... Calls for Minister of Energy's Resignation
Accra, June 7, GNA - The decision by Mr Joseph Adda, Minister of Energy to brief Parliament on the current energy situation on Thursday generated serious arguments between the Minority and the Majority sides with the trading of insults between Mr Edward Doe -Adjaho, NDC-Ave Avenor and Mr Adda, with Mr Doe-Adjaho calling the Minister, "the most confused person in the country."
This pitched the two men against each other with Mr Adda also saying that it was such behaviour that resulted in Mr Doe Adjaho's altercation with a policeman, which resulted in the former biting the policemen's ear.
Mr. Doe-Adjaho maintained that the Energy Minister had been "most inconsistent in his explanations on the way forward in resolving the current energy crisis, saying it was his lack of focus which had landed the country in the crisis up until now.
"Mr Speaker, considering what he has said and listening to him I suggest that the Minister must resign."
This raised a lot of concern from the floor with the majority calling on Mr Doe-Adjaho to withdraw the statement and apologise to the Minister. He however, refused, arguing that it was true that Mr Adda was not being straight forward with Parliament or the country as a whole.
When the Deputy Minority Leader stood up his response was that there was nothing wrong with his statement, arguing that, and if it is the word 'confusion' that they disagree with, "I do not know if they would be alright with 'incompetence.'
He however, later withdrew the word 'most'.
The deputy Minority Leader called the Speaker's attention to Mr Adda's claim that he had bitten a policemen's ear and asked him to withdraw the statement since he neither had proof nor was it true. Mr Adda was adamant, claiming that he had read the story in the newspapers during one of the election campaigns in Mr Doe-Adjaho's constituency. This infuriated Mr Doe-Adjaho who said he would use Parliamentary rules to put the Minister, who is also an MP for Navrongo Central, to order.
Upon the intervention of the Speaker and Mr Felix Owusu Adapong, Mr Adda apologised for the comment.
Mr. Doe Adjaho later noted that after Parliament approved the financial statement of 2007 for the country on energy funding, Mr Adda never returned to seek its mandate on how to fund extra needs that had arisen for the sector, describing the attitude as disrespect to the House.
"It is most surprising that so much time has passed but the Minister did not find it worthy to show up and explain things to the House, besides, each time he has smoothing new and different to say," he added. The Volta Rive Authority (VRA) embarked on an elaborate load shedding exercise last August following drastic fall in the water levels in the Akosombo Dam.
Earlier, the Deputy Minority Leader put on record his side's objection to Mr Adda's statement, which ,he said, bordered on a motion that was due to come to the floor of the House tomorrow, Friday June 8, 2007.
"Mr Speaker I wish to crave your indulgence that this statement be deferred since we have a motion on it slated for tomorrow and due to their closeness, I plead that we skip this statement for tomorrow's motion which is also on the same subject."
The Speaker however, allowed the statement to be made. M Adda in his statement said government was on top of the energy crisis and had taken several measures to put the energy crisis to rest within the next four months. 07 June 07