.....without parliamentary approval - MP

The Minority on Wednesday served notice that the over-flogged presidential jet cannot be sold without the involvement and approval of Parliament.

Mr Ken Dzirasah, Second Deputy Speaker and MP for South Tongu, who was contributing to a debate on the President's message on the state of the nation, said it was wrong for one man or any ministerial composition to sell the jet.

He said the purchase of the jet was regularised by Parliament on the strength of Article 181 (3) and (4) and Article 75 (2) sub-clause (a) and (b).

Article 181 deals with raising of loans by the government and Article 75 (2) states: "A treaty, agreement or convention executed by or under the authority of the President shall be subject to ratification by (a) Act of Parliament; or (b) a resolution of Parliament supported by the votes of more than one-half of all the members of Parliament".

Following from this, the MP said it is only Parliament that has the final say on the disposal of the jet.

Mr Dzirasah said it was pathetic for the President to spend about four hours changing planes on official tours and leave urgent business at home unattended.

This brought Mr Ken Ohene Agyapong, NPP Assin North, to his feet on point of order, saying that in the absence of the President, the Vice-President performs the duty of the President and that what Mr Dzirasah was saying was to infer that the Vice-President was not competent.

The Speaker, Mr Peter Ala Adjetey, ruled the member out of order and said that Mr Dzirasah had the right to express his opinion.

Mr Dzirasah said Parliament as a legislative body has investigative and deliberative functions as well and that its deliberations on the President's sessional address was to evolve a policy that would help the ruling government and the nation.

He said that critical aspect was missing in the President's address, which was largely "a chronicle of NDC failures".

"By this means, the President was establishing an alibi for probable inefficiency of his government," Mr Dzirasah said.

"That Ghanaians found it comfortable to go with the increase in fuel prices was that the NPP, by such campaigns, has softened them into believing that the NDC has left a huge debt for them to pay," he said.

Mr Dzirasah said when the NDC wanted to raise fuel prices by 15 per cent last year, the opposition walked out and wondered how such people who are now in government could so soon forget the suffering of Ghanaians and increase fuel prices.

He said the previous government was subsidising fuel at six billion cedis a day and that had contributed to a part of the over-sung 41 trillion cedis debt to the nation.