Parliament has stated it did not peddle untruth about the COVID-19 test results.
A statement from the Public Affairs Directorate indicated that Majority leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu is not involved with the process of the testing.
Therefore allegations that he provided false information to Public Affairs to tell the public are not accurate.
According to the Directorate, the duty of coordinating the testing process is that of the Medical Director in Parliament, who told Parliament specifically that the results of the tests were not yet known by Parliament as at Tuesday 26/05/2020.
“To attribute lies to the Public Affairs Department, the Majority Leader, and the entire Parliament is therefore unfortunate,” the release said.
It described as unfortunate reports that Parliament denied a possible positive result when what it did was demand the story to be pulled down because the Directorate was aware of the facts.
Read the full text below:
PARLIAMENT DID NOT LIE; MAJORITY LEADER NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR COVID-19 RESULTS
Contrary to reports in the media, that Parliament lied about the results of the COVID-19 tests results, Parliament would like to state categorically that no untruth was peddled in the said matter.
This follows allegations by the Honorable Minority Chief Whip that the Director of Public Affairs lied in the said matter and that these were told to her by the Honorable Majority Leader.
We would like to put on record that the Majority Leader is in no way involved with the process of the testing.
The duty of coordinating the testing process is that of the Medical Director in Parliament, who told Parliament specifically that the results of the tests were not yet known by Parliament as at Tuesday 26/05/2020.
To attribute lies to the Public Affairs Department, the Majority Leader and the entire Parliament is therefore unfortunate.
Parliament wants to put on record that it has no particular interest in hiding the results of the tests.
Parliament would also like to make specific reference to a news release dated 26/05/2020 signed by the Director of Public Affairs which requested the media house to pull the story down on the basis that the facts were not true since they were not known to the directorate and would like to state that this assertion does not mean that the House denied the possibility of anyone testing positive for COVID-19.
It is, therefore, rather unfortunate that this was interpreted to mean a denial of a possible positive test result, leading to media reports that Parliament lied.
We wish to state categorically that the Majority Leader is the leader of the House and performs his duties as such.
He does not deal with the day to day running of the various departments of the institution and could not have told the Director of Public Affairs to lie either on his behalf or on that of the institution.
ISSUED BY
THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS DIRECTORATE
—
Frontpageghana.com/Ghana
