News:
March 26, 2020
Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu has responded to Speaker Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye’s earlier assertion that he had not received any memorandum from the Minority on bipartisan approach in the fight against COVID-19 as at Monday afternoon when he briefed on parliament’s approach in combating the spread of the disease.
Speaker Oquaye noted that the said memorandum has been kept away from him as a media secret as it has found its way onto the media he is not aware of it despite his preparedness to take on suggestions from leaders more especially the Minority Leader.
According to the Minority Leader, the said memorandum was delivered to the office of the Speaker on 20th March 2020 and was duly received and entered into the record books.
Whiles the first and second Deputy speaker’s and Majority Leaders copies were delivered respectively and received same day and could be verified, he pointed out in a statement.
He further pointed out to the Director of Public Affairs Madam Kate Addo’s respond, “no such letter has reached the Speaker’s office as at Tuesday morning 24th March, 2020 is unfortunate pronouncement was made on that matter without cross-checking from the secretariat of the Speaker”.
He added that he does not control the administrative arrangements in the office of the Speaker and cannot determine when a document delivered in the office is brought to the attention of the Speaker.
“Speaker was in the office on Friday, Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, it is therefore ironic that a document delivered on Friday was only seen on Tuesday”, he lamented.
In addition, he pointed out that he is not in the position to determine the sources of publication of his letter to the Speaker on social media.
Mr. Iddrisu noted that from the response from the Director of Public Affairs there are procedures for handling matters in parliament but fell short in admitting that one of such procedures is through formal communications as was applied in the present case.
“I did not breach any procedure by writing formally to the Speaker conveying the views of the Minority Caucus on an important subject as the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Mr. Iddrisu noted that the fact that he was in his constituency on Saturday 21st March 2020 it was so for all members of his side of the House as the House does not sit on Saturdays except where the exigencies required and upon consultations with Leadership of both side of the House. And unfortunately, the decision to sit on the said Saturday was taken without the due consultations with the Minority, “I accordingly informed the House that the Minority would not be part of the business of the said Saturday, the Rt. Hon. Speaker should therefore not be surprised on my absence on the said date”.
He said the Speaker knows his punctuality at early morning Leadership meetings, and most often the first to arrive at the venue. He emphasized that he was at his constituency, and arrived on Monday 23rd March 2020 to Accra, adding, his commitment and punctuality at the said meetings is therefore incontrovertible.
And, the Minority’s position on the said memorandum was driven by the national interest and he need for both side of the political divide to work assiduously to tackle the pandemic, as it is his pray and that of his side to work with a sense of urgency and with dispatch in these abnormal times.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com