Minority Leader Demands A Comprehensive Response Plan To Covid-19 From Govt

Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrissu, has observed that the passage of the Imposition of Restriction Bill which clothes President Akufo-Addo with extra, wartime powers to control personal liberties is the least need of Ghana in the wake of the corona virus pandemic.

In a memo to Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Mike Ocquaye, the Minority Leader makes the point that what the country needs from its government, but is lacking is a comprehensive response plan to the virus.

Such a plan, Hon. Haruna Iddrissu said is urgently needed and ought to cover all fronts of the national effort, from medical, to social through to controlled pricing for hand sanitizers which have suddenly become too expensive as sellers cash in on the viral attack.

“It is our view, consequently, that any national response plan must be consistent with the known epidemiology of the virus and the resulting disease. It must be rooted in the best available medical science, considerate of our nation’s political economy, and contextualized for the culture of our society. 

“The national plan must prioritize and cost responses over a realistic analytical horizon that reflects the epidemiology of the disease and the projected therapeutic timelines. The best available information suggests that this pandemic will only truly end with the discovery of a vaccine or a cure, and the present estimates of either product range from 12 to 18 months. The underlying strategy must be costed with this timeframe in mind and must be accompanied by a detailed rationale for the specific appropriations. It must also be clear on any and all additional powers that Government may need that are not enshrined in Act 851.”

The memo, dated the 20^th of March, 2020 counseled among other things that Government, through the Majority side in Parliament, collaborate with the Minority side to come up with such a comprehensive national plan, saying the opposition National Democratic Congress is more than ready to collaborate with government to present a national response.

According to the Majority leader, the plan should take into consideration the special needs of the elderly, the unemployed and also take measures against national profiteering by dealers in hand sanitizers.

The memo said the passage of the imposition of restriction law is uncalled for pointing out that apart from the fact that the new law is not focused on fighting corona virus, there already are provisions in the country’s statutes to deal with medical emergencies like the corona virus.

“We must state, however, our conviction that the introduction of the proposed Imposition of Restrictions Bill by the Presidency is premature and unnecessary. A single draconian measure of this kind is limited in its utility and myopic in its constitutional considerations. It fails the test of the moment in its lack of comprehensiveness and specificity with respect to the COVID-19 threat and its multi sectoral impacts, while assigning the Executive broad authorities that undermine the most basic principles of democratic jurisprudence. It is our view that the 2012 Public Health Act (Act 851) already delineates – upon the requisite declarations by the Honorable Minister of Health – all the necessary powers to manage the present crisis. In view of that, we remain open to discussing whatever supplementary legislation may be required to support those critical elements of an effective national response plan that are not adequately provided for in Act 851.

“For Parliament to move forward on a bipartisan basis it will be necessary to debate a comprehensive, multi-sectoral national response plan. The moment in which Ghana finds itself calls for a proactive plan that goes beyond occasional lists of reactionary measures. We will need to review the underlying epidemiological and statistical analyses that inform the proposed interventions, and the same applies to the strategic plan for executing those interventions,” the memo said.