Parliamentarians Want Tightened Security At House

Parliament reconvened yesterday for the third meeting of the first session of the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, with a call on the government to consider the provision of adequate security for Members of Parliament (MPs). The Deputy Majority Leader and MP for Ashaiman, Mr Alfred Kwame Agbesi, who made the call, said, "MPs need security to enable them to work in peace, both in Parliament and in their constituencies". "The time has come for MPs to be provided with armed security escorts as they go about their duties," he stated. His suggestion, however, received mixed reactions from some of his colleagues when the Daily Graphic sought their views on the matter. Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, the MP for Wa West, said the provision of armed escorts for MPs should not be a top priority because of its cost implications. Mr Kofi Okyere-Agyekum, the MP for Fanteakwa South, was, however, of the view that the provision of personal security for MPs was very necessary. He explained that sometimes MPs closed from sitting late in the night and in a situation where they toured remote areas of their constituencies in these days of armed robbery, it was important that they be provided with personal security. "Ministers of State, district chief executives and other government officials have their personal security details and MPs also have to be treated as such," he said, adding that some MPs were currently paying for the services of their private security details. In his welcoming remarks, the Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, expressed the hope that the MPs would continue to give the leadership their maximum co-operation to enable the House to complete its scheduled agenda for the meeting. He touched on plans to reconfigure the Chamber of Parliament and explained that unfortunately, the extensive work demanded that all the procedural procurement requirements were satisfied, hence the delay. Mr Adjaho asked the MPs to brace themselves up for a hectic meeting, which would include the consideration of the Economic Policy Statement and the Financial Statement of the government for 2014. "I, therefore, urge all of you to put in your maximum effort in our quest to discharge our functions as a House effectively and efficiently and thus give hope to our people," he stated. For his part, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, reminded the House of the volume of work during the meeting and called on MPs to be punctual at sittings. He charged members of the Parliamentary Press Corps to report the truth and avoid propaganda during the meeting.