Geshon Gbediame: Parliament could have done better

The Member of Parliament for Nkwanta South in the Volta Region, Mr Geshon Gbediame, has stated that Parliament could have done better in its deliberation so far.

He explained that most of the things Parliament dealt with had to emanate from the ministries and conceded that the ministries were not functioning properly at the beginning of the year due to the 2012 Presidential election petition.

“Parliament’s work was hampered even though the House tried as much as possible to raise and discuss some pertinent issues concerning the welfare of the people,” he said.

Mr Gbediame, who was the Majority Chief Whip in the Fifth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, said the expectation of MPs in connection with their office accommodation had not been met since the beginning of the year.

“We were expecting that as of now we should have had our offices with the full complement of officials to facilitate our work,” he stated, and called for action to be expedited on the renovation of the Job 600 edifice to facilitate the work of the MP.

“MPs are now tired of using car boots as offices. Throughout the years we have been promised the facility to no avail,” he said.

Mr Gbediame also stated that the delay in the release of MPs share of the common fund and other statutory funds had made it difficult for them to make some little development interventions to improve the lives of their constituents since the beginning of the year.

He was, however, happy that the constituency offices promised by President Mills were beginning to become a reality.

“In my constituency for instance, the contractor has started the foundation work and if that is completed, it is going to facilitate my work by ensuring that I am linked with my constituents while I go about my parliamentary duties in Accra.”

“Now that things are being put in place, I am sure that next year by this time we will have had a good story to tell,” he stated.

Concerning roads in his constituency, Mr Gbediame said he could say with great relief that work on the Nkwanta- Dodi-Pepesu portion of the eastern corridor road was progressing.

Previously, trucks carting yams from the northern parts of the country got stuck for days on that portion of the road during the rainy season but now that work on the road is progressing, that phenomenon is becoming a thing of the past.

Mr Gbediame said he had contacted the Ghana Investment Promotion Council and a number of investors had expressed their interest in going to the area to cultivate cassava on a large scale. The products, according to him, would be used for production of ethanol, cassava powder and also cassava chips for export.

He said it was expected that apart from the involvement of companies in the cultivation of cassava on a large scale , smallholder farmers would be empowered to increase their yields through outgrower schemes to improve the economy of the area.

The MP added that already the economy of the area was picking up because of the road construction which had caused a number of trucks from the north to divert to ply the route.

Source Ghana Soccer News

Geshon Gbediame: Parliament could have done better