Author: Akumaa GhanaMPs

Minority Chief Whip Kwesi Amenyaw- Cheremeh drew the attention of the first Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu when it was the turn of the Minister to answer questions 513, 514, 515, 532 and 533.

According to the Majority Chief Whip, the Acting Chief Director has written to the House indicating the Minister has pre-arranged meeting with members of the Council of State.

Member of Parliament for Bole/Bamboi Yusif Sulemana sought permission to withdraw his question which has been overtaken by event because it has taken more than a year to be tabled for answering.

The question was, “when the Ministry will operationalise the Ghana International Trade Commission to help neutralise cheap import with countervailing measures”.

Minority Chief Whip, Mohamed Mubarak Muntaka noted that his side take a lot of consolation from the comments made by the Majority Chief Whip that the Speaker has question that Ministers should take work of the House serious.

“It is unfortunate that there is a first recording of such incident that the Minister of Trade and Industry cannot be in the House because of an earlier arranged engagement”.

“Mr. Speaker it is becoming a norm that every week Ministers are asking permission not to come to the House to answer questions, this is a Ministry with two deputies it has not been said that we would not receive deputies in the House”.

He further pointed out that the sector Minister has to meet the council of state and there is evidence to that effect, “why not, can’t we have any of his deputies?”

“They should always learn to give priority to the activities of the House”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

According to the Minority Leader the Ayawaso West Wuogon incident was a state sponsored violence.

“It is not right in any part of the world, when the state with its apparatus which has the right to protect the life and provide security itself unleashed violence, let us not relate that to the Kumasi incident”.

In an interview with members of the press corps just after adjournment of the House, he noted that the shooting incident in Kumasi around the National Democratic Congress (NDC) office was an individual exchange.

He was however quick to point out that the two incident is unjustified, “we need to have a national conversation to improve our national democratic practice”

“We need to do away with vigilantism, how do we do that, you saw what happened at our court and what happened to a Minister in the current administration nothing happened, rule of law does not mean rule of the rule”.

He further pointed out that, we should not reduce rule of the law to, rule of the Majority, rule that is not democratic.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

According to the Tamale North lawmaker heckling is part of the Parliamentary process and he was happy that even the first Deputy Speaker revealed that he has been part of that before.

His comments comes in the wake of he being asked to leave the chamber due to noise he made on the floor of  the House when the Majority side expressed their displeasure over the show of placard displayed with the inscription, “blood widow”.

“He failed to condemn himself, the holding of placard after he revealed that he has been part of it before, but want others to be condemned maybe if he had gone further to say he regret his action and said I shouldn’t have done that”.

Mr. Alhassan Suhuyini Sayibu in an interview after being asked to leave the chamber noted that, the first Deputy Speaker should have further said he regret his action and people should not emulate the practices.

“My seniors still do heckle and it is acceptable worldwide, so when I find it necessary to use that Parliamentary tool to register a protest I would do so”

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

According to the Minister the committee has not written to her but it is only proper to meet the committee and brief it on what has happened and how it affects Members of Parliament and those in the Executive arm of government.

Again we would give the committee members the opportunity to ask questions, and to see what is ahead in terms of resolving this issue, she added.

We need to resolve this issue; applicants in those two categories and their relations, if things are improved they would lift the restrictions.

In cases where they (United States) gives us a visa for five years, what they are doing now is to give us a month visa and the day you are given the visa within thirty (30) days you must present yourself at a US port of entering.

In an interview she noted further that when you are given the US visa an immigration officer who would decide if to allow you or not into the country, this affects lawmakers and their spouses.

Again diplomats, who are allowed to travel with some domestic staffs in this case,that has been suspended.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com

According to the Tamale North lawmaker, he passes all statements he wants to make on the floor of the House through leadership of his side before it gets to “Mr. Speaker”.

“It is at the request made to leadership, that I called you to speak to you today, I find it very unfair, sometimes I am told he has accepted my statement I should get read, I do and I get to the floor and I am told it has been postponed, other days I am told he has decided that I should not take it”

In an interview the Tamale North MP said, he has the support of his constituent and would continue to do what he can do to serve them.

“I hope I would not be viewed as the young man from, Radio Gold and rather viewed as someone who has constituency and has a right to represent my constituents”, he lamented.

He further pointed out that it would be very dangerous for this country if leadership begins to deal with each other base of sentiment.

“How we feel personally about each other, the focus has to be on the issues on the table, I hope there are no issues between me and the first Deputy Speaker, I do not have personal issues with anybody that I disagree with”.

Again disagreement on a matter does not amount to a fight, my statements are usually presented to the Speaker whoever is in the chair at the time has the discretion to accept it or not and in this case the discretion is adduced against me.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com