The Parliamentary candidate of opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Ayawaso West Wugon constituency of Greater Accra has described as needless, the crunch meeting between government and the feuding partners of STX Construction. Emmanuel Kwabena Agyarko says in his estimation, the Mills-led administration could have avoided the ruckus if they had subjected the STX housing deal to strict scrutiny. STX Engineering and Construction and their foreign partners STX Korea are at each other’s throat over the ownership of the project which led to the abrogation of their partnership agreement. The initial agreement would have see the local company led by Mr. B.K. Asamoah own 90 per cent of the project with STX Korea caliming the rest. Government being the major beneficiary of the project has thought it wise to mediate the impasse through the chairman of the Works and Housing Committee of Parliament, David Tetteh-Assumin to find a lasting solution to the raging crisis. The meeting held on Tuesday August 23, 2011 at the Works and Housing Ministry was expected to salvage the partnership agreement between STX Ghana and Korea for work to commence on the initial 30,000 housing units for security personnel now behind schedule. It was planned to take off in July this year. A total of 200,000 housing units to be constructed over a five-year period is part of the ruling National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) plan to reduce the about 1 million housing deficit in the country at a total cost of $10 billion. However, Mr. Kwabena Agyarko on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Tuesday blamed government for not taking into cognisance concerns raised by the NPP and some civil society groups about the housing deal. He added that a brawl between STX Ghana and Korea should be evident enough for the government not to entrust $1.5 billion into their hands. The former Chief Executive Officer of the Food and Drugs Board debunked suggestions that the NPP is jubilating over the fact that the housing deal has come to a stalemate, stressing that the NPP has never been against the deal in principle. Mr. Kwabena Agyarko said that the brouhaha surrounding the STX housing project should be a lesson to government to also do due diligence of subsequent deals they intend to implement. The NPP man said it is time governance in the country changed from the minority having their say and majority having their way. He advised the NDC to find a lasting solution to the problem rather than branding policy think tanks and civil society groups as appendages of the NPP. The Managing Editor of the Gye Nyame Concord, Alfred Ogbame who was also a panelist on the programme agreed with Mr. Kwabena Agyarko and said emphatically that the STX deal will fall through. Alfred Ogbame joined calls by some members of the NDC on government to abrogate the STX project contract in wake of the confusion surrounding it.