The Minority in Parliament have expressed disappointment over what they describe as unfair treatment meted out to them by the Speaker of Parliament, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye.
Some have hinted of moves to impeach him as a result.
According to the Minority, the speaker has consistently attempted to stifle them in the House and has been biased against them.
The House was thrown into near chaos when Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu complained that his side was not being allowed to thoroughly probe government’s ‘Planting for food and jobs’ programme.
The Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak in an interview with Citi News, described as unfortunately the reaction of the minority on the floor of the house but he said it was necessary because the Speaker has refused to afford them the opportunity to voice their concerns.
“It is out of frustration…. the Minority, we have lost all the opportunity to vent our frustration so we have to, unfortunately, burst in anger which may not be called for but our patient is running out.”
“We in the Minority are really disappointed in the manner in which the speaker has been handling affairs in the how since his appointment…. Since this speaker came, we’ve been treated with a lot of disrespect. You have a business on the order paper, you wake up the next day, they are out and you will not be given the space to voice out those concerns.”
“If we don’t see a change in the way he conducts business in the House we will advise ourselves. We the minority, we have more than one-third of the house and he knows the implication of that.”
In a quick rebuttal, the Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu has rejected the allegations of the minority.
According to him, the Minority’s action in the house stemmed from their lack of understanding of parliament’s rules.
“I didn’t want to poison the atmosphere the more… this is a House of rules and a House of order….that threat [to impeach the speaker] is contemptous… They don’t even want to read the law and appreciate it.
“To the largest extent possible, speaker has been fair”
The Majority leader also accused the former speaker, Edward Doe Adjaho of manipulating members of the minority.
“The man [Doe Adjaho] is behind the scenes, he still wants to control Parliament. Yesterday, he even called them and was telling them that, they should not agree for us in committee to allow you the press to be present. The man thinks he is still in control,” he said.
Meanwhile, there are reports that signatures are being collected for the speaker’s impeachment.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
