The Minority in Parliament has described the Covid-19 National Trust Fund established by President Nana Akufo-Addo as ‘unnecessary’.
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee, James Agalga indicated that although the act of the President must be lauded, it is only a duplication of the National Disaster Management Act 2016.
He said in an interview that the NADMO Act which was passed to tackle emergency situations like the COVID-19 pandemic has not been operationalised hence there was no need for government to introduce another Trust Fund.
“I do not think that it is necessary to saddle Parliament the passage of another Act when we haven’t operationalized a law which was passed in 2016.
“Let us operationalize things that are in existence if there are pitfalls we could then decide that we want to introduce some amendments to that particular legislation,” he stated.
Mr Agalga further argued that setting up a new fund in a state of emergency only prolongs the process of handling the issue at hand since it is required to undergo legislative processes.
The Builsa North legislator then disclosed that the Minority will kick against the establishment of the Fund when it comes before the House.
“It is unacceptable not to operationalize an existing law and then bring up another bill for passage to bring into existence yet another fund.
“The setting up of the COVID-19 fund is duplicitous and thereby unnecessary. Let us operationalize what is already in existence for this particular emergency,” he stressed
President Akufo-Addo in a televised national address on Friday, March 27, revealed that his government has established a Covid-19 Fund and donated three months of his salary.
On Sunday, March 29, he outdoored a committee chaired by the former Chief Justice, Justice Sophia Akufo to oversee the fund to raise money to support Ghanaians impacted negatively by the virus particularly the frontline workers.
Joy News
