A Member of Parliament’s Entity Tender Committee, Governs Kwame Agbodza, is dumbfounded over the process that led to the award of consultancy services of the controversial parliamentary chamber comber complex to famed architect, Sir David Adjaye.
Governs Agbodza, who is also Member of Parliament for Adaklu, said his committee, which is responsible for scrutinizing such things, was not privy to the deal.
“As far as I am concerned, it is not possible to appoint David Adjaye as the consultant for this project simply because the Entity Tender Committee of Parliament is unaware or at least I am not aware,” he said in an interview on Eyewitness News.
[contextly_sidebar id=”31cPhMp6LqGXm8399hwrkWz2msJA8Cu4″]The MP insisted that it was wrong for the Parliamentary Service Board to award the contract without the knowledge of the Tender committee.
“The leadership of Parliament has briefed the media twice but Members of Parliament have no idea when we are going to be told about the construction of the new chamber.”
“The problem right now is the inability of whoever is responsible for telling us what strategy of procurement has been adopted, we all need to ask the question. We need to be told point-blank of the locus of the appointment of David Adjaye and why he was the one chosen among three other companies that bided for the project,” he said.
The new chamber estimated to cost about $200 million will be a multi-purpose building with amenities like a chapel, mosque, restaurant, and a museum.
The plan for the construction of a new chamber has long been on the agenda of the government but most Ghanaians are not happy over the project.
Some members on both the Minority and Majority sides of Parliament have publicly rejected the complex.
New chamber unjustifiable and self-serving – CDD
The Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) had said the construction of a new chamber complex for Parliament cannot be justified.
The CDD argued in a statement that Parliament is “relatively well resourced” citing the recent construction of an administration block, the Job 600 office complex and the expansion of the current chamber.
It instead urged Parliament to focus on enhancing its credibility.
“What Parliament lacks but needs to make it a credible part of a system of constitutional checks and balances and a true policymaking partner to the Executive are not more fancy brick-and-mortar; what Parliament needs to assume its proper place in our governmental system are the appropriate institutional powers, prerogatives, and self-governing rules that would enable Members to initiate legislative solutions to public problems and exercise meaningful oversight of the Executive and public administration.”
Social media comments on new chamber sickening – Joe Osei-Owusu
But the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei Owusu, had described as sickening, social media comments on the construction of a new chamber complex for Parliament
“The things I’m seeing on social media (about the project) are sickening,” the First Deputy Speaker lamented.
He was worried that the House had not yet discussed the proposed new building, yet some Members of Parliament were responding to criticisms “left and right.”
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