The Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central Isaac Adongo has described as shameful, the ploy by Members of the Majority side in Parliament to court public sympathy in the ongoing fracas on the prior rejection, subsequent approval and attendant issues relating to the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.
Mr. Adongo in a Facebook post said the ‘shameful’ conduct of the Majority side of the House along with the Member of Parliament for Bekwai, Joseph Osei Owusu while presiding as Speaker of the House has reduced the integrity of the House of Parliament. He made the comments on the backs of earlier comments by the Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Afenyo Markin who indicated that he feared for his safety due to threats by Members of the Minority group in Parliament.
“It’s a shame to be accusing us falsely to court public sympathy for your shameful conduct that has reduced Parliament to its lowest ebb, including the shameful conduct of Joe Wise counting himself among those with votes to form a quorum to take a decision he’s not qualified to take part. ‘Smuggling aliens’ into the chamber to add to the numbers is the biggest embarrassment to our Parliamentary democracy,” he wrote.
He continued to say that “Joe Wise and your side is running away from accountability for your despicable conduct. Show me the standing orders for a speaker to rule on a motion duly admitted, moved, seconded and debated without putting the question for a decision of members but arrested by the Speaker who shamefully says he’s not the ‘speaker’. You guys are all that is wrong with our Parliamentary democracy. We will meet you boot for boot until the country is rescued”.
Background
Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin says he fears for his life while undertaking Parliamentary business in the House.
According to the Effutu MP, members of the Minority Caucus have made it a point to attack members from the Majority side any time there are disagreements.
He told Newsfile host Samson Lardy Anyenini on Saturday that this behaviour of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) members does not augur well for the image of Parliament.
“I would urge the public to call individuals out strongly. I am really tired of the verbal abuse; they have been abusing us all the time…insults from the NDC side…That day [Tuesday], the NDC MPs rained insults upon insults on Joe Osei-Owusu, and we were quiet and watching them.
“Sometimes I sit in the Chamber, and I fear for my life because the smallest thing we are debating then you [NDC MPs] threaten someone that I will beat you, I will beat you. Really, you should call them out,” he lamented.
Parliament on Tuesday reversed an earlier rejection of the budget and approved it after the National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s MPs staged a walkout.
Members of the Majority and Minority groups subsequently engaged in dramatic displays that nearly led to fisticuffs on Wednesday as they took entrenched positions to defend their respective interests over the fiscal policy.
Mr Osei-Owusu, while submitting his ruling on reaching a quorum, explained that he counted himself as an MP for the Majority to get the 138 members it needed to approve the 2022 Budget statement on Tuesday.
The Bekwai MP, popularly called Joe Wise, added that Speaker Alban Bagbin is not a Member of Parliament and cannot be a part of a quorum, but he can since he represents a constituency.
Mr Osei-Owusu, therefore, stated that “a Deputy Speaker is not a Speaker.”
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
