Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has revealed that Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya, Sarah Adwoa Safo, may be referred to Parliament’s Privileges Committee next week.
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu indicated that Adwoa Safo has been absent from the House for an extended period of time without prior notice or permission from the Speaker and for no known reason. He explained that the Speaker had intended to refer her to the Privileges Committee last week Tuesday, but due to prevailing circumstances had to reschedule.
“My information was that even last Tuesday, the Speaker was going to make a pronouncement on it in the house but I think the circumstances prevented him from so doing. I want to believe that perhaps before the House adjourns tomorrow or maybe next week when the House sits, the Speaker may make the announcement by referring her conduct to the Privileges Committee before we adjourn. That’s the information that the Speaker gave to me”.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu intimated that she had initially requested from the Speaker to be given four weeks to be absent. He explained that although the four weeks is ending “this Friday”, it was never granted by the Speaker.
“The Speaker told me that he had not granted that because you need to be here to make the request. But this was submitted from outside, and even the first one… she didn’t make a request from the Speaker. So, the Speaker said he wasn’t going to accommodate that”.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Following this, the Majority Leader expressed that all attempts to get Adwoa Safo back into the House have yielded no result. As such, the Speaker has the power to initiate the next line of action with respect to the matter.
“It’s been a long drawn matter. We’ve been having conversations and I think there’s something that is happening and I don’t want to go into it. Unfortunate as the situation is… a decision will have to be taken one way or the other. When we say… push comes to shove, some decision, some determination has to be made. And so I agree with the Speaker if that determination has to be made, it has to be made”.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Impact of Adwoa Safo’s absence on passage of e-levy
Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu emphasized that the absence of the Dome Kwabenya legislator poses a threat to the activities of the Majority Caucus in Parliament. He noted that this is telling particularly with respect to the passage of the E-levy bill which he reckoned would have been easy if she had been present.
“We have been limping I must admit. If she were here, this hurdle would have been cleared long ago. We’ve been having conversations about her coming back and she’ll promise and renege on many occasions. But I think all is not right. How to go forward with it is the bigger burden”.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader has revealed that Majority Caucus in Parliament has spies within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament. He explained that that was how his side of the House was able to plan and execute the passing of the E-levy bill into law on Tuesday, March 24, 2022.
“Oh they tell us that they have intelligence within our folds. We have counter-intelligence within their folds as well. Well, I’ve told you that they foray into our backyards to observe what is going on, we do same. If they have intelligence, we have counter-intelligence”.
Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu
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