Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader
The Minority in Parliament has staged a walkout over objections to the consideration of the C.I. [Constitutional Instrument] 109 that will pave way for the referendum on the creation of new regions.
According to Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, the House cannot debate the approval of the C.I. when MPs do not have copies of the Justice Brobbey Commission of Enquiry report which recommended the creation of the new regions.
The report was eventually approved after the Minority abstained from the debate. This was followed by the walkout of Minority MPs.
The Minority leadership is expected to address the press on the matter later on Friday.
Speaking before the C.I. was considered, Mr. Iddrisu stressed that the Minority was not against the creation of the new regions.
“We certainly cannot be because we support devolution of power, we support decentralization. Indeed, our [National Democratic Congress] manifesto provided for five,” he said.
But he added that MPs needed the report to guide them in the debate on C.I. 109.
“Make a copy of the Justice Brobbey Commission of Enquiry report available to us to guide us. This is a C.I. based on the report. [Without it] You are asking me to go into [a surgery] theatre in darkness.”
The Minority has been consistent its calls for transparency with the Justice Brobbey Commission of Enquiry report.
“It is in the interest of good governance, openness; truthfulness and transparency that the report of the Commission of Inquiry is made public to enable the nation to verify that the constitutional instrument before Parliament is truly reflective of the contents of the commission’s report,” Mr. Iddrisu said last week.
The Justice Brobbey Commission was set up to look into the requests for the creation of new regions and presented its report to the government.
The 19-member Commission, after holding nationwide consultations recommended that the government create the administrative regions to be known as Oti, Ahafo, Brong East, Western North, North East, and Savannah.
The Electoral Commission has already held a limited voter registration in areas the new regions will cover ahead of the referendum.
The Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament has laid its report on the Referendum Regulations earlier this week.
The regulations form part of the legal framework required to support the upcoming referendum in December 2018 for the creation of six new regions.
-Citifmonline