A Law Student, Richard Adongo has advised the Minority Caucus in Parliament to swallow the phlegm of peace and cohesion and let government business run other than protesting the passage of the Electronic transaction Levy.
Just after the passage of the Levy, the Minority Caucus in Parliament filed a writ at the Supreme Court challenging the legitimacy of the passage of the Levy, with the explanation that, the Majority side of the house did not meet the dictates of Article 104(1) which talks the formation of a voting quorum to transact any business in Parliament.
As part of the Minority’s reliefs, they prayed the Court to declare the passage of the E-Levy as null and void because it did not meet the number to form a voting quorum as required by Article 104(1) referring to a recent Supreme Court’s ruling which was captured in the case of Justice Abdulai v Attorney General which sought to challenge the voting rights of Deputy Speakers.
But Mr. Adongo who disagreed with the Minority’s narrative explained that, “a quorum should be members of Parliament present minus members who legitimately sought to be absent and were granted authority to be absent, so Adjoa was legitimately absent so her presence will not have had anything on the quorum, so if we look at it that way, then the Minority does not have a point”.
He said this when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show.
He stressed, “unless that Minority supported by the Supreme Court is saying that, for a quorum to be formed or legislation to be passed, then whether you are present or not you should be in Parliament. Unless that is done, then I don’t think the Minority has a point”.
Having said that, he, therefore, advised the Minority in parliament to “let sleeping dogs lie, just because the Supreme Court said what it said, doesn’t mean they should constantly hold government business to ransom whether you like it or not the wheels of government must run”.
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