A disagreement between Majority and Minority members of Parliament over parts of the National Youth Employment Agency Bill may impede the passage of the Bill.
The Bill which seeks to give legal backing to the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA) is in line with a promise by President John Mahama to provide proper oversight and efficiency in the management of the Agency.
[contextly_sidebar id=”oh2IisCkW2IhiPXjAlzchwzdNaXgNfVn”]The GYEEDA programme has been widely criticized following allegations of misappropriation of funds by former management of the Agency.
Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) during a discussion on the Bill in Parliament on Monday accused the Majority of smuggling into Parliament the GYEEDA bill.
They claim the report does not reflect deliberations of the joint committee that scrutinized the Bill.
Deputy Minority Leader, Dominic Nitiwul argued that some of the provisions including in the bill has not been seen by the ranking member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, Isaac Asiamah.
“Mr speaker I just want to state that the passage of bills and reports coming to this house and the ranking members have not seen them and only seen them here must cease. He [Isaac Asiamah] has just looked at the conclusion and he hasn’t been able to read the whole bill and he thinks the conclusion does not capture what they minority agreed,” he said.
He insisted that “This particular practice must stop because the report is a report by Parliament, not a report of either majority or minority. If it doesn’t stop then it will not be the report of Parliament.”
For his part, the Deputy Majority Leader, Alfred Agbeshie, refuted the claims adding that “there had not been any instance that the majority has forced a report on the minority. Any report that comes to this house is discussed at the committee level and the report is brought to the house.”
“So to say that, that practice must stop, which practice? It is not best to say that that practice must stop. You brought the matter to a close, we agreed and if there is any difference it can be ironed between the chairman and the ranking, that one we agree to that position,” he added.
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By: Godwin Allotey Akweiteh/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin