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July 7, 2006
Parliamentary Procedure
It's nice to know that the art of scoring political points is alive and well in this part of the world. Today we spent a few hours in Parliament, and while waiting to talk to various members watched the proceedings from the public gallery. The session opened with a solemn procession and placement of a staff in the well. (Does that mean that they were in the Committee of the Whole?) Everyone stood as the speaker read several prayers, and then the minority and majority leaders had a chance to make statements.
Then came the question-and-answer period, in which members can call on ministers to address their whims. The minority NDC party called the minister of foreign affairs, a member of the ruling party, to ask whether, perchance, Ghana had donated any money to the United States to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. Yes, the minister said, $200,000 and a statement of sympathy from the president to President Bush. Is there a policy about such donations, the NDC asked. Nothing formal, the minister said, it depends on the relationship with the country. Has there been any similar assistance to, say, African countries affected by national disasters like flood and famine, the NDC asked. Apparently not.
It helps to be in power, though. The minister got the last laugh. When pressed about whether it would be a good idea to make a policy about such donations, or to regulate them in the future, he replied with one of the ultimate political euphemisms: "We'll look into it." Right away, I'm sure.
Journalistic footnote: Given my observations of journalistic quiescence (many stories read like press releases), I was a bit uneasy asking MPs any kind of confrontational questions. ("Your opponents respond to your point thusly. What do you say to that?") I could tell these were irritating to some of the people I talked to, but I was not prepared for responses to some things I thought were more innocuous. When I tried to ask broad questions, I repeatedly got: "Don't ask me that. That's not what your story is about. If you start to talk about that your editor will just get confused. You need to stay focused on what the story is really about here." I'll keep it in mind.
Posted by Adam Graham-Silverman at July 7, 2006 9:32 AM
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Posted by: Stacey Howard at November 12, 2008 7:41 PM