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#DropThatChamber: Ghanaians slam govt's plan to build new Parliamentary chamber

Ghanaians have launched a hashtag on Twitter when members of the Parliamentary Service Board received a model for a proposed new 450-seater Parliament chamber.

Parliament

They described the chamber as "needless, unnecessary and stupid".

The 450-seater chamber will come with a chapel, mosque, restaurant, and a museum.

The speaker of Parliament, Prof. Mike Ocquaye, said the government doesn't know yet how much the new complex to be constructed will cost.

He disclosed that architectural firm run by UK based Ghanaian architect Sir David Frank Adjaye, Adjaye and Associate, came tops in a competitive bidding process ahead of two other firms to design and build the structure, the exact cost of the project has not been determined.

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Some Ghanaians opposed the construction Parliament's decision to construct a new chamber before the end of 2019 whiles some considered the plan as worthy and "good use of our money".

MP for North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa opposed the decision to construct the new chamber.

Kofi Bentil, the vice-president of IMANI Ghana, also described the plans as "stupid".

A pressure group, OccupyGhana, called on the MPs to "abort plans" to build the chamber. The group said the Parliamentarians are being "inconsiderate" looking at the level of hardship in the country.

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"We cannot believe that Parliament and its leadership would even contemplate something so inconsiderate at a time when so many Ghanaians still struggle in these difficult and trying times. Even sadder is the fact that it eats away at the confidence people have in the democratic process," it said in a statement.

But NPP MP for the Bantama Constituency, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, justified the proposed construction.

He said "...It is something that is worth doing, it is a good use of our money. Of course, we will not leave the rest of the issues untackled. Employment are being created, we are managing the economy very well. If we can have two hundred million dollars that is good money that can also be used to build our democracy, I think it's a good use for me".

Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, the Majority Leader on his part said the new chamber for the legislature is to avoid fights among members of the house.

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According to him, the current chamber is not spacious enough for Parliamentarians due to the inflammatory nature of their debates sometimes.

The move has annoyed some Ghanaians on social media.

Here are their reactions on Twitter.

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