The Member of Parliament for South Dayi in the Volta Region, Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor, has strongly criticized the government’s inability to effectively prioritize its legislative agenda in Parliament.
He emphasized that the government remains “in power” de jure but lacks the practical capacity to deliver on its responsibilities.
He suggested that this struggle stems from the government’s inability to efficiently manage its business, pointing to delays and repeated recalls of Parliament to handle pending matters.
The MP provided a detailed account of how parliamentary sessions have been disrupted due to the government’s failure to prioritize its business.
He recalled key moments in the year when Parliament adjourned without meaningful progress on critical matters.
“On 35, we rose, from the mid-year on 30th July. Then they brought a request for recall on the next day. If you recall that vitriolic letter to the speaker. All these businesses that they listed were listed as urgent government businesses for the recall. When we came on September 3rd, I believe so, these were businesses we ought to have done in September. They walked out on their own business.”
Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor MP for South Dayi
He further noted that the delay led to frequent recalls of Parliament, with minimal productivity achieved.
“The day after we approved the $250 million loan for them, the next day, they walked out. So, the house had to adjourn sine dine.”
Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor MP for South Dayi
The MP lamented the cyclical nature of these disruptions, where Parliament is repeatedly recalled only to face a backlog of unfinished work.
One of the major issues raised by Hon. Dafeamekpor was the government’s presentation of extensive tax waivers. He stated;
“The tax waivers, the actual figure is $335 million. For instance, Sentuo Oil Refinery is about $169 million. That’s the Chinese one. So, you can say, okay, we told the 44 companies that are to benefit, we want to select two or three, including Sentuo so you handle it for us.”
Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor MP for South Dayi
He argued that such prioritization would streamline the process and reduce the workload on Parliament, making it easier to focus on key legislative matters.
Hon. Dafeamekpor criticized the government for presenting an unrealistic volume of business within a short period. He emphasized;
“Out of the 10 bills they have to establish some universities, because they have to go through some rigorous process, we will leave like four. So, [parliament] handle five for us. You need to whittle down the business to meet the [expectation]. But if you want to hold all these heavy businessese, all these new businesses to be handled in a matter of one week by the house, no.”
Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor MP for South Dayi
He particularly highlighted the Free SHS Bill, which spans over 150 pages, noting that stakeholders have not been adequately consulted.
Speaker’s Call for Reprioritization
The South Dayi MP reiterated the Speaker of Parliament’s call for the government to reprioritize its agenda to match the available time and resources.
“Even before we came back, I said, look, leader, reconsider the business. They are too heavy. He told me they will look at it.”
Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor MP for South Dayi
He insisted that no opposition existed on that matter, he accused the Majority Leader. He accused;
“Nobody is opposed to the presentation of the paper on the supplementary appropriation at all. He is just being mischievous – as for that paper, it ought to be laid. It ought to be worked on. There was no controversy.”
Hon. Rockson-Nelson Etse Kwami Dafeamekpor MP for South Dayi
He called on the Majority Leader to focus on the real issues, specifically the overwhelming number of tax waivers and bills, which Parliament cannot adequately address within the limited time frame.
In his remarks, Hon. Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor emphasized the need for the government to properly prioritize its business and avoid overloading Parliament with an unmanageable agenda. He argued that the current administration’s struggles reflect a broader lack of control despite being in power.
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