General News of Saturday, 29 October 2005

Source: NDC Germany

?Government Should Withdraw ROPAB? ? Bagbin

The Minority Leader of Parliament, Hon Alban Bagbin has said that the Minority in Parliament will resort to other Legal and Constitutional means to prevent the implementation of the Representation of the People (AMENDMENT) Bill (ROPAB) if the government goes ahead to pass the Bill in Parliament without considering the important legal and Constitutional concerns raised by the Minority group. Speaking at the NDC Annual Symposium over the weekend held in Frankfurt, Germany the Minority Leader stated that the Bill in its current form is flawed, full of legal minefields and impracticable at a huge expense to the Ghanaian tax-payer.

At the Symposium where he was the key Guest Speaker, Hon Bagbin narrated the background of the Bill from the NDC era to the present and explained reasons why the previous government left the Bill in its current state. He was speaking to a mix audience of Ghanaians, Germans and invited institutions amongst which were the German Social Democratic Party (SDP), German NGOs and a section of the media in Germany.

On the issue of corruption he stated that the NPP government is unwilling and unable to curb the menace of corruption in its government and that this is damaging to the confidence which the international community have in the Ghanaian economy. He said that despite the numerous allegations and evidence of corruption the NPP government have found itself incapable of investigating any of the allegations presented to it thus contributing to the weakening structures of the Ghanaian economy and the associated democratic institutions

The symposium which is now an annual feature in the calendar of the German Branch of the NDC is the second since it was first hosted in 2004. Amongst the foreign NDC Branches present were a 3 man-delegation from the Swedish Branch, sympathizers from Switzerland and solidarity messages from the Italian Branch of the NDC.

The First Secretary Consular of the Ghana Embassy in Berlin, Ms Rita Hagan on behalf of the Ambassador, His Excellency Fritz Poku, delivered a goodwill message to the participants, organizers, Speakers and the general Ghanaian public in Germany.

Hon Alban Bagin was accompanied to the Frankfurt Symposium by the MP for Nkwanta South Constituency, Hon. Gershon K.B. Gbediame (NDC).