14th November 2023 7:42:55 AM
2 mins readThe First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has joined other legislators in endorsing Parliament's choice to conduct the annual post-budget workshop outside of Accra. This decision, despite suggestions to hold it within Parliament to reduce costs, has gained support from Osei-Owusu. The Bekwai lawmaker justified this stance by stating that the House lacks the necessary logistics to host the workshop event.
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“We’ve tried it [post-budget workshop] once here [Parliament], it wasn’t effective. We have only one hall but during the workshop, there will be multiple presenters doing different things, so the practicality will not be effective.
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”This statement was made during an interview on JoyNews' PM Express, where the host, Evans Mensah, expressed the opinion that Parliament might be hesitant to host the event within the House due to a preference for the "comfort of hotels." Osei-Owusu made his remarks in response to this perspective.
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In response, the First Deputy Speaker strongly refuted the idea, underscoring that the selection of the venue is guided by a sense of duty rather than a desire for comfort.He said, “No hotel is as comfortable as my home. I’ve traveled around the world and no hotel I have stayed in is as comfortable as my home.
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”The First Deputy Speaker, who entered parliament in 2009 and possesses considerable domestic and global experience, conveyed his reluctance to undertake travel, be it for business or conferences. He emphasized that this stance is not a matter of personal preference but a responsibility inherent in the responsibilities of the role.
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“We don’t do it because of comfort, we don’t do it because we want to, we do it because it is a responsibility.”His stance on the location of the yearly workshop follows a request from Buem MP, Kofi Adams, urging for this year's post-budget workshop to take place in Parliament House in Accra.
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The NDC MP referenced the current economic challenges and appealed to the House leadership to reconsider, advocating for holding the workshop in Parliament to cut costs. However, the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, rejected his plea.He believes the request is opportunistic and seeks to put Parliament in a bad light adding that “This is a decision of the committee, it is not about leaders being insensitive.
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”Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has rejected the use of hotels for the post-budget workshop this year, citing the current financial challenges facing the country.
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