We will not participate in the laying of L.I. – Deputy Minority Leader
If it passes tomorrow, Thursday, November 30, 2023, the Minority in Parliament has stated that it will not participate in the laying of the Legislative Instrument L.I. on the Export and Import (Restrictions on Importation of Selected Strategic Products) Regulations, 2023.
“We will fight to the bitter end on behalf of the people of Ghana to express our position and the people’s sentiments.”
“Because this is not good for Ghanaians, at least in the short term,” Deputy Minority Leader Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah told the reporters Wednesday. L.I.
He stated that the minority has a responsibility to the Ghanaian people and that “we know how to deal with the people honestly.”
Mr. Buah, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembele, stated that the caucus was battling to prevent the laying because it lacked the numbers to muster a two-thirds majority to overturn it.
“This is the reason why we are sending the alarm bells and doing everything in our power to let the Minister of Trade and Industry, K. T. Hammond, do the right thing,” stated Mr. Hammond.
L. I.
The Legislative Instrument (L.I.) will require importers of 22 restricted commodities, including poultry, rice, sugar, diapers, and animal offals (yemuadie), to get licenses from a government agency.
Consultation
Mr Buah stated that it was critical to hear the pleas of industry actors, such as importers and freight forwarders, who were suffering to pay the multiple levies imposed by the government.
“We do not have the capacity to produce the product you wish to restrict.”
“Rather than this blanket restriction, we should find a way to allow people to add value to their products and gradually, we will get there,” he went on to say.
The Deputy Majority Leader criticized the minister’s statement that if people were dissatisfied, they may go to court.
“Because if you’re a businessman, your company will have failed by the time you finish going to court.”
He claimed that the L.I. in its existing form and design would give the minister far too much influence over who imported what.
“This will lead to corruption, as happened in Ghana many years ago,” he went on to say.
Speaker
The Speaker had previously proposed laying the L.I. on Wednesday following consultation, but the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, said a day’s consultation would not be sufficient to reach an acceptable accord.
Instead, he proposed Thursday, and the Speaker agreed.
Table of Contents
About Author
