Accra (Greater Accra) 19 May ?99

A seven-member Dutch parliamentary delegation in the country led by Mrs. Margaretha de Boer, chairperson of the Dutch Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee, today called on the Speaker, Mr Daniel Francis Annan at his office.

The delegation comprises four members of the Dutch Coalition Government and three opposition counterparts.

The visit is to give them an insight into Ghana's parliamentary system of government.

Briefing the team, Mr Justice Annan said Ghana has adopted a system of government, which is partly presidential and partly parliamentary, adding that the two arms of government work in close collaboration.

He told the delegation that it is the constitutional prerogative of the president to nominate persons for ministerial positions but their appointments must have prior approval of parliament.

He said under the constitution, a majority of the ministers must be members of parliament.

The Speaker told the delegation that parliament has the right to censure any minister but said this provision has not been invoked yet.

The House has however had occasions to request ministers to answer questions pertaining to their ministries and make statements on issues of national importance, he said.

Asked whether parliament has information on what the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are doing in Ghana and the relationship between the legislature and the two international financial institutions, Mr Justice

Annan said generally, negotiations are made between the government and the two institutions.

He explained, however, that all financial agreements entered into between the parties must be approved by parliament.

The Speaker said parliament has a non-executive relationship with the IMF and the World Bank and that a Ghanaian parliamentary delegation has had discussions with the IMF on its policies and programmes of assistance to the country.

On the relationship with other parliaments, Mr Justice Annan told the delegation that in spite of linguistic barriers, Ghana's parliament has endeavoured to establish cordial relations with other legislatures, especially those in the West African sub-region.

Ghana is also a member of a number of parliamentary associations, including the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, he said, adding: "we appreciate working together with other parliaments".

Parliament, he said, has hosted an inter-parliamentary seminar for the sub-region aimed at promoting the establishment of an ECOWAS Parliament.

The Speaker said such a legislature would be a useful forum to discuss issues affecting the sub-region.

He proposed the establishment of a Ghana-Dutch Parliamentary Friendship Association and an exchange programme for staff of both legislatures.

He said parliament lacks a number of basic facilities, the most pressing one being a library and an information centre.

Mr M.A. Seidu, Deputy Majority Leader, was impressed with the level of co-operation between Ghana and the Netherlands.

Mr J.H. Mensah, Minority Leader, called for closer relationship between the two countries.

He commended the Dutch government for its assistance to a number of micro-projects in the country, saying such projects have an enormous social impact, especially on rural communities.

He noted that the Dutch have expertise in agriculture and industry and hoped that the Netherlands would continue to lend support to Ghana's efforts in these sectors.

Mrs. de Boer was happy that Ghana has adopted the parliamentary system of government, which she said is an important aspect in democracy.

She expressed the hope that the country's democratic process would flourish.

Accompanying the delegation was Mr Alexander Heldring, the Netherlands ambassador in Ghana.