The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs has given nine reasons why Ghana needs to erect a much comfortable multi-purpose 450-seater capacity chamber for the work of Parliamentarians.
In various interviews to assuage public anger, which greeted the announcement, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu gave the following reasons to justify the $200m investment.
1. The distance between the majority MPs and the minority MPs is too short and a minister can easily throw a blow or slap another minister when things get heated.
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2. Because of the way the place is not protected …. someone can easily enter the chamber and pour acid on the speaker.
3. Last time, because of easy access, a gentleman entered the chamber looking for his mp and he couldn’t find him, he tried committing suicide.
4. Today, there are so many MP’s who sit beside the column who cannot be identified by the speaker. They cannot catch the speakers eye so even when they get up, the speaker cannot identify them.
5. It is also about time for parliament to get its own chamber after customising the State House for its work since 1992.
6. There is no parliament anywhere in the world where we have the public having direct access to the members in the chamber.
7. Parliament as an institution since Independence has not had any dedicated facility and it’s the only arm of government that has not had its own edifice.
8. The current chamber impedes the state’s ability to provide security for MP’s.
9. The walkways are congested and the worst could happen in an event of a stampede.
Source: Myjoyonline.com