News:
November 19, 2021
Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh said the Speaker, Rt. Hon Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin erred in his directives to the Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako Atta on suspension of collection of road tolls.
According to him the Speaker failed to convey the sense of the House and further told members of the Parliamentary Press Corps at a press briefing on Thursday, November 18, 2021 that anytime there is debate on the floor of the House.
“Speakers would ask, what is the sense of the House, why do they ask those questions very often, they are not rhetorical questions, it is based on practice and our standing orders, because the speaker cannot rule by his own authority?”.
And further noted that for the Speaker to say he was directing, he is not above parliament and he is not a member of parliament, “so his ruling should convey the position of the House; we think the Speaker erred in his ruling.”
In addition, he pointed out that the Speaker should maybe reconsider his ruling again and they are aware of the options that are available to them, if they want to challenge the ruling of the Speaker by coming on a motion, “but we want to put on record that the Speaker erred”.
He further added that they had picked up intelligence that people were amassing up to take action after the budget was presented and “you know Ghanaians, what has been happening in the country when the budget is presented and there is reaction from the public and identifiable groups and all that, so we think that the Minister acted in good faith”.
The indicated further that the first deputy Speaker, Joseph Osei-Owusu in his contribution pointed out that Parliament is the maker of the laws, and the Executive is the enforcer; and stated that probably the speaker should have made a referral in this contest to the Roads and Transport committee, they would have engaged the sector minister further then things would have come up more for them to appreciate.
“We think the Minister acted in good faith to avert a chaotic situation and that needs to be respected. The ruling by the Speaker I believe the Ghanaian people would act logically and reasonably in the face of what we said I think”.
It would be fair to ask, “what about the case of the law students where the Speaker directed? The distinction, he noted here is clear and if journalists recall the matter relating to the law students, there was a resolution by the House?’
So, the ruling of the Speaker in that context carried the resolution of the House it was not the speaker exercising excessive powers, “Speaker is a good friend, we would engage more but I think the Speaker erred”, he concluded.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com