Political Analyst, Dr. Amoako Baah, has agreed with assertions that the Speaker referring the absentee MPs to the Privileges Committee is no big deal and a step in the right direction.
Sharing his opinion on the development, Dr. Baah explained that the Speaker of Parliament had the right to refer the issue of absenteeism that was presented before him on the floor of Parliament. He stated that Members of Parliament cannot, on their own, refer cases to any Committee but rather the Speaker can.
“Well, that is how it’s supposed to be. The Speaker is the number one officer of the chamber. He is the one who directs the affairs of the Chamber and so, if he is not directing the affairs to be taken to the Privileges Committee, nobody can take it there.”
Dr. Amoako Baah
Touching on the conduct of some of the Members of Parliament in general and during the passage of the E-levy, he described it as unfortunate. He noted that Parliament should not be “cantankerous” but must ensure all activities undertaken in House are based on compromise.
The Political Scientist posited that even if a party has the absolute majority, respect demands that the Minority party be informed about certain things before it is brought to the floor so, they can participate and make suggestions. He added that the Minority group must be involved in the process even regardless of their stance but that, unfortunately, is not well defined in Parliament.
“This is why we have all these problems because the 7th Parliament was actually a rubber stamp Parliament. Whatever the administration wants is what the administration gets. Now things have changed and yet, the officers in it did not shift gears early enough and this is why we have all this. It’s not good because it does affect the business of the country.”
Dr. Amoako Baah
Referral is not a big issue
Earlier, a member of the Privileges Committee of Parliament, Stephen Amoah, averred that he didn’t see the referral of the three MPs to the privileges committee as a big issue. He indicated that it’s an issue of concern that has been brought before the members of the committee, as such, must be dealt with.
Mr. Amoah intimated that Parliament has legal instruments and conventional practices guiding the House in terms of procedures, rules and regulations making this a minor case. Mr. Amoah assured that the Committee will look into the issue and take an appropriate decision at the Committee level. He indicated that whatever the reason was for the absenteeism will be tackled when the Committee meets.
“Somebody cannot be sick or ill and there’s no evidence that the person is ill. Probably it happened at a time that he or she will not even have the opportunity to fill any form or go through any regulations or procedures. It happens because they are natural and normally, you cannot prepare before natures call.”
Stephen Amoah
The Privileges Committee member indicated that the focus of the nation right now should be on how best to manage the country socio-economically and progress to be on the same level with the others across the continent.
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