The Member of Parliament of the Ningo-Prampram constituency, Honorable Sam Nartey George has indicated that, the Akufo Addo administration knows nothing about the inception of the processes leading to the construction of the Obetsebi Lamptey interchange.
The Member of Parliament said, the idea for the construction of the interchange was birthed by the NDC administration, during their immediate past tenure in office. He said it was the NDC administration that sourced funds for the project and also saw to the completion of the technical agreement.
He said the NPP administration is only “taking the glory” for the hard work of his party, the NDC.
“When we say a project commences, it is not when they cut the sod. It is when the funding is sourced, it is when the technical agreement is done, and it is when the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract is signed. Akufo Addo knew nothing about the construction of the Obetsebi Lamptey interchange.”
He further stated that, the current parliament also did not work on the processes leading to the construction of the interchange but rather, the sixth parliament that span between 2012 and 2016 did.
“This parliament that I am a member of, the seventh parliament, did not work on the EPC contract. It was worked on by the sixth parliament which is from 2012 to 2016.”
Honorable Nartey added that, it is not the job of a member of parliament to construct roads and other infrastructure in his or her constituency. He said this is because, members of parliament constitutionally, are law makers and not responsible for the construction of social amenities.
He blamed the failure of the central government and the district assemblies for not doing what is required of them, to bring development to the constituencies which have caused members of parliament to being “agents of development” which he says should not be so.
“Chapter 10 of the constitution stipulates that, a Member of Parliament is a legislator… because of the failure of central government and district assemblies to do their core function of development, MPs have become an ancillary agent of development. However, that does not replace our constitutional functions as Members of Parliament.”
More to it, he said the only thing members of parliament can do to help their constituency is to lobby for developmental projects for their constituencies, but not to actually undertake these projects themselves.
The Ningo-Prampram MP made these comments as he spoke to the benefits the people of his constituency stands to gain if he and his party are voted for in this year’s elections. He said he has not been able to do much because the current administration does not take preference in the development of his constituency. He however stated that, if he and his party are given the nod, the people of his constituency and the entire country are going to experience massive development and progress as stated in the party’s 2020 manifesto.
