A Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations says parliament’s failure to do its work is the cause of a power struggle with Cabinet over who should define which international business transactions require parliamentary approval.

A Supreme Court ruling this June revoked the Waterville and Isofoton judgement debts against the state because, their contracts with government did not receive parliamentary approval as required by Article 181.

To forestall any such scenario, parliament has set up a committee to detail what kind of international business deals must come to the House for approval.

In a parallel scenario, cabinet has also gone ahead to do this same work.

The minority in parliament is unhappy over the cabinet decision, setting up a show down over which body is best suited to do this.

Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul says cabinet was hasty. Although he fell short of describing the decision as “undermining parliament," Mr. Nitiwul chose to say, it is an attempt to “influence” the outcome of parliament’s work.

But in response, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, Deputy Minister of Information and Media Relations described the deputy minority leader's argument as "moot". It is “neither here nor there,” he qualified.

Cabinet has the right to make such proposals, the deputy minister noted. He observed, parliament’s “failure” to do its work over the past 20 years has occasioned the supposed power struggle.

“This debate was occasioned because parliament, unfortunately, has failed over the years, to do what was expected…for twenty years”.

He said governments have brokered several international business deals without recourse to parliament. He cited the building of stadia during the African Cup of Nations in 2008.

Cabinet’s proposal has outlined three exemptions under which an international business would not need parliamentary approval.

The Minister of Information and Media Relations, Mahama Ayariga, read out these exemptions.

They are State-owned Enterprises, which do business on a daily basis and, therefore, have the capacity by law, to enter into international transactions.

Subsidiary agreements and work contracts are exempted.

Finally, amendments to an agreement or an addendum are also exempted unless, the amendment relates to a loan facility.

But the deputy minority leader says, cabinet is “missing the point”. The three billion Chinese loan facility is a subsidiary agreement which clearly requires parliamentary approval.

He says Electricity Company of Ghana - an example of a state-owned company, cannot contract a loan and seek public guarantee without parliamentary approval.

But Murtala believes cabinet’s proposal is not final.

It is not going to be pushed down the throat of parliament, and members of the Majority may disagree with it, he says.

He said cabinet and parliament have identified a “genuine concern". In the end, the work has to be done, and cabinet has taken this initiative which parliament can also examine when it comes to the House, he concluded.