Minority Chief Whip, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, has disclosed that the minority will resist any attempt by the majority if a sitting speaker decides to vote on the e-levy at any point in time.
According to him, he cannot promise that there will be no violence when Parliament resumes debate on the e-levy. Mr Mubarak explained that his side cannot guarantee a peaceful consideration if the Majority side attempts to evade the rules.
“I can tell you we will resist that. As for that, we will. I hope our resistance will not lead to the exchange of blows, but we will do everything to prevent that from happening. And I pray that we don’t get there. If it becomes necessary for us, say that we are going to resist by every means possible. I mean, it’s not my prayer but one thing that I can tell you, for a sitting speaker to be sitting there and coming down to vote? That will be too difficult for our side to take, that I won’t lie.”
Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak
The Asawase legislator intimated that what happens on the Floor of Parliament, goes through processes, it’s a “closed book” and can’t be contested anywhere.
“So, because of that, if you allow it to happen, that is it. Because of that, it makes it extremely difficult when the rules are being altered to favour certain situations”.
Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak
Mr Mubarak revealed that as far as people want to “alter the rules”, one can never “guarantee” that there will be no confusion in the chamber.
“It is not possible. Because the reason is that, why do you sometimes see fists in the American congress after over 200 years of practice? Why will you see it in the Commons [House of Commons]? Why will you see it in other parliaments which are much older than ours?”
Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak
It will be recalled that a fight broke out between Minority and Majority MPs when the House considered the bill last year. It started when the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Wusu attempted to vote on a procedural issue in the House whilst presiding as a Speaker.
Nonetheless, members of the Minority opposed that whilst presiding as Speaker, the Deputy Speaker loses his original vote, and any attempt to vote is an aberration of the Constitution.
Procurement of ambulances
Meanwhile, the Minority Chief Whip has revealed that the Speaker of Parliament has been written to by the Attorney General to provide information on the procurement of some 200 ambulances during the Mills and Mahama administrations.
This is because Mr Bagbin was the Health Minister when the procurement of the ambulances occurred. The procurement has led to legal tussle between the Attorney General, Godfred Dame and the then Deputy Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson.
The Attorney General has charged Cassiel Ato Forson and two others of causing a €2.3 million loss to the state as a result of the procurement. Following this, the three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Commenting on this, Mr Mubarak confirmed that the Speaker has been formally asked to provide information on the procurement and the move by the majority will not change the position of the minority on the e-levy.
“If anybody tells me this is not a strategy to intimidate us for example, today Collins was in court. So, if he was in court and we were voting, what’s going to happen?… And I’m saying that whether fortunate or unfortunate, that is rather gluing us together”.
Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak
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