Debates of 12 Jul 2005

MR. SPEAKER
PRAYERS 10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Order! Order! Correction of Votes and Proceedings -- Friday, 8th July 2005. Pages 1… 2… 3…12.
We have two issues of the Official
Report, for Wednesday, 6th July 2005 and Thursday, 7th July, 2005. If there are any omissions or corrections to be made, you may wish to bring them to the attention of the Editor of Debates.
Mr. Joseph Yieleh chireh 10 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, I am referring to the Official Report of 6th July, column 1676 -- the second paragraph -- last sentence under the name of the hon. Member for Wa West (Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh). It reads as follows and Mr. Speaker, with your permission I quote:
“I made sure on every occasion, I got a Minister or some high officials in the region.'”
So it should read “to the region” instead of “in the region”.
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Item 3.
Mr. F. K. owusu-Adjapong 10 a.m.
Mr.
Speaker, I thought we could start with Statements because I am trying to locate
Mr. Speaker 10 a.m.
Hon. Members, we would take item 4 -- Statements -- The first one stands in the name of hon. Member for Adenta constituency, Mr. K. Opare-Hammond.
STATEMENTS 10:10 a.m.
Mr. charles S. Hodogbey 10:20 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, I think normally when rape issues come up, they think only men do rape women. There are instances where women also rape men.
Mr. Speaker 10:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Kwadaso, please continue.
Ms. Addoh 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am simply giving an advice. This is very serious and it can cause somebody's death. Mr. Speaker, so I will repeat the appeal to fellow ladies out there to please watch out and report. Even if they are Members of Parliament and they go through this they should not feel shy. Please, report so that we know the magnitude of the problem and we would help the State to solve it.
Mr. Henry Ford Kamel (NDC -- Buem) 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my contribution is in the area we handle cases relating to rape and defilement, especially in the rural areas. I think that cases of rape and defilement ought to be handled by the appropriate institutions. But what happens in the rural areas is that when attention is drawn to these cases, you would find some of our traditional rulers and opinion leaders in the various communities trying to handle such cases. I believe that they do not have sufficient capacity to deal with issues of rape and defilement. When this happens, complications later on develop and the issue gets out of hand.
So I would want to appeal to our traditional authorities and the various opinion leaders in the rural areas to desist from handling cases relating to rape and defilement, because these are very serious cases. I think that all such cases should be reported to the appropriate authorities, especially the police, so that the law takes its right course.
Mr. David Oppong 10:20 a.m.
None

ofoase-Ayirebi): Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement made by my hon. Colleague here. I will dwell on the case of defilement.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes I find it strange and difficult to understand those people involved in defilement. I cannot understand what physical attractions would lead one to go after a ten-year old or an eleven-year old girl, in the first place, and sometimes even babies. Why do people who are normally respected in society stoop so low? The humiliation in exposure and even the custodial sentences do not seem to deter people from this.

I think that we need something stronger than custodial sentences and for this reason, I would like to associate myself with the maker of the Statement and to say that we should seriously consider castration.
Ms Akua Sena Dansua (NDC -- North Dayi) 10:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement made. Sometimes one is surprised as to what exactly drives people -- men to go and rape particularly children, toddlers, babies; what exactly is the cause?
Mr. Speaker, the maker of the Statement enumerated several reasons why rape and defilement take place but I think that we should go deeper into these reasons and we will realize that a lot of these men who defile and rape women are actually victims of the socio-economic environment of this nation.
A lot of these men are unemployed,
they are frustrated, they do not have work to do and as a result, their frustration and the stress drive them to commit these crimes that they would normally not be driven to commit. So I would want to suggest that we should take a look at the society and provide enough jobs. If
rose
Mr. Speaker 10:30 a.m.
Hon. Member for Okere,
do you have a point of order?
Mr. B. D. K. Adu 10:30 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Member is misleading the House and the whole nation. It is not those who are not employed who are creating these problems; some are employed so she cannot say that it is economic.
Ms. Dansua 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if he heard me right, I did not say all men. I said some men, many of them actually. Many of them are unemployed so the Government should provide jobs for the people to do.
Mr. Speaker, having said that, I also want to say that a lot of these men have psychological problems. Why, for instance, will a man go and rape a two- week or a three-week old baby? Why? For what reason, if not for the fact that they have psychological problems. Mr. Speaker, the time has come for us to hold a national debate on this issue of rape and defilement.
It appears that the punishment that has been prescribed by law is so minimal and so intangible that the perpetrators tend to think that raping or defilement is a big thing to do. I think that the entire society, various stakeholders should come together and hold a national debate devoid of emotions. Let us think of coming up with concrete punishment that would stop this canker once and for all.
Mr. Speaker, I would want in the meantime to go with the suggestion made by the maker of the Statement about the need for castration. Mr. Speaker, I think that if we cannot do anything by way of enhancing or making the perpetrators
Mr. F. A. Agbotse (NDC - Ho West) 10:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, rape and defilement seem to be on the increase, but we are not giving the credit to the right people; it is because the press are reporting. In the past, these
things were happening but they were silent; nobody was reporting, nobody was talking about them. But with the increase in the attention of the press now we know that rape is on the increase. Where did we have the name “bush meat”? “Bush meat” used to be associated with teachers who in the villages were attracted to the young school girls - [Laughter] -- and so they regarded the school girls - [Interruption.]
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 10:30 a.m.
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, the hon. Colleague is misleading the House. If he is talking about “bush allowance”, I think we would attach some sort of sympathy, but with “bush meat”, it is professional dishonesty on his part.
Mr. Agbotse 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, it is not “bush meat” but “bush allowance” - [Laughter.] These things were happening but nobody was reporting. But now that we have a vibrant press, these things are coming to light, so we must give credit to our pressmen.

Building a Healthy Relationship Between the McE/DcE and the MP
Mr. Stephen Amoanor Kwao (Upper Manya -- NDc) 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if you can permit me to use the following acronyms: “MCE” for Metropolitan/Municipal Chief Executive, then “MP” for Member of Parliament. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for offering me this rare opportunity to render a Statement on the topic, “Towards building a healthy relationship between the MCE/ DCE and the MP”.
Introduction
Mr. Speaker, the introduction of the 1992 Constitution created the Electoral Commission Act (Act 451) in 1993.
Mr. Joseph Y. Chireh (NDC - Wa West) 10:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak in support of the Statement made by the hon. Member. This Statement is very significant in the sense that the relationship between District Chief Executives/Municipal Chief Executives/Metropolitan Chief Executives (DCEs/MCEs) and Members of Parliament (MPs) is crucial for the development of each district, municipal or metropolitan area. For this to happen, he has already made recommendations. But I think that the most important thing is for us to know our roles.
What are the roles of the DCE that he should play and those of the MPs? If we know the roles and are all working in the interest of the public, the conflict would be reduced to the minimum. But if you look at the issues that are being raised, one of them is about being in the other person's shoe; and that is the crux of the matter.
Those DCEs who see their positions as a stepping stone to becoming Members of Parliament and therefore possibly becoming Ministers of State, like the Local Government Minister now (hon. Charles Bintin) - certainly this would lead to conflict, and I think that we should all find a way of harmonizing this relationship. If we work together, if we organize seminars, if we fraternize at the level of going home and making sure we call on our DCEs, whether he is from your party or not, discuss things with him and all of you put the public interest, the interest of the district or the development of this country above everything else, the conflict would reduce. It appears to me that many of us MPs and those who are DCEs do not commit ourselves to why we want to be in this position. We fall into the danger of looking after our petty interests
Mr. Joseph Y. Chireh (NDC - Wa West) 10:50 a.m.
or personal interests only.
I therefore would urge all of us to see this Statement as one calling for sanity in the political development of this country. Decentralization would be meaningless if these conflicts stop developments from going on at the district level.
I will again ask that, particularly the ruling party, they have the most difficult situation -- The recent reports in the newspapers by a Member of this House that he was threatened and prevented from participating in the confirmation of the District Chief Executive (DCE) is a sad reflection but that is the most serious aspect of this conflict. How come that the Member of Parliament (MP) would not be allowed by the DCE into a district of the people that he represents? So I urge all of us to look at this issue seriously, otherwise it can lead to a non-functioning of our decentralized institution.

Capt. George K. Nfojoh (retd) (NDC

-- Ho central): Mr. Speaker, I also rise to associate myself with the Statement made by my hon. Colleague.

Indeed, the conflict between the District Chief Executives, Municipal Chief Executives on one hand and the Members of Parliament has gone on for quite sometime in this country. I wish to draw attention to its effects on the development process. These are key officers who are supposed to ensure that development goes to the people. Conflicts among these key officers therefore have the potential of retarding development at the constituency and district levels.

Even as a Government, I believe that we need to take keen interest in

resolving this issue because when every year we come out with programmes and the Budget, it is at the district level that these programmes and the Budget will be translated into physical achievements for the benefit of the people. Therefore, I also consider that this issue need not be looked at on partisan lines but it is of concern for the whole nation, Government and for all parties that development must effectively reach the people.

I would dare to suggest that the District Chief Executives (DCEs) and Municipal Chief Executives (MCEs) be barred from contesting parliamentary elections while they are holding on to their positions.

There should be a way of restricting them, at least, by providing a four-year term before they can contest for elections. Because after they have vacated their seats, when they are allowed to be sitting DCEs and at the same time they try to contest with MPs, I do not think that this is a healthy situation. We must find a way that the DCEs and MCEs must vacate their seats, wait for four years before they can contest elections as Parliamentarians.

With these few words, I support the Statement made by my hon. Colleague.

Mr. Alfred K. Agbesi (NDC --

Ashaiman): Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Statement, particularly the statement made by my hon. Colleague that whilst a DCE is in office a way must be found to, as it is, prevent him from contesting the seat to become a Member of Parliament.

Mr. Speaker, DCEs do not build good relationship. I will go further to also call for election of DCEs because the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had made it a policy that they would support the election of DCEs. It is only unfortunate that they have not been able to fulfil this promise.
Mr. Speaker 10:50 a.m.
At this stage, let us go
back to item 3 -- Questions.
ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS 10:50 a.m.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 10:50 a.m.
AND SPORTS 10:50 a.m.
Minister for Education and Sports (Mr. Yaw Osafo-Maafo) 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in November 2003, the then Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports adopted a Textbook Development and Distribution Policy which is now the main policy of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) in respect of the development and procurement of textbooks for Basic Schools, where Basic Schools are defined as from Primary 1 to JSS 3.
The policy was developed after a series of consultations with various stakeholders including the Ghana Book Publishers Association, the Ministry's development partners, namely the World Bank, Department of Finance and International
Development (DFID) and Agricultural Development Bank.
Mr. Speaker, transparency and maximum availability of information to all participants on evaluation criteria, scoring, selection and negotiation are the prime objectives of the policy.
It is an objective of the Ministry of Education and Sports (MoES) that local capacity for the printing and binding of textbooks up to the quality standards specified in the policy should be developed as rapidly as possible. It is therefore a target of the current textbook policy that within 3 years of commence-ment and the commencement for this year, 60 per cent of all primary and junior secondary textbooks funded by the MoES (including donor funding) should be produced in Ghana.
The achievement of the production target specified in the policy depends upon the availability of satisfactory local printing and binding capacity, capable of meeting the specified production standards at internationally competitive prices and also in conformity with the Ministry's delivery deadlines.
Mr. Speaker, the Ministry, through the Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC) in collaboration with relevant government ministries, shall develop a comprehensive strategy and provide a conducive environment in support of the development of local manufacturing capacity for the book industry.

The Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC) will also coordinate a survey of local book printers to determine the local capacity required to meet the specified production targets and price competitiveness; and will repeat this survey on a regular basis as a means of monitoring the development of local printing and production capacity. The
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon. Minister's Answer, he said that the commencement of the three-year target of producing 60 per cent of textbooks was only this year. Whereas in his earlier statement he said the policy was initiated as far back as November 2003. Why has it taken the Ministry so long a time to only start the 60 per cent target of producing textbooks for local consumption this year?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, for our information, no textbook printing has taken place since 2003. It has only been research, discussion, developing the curriculum, developing the authorship and developing the material for textbooks; it has been a very long-winded matter. So the first order, since the policy was developed, was indeed given on the 30th of June this year. And that is why the three were started this year.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Ghana Book Development Council is not a new institution; it is an old institution. Why is it only now that the hon. Minister is talking about enhancing the capacity of that Council towards this important national programme?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, many institutions including the Office of Parliament need to be enhanced in capacity because they do not have what they need to do their work properly. The Ghana Book Development Council and the Ghana Library Board have lacked input for a long time and we are seeking external support from DFID to beef them up to enable them to do their work more efficiently. At the moment, they are not adequately resourced to do it and that is why we are making efforts to provide the additional resources to enable them do their work better.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the State Publishing Corporation was supposed to have been the hub of textbook production for schools and colleges in this country. Why would the hon. Minister not consider that vital institution as the pivot for any revolution in our textbook production in the country?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as he may be aware, as part of the liberalization policy which was started way back in 1983, competition entered into all these productions. And I think he knows more than I do know that that company hardly exists today in terms of production of textbooks. So far as I am concerned, it is defunct.
Mr. Kenneth Dzirasah 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to know from the hon. Minister whether the 60 per cent target for local printing is on account of lack of capacity of our local industry or whether it is just part of the experimental phase of the exercise that they are embarking upon.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important supplementary question. Indeed, this is precisely the reason why we could not go beyond. This year we started with 15 to 20 per cent, and we also decided that all teachers' handbooks must be locally produced. Every textbook we produce has ultimately an equivalent of teacher's handbook and that one is not in that large quantities. Locally, the capacity
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I think I just answered it as part of an adjunct to the last supplementary question that for this year 15 to 20 per cent of the order is being assigned for local production. And the idea is that by the end of the third year a minimum of 60 per cent would be for local production.
Mr. John Mahama 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the hon. Minister's Answer, he said that by his knowledge he believed that the Ghana Publishing Corporation was defunct.
Mr. Speaker, is he aware that after parts of the Ghana Publishing Corporation was divested a new company called Assembly Press Limited, that is owned hundred per cent by the Government, exists and it is still in the publishing industry?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he has answered the supplementary question. There is a new company whose name he brought up. Yes, I know that it exists and they do our entire budget for us. So yes, that exists. But the old company does not exist.
Mr. Mahama 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, is he aware that Assembly Press has the capacity to participate in this book publishing order?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am certainly not aware. All local printers who have been ticked as from one to fifteen will have to liaise with the publishers for the printing and therefore if they have the capacity they will discuss it specifically with the publishers and
produce for the publishers. I believe they may have the capacity but I certainly do not know. And the capacity for printing textbooks is different from capacity for making calendars, pamphlets and that kind of thing; textbooks and binding is a completely different thing.
The Mafi Kumase Secondary Technical School
Q. 43. Mr. Joe Kwashie Gidisu asked the Minister for Education and Sports what was being done by his Ministry to rescue the infrastructure of the Mafi Kumase Secondary Technical School from eventual collapse.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the Ghana Education Service (GES) has over 500 projects at various stages of completion in the country. It is the policy of the GES to complete a considerable number of them before new ones are started. Mafi Kumase Secondary Technical School will be considered when new projects are being considered for inclusion in the investment budget of the Service.
The good news is that, the Ministry is seriously seeking external resources to upgrade technical schools in Ghana under the educational reform. It is likely that Mafi Kumase Secondary Technical School could benefit from such upgrading exercise under the educational reform.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, would the hon. Minister be very specific on the external source which he is talking about in this regard. Where is that source coming from and what donor organization is he talking about for us to anticipate that within this framework that source will be coming?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, donors are grouped into what we call interest groups. Currently four donors are working to support the Ministry of
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would want to find out from the hon. Minister, knowing very well that quality education does not matter where one is located; and all of our schools need access to quality education -- Concerning Mafi Kumase Secondary Technical, like any other school which has been on the touchline for all this time, what interim arrangement would the hon. Minister come up with as a stop-gap measure for arresting the deterioration in such schools before the eventual rehabilitation anticipated from the donor agencies?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of the current state of the Mafi Kumase Secondary Technical School. If the situation is that bad as is being portrayed by the hon. Member then I would strongly recommend that he brings this to my attention in the form of a letter and to the attention of the District Assembly as well, so that together we can see what rescue measures we could take before we get to this donor-driven part of the programme. This is because, certainly, that would take a minimum of two to three years.
Mr. J. K. Gidisu 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I just want to tell the hon. Minister that the
situation is really very deplorable, and as he has given the indication, I will soon come up with such a request through the District Assembly.
Nana Brentu Secondary/ Technical School
Q. 57. Mr. Samuel K. Adu-Gyamfi asked the Minister for Education and Sports if Nana Brentu Secondary/ Technical School at Enchi was among those second cycle schools to be upgraded to the status of the well endowed schools and if so, when would work start.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Nana Brentu Secondary/Technical School in the Aowin-Suaman District of the Western Region is one of the schools selected for upgrading under the Senior Secondary School programme, that is one of the original 110 schools before the district were changed.
Under the programme, one school in each district of the country is to be upgraded to improve and expand facilities in second cycle schools in order to address the imbalances in the provision of facilities in schools. Thirty-one (31) schools are being upgraded under the first phase of this programme. The second phase involving twenty-five schools has commenced with the procurement of supervising consultants and the conduct of needs assessment. In fact, the tender for these 25 schools was opened last Tuesday.
Mr. Speaker, Nana Brentu Secondary/ Technical School has been earmarked for the third phase of the programme which is expected to start as soon as work on the first phase is completed; and that is likely to be done by December this year. In this regard, funds are being sought from external sources to support the implementation of the third and the remaining first phases of the programme.
Mr. Adu-Gyamfi 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, do I take it that the hon. Minister is assuring
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my Answer said exactly that, that the secondary school is captured in the third programme but the third programme would not commence until the first programme is completed; and I did also say that the first programme is likely to be completed by December this year. So his chances are quite bright and reasonably close.
Mr. Adu-Gyamfi 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister what interim measures his Ministry is putting in place to support the school before the programme starts.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of any measure being put into place to support the school before the programme starts. We must be lucky that the school is among the 110 selected schools out of 476 secondary schools in the country, and therefore he should wait for his turn for the upgrading.
Mr. S. M. E. K. Ackah 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister is telling us that the first phase of 31 schools is yet to be completed, and yet we have started a second phase for 25 schools; and at the concluding end of his Answer he is saying “external sources to support the implementation of the third and the remaining first phases of the programme is being sought for”. Mr. Speaker, what prevents the Ministry from completing the first phase with whatever resources are at hand instead of starting the second phase before going to source from some external sources to complete the first one?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, basically we have a responsibility to now do 138 modern secondary schools in the country. We started with 31 from HIPC

and GETFund resources. Luckily for the Government the African Development Bank agreed to provide support for the upgrading and this House approved a credit line of the ADB for 25 schools, which was different from the original 31 selected schools; that is why there is this -- We had a completely different funding arrangement and we are, in fact, doing the same for the others.

We would not wait if we could get sources of funding from, say, JICA or Germany for the others; we would not wait until we complete the first phase before we continue as long as our sources of funding are not the same source. Therefore, we can handle them pari pasu and that is what we are doing. And because the first one was started with GETFund and HIPC resources, naturally, there is the need to beef it up and that is why we are seeking additional resources to push it through. So we are looking for money to make sure that all the 138 have commitment in funding.
Mr. J. K. Avedzi 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister if it would be possible for him to provide hon. Members with the list of all the schools that have been selected for the upgrading.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, if hon. Members so desire. This list was approved last year by Cabinet and we are all aware of it. If it is something that should be made public -- There is nothing confidential about the list and I think I would not hesitate if that is the request of my hon. Colleagues because they were selected before I got onto the scene and we do not intend to make any changes to it because it has been approved by Cabinet. If they so desire, it would be made available to everybody so we need a formal request on the matter.
Ashaiman Model Secondary School Project
Q. 66. Mr. Alfred Kwame Agbesi
asked the Minister for Education and Sports when work on the Ashaiman Model Secondary School Project will commence.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:10 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the first phase of the upgrading programme which is ongoing involves thirty-one (31) schools whilst the second phase involving twenty-five (25) schools has just started with the procurement of supervising consultants and the conduct of needs assessment.
Ashaiman Model Secondary School has been earmarked for the third phase of the programme which will commence as soon as funds which are being sourced from external and other sources are secured.
Mr. Agbesi 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I want to know from the hon. Minister -- It is being said that the Ashaiman Model School Project has been shifted to Tema Manhean and the Chairman of the Board of the Tema Manhean Secondary School, in inaugurating the Board, announced that that is the only model school for Tema. I want to know whether this is true.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not aware of this change. The list I have of the original 110 schools includes Ashaiman Secondary School.
Mr. Agbesi 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, again, Ashaiman is in Tema, which is a municipality. I want to know whether municipalities and metropolitan areas are given more than one school to be upgraded. This is because one school in Manhean is being upgraded to that status, so I want to know whether municipalities have the chance to have two or three --
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, we are talking about one school per district. I think districts are so well defined and

therefore it is like that. So Ashaiman and Manhean all belong to the Tema municipality, obviously, at a glance the choice will only be one but if a case is made strongly for something then it is a different thing. But as far as I am concerned, there is one district and we should consider it as such.
Mr. Agbesi 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, Tema Development Corporation (TDC) has granted 12.1 acres of land for Ashaiman and this site has already been prepared, and letters have been written to the school to that effect. But if the hon. Minister is saying that there is one in Tema Manhean, which is a model school, my question to him is whether a municipality is entitled to more than one. If not, then it means that he is telling me that what is in Tema Manhean is the only one that we are going to have in Tema; and Ashaiman will not be included. I want a clarification from the hon. Minister.
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon. Member, please repeat your question.
Mr. Agbesi 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my question is, are municipalities allowed more than one model school? Ashaiman is in Tema Municipality which has five constituencies; Tema Manhean is one of the five and it has a model school. Ashaiman has been upgraded, land has been procured but that has been done in Tema Manhean so I want to know from the Minister whether as a municipality we would get more than one so that the Ashaiman he is talking about would be assured that they would get their model school.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, to clear the matter I want to read the definition of the District Assembly as contained in the Constitution. District Assembly includes a Metropolitan and a Municipal Assembly. So if you talk about a district, it is a district, so it should be one. It is as simple as that.
Mr. Agbesi 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I know the difference between a municipality and a district. The hon. Minister is saying that a model school is for a district -- one school in a district -- Ashaiman is in a municipality, so what is the status of Ashaiman regarding this model school? That is what I want to know.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, as I said, there is one school per district and a district is defined to include the municipal and the metropolitan as an entity; so there will be one per municipality and one per metropolitan. So that is why I am saying if Ashaiman is selected as the beneficiary for the Tema Municipality, then it is Ashaiman that is chosen and as far as I am concerned it is Ashaiman that is on the list. But the hon. Member of Parliament appears to know about this matter more than I do by mentioning another school that I am not aware is on the list. We have the master list at the Ministry of Education and Sports.
Mr. F. A. Agbotse 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, from the questions so far, it looks like Members of Parliament are not aware when schools selected in their constituencies would benefit. Is it possible for the hon. Minister to give the list and the phases of the schools to Members of Parliament so they would know when their schools would be tackled?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would be surprised at any Member of Parliament who is not aware of this. Mr. Speaker, this was a district function, the District Directors of Education together with the Regional Directors and the various District Assemblies made the recommendations and the selections; and every Member of Parliament in charge of his district should know the school that was selected in his district.
Therefore, if they contact their districts they would be aware of the school that was chosen by the district. It was not chosen by anybody; it was chosen by the specific districts, and therefore, I want my hon. Friend to go back and find out from
his district which school was chosen to become a model secondary school. If he cannot and he wants me to help him, he can come over and I will certainly let him know.
Mr. Agbotse 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, for example, in my district two schools were given letters by the Ministry of Education and Sports - Tsito and Kpedze. Now what I am asking is when and at what time would they be tackled; where would they start the construction? I know now it is Tsito, from the explanation given me personally by the former Minister. So when would Tsito be tackled?
Mr. Speaker 11:20 a.m.
Hon. Member for Ho West, you are asking questions which are not related to this. Kindly come properly.
Mr. Agbotse 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the first question I asked is that - there have been several questions by Members of Parliament. Today alone he is answering so many questions on this. My question is that, with these questions, will it not be possible for the hon. Minister to give us the phases in which the various schools are? That is my question.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, he started first by asking me to confirm whether it is Tsito or -- And that obviously should come in a separate Question; that was my point. I needed notice because I could not tell him here. And as I answered an hon. Colleague, if it is the wish of the House that the list of the 110 or the 138 schools be made known, why not?
Commencement of Work on the Ashaiman Sport Stadium Project
Q. 67. Mr. Alfred Kwame Agbesi asked the Minister for Education and Sports when work will commence on the Ashaiman Sports Stadium project so as to prevent trespassers to the land.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:20 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, one of the major problems that confront sports development in Ghana is the
encroachment of lands earmarked for sports infrastructure development. Many cities including Accra have suffered from this. As a step towards curtailing this problem, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, as it was then called in 2004, started chain link fencing of playingfields across the country. The fencing of playing- fields continues this year. Last week, I received a report that the Aboadze playingfield in the Shama Ahanta district has been completed.
In Tema, apart from the main Tema Stadium, three other satelline stadia in Tema New Town, Tema Community 4 and Ashaiman were also fenced to minimize enchroachment.
Mr. Speaker, Ashaiman is a community under the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA). In line with the decentralization policy, the local authority (TMA) is to provide, maintain and manage sports facilities in the various communities under its jurisdiction as part of its development programmes. The Ministry has been informed by the Tema Municipal Assembly (TMA) that comprehensive architectural drawings are being prepared for the Ashaiman stadium, which will be ready by the end of August 2005, that is the drawings for the stadium. I am sure the hon. MP is already aware.
Although it is the responsibility of TMA to develop the Ashaiman stadium, the Sports for Development Policy of the Ministry of Education and Sports enjoin us to provide technical and financial support to any district that takes the initiative to develop local community playingfields; and they are prepared to support Ashaiman.
I wish to take this opportunity to appeal to all local authorities to take up the challenge and develop the playingfields especially those that have already been fenced. Once you start the development
of a community playingfield, you can always count on my Ministry's financial and technical support. So we are ready to support Ashaiman.
Mr. Agbesi 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. Minister very much that he is going to support Ashaiman. I will invite him to Ashaiman very soon. I want to know from the hon. Minister whether he will consider chain link fencing for the stadium site so that encroachers will be warded off in the meantime.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am not clear with the question.
Mr. Agbesi 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister said that in the year 2004, they started chain link fencing of some playing- fields as a way to prevent encroachment. And I want to know whether he will consider doing the same thing for the stadium site so that encroachers will be warded off.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:30 a.m.
Yes, certainly, because now we know that in areas like Ashaiman, areas where land is being sought after very seriously, if you do not fence the sites you will lose the whole thing after five years. So as a policy, certainly, we have to do something to save the sites, otherwise after two years there will be no site for sports development. So the answer is positively yes.
Mr. Agbesi 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my last question to the hon. Minister is that the encroachers have built on the site -- buildings are on the site. What step will he take to get these people out?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the site was earmarked for sports development by the Tema Municipal Authority (TMA), they are the owners of the land and the Ministry is to provide certain technical and financial assistance for development. So if people have encroached on the land, TMA has the prime responsibility to either get
Mr. Albert Abongo 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I am confused as to what the situation is because in the hon. Minister's Answer in paragraph 2, he said that in Tema, apart from the main Tema stadium, three other satellite stadia in Tema New Town, Tema Community 4 and Ashaiman were also fenced. And the hon. Member who just asked the question did not catch what he said and so he asked to find out if he was going to consider these other stadia for link chain fencing, and he has come back to say that those stadia will also be considered. So which is the right answer?
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Member, ask your question.
Mr. Abongo 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to find out from the hon. Minister the correct state of affairs if indeed the area has been fenced or the area is yet to be fenced.
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, my information is that this four Tema stadia have been fenced.
Mr. S. A. Kwao 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. Minister said in his answer that his assistance, that is financial and technical support, will go to the districts that takes initiative. What about districts that cannot take their own initiative? What is he doing as a Minister to sensitize them to take the initiative?
Mr. osafo-Maafo 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, fortunately, hon. Members of Parliament are members of their respective District Assemblies. So if the district has a problem of taking the initiative then hon. Members should assist such districts to take the initiative because we can only come in when they have acquired sites or when they have done certain things and we cannot take the initiative for the districts. It is a decentralized function and since we are members of our districts I will strongly
recommend that where initiatives have not been taken, we should prompt them, we should assist them to take the initiative.
Mr. Speaker 11:30 a.m.
Hon. Minister for Education and Sports, thank you very much for appearing to respond to these Questions. You are hereby discharged.
Hon. Members, we will take another Statement; and this is by the hon. Member for Nkawkaw.
STATEMENTS 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Kwabena Adusa Okerchiri (NPP — Nkawkaw) 11:30 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, in the early hours of Thursday, 7 July 2005, the world woke up to the deadful events of separate bomb explosions in the underground tube stations at King's Cross, Euston, and Liverpool Street, all of London, and an additional bomb explosion in a double- decker bus in the same neighbourhood.
The city of London, in a state of perplexity and anguish, is still counting the exact number of fatalities, but as at now, the figures stand at 52 dead and over-400 having sustained various degrees of injuries.
Mr. Speaker, once again, the world has witnessed another grim experience of a dastardly and barbaric strike by agents of terrorism where sole agenda is to use fear and shock and loss of confidence as a means of publicizing and drawing attention to their aims and objectives.
This blow is an act that deserves total and unreserved condemnation by all well- meaning peoples around the world not so much because of the fatalities involved, but more so because we cannot tolerate a scenario where the weapons or fear are used as means to justify or advertise a cause. Apostles of politics or intimidation should never be allowed to subjugate and subvert the politics of persuation.
For us in Ghana and Africa in general, this terrible bestial act of inhumanity was calculated not just to confuse the G-8 Leaders Summit in Scotland, but also to let the world know that they, the terrorists, are no friends of Africa, that they could not be bothered about the plight of Africa, that whether the G-8 leaders are thinking of Africa or not is not their business. The unequivocal message from the terrorists in their bombings in London to African leaders is that they are not our friends. They are not concerned with our suffering and care less about efforts to reduce our poverty.
For these lessons, Mr. Speaker, we in Africa particular should condemn the bombing with all the vehemence that we can command.
Terrorism is not limited to any particular nation at this time -- We are all at risk, and we are all in danger.
Mr. Speaker, it is important for this House to express its deepest and sincere condolences to all the bereaved families, and those injured must be wished a speedy recovery. It is important to know that this act of these terrorists has nothing to do with any religion nor is it, as has been said often and often, a class of civilization. It is simply a question of people who do not appreciate using the power of logic and for whom all that is understood is the logic of force.
Mr. Speaker, as I earlier on said, we will urge this House, as it were, and Ghanaians and the people of the world over to condemn in no uncertain terms this dastardly act.
Mr. J. D. Mahama (NDC - Bole/ Bamboi) 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with this Statement and to congratulate my hon. Chairman of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs for making it. It cannot have come at the right time.
Mr. Speaker, all right-thinking people must condemn the vicious bombings that took place in London last week. Mr. Speaker, the timing of these bombings cannot be lost on anyone. It is clear that these bombings were deliberately and carefully planned to coincide with the G-8 Summit that was being held in Gleneagles.
Mr. Speaker, aside from that, if you remember, eight concerts had been held on eight continents led by Bob Geldolf, that is the Live 8 Concert to drum up support for the problems of Africa. Apart from that, just that week London had been selected as the host city for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Mr. Speaker, a bombing coming at this critical time was definitely meant to coincide with the G-8 Summit, curtail the celebrations of London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics and also snap out the message that the Live 8 Concerts were sending across the world. Mr. Speaker, in effect, what the incident did was to truncate Africa's day in the sun. In the build-up to the G-8 Summit, a lot of focus had begun to shine on Africa; the world's attention was on Africa. There was the huge successful demonstration that said “Make Poverty History” of which Africa's situation was a central plank.
Mr. Speaker, as soon as the bombings took place, the attention of the world media shifted from all these positive developments and focused on the bombings and the effects that they had had on London. Mr. Speaker, this was an unfortunate blow to Africa.
Indeed, the bombings had a certain effect. The chief advocate for Africa, who has been doing a very great job -- Prime Minister Tony Blair -- in terms of focusing the attention of his colleague Presidents in the G-8 on Africa, had to leave the Summit and rush back home to attend to those local problems that had arisen. Mr. Speaker, while one can say
Mr. J. D. Mahama (NDC - Bole/ Bamboi) 11:40 a.m.
that the conference was successful and that Africa came out with very good outcomes, I would have thought that Prime Minister Tony Blair remaining continuously in that Summit would probably have gained us more than we came away with.

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. A. Osei-Agyei): Mr. Speaker, on a point of order. The main issue of the Statement has got nothing to do with the outcome of the G-8 Meeting. The Statement was condemning terrorism so I could say that my hon. Friend should address that issue first. At the appropriate time, we would bring to the House the outcome of the meeting so that he can have time to come back, whether it is enough or not enough. So I would restrict him to the Statement made and nothing further.
Mr. Mahama 11:40 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I did not know that my hon. Friend was beginning to adopt your powers. He is talking of restricting me to commenting on only terrorism. Mr. Speaker, all I am saying is that we went with a very strong agenda on Africa to the G-8, but unfortunately the coincidence of these bombings with the G-8 diverted attention from the Summit, and I said probably, some of the outcomes we came up with we would have gotten more if these bombings had not taken place; that is all I am saying.
Mr. Speaker, random violence that
leads to the death of innocent persons can never be said to be in support of the divine cause, because we know that the Almighty God who we all serve is against killings and violence. One of the Ten Command- ments says, “Thou shall not kill”. It is one of the strong Commandments that the Creator has given us.
Mr. Speaker, the London bombings gave a signal that the whole world must join together to fight against terrorism. In this regard, we must not act unilaterally, as has been happening in the past several years where a few countries take it upon themselves to lead the fight against terrorism. I think that we must create a platform using the United Nations, which is a forum of all countries in this world. Let the United Nations lead the fight against terrorism so that it does not become the unilateral responsibility of one country or just a few countries.
Mr. Speaker, finally I wish to say that these things do not exist in isolation. It would appear that the current turmoils in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in Palestine are some of the things that are fuelling these acts of terrorism. Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I would like to add that we must come together as a world and find a comprehensive solution to these three questions, that is the Palestinian question, the Afghan question and the Iraqi question.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that it is only when we bring peace to these parts of the world that we shall see an abatement in the level of terrorism that we are beginning to see in this world today.
Mr. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (NPP -- Suame) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and supported by his able - [Interruptions] - Foreign Affairs Committee. They themselves have given it a new designation and I thought that the
hon. Minority Leader would care to know.
Mr. Speaker, yes, indeed, this world in pursuit of justice must try to address relevant issues germane to hot spots in the world. But I believe that hot spots in the world are not limited to the three areas the hon. Member for Bole-Bamboi isolated and addressed. In Africa, we have a very serious issue on our hands in respect of the Darfur crisis. Mr. Speaker, these notwithstanding, the point being made is that they provide no justification whatsoever for anybody to attempt to advertise that cause or attempt to address the issue pertaining to those conflict areas by resorting to violence. I believe that is the point that was made by the maker of the Statement.
The hon. Member for Bole-Bamboi related it to the three incidents that were about culminating in London -- that is the G-8 Summit in Gleneagles, the fact that London had won the bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games and efforts to make poverty history which was being led by the renowned singer and musician Bob Geldolf. Mr. Speaker, sports is intended to unite people of all races regardless of whatever background persons are coming from; it is intended to unite people of all classes. That sports should be politicized, Mr. Speaker, has been condemned time and time over, and if the intendment of the bombings was to curtail the celebrations of the Londoners, Mr. Speaker, it was an unfortunate episode.

Mr. Speaker, again, as has been said, the principal issue before the G-8 Summit was debt cancellation and the cause was being properly advertised by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Tony Blair. Mr. Speaker, the bombing episode epitomized in the countenance of the

Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair perfectly. Only 24 hours earlier, he was hilarious, he was at his persuasive best trying to woo his contemporaries, his peers to support debt cancellation for Africa and indeed for the third world. Twenty-four hours later, Mr. Speaker, he was a shaken person and one could observe a Prime Minister who had witnessed tragedy.

Mr. Speaker, this is why I support the maker of the Statement in his forthright declaration that the entire world and indeed those of us in this House should rise up to the occasion and condemn it in no uncertain terms. Because violence, people should know, goes with panic. We should use persuasive skills rather than advertising terrorism and resorting to the instrument of hatred to advertise any cause, whilst sympathizing with the families and friends of people caught in the tragedy.
Mr. F. W. A. B lay (CPP -- Ellembelle) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to also associate myself with the short but very powerful Statement made by the Chairman of the Committee. I believe all right thinking persons throughout the world should rise up against what occurred in London a couple of days ago.
Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of also watching the TV yesterday morning and I saw a Nigerian woman who had lost her son; indeed, I nearly shed some tears for her.
Mr. Speaker, bombings of this nature from terrorists invariably would not be selective. All individuals, from whichever country, especially in London where the place is so cosmopolitan, are at risk from such terrorists. Indeed, I am told that when it happened a lot of Ghanaians bombarded London and elsewhere with telephone calls to find out whether their brothers and sisters or some of their relatives had been victims.
Minister for Women and Children's Affairs (Hajia Alima Mahama) 11:50 a.m.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself with the Statement and to condemn the murderous and dastardly act that occurred on 7th July, 2005. Mr. Speaker, what happened in London had sad repercussions in my constituency, specifically in Nalerigu.
Mr. Speaker, as at now, a mother and wife from Nalerigu cannot be found. The family has been told by the police that there is 90 per cent chance that she is not alive and 10 per cent chance that she is alive. We are praying and hoping that the 10 per cent chance overcomes the ninety per cent chance that she may be found, identified and brought to the family. She is called Mrs. Gladys Wundowa, a daughter of Chito but a wife and mother of Nalerigu. The husband is my uncle, Mr. Emmanuel Bilau Wundowa; they have two children Azuma and zakaria.
Mr. Speaker, I would use this forum to inform my constituents that there is still 10 per cent chance that she is alive and that we should all pray. I call on all hon. Members of this House to pray and hope that they can still find our mother. Indeed, she is my auntie because she is a wife of my uncle.
I also rise to condemn the act. We saw on TV yesterday the Nigerian woman who was crying because her son could not be
Dr. Benjamin Kunbour (NDC -- Lawra-Nandom) noon
Mr. Speaker, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to make a contribution and associate myself with this very important Statement that has been made on the developments in London.
Mr. Speaker, I associate myself with most of the statements my hon. Colleagues have made in relation to this matter. All I can do is to add one or two footnotes that we all need to take on board as we discuss this global phenomenon called terror, which is unleashing itself on the world community.
Mr. Speaker, there are a number of lessons that one learns from the activities of terrorists and there is one major lesson that almost all human-kind needs to learn. That is the division of the world between super powers and non-super powers is beginning to collapse in the face of terror, to such an extent that the most sophisticated democracies, the most sophisticated military and intelligence communities have not found an answer to terror. What we are experiencing basically has always been a situation in which we do a post-effect rationalization of the
activities of terror.
Mr. Speaker, the hon. First Deputy Speaker raised a very significant issue about social injustice; that could actually be one of the factors that accounting for a proliferation of terrorism as a global phenomenon. And I want to associate myself again with the very early warning that Bishop Li Won had given to the world community that there is indeed emerging a spiral of violence as the only mani- festation of violence in our society but that physical violence by itself actually emanates from psychological and social violence; and as long as these are the triggers of violence, it would be responded to in physical ways.
Having said so, Mr. Speaker, I would also want us not to begin drawing the lines of “we” and “them”, giving the impression that some members of the world community are pathological terrorists and that they were born from their mother's wombs to be terrorists. Let us find out the social and political forces that develop them eventually into terrorists. That is the only way we would be dealing with the root causes of terrorism and not the symptoms.
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Akwasi Osei-Adjei): Mr. Speaker, I also would want to associate myself with the Statement made by the hon. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Mr. Speaker, the whole world came to a standstill when this news was broken. His Excellency the President was in London for this Conference at Gleneagles and, in fact, we were all concerned about his well-being in London. But thank God, the President was safe.
Mr. Speaker, the President actually issued a statement to the Queen of the

United Kingdom and I may quote. Mr. Speaker, the President actually said:

“Your Majesty, while preparing in London to attend the G-8 Summit in Gleneagles on Friday, 8th July, I have been saddened and profoundly shocked by the explosives in the London underground system and bus services that have resulted in loss of lives, severe injuries to many and more extensive damage to people.
Mr. J. Y. chireh noon
On a point of order. Mr. Speaker, with your indulgence, I just want to raise the point that he was the one who said we were talking about the bomb blasts. If our revered and excellent President sent a condolence message to the Queen, what has it to do with this Statement which is condemning and raising the issue? He should stick to the condemnation.
Mr. Speaker noon
Deputy Minister, continue.
Mr. osei-Adjei noon
Mr. Speaker, I do not want to -- because it would rather trivialize the whole issue. If I may continue, to quote --
“. . . including how to assist in eradicating poverty in the developing world in order to improve the lives of the most deprived. Ghana is strong in her resolve to join the other nations of the world in confronting and defeating terrorism everywhere”.
Mr. Speaker, as you can see, the Government has issued a statement on this matter condemning terrorism, but there must be a caution here. As somebody said, Mr. Speaker, these acts were not perpe- trated because of religious circumstances or because of race. So we pray that the British authorities should be looking into this matter seriously so that our people in Britain are not picked because of their religion or because of their race or because of the colour of their skin, for that matter. So Mr. Speaker, we condemn outright and we condemn in no uncertain terms what happened in London, United Kingdom.
I must also say, Mr. Speaker, that the lady in question named Gladys, as the hon. Minister said, is missing and we are making every effort to be able to find her. If we do not find her, members of the family of this lady would be informed first of the fact because that is customary; that the deceased family should be informed first before the general population would get to know it.
Again, Mr. Speaker, the Vice President and the Ministers of State have also gone to sign a condolence book and I would urge Members of Parliament to go there and sign the condolence book so that the whole Ghana would be behind the people of United Kingdom.
On this note, Mr. Speaker, I support the Statement made by the hon. Member.
Mr. Speaker noon
At the Commencement of Public Business, item 5, Committee Sitting. Leadership, may I have any indications at this stage?
Mr. owusu-Adjapong noon
Mr. Speaker, we have scheduled very important meetings for the Committee on Finance, Trade and Tourism and I believe some other Members of Parliament would want to be around. I therefore move that this House do now adjourn till tomorrow 10.00 o'clock in the morning.
Mr. J. D. Mahama noon
Mr. Speaker, I beg to second the motion.
Question put and motion agreed to.
ADJoURNMENT
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 12.10 p.m. till 13th July, 2005 at 10.00 a.m.