Parliament Will Hear From Us – GUTA
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The Ghana Union Traders Association (GUTA) has said it has formally written to the House of Parliament seeking audience with the Speaker of Parliament together with the Select Committee on Trade and Industry over the amendment of the retail law.
The Speaker in a recent trip to Nigeria is reported to have promised Nigerians of a review of the retail law, GIPC ACT 2013, ACT 865, an action GUTA hasn’t taken lightly.
According to GUTA, the Speaker has no right to promise Nigerians that.
“He has no right to go to Nigeria and promise them. Even President Akufo-Addo told us he has no right to make amends in the law when we had a meeting with him, he even apologized to us. How much more a Speaker? The Speaker should know that he is the representative of the people, we voted for the Members of Parliament and they appointed him as the Speaker.”
“The Parliament must consult the people and know what they want and that is what they must stand for and not for their selfish and personal interest.
“The law was established in 1994 and in 2013 when we had to amend it, the Parliamentary Select Committee and GUTA spent three days and we made it in such a way that it will not favour foreigners. Not for this law, petty traders would be done by now. And so what right does the Speaker has to make a promise to Nigerians”, National Vice chairman for GUTA, Clement Boateng said.
“We won’t allow an amendment to favour another country. Look at the population of Nigeria, if the amendment comes into force for Nigerians to undertake petty trading, what will happen to the citizens. We are not going to amend the law to favour foreigners. They can’t amend the law without the involvement of GUTA. If they decide to do it at the blank side of GUTA, they will hear from us”, he emphasized.
“We have written to the Speaker seeking audience with him together with the Select Committee on Trade and Industry”, he said.
Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini