3 NPP MPs Hot

THREE MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP)  were yesterday asked to appear before Parliament’s Committee of Privileges to answer questions on their absence from the House for more than 15 sitting days without permission.

The alleged delinquent lawmakers namely, Sarah Adwoa Safo of Dome Kwabenya, Henry Quartey of Ayawaso Central, and Kennedy Ohene Agyapong of Assin Central, were referred to the Privileges Committee

This development, which has come as a jolt to both the Majority and Minority Caucuses, is the first time that three MPs have been summoned before the committee of privileges over attempts to depose them over delinquency.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban S.K. Bagbin, who made the referral, said evidence made available to him by the “table office indicates that three Hon. Members have so far absented themselves in this meeting for more than 15 sitting days without permission, as recorded in the Votes and Proceedings.

“Consequently, as it’s my understanding of the provisions of Article 97(1) (c) and Order 16(1) of the Standing Orders of Parliament, and the decision of the Court of Appeal in the case of Prof. Stephen Kawaka Asare vs. Attorney General and three others, I hereby refer the said Honourable Members to the Committee of Privileges for consideration and report to the House.”

He continued, “Since today (Tuesday) is the last sitting day of the meeting, I refer it to the committee, and I expect that the committee will submit its report two weeks after the House reconvenes.”

“I trust that the Committee of Privileges will consider this matter with the urgency and seriousness it deserves, as the public interest in this matter is amazed. More importantly, we make the law, and we must be seen to be obeying and complying with the laws we make,” he added.

The Speaker said the legislature has to set leadership by example, and “I strongly believe this is one of the cases we must show commitment to what the people have elected us to do.”

He indicated that a search on the attendance of members from the commencement of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, conducted by the table office on the First Session, was interesting and revealing, and said MPs needed to take the attendance to Parliament more seriously.

“The First Session of the House has already expired, and unfortunately this issue of absenteeism was not addressed in any of the three meetings of that session. I consider that it will be improper,” he noted.

Dissents  

However, some lawmakers from both sides of the House were not pleased by the decision of the Speaker to summon the three alleged delinquent MPs to the Privileges Committee of Parliament.

Minority Chief Whip and MP for Asawase, who set the ball rolling after the Speaker’s pronouncement, said Order 76 of the Standing Orders of Parliament requires that “every application to Parliament shall be in the form of a petition, and every petition must be presented by a Member who shall be responsible for the observance of the rules contained in Appendix A to these Orders.”

He pointed out that the Speaker’s reference to a ruling of the Appeals Court left out “interesting things,” and drew his attention that when that Appeals Court made that ruling that the seat could be declared automatically vacant, it again added that, under the 1992 Constitution, it is the High Court that can declare a Member of Parliament’s seat as vacant.

According to him, the danger is that if the House allows Speakers to take petitions from outsiders and “suo moto” with petitions from outsiders to refer MPs to privileges would amount to “greater disservice.”

“We will one day get a dictator speaker who will simply take petitions and statements from outsiders, and begin to penalise individual Members of Parliament. It is on this basis that I call on all of us to resist the attempt by Mr. Speaker to refer our colleagues to the Committee of Privileges,” he submitted.

Having regard to Order 93(5), Mr. Muntaka said he would challenge the Speaker’s decision to refer the three MPs to the Committee of Privileges with a substantive motion.

Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and MP for Nandom, Ambrose Dery, also registered their disagreement with the Speaker’s decision that the House will have a final determination on the fate of the alleged delinquent MPs.

BY Ernest Kofi Adu

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