Minority members in Parliament have raised serious issues with government’s intention to acquire five aircraft for the military.
They therefore want due diligence to be conducted into the purchase of the Embraer 190 aircraft and the hangar.
Chief among their concerns are the cost involved in the purchase of one Embraer 190, two C295, two DA 42 MPP aircraft and the construction of a hangar to house the planes at $ 88million.
Government is contracting over $250million to purchase five planes for the Ghana Air Force.
At a press conference yesterday, Member of Parliament for Okaikoi-South, Nana Akomea said they did not understand why government was buying the Embraer 190 aircraft at $55,264,000 whilst it had also requested the options configurations which had brought the total amount to $88million.
The minority believed that the $55,264,000.00 stated by government as the price of the aircraft was highly inflated.
That, according to Akomea, was because various internet sites put the basic price of an Embraer 190 aircraft at $32million and $40million for the top model.
Based on the basic price of $32million, he noted that a price tag of $88million meant government had ordered an additional cost of $56million on the Ghanaian taxpayer.
“Even if one took the government’s stated basic price of $55.2milliuon, the additions ordered by government cost the taxpayer an extra $33million.”
These additions, according to him, included nearly $1million for flight entertainment in the first-class compartment.
The minority believes these additions and extra costs for the Embraer 190 are excessive for a developing country like Ghana where millions of its citizens lack basic needs like food, water, electricity and shelter, adding, “NDC’s hypocrisy on this score cannot be missed.”
This, the minority said, was because in 2008, when the then Kufuor-led NPP government submitted similar loan agreements to Parliament to buy two aircraft at $105million, the then opposition NDC opposed the bid.
Nana Akomea quoted the then Minority Leader, Alban Bagbin, who said: “It is premature for us to buy this aircraft” and that “is important we do not commit this country ….where we are thirsty, where we are hungry, where we are HIPC, where we are poor”.
The Minority also disputed claims by government spokespersons to the effect that the Embraer 190 was a military aircraft for troop transport, fighting armed robbery and for rescue missions, saying, “It is not true”, insisting that “the Embraer 190 is basically a commercial airliner which the NDC government, at a cost, is having configured as an executive (presidential) jet.”
It said, “The Embraer is to serve the same purpose as the Airbus 319 ER, which is the original recommendation of GAF in 2008 to serve as the main presidential jet.”
As a result of the NDC’s opposition to the acquisition in 2008, Nana Akomea insisted that the “NDC now in government has a difficulty justifying the purchase of the aircraft to serve the same purpose of the Airbus 319 as recommended by the GAF.”
According to the Minority, it was for this reason “government is trying to manufacture a military role for the aircraft”, insisting that “the 100-seater Embraer 190 is not suitable by United Nations standards to win contracts to lift the over 800 Ghanaian troops in Lebanon.”
The Minority has therefore joined the call by other well-meaning Ghanaians for the President to stop the purchase of the $88million Embraer 190.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Source: http://www.dailyguideghana.com
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