders who are accountable, clearly communicate their goals and objectives and foster alignment and team focus.
Having stated what accountability connotes and how a leader is supposed to adopt and apply it to advance the course of progress, I am inclined to dwell on the recent development in our country where the Minority group in Parliament is crying foul over how moneys set aside by the government for the management of the deadly Corona Virus pandemic (COVID-19) were expended since 2020.
ACCOUNTABILITY OF COVID-19 FUNDS
Within the last few weeks, proceedings in parliament had not been smooth sailing between the Majority and the Minority caucuses in what looked like a war of words over this particular issue of expenditure of COVID-19 funds. The Minority has not been comfortable with the figures at their disposal and, therefore requested the Speaker, Mr. Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin to summon the Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta,to appear before the House to answer questions relating to the issue.
For a number of weeks after the Speaker had issued the invitation to the Finance Minister to appear before the Legislature, he failed to be present citing reasons such as engagement with other government businesses and that he needed more time to put together his answers to how the expenditure was conducted by the various agencies.
SPEAKER’S SUMMONS TO FINANCE MINISTER
Not appeared to be happy with the continued absence of the Minister to the Chamber, the Speaker directed the Finance Committee to suspend all deliberations on the 75 million Euro facility for a COVID-19 response programme currently before the House for consideration. Hear him; “Until we go through the accountability process, we will not take that motion. Today, he has another request before us. That will also be affected. Until he comes to respond to the questions and to submit the statement giving an explanation as to how the money has been applied, we will not entertain any business from the ministry.”
The Speaker, we are told, gave the ruling despite admitting that there had been communication through the Majority Leader by the Finance Minister about his non-availability to appear before the House. That was after he (Speaker) had held a meeting with the leadership of the House. According to him when questions were asked of ministers, the House expected them to come and answer them and quoted Standing Order 61 of Parliament to buttress his point.
To refresh the minds of my readers and patrons, Standing Order 61 states that, “Ministers shall by order of the House be requested to attend to sittings of the House to answer questions asked them.” The Speaker further cited Standing Order 60 (3) which also states that, “A minister shall not take more than three weeks to respond to questions of the House.” He indicated that based on the Standing Order of Parliament, the Business Committee of the House was given the opportunity to do the allotment and, thus, allotted June 16, for the Finance Minister to come and answer some questions that stood in the name of his ministry.
EXCUSES FROM FINANCE MINISTER NOT TO APPEAR IN PARLIAMENT
“The Finance Minister told us that he would not be available today and before today. I gave a directive to the effect that the Minister appears before this house to accept money that we approved for him to use to lead the country in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A lot of questions have been raised, so we expected the Minister to come and account as to how state resources had been applied to the benefit of the people. I just indicated that until that was done, a motion requesting for approval of the House for money to be given to the Ministry of Finance for the purpose of COVID-19 will be on hold,” said the Speaker.
Before the Speaker gave his ruling, the Minority had expressed its displeasure over the Minister’s inability to honour the invitation. The Deputy Minority Chief Whip, Ahmed Ibrahim, we are told, expressed misgiving about the attitude of the minister saying that it looked as if he was taking Parliament for granted, adding that the oversight responsibility of the House was not to be taken lightly at all. He warned that his side (Minority), was not ready to take any motion relating to the Ministry of Finance until the minister appeared before the House, adding that the minister’s failure to appear before the House meant he was avoiding accountability.
MAJORITY AND MINORITY LEADERS’ REACTIONS
On his part, the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, made it clear that his side was demanding accountability in the interest of Ghanaians. He said the minister needed to come and account for an amount of GH¢9.7 billion COVID-19 expenses.
However, the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu, refuted the claim that the minister was running away from accountability, explaining that he needed some information from the technocrats concerning the expenses on COVID-19 for which he would need time to read through before facing the House. He said the minister wanted Parliament to reschedule his appearance to Wednesday, June 22, 2022, to enable him to come before the House and answer questions on all expenses on COVID-19.
FINANCE MINISTER FINALLY REPORT TO THE HOUSE
True to his words and assurance, the Finance Minister made an appearance on the stipulated date to respond to the various questions from the parliamentarians.
According to the minister, the government had been transparent and prudent in the management of the COVID-19 funds and that all expenses were provided for in the last budget. Giving details, the minister said out of the GH¢18.19 billion the government mobilised from the various sources of funds in 2020, out of the programmed GH¢19.3 billion, GH¢12 billion was spent. He gave a total breakdown of how the moneys were received and expended which I do not intend to bore my readers with for lack of space.
SPEAKER ORDERS PROBE INTO COVID-19 EXPENDITURE
However, the Minority realised the inconsistencies in the figures as compared to what was contained in the President’s State of the Nation Address and called on the Speaker to institute an enquiry into the matter. It appears the Speaker has agreed to the Minority’s request and has directed the Committees of Finance and Health to investigate the expenditure and report to the House the first week of the next meeting of the House in October this year. It is the hope of Ghanaians that the committees will work diligently to ensure a vivid accountability of moneys so far invested in the management of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic which still rages on. Failure to do a good job will enable the international community which provided some of the funds to mitigate the situation during that period to lose confidence in us.
VIBRANCY AND POTENCY OF THE LEGISLATURE
It is now becoming increasingly clear that this particular parliament is no more the rubber stamp that it used to be in the past when things were done haphazardly or sometimes swept under the carpet. Parliament of today is indeed, biting because of the very nature of composition and the fact that the Speaker is coming from the major opposition party (NDC). The hung nature of parliament, with the Majority having the same numerical strength with the Minority,137-137 with one independent MP aligning to the majority side has instilled vibrancy in the Legislature and encourages dialogue and consensus building on various issues. So far, the Minority has been resolute and putting the Majority side on check. The Speaker has also stood firmly on his grounds making proceedings in the house very attractive and interesting. It is significant to recall an issue like the passage of the E-Levy, which went through some form of hectic moments because of the Minority’s stance on the issue before it was finally passed into law.
Judging from what is unfolding in our legislative arm of government, where issues are debated with clear minds and conscience by our parliamentarians under the effective guidance of the Speaker, it appears that the country is making a significant progress in our democratic experiment. This is a sign that if we continue on that path, we will surely and eventually make progress within the shortest possible time.
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By Charles Neequaye
Conflict at work is more common than you might think. According to 2022 research by The Myers-Briggs Company, more than a third of the workforce reports dealing with conflict often, very often, or all the time in the workplace. The same report found that managers spend an average of four hours per week dealing with conflict, and nearly 25 per cent of people think their managers handle conflict poorly or very poorly.
Addressing a dispute might feel tense or awkward, but resolving the conflict is typically well worth it in the long run. Whether you’re trying to mediate conflict between colleagues or are directly involved, here are seven steps you can take to manage workplace conflict.
1. Don’t put it off
Facing conflict head-on is hard. However, waiting too long to address it can negatively impact your emotional well-being, focus, and the entire office environment. If you’re feeling angry, letting that emotion fester can also escalate it over time. This can make you less responsive to other points of view and make it harder to resolve the issue.
The sooner you can address the conflict, the better it will be for you, the person you disagree with, and your entire team.
2. Learn all you can about the problem
It’s important to determine the type of conflict you’re dealing with. Begin by considering the cause of the conflict. For example, ask yourself whether someone said something that upset you or if you have emotions of anger and resentment that stemmed from something that happened.
Then try to identify if it’s a task, relationship, value, or team conflict. Once you know what type of conflict it is, you can work to resolve it with specific tactics for that situation.
If you skip this step, you may waste time or escalate the situation further by trying to address issues irrelevant to the real conflict.
3. Actively listen
Listen attentively when people share their side of the story. Active listening is one of the most valuable professional skills you can possess. This type of listening involves not only hearing what the other person is saying but also listening to understand their point of view.
No matter your role in conflict, it’s easy to begin sharing your opinion with little regard for the other people involved. However, it’s important to learn about all sides of a disagreement to make well-informed decisions before drawing conclusions.
To reach a resolution, you must step back and prioritize listening over talking. Ultimately, that will encourage the other person to do the same when it’s your turn to speak. –source: betterup.com
Today, I focus on the Temple Of Praise Ministries International (TOP Church) in Helsinki, as I continue my description of personalities or institutions and their accomplishments as members of the Ghanaian Diaspora in Finland.
The TOP Church in Finland has seen significant strides and accomplishments that must be made known to the public. 
Some history
The Church was established in Finland in September 2016. Since its inception, it has steadily grown both spiritually and numerically, by the grace of God, as disclosed to me by Mr Matthew Anini Twumasi, the Presiding Elder of TOP’s branch in Finland. The TOP Church has other branches across Africa, Europe, and America.
The Church in Finland was founded with a vision to create a welcoming and dynamic community where people could experience God’s love and grace (see, www.topchurchfinland.org). According to Presiding Elder Matthew, the TOP Church operates within a unique environment where Christianity coexists with what is seen as a largely secular society.
Despite this, he submits, there are significant opportunities for outreach, unity, and demonstrating the love of Christ through service and community engagement.
Activities
Church services at the TOP Church are typically held on Sundays for the main worship. In addition, there are mid-week prayer sessions, Saturday prayer services, and a half-night service held on the last Friday of every month. “We also organise quarterly programs”, Elder Matthew added.
His impression of the Church so far has been positive. “It is a vibrant and welcoming community where members are committed to worship, fellowship, and supporting one another in faith”, he stated.
In sum, Elder Matthew said the Church continues to grow by God’s grace. “We remain hopeful and committed to spreading the Gospel, strengthening the faith of our members, and making a positive impact in society”, he continued.
Achievements
The TOP Church has a number of achievements and achievements. Some of the strengths include strong community bonds, cultural diversity, and deep commitment to spiritual growth.
I also remember that during the COVID-19 period, I heard that the TOP Church was one such bodies that hugely supported its members and others to cope with the situation.
According to Elder Matthew, the challenges facing the church include “adapting to cultural differences, engaging the younger generation, expanding outreach in a secular society, and securing a permanent place of worship”.
Role in the Ghanaian community in Finland
The TOP Church plays a prominent role as a religious group that serves Ghanaian migrants and others in the Finnish society.
Thus, the TOP Church is a religious body for Ghanaian migrants in Finland and other nationalities who want to worship with them for diversity and better intercultural and multicultural understanding.
The Church also has mechanisms in place to support its members who are bereaved as a way to commiserate with them in times of death and funerals.
The Ghanaian community has played a vital role in the growth of the Church. Their strong sense of fellowship, dedication to worship, and active participation have helped build a solid foundation and attract others to the ministry, according to Elder Matthew.
Integration
By its activities, the TOP Church is helping to ensure integration of its members well into the Finish society.
This is important since social interaction and citizens’ well-being are an important part of the integration process.
The role of migrant associations and groups such as TOP Church acting as bridge-builders for the integration and inclusion of migrants through participation in the decision making process and by acting as a representative voice is highly appreciated in Finland. Thank you!
GHANA MATTERS column appears fortnightly. Written in simple, layman’s terms, it concentrates on matters about Ghana and beyond. It focuses on everyday life issues relating to the social, cultural, economic, religious, political, health, sports, youth, gender, etc. It strives to remind us all that Ghana comes first. The column also takes a candid look at the meanings and repercussions of our actions, especially those things we take for granted or even ignore. There are key Ghanaian values we should uphold rather than disregard with impunity. We should not overlook the obvious. We need to search for the hidden or deeply embedded values and try to project them.
With Dr Perpetual Crentsil
