President John Evans Atta Mills' State of the Nation address in Parliament on Thursday was characterized by much heckling by the Minority singing “Woyome Woyome Woyome gargantuan munkye-ndi" while the Majority remained calm.

The address on the theme: “Still Building a Better Ghana” President Atta Mills who was equally calm despite the attitude of the Minority remarked at the end of the address, "I am aware of heckling in the House, but did not expect such gargantuan heckling".

In separate interviews with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) Majority members expressed satisfaction with the address while some of the Minority disagreed to most of the issues raised in the address, saying the NDC Government had failed to achieve the targets in their manifesto.

Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, said the address was a collection of information from all the sector ministries and a true reflection of the economy.

He said, “I am sad and ashamed about what happened in the House, the Minority pulling out red cards which showed so much indiscipline. We need to stop this because the President is a spiritual embodiment of the nation, I would not do this if they are in government".

 

Mr James Klutze, Chairman of Finance Committee in Parliament said the address was concise and informed Ghanaians about the status of the economy in 2009, the status now and the vision.

He noted that all the sectors were touched and one of the best.

Minority Members of Parliament Thursday clad in black with red bandanas round their necks mourned what they called the sorry state of the nation.

The Minority said the state was in a moribund state and staged their dramatic mourning on a day the president presented his fourth State of the Nation address before congress.

The Minority did not mourn in silence as the president delivered his message; they heckled incessantly attracting the president's light-hearted comment that “even though I expected to be heckled, I did not expect the heckling to be so gargantuan.”

No sooner had the president finished his delivery than all Minority members of the House came to their feet waving red cards and chanting 'a-w-a-y, a-w-a-y, a-w-a-y'.

New Patriotic Party MP for Adansi Asokwa and former Deputy Energy Minister, K.T. Hammond faulted the president for criticising the judiciary.

“In many of these matters that reflect negatively on governance, the Judiciary as the institution of state with the mandate to dispense justice, and the Executive with the mandate to implement the law, must act as partners engaged in a collective effort to rid the country of corruption, drugs and other harmful activities.

“Any perception that the Judiciary is on the side of wrongdoers undermines democracy and the institutions of democracy.

“Whilst urging our Honourable Justices to live up to their noble calling of independent arbiters, I would also like to remind them that they are an arm of government and that they have as much responsibility as the other arms of government in ridding the society of criminal elements, thereby ensuring justice for the citizenry and other persons,” President Mills had said.

But Mr Hammond said that amounted to an unnecessary attack on the judiciary.

He also faulted the president for conveniently avoiding the over-flogged Woyome judgement debt issue.

Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, General Secretary of NDC said many things were wrong with the heckling by the Minority, and should have commended President Mills for the manner he handled the issues on corruption.

Dr Richard Anane, New Patriotic Party Member for Nhyiaeso, said the National Health Insurance Scheme had since 2010 been going down and estimated that by 2013 the scheme would not exist as the issue about capitation in Ashanti Region, protests by the people had not shown good signs because the implementation was wrong.

Minority Leader, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu, said President Mills pledged to achieve all the targets in the NDC manifesto but had failed.

However, he admitted that government was a human institution and not expected to achieve all its targets and yet new promises were made.

Mr Paul Collins Appiah Ofori, NPP Member for Asikuma/Odoben/Brakwa said President Mills had failed and pointed out that the Minority in mourning clothes indicated the demise of the NDC Government and the red cards signified that there was danger ahead for the NDC.