Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Samuel Nartey George, has emphasized the need for parliament to reach a resolution on the debate of the 2022 budget presented by the finance minister, Ken Ofori Atta.
Expressing his displeasure, Sam George noted that as at the time the minority legislators were seated to commence proceedings, the majority side were starkly absent from the House. Following this, the Minority accused the Majority of holding Parliament hostage over lack of numbers to proceed with the activities of the House.
“We as conscientious Members of Parliament, who have been sent to Parliament by our constituents to do government business and make sure that the ultimate interest of the country is protected, know that today, we must have the conclusion of the budget debate… Not even one member of the NPP has shown up in the chamber. The Minority is serious, fully in our numbers in the Chamber, the Speaker is ready to commence the business of the House but notice getting to him by the Clerks at table indicate that no member of the NPP is present”.
With the debate on the budget expected to be climaxed today, Friday November 26, 2021, the country is expectant over whether the policy document will be approved or rejected.
Currently, the Minority legislators have served notice they will reject the document due to the introduction of “obnoxious” taxes which they argue will compound the hardship of the ordinary Ghanaian.
The Majority on the other hand argued the budget portends hope as it would create millions of jobs for the teeming unemployed youth.
Reacting to this, the Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh, dismissed the “propaganda” by the minority MPs. He noted that the leadership of the House was called into a meeting by the Speaker, Alban Bagbin, just when they were getting ready to be in the chamber.
“So, we are still even in the meeting… So, for anybody to have the temerity to come and address you and to say that we are engaging in ferrying our members with chartered flights and all manner of stories, treat it with the greatest of disrespect and disdain… Members of Parliament would have to behave honourably”.
Speaker of Parliament suspends proceedings of parliament for 30 minutes
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, suspended proceedings in the House for 30 minutes awaiting the presence of the Majority side in the main chamber. On his entrance into the Chamber on Friday, November 26, 2021, he witnessed the absence of the Majority legislators as against Minority MPs who had filled the House.
Following this, the Speaker decided to suspend sitting after the Deputy Minority Whip, Ibrahim Ahmed, raised the issue of the absence of the Majority Leadership in the House even though they were together in a meeting within the ambit of Parliament.
Mr Bagbin revealed that he had received information that the Majority caucus were in meeting although it had not been formally communicated to him.
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