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The new Presidential Palace on show
Accra, July 17, Ghanadot –
It is not completed, yet it has already generated its share
of controversy.
When completed, the Presidential
palace is expected to house the presidential and
vice-presidential offices, conference and banquet halls,
waiting rooms and the presidential villa.
Members of Parliament had the
opportunity on Tuesday to visit the Presidential
Palace, which is still under construction, and as was to be
expected there was some divided opinion about the project.
While some described the project
as long overdue, others wondered whether the country would
recoup its worth in monies spent on the project. There
were still others who opined flatly that the building "had
not been structured to stand the test of time."
Hon. Alban Bagbin, Minority
Leader, NDC, told the press that he was not impressed at all
by the building, because it was his belief that it was not
going to be a befitting place for a future President.
It ought to be remembered that,
some two months ago, his party's designated candidate for
the 2008 elections, Prof. Attah-Mills had said to the
public that the country would have been better off had the
money spent on the palace been spent on hostels for students
instead.
“This is just a model that
cannot last up to 30 years and if we are talking about
leaving a befitting edifice, we should be talking about
excellence that would last for the test of time, about 100
years,” said Hon. Bagbin, referring to the palace on the
tour.
He based his claim on his
opinion that the space for the palace was limited, lacked
room for expansion and wrongly located n the middle of the
bustling city instead of a spacious remote area.
He was also unhappy about the
cost for the project, claiming that the cost was
"colossal."
When asked about the White
House, the mansion for US presidents, which has old and new
wings, also tugged into the middle of a city and on a small
space, Mr Babgin claimed that the one at home had no room
for future expansion since the space it sat on was limited,
and that even future attempt at expansion would add to what
already was a "colossal" cost.
Hon. Bagbin, in the same breath
however, said he was "expecting a much more magnificent
building." He failed to mention how much that would
cost."
Unlike Hon. Bagbin and some of
his party's members, other members of Parliament on the same
tour were quite happy with what they saw. They were
glad that Ghana was going to have her own presidential
palace, like the sister states of Togo, Burkina Faso,
Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal in the region.
Some were frankly amazed at the work done so far and could
not help congratulating the construction company for job
well done.
Mr. Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, Minister of Finance and Economic
Planning was one those impressed by the work. He
expressed satisfaction about the progress and pace of work
and noted that it was time Ghana had her own presidential
palace like other countries.
Mr Baah-Wiredu pointed out the
revenue earning potential of the Presidential Palace.
He said it could attract a lot of paying tourists.
When asked about his opinion on
what Hon. Bagbin said about the project, Mr. Baah-Wiredu
quietly pointed out that Hon. Bagbin was not an engineer and
therefore, "could not argue firmly on the matter."
Mr. Baah-Wiredu opinion was that even average houses built
in Ghana today were constructed to last for more than 30
years. On that basis alone, he said, one could
reasonably opine that the Presidential mansion would stand
for many years to come.
"What we should cultivate
is the spirit of maintenance,” he said to finish the
discussions on the matter.
See
photos.........
Ghanadot, Accra, July
18, 2007
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