It is emerged that some leading members of the Minority in Parliament gave their full blessing to the controversial rural electrification project awarded to Chinese firm China Hunan Construction Engineering Group.
This is contrary to the assertion by some NPP MPs that rejected it because the contract sum was overpriced to the tune of $22.7 million. This was after Crown Agents Ghana Limited conducted Value for Money Assessment and slashed the figure by $9 million after series of negotiations between Ghana Government and China Hunan Construction Engineering Group. The original contract sum was $92million.
Barely twenty-four hours after the deal was approved by Parliament some Minority Members went public accusing government of corruption and demanded an immediate review.
They cited the involvement of the “famous” Smarttys Management and Productions Limited in the deal as a reason for their suspicion because of the company’s involvement in the bus rebranding scandal.
Former Deputy Finance Minister and MP for Old Tafo Dr. Anthony Osei Akoto argued that government should not pretend there is no issue with the contract. He added that it should have resisted Smarttys’ involvement in the deal since the company has been involved in an overpriced project.
He said any company found to have been involved in a questionable deal with the government should be blacklisted in future deals and this should have been applied in this case.
It is against this backdrop that the Minority is calling on the House to take a second look at the commercial agreement.
Government through the Deputy Power Minister, John Jinapor, came out to dismiss the allegations and indicated that it hadn’t entered into another deal with Smarttys Management and Productions Limited but rather with China Hunan Construction Engineering Group.
He said it found it difficult to appreciate why the minority was painting a picture of their disapproval of the transaction when in actual sense the commercial agreement for the contract was approved unanimously by all Members of Parliament. He explained that the rural electrification deal had been pending for the past two years before Smarttys was involved in the overpriced Metro Mass bus rebranding scandal.
A 23rd December Parliamentary Hansard gives credence to the assertion by the Deputy Power Minister.
In that hansard, Dr. Osei Akoto, said “even though the [Parliamentary] Select Committee has not had the chance to look at it, having read the report I am comfortable that the government negotiators have done their job but the Select Committee can pronounce that…on that basis I think that having spent two years negotiating and it being brought before us I second the motion”.
The Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu also commended the government for a good job and that he seconded the motion for the bill to be passed. He said, “Mr Speaker, I have just two observations. The first relates to the value for money audit that we are told the Crown Agents were contracted to do; and the Committee indicates to the House that as far as they are concerned the due diligence done by the Crown Agents is good. That they were able to make savings in the region of about $9million dollars. Mr. Speaker that indeed is commendable”.
Some Commentators find it sickening and have wondered why the Minority have been blowing hot and cold on the matter. They say one thing in the comfort of Parliament and then turn round to say something else when they step outside of the House. They have expressed concern and condemned what they described as the chameleon-like attitude of the Minority when dealing with important national issues. Slowly, the Minority Caucus is chipping away the credibility and reliability of Parliament, one of the important pillars of democracy. Hon. Akoto-Osei has been exposed!! How will he respond? We await!!!
By Kojo Banfo
