The First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has refuted claims that Parliament might be hesitant to host the post-budget workshop within the House due to a preference for the “comfort of hotels.”
In an interview on JoyNews, the First Deputy Speaker strongly refuted the idea, underscoring that the selection of the venue is guided by a sense of duty rather than a desire for comfort.
He said, “No hotel is as comfortable as my home. I’ve traveled around the world and no hotel I have stayed in is as comfortable as my home.”
Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu has joined other legislators in endorsing Parliament’s choice to conduct the annual post-budget workshop outside of Accra.
The Bekwai lawmaker justified this stance by stating that the House lacks the necessary logistics to host the workshop event.
His stance on the location of the yearly workshop follows a request from Buem MP, Kofi Adams, urging for this year’s post-budget workshop to take place in Parliament House in Accra.
The NDC MP referenced the current economic challenges and appealed to the House leadership to reconsider, advocating for holding the workshop in Parliament to cut costs. However, the Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo Markin, rejected his plea.
He believes the request is opportunistic and seeks to put Parliament in a bad light adding that “This is a decision of the committee, it is not about leaders being insensitive.”
Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has rejected the use of hotels for the post-budget workshop this year, citing the current financial challenges facing the country.