New Parliamentary Chamber: There’s no need for it now- Hon Bedzrah

Member of Parliament for Ho West, Honourable Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah has contended that the house of parliament has no need for a new parliamentary chamber block in the current circumstances.

The legislator who is also a member of Parliament’s Sub Committee on Works and Housing disclosed in an interview on the Jolly Breakfast Show this morning that the decision pertaining to the construction of the proposed 450-seater parliamentary chamber block is yet to be affirmed or otherwise by the house parliament.

“…it has not come to the notice of parliament itself. It is only the Parliamentary Service Commission” he noted.

According to him, speculations around the new facility is premature to conclude that the country’s legislators endorse it.

“Most of us are hearing it for the first time. We [parliament] have diverse views. Others find the existing chamber constricted and that finds a need for a new one. Others also question why we should spend so much in the construction of the chamber when there are other need. All these views from members of parliament that we are discussing among ourselves has not yet come for debate” he stated.

Hon. Bedzrah intimated that it would be unwise to exhaust financial resources for the facility at the expense of other needs in the country.

“But if you ask for my opinion, I will say there’s no need for it now” he emphasised.

He however clarified that, Parliamentary Service Commission had only sought to engage the architect for designs of the building to inform decisions going forward.

Hon. Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah argued further that the financing of the parliamentary chamber must be from a grant given that a loan facility would overwhelm our debt portfolio.

“If the Parliamentary Service Commission wants to construct the chamber it might be they have some money somewhere, which will not be a loan that would be contracted. But if its a loan, it would come to us…it would come to a committee in parliament for the house committee for us to debate…because it is the welfare of members. If its a loan we will have to debate whether to take it or not” Hon Bedzrah intimated.

The construction of a new parliamentary chamber is expected to begin before the end of 2019. Famed architect, David Frank Adjaye, designed the model and at the Friday meeting, he took the parliamentarians through the proposed new chamber.

The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, says the state does not intend to spend more than $200 million on the new 450-seater new parliamentary chamber.