Debates of 17 Jun 2020

MR SPEAKER
PRAYERS 11:56 a.m.
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS AND THE OFFICIAL REPORT 11:56 a.m.
Mr Speaker 11:56 a.m.
Hon Members, Correction of the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 16th June,
2020.
Page 1…11
Mr Haruna Iddrisu 11:56 a.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Majority Leader and I canvassed very strongly an amendment to clause 22(1) of the Land Bill, 2019, but I do not see it captured here. Mr Speaker, I concede that it was not an advertised amendment, but the Hon Majority Leader and I almost reached a consensus that the words “anything to the contrary” be substituted for “Despite any other provision in any other enactment”. I do not see it
captured, even though I admit that I did not --
Mr Speaker 11:56 a.m.
What was the vote please?
Mr Iddrisu 11:56 a.m.
Mr Speaker, we were to defer a decision on the entire clause, but the Hon Second Deputy Speaker who stood in your stead, said that he would direct the draftspersons to take note of it, and I insisted that even before that, they must have the sense of the House before the direction is given.
Mr Speaker 11:56 a.m.
The argument should be fully captured with the directive that the draftspersons should take note accordingly.
Page 11…17
Hon Members, in the absence of any further correction, the Votes and Proceedings of Tuesday, 16th June, 2020 as corrected, are hereby admitted as the true record of proceedings.
Hon Members, we have the Official Report of Thursday, 28th May, 2020. Any correction therein please?
Mr Speaker 11:56 a.m.
Item listed 3 -- Urgent Question. Hon Minister for Health?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 11:56 a.m.
Mr Speaker, one of the Hon Deputy Ministers for Health has some assignments to perform and the other has given indication that he does not have the brief on the matter.
In the meantime, Mr Speaker, we all know the situation of the substantive Hon Minister. So I would suggest that we reprogramme the Urgent Question to another day after the necessary consultations have been made, and then we know exactly when to have it.
Mr Iddrisu 11:56 a.m.
Mr Speaker, understandably, as the Leader of Government Business has indicated, we know the state of the substantive Hon Minister and therefore, if there is no Hon Deputy Minister available to respond to it, you may accordingly direct sometime next week Tuesday, 23rd June, 2020, and if the Hon Minister is available, he may wish to come to respond to the Question; so it can be deferred.
Mr Speaker 11:56 a.m.
The Clerks-at-the- Table should arrange accordingly. Item listed 4 -- Statements. There is a Statement by the Hon Member for
Krachi Nchumuru on the occasion of International Albinism Awareness Day.
Mr Iddrisu 11:56 a.m.
Mr Speaker, if I may indulge you, I understand the Hon Majisi is almost here, but he is not immediately in the Chamber yet. As you may wish, you can vary the order of Business while we give him five minutes to reach here. [Pause]
Mr Speaker, one of our colleague Hon Members would read the Statement on behalf of Hon John Majisi, if that pleases you.
Mr Speaker 11:56 a.m.
Hon Colleague you may do so.
STATEMENTS 12:06 p.m.
Mr Charles Agbeve (on behalf of Mr John Majisi) (NDC -- Krachi Nchumuru) 12:06 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity given me to make this Statement on the eve of the celebration of the International Albinism Awareness Day. The 13th day of June is International Albinism Awareness Day.
On 8th December, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution establishing 13th
Mr Speaker 12:06 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member, for your wonderful presentation of this Statement. Yes, Hon Member for South Dayi?
Mr Rockson-Nelson E. K. Dafeamekpor (NDC -- South Dayi) 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to say a few words in support of the Statement that has just been delivered on the Floor.
Mr Speaker, albinism is a genetically - inherited condition found in humans. One in every 20,000 persons, worldwide, suffer some form of albinism. The situation as articulated effectively in the Statement is such that there are even some cultures in Africa where albinos, when born, are killed at birth. That is how bad it is.

Mr Speaker, in some societies or communities, even in Ghana, albinos are not made to become chiefs, even though they may be the heir apparent. So it is important that the sufferings of albinos are brought to bear so that in our everyday activities and lives, we would make them understand that they are part of us, and are protected under the human rights that each and every one of us enjoys.

Mr Speaker, in East Africa, there is a whole movement to protect albinos because of the cultural circumstances that they find themselves in. I therefore associate myself wholeheartedly with the Statement

made by the Hon Member for Krachi Nchumuru and urge the Parliament of the Republic of Ghana to come out with laws that would give special protection to albinos.

Mr Speaker, it is not sufficient to say that there are already existing laws that protect them. This is because what they suffer is dark. I therefore think that as a House, we would need to focus specially on albinos and offer them special protection. Even if the House cannot do it, Government must come out with a policy to offer them a special protection since they constitute a special breed of people within the society who are very vulnerable.

Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you for the opportunity.
Dr Sebastian N. Sandaare (NDC -- Daffiama/Bussie/Issa) 12:16 p.m.
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement on the International Albinism Awareness Day.
Mr Speaker, I commend the Hon Member who made the Statement for a good job done on albinism. As he has rightly stated, albinism is just a deficiency in pigmentation. It has to do with a deficiency in melanin, which is what gives us the dark colour.
Therefore they are as normal as we are. As a result of the absence of melanin, the sun causes them to suffer from visual and skin problems. Therefore, there is no need for us to discriminate against people with albinism.
Mr Speaker, you would realise that the peers of children with albinism discriminate against them. Sometimes because of how they look, children tend to run away from their peers who are albinos. Therefore even at their childhood stage, people with albinism suffer discrimination, and it follows through to all the stages of their development, whether male or female and even adulthood.
Mr Speaker, even the ability of albinos to socialise with others becomes a problem, and indeed, there are stories where men with albinism in a way had struggled to even get female partners and vice versa, which is unfortunate. Normally, those who end up even marrying these albino men tend to realise that they are amongst the best of men that a lady can marry. So we should all unite to fight against the discrimination on these individuals.
Mr Speaker, in certain cultures they are either killed or are made to go through all sorts of issues that a human being should not go through.
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member, for your contribution.
Leadership? Is there nothing from the Minority Leadership?
Yes, Hon Majority Leader?
Mr John Majisi (NDC -- Krachi Nchumuru) 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for this opportunity. [Interruption] -- This Statement was supposed to have been made last week.
Mr Speaker, in every year we celebrate the international day of persons with albinism, and this is a very important date for the albinism community as well as people who do not even have any disability.
Mr Speaker, the issue of disability has become a very serious issue in the world, most especially in Ghana, where these people have been
deprived and discriminated against as if they are not part of the world.
Persons with albinism are normal human beings who grow and develop normally, but the lack of melanin gives them a colour that is not ordinary. Many people think that persons with albinism are not normal human beings. There is a myth around persons with disability, where people think that they are evil and cannot do anything as normal human beings.
In view of the discrimination against persons with albinism, the United Nations (UN) has decided that the 13th of June every year should be set aside, so that people can acknowledge the fact that persons with albinism are normal human beings.
Mr Speaker, most at times, I talk about issues on disability. If we look at persons with disability, under normal circumstances, they are people who are as normal as any other person, but because of the lack of understanding of those who do not have any disability, we think that persons with disability should not be part of normal life.
Every community that segregates or discriminates against persons with disability is also not a normal community. So on this day, all I am
saying is that persons with disability must be given the necessary respect, and must be part of the normal community development.
Mr Speaker, persons with disability have this slogan. They say 12:16 p.m.
“Nothing about us without us.” Whatever we do in connection with disability, we would have to ensure that persons with disability are part and parcel of the discussions that would be carried out about them.
Mr Speaker, I have a concept called “COVID-19 albinism”. These people are being segregated and are being killed in certain countries. They think that if persons with albinism are killed, they could be used for juju or in the preparation of certain medicines, which can cure them. That is the way certain people look at them, especially in Tanzania. Therefore in Ghana, we are lucky that we give at least some kind of respect to persons with albinism. I would want to say that this day is a very important day for us to ensure that we accept persons with albinism as part and parcel of normal community development.
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Member, for your contribution.
Yes, Hon Deputy Majority Whip?
Mr Moses Anim (NPP -Trobu) 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Statement made.
12. 26 p. m.
Mr Speaker, “Made to Shine” is a very good theme for a day to celebrate albinos. This is because the Sustainable Development Goal-17 states that we are not to leave anybody behind, and if we are not leaving anybody behind, then albinos are included and whatever we would have to do to ensure that they also shine and also live up to what they are destined to do is done. Mr Speaker, it is just lack of melanin that has created the situation that they have. And it is genetically inherited, and therefore no one can be faulted for becoming an albino. It is just a matter of a parent or two parents having an aspect of that gene and out of creation, people become albinos. Therefore stigmatising them or discriminating against them is not a good thing to do.
Mr Speaker, the skin cancer is one of the diseases that they are prone to,
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Deputy Majority Whip. Hon Majority Leader, where do we go from here?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, we move to the commencement of Public Business from here.
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Very well. Commencement of Public Business; the item listed 5? -- [Pause] --
rose
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Muntaka 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Question that was advertised for answer today, as you may be aware, they would usually write to inform the House about their inability so that the Hon Member would be informed. This was not done and I do not think that is fair to the House and the Hon Member. I know the Hon Minister is not well, but the Ministry does not stop simply because the Hon Minister is not well. There has been instances that the Hon Deputy Minister has been admitted in this House to even give us an update on COVID-19. And there are two Deputy Ministers who are Members of Parliament.
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Hon Member, we have long passed the matter you are seeking to take us back to, so next time, let us do these things timeously.
Alhaji Muntaka 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I was trying to catch your eye —
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Please, we have finished with that matter.
rose
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Hon Majority Leader, please do not respond.
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, no, I am not responding; I am just concurring that we have gone past that and we have responded this adequately. Clearly, my Hon Colleague was not listening when we were talking about this. Mr Speaker, the Hon Minority Leader was there and he even made a statement to that effect before he left. So I do not see why he has to bring us back. - [Interruption] -
Mr Speaker, as I said, we now can migrate to public business.
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Hon Members, can we take item listed 5, 6, 7 or any? If not, what do we do?
Mr Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, the Hon Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration is unavailable and I am told, even though the Reports are ready, he has not signed them so it means that we cannot deal with them. All the accompanying Motions and Resolutions cannot then be taken.
Yesterday we ran into some turbulence with the Land Bill; I had some discussions with the Hon Minister, who unfortunately cannot be with us today because of some other assignments that he has to engage in. The Hon Deputy Minister who was shepherding this Bill is also engaged in a battle of his own so -- [Interruption] --
Mr Speaker, in that regard, I believe we can take an adjournment to resume at 10 o'clock in the forenoon tomorrow.
Mr Speaker 12:16 p.m.
Thank you very much, Hon Majority Leader.
Yes, Hon Minority Chief Whip?
Alhaji Muntaka 12:16 p.m.
Mr Speaker, I beg to second the Motion.
Question put and Motion agreed to.
ADJOURNMENT 12:16 p.m.
  • The House was accordingly adjourned at 12.36 p. m. till Thursday, 18th June, 2020 at 10.00 a. m.