Office complex for MPs opens

President John Dramani Mahama has called for an end to the cynicism that greets transformational investments in the country.

He said distortions and the peddling of misleading claims about the intentions of the government during the execution of large-scale projects were a disincentive to national progress.

Speaking at the inauguration of the refurbished State House Tower Block in Accra Friday, he said, “Often, a spirited effort is made to bastardise projects of such nature for political reasons ......while others see the projects as creating lavish comfort for public officials.”

Use of building

Popularly known as Job 600, the new-look edifice - the biggest building in the country -  is to serve  as offices for Members of Parliament (MPs). 

With the inauguration of the project, a new life has been breathed into the work of the legislature as it would provide a congenial environment for MPs to operate.

The leadership of Parliament, including the Speaker, Majority and Minority leaders, spoke about the huge relief the completed project had brought to members of the legislature who endured terrible times undertaking their parliamentary duties.

Since the birth of the Fourth Republic, MPs had used the trunks of their cars as makeshift offices because they had no offices to operate from.  

Apart from offices for MPs, the building also boasts 12 meeting rooms, 10 committee rooms, a 350-seater auditorium, a clinic, a library, a cafeteria, a gymnasium and prayer rooms for Christians and Muslims.

It also has a video system that will allow MPs to follow proceedings of Parliament from their offices, CCTV with more than 300 cameras, and a simultaneous multiple-voice interpretation equipment.

Approach to national discourse

President Mahama stressed the need for people to re-examine their approach to national discourse so that partisanship did not blind the collective efforts in promoting national development.

“Sometimes, even projects whose economic values and benefit to our country are so obvious have lately become the subject of unnecessary litigation to obstruct them,” he said.

Stating that he was a firm believer in the need for modesty and prudence in the management of public finances, the President said he would continue to uphold the overriding need to protect the public purse from abuse.

Parliament’s importance

President Mahama stressed the importance of Parliament in democratic governance and said the government would continue to support the work of MPs.

“The government’s efforts to provide a congenial working environment for Parliament has not been restricted to Job 600”, he indicated.

Mr Mahama mentioned others such as the refurbishment of the Chamber Block and the provision of the state-of-the-art communication gadgets to enhance debates, as well as the E-Parliament project as some of the initiatives undertaken to boost parliamentary work.

He also indicated that the government had made huge investment in the Judiciary to enable it to discharge its constitutional functions effectively.

Mr Mahama paid tribute to presidents Rawlings, Kufuor and Mills, who played various roles in the realisation of the project.

Speaker

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe-Adjaho, stated that accommodation for MPs was an essential prerequisite for effective delivery of legislative process and expressed the hope that with the project, members of the legislature would be motivated to do even more.

“With the project, we are no more going to meet our constituents in open compounds,” he said to rapturous applause from his colleagues.

He commended President Mahama for delivering on his promise to ensure that the project became a reality.

He also praised past speakers in the Fourth Republican Parliament who contributed to the completion of the Job 600 project.

Both the Majority and Minority leaders, Messrs Alban Bagbin and Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, spoke about the need to  ensure that the building was well maintained.