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Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu has categorically stated that, the first Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr.  Joseph Osei Owusu did not have a voting right during the time of approving the 2022 annual budget, since the Standing Orders 109 (3) actually State that, “A Deputy Speaker or any member presiding shall not retain his original vote while presiding”.

According to him the NPP Majority claims they had 138 members to approve the budget but in this case, order 109 clause 3 disqualifies Joseph Osei Owusu from voting since he was in the chair as Speaker of Parliament but not as MP, therefore in actual sense, 137 NPP Majority member approved the budget but not 138 as they want people to believe.

Mr. Iddrisu  added that,  going forward, the NPP Majority in Parliament should prepare well, since they are not going to have things easy at all,  because the NDC Minority is going to insist that, there is counting and voting on everything the House.

He made these comments at a press conference held in Parliament soon after the overturning of an earlier rejected 2022 budget and approving the budget, Tuesday, November 30, 2021.

“This would pass in history as a dark day for Ghana’s constitutional parliamentary democracy practice, those seeking to govern are seeking to appropriate and reprobate at the same time; we were not in the chamber because we rejected the 2022 budget on Friday which is reflected in the votes and proceedings; I am happy that the Majority Leader in his submission accepted that we are 137”.

Again, to avoid humiliating defeat, they walked out because they had 137 members like we also have and that would have led to a lost  as we have in the constitution and standing orders, “who ask for a division and walks out?”

“Today I am disappointed in the conduct of the first Deputy Speaker having include himself and exercise a vote in other to meet their mandate 138 without respect to our standing orders and the 1992 constitution”.

Mr. Iddrisu indicated that the Majority side consulted their side on Tuesday, November 30, 2021 in the morning they ask us to approve the budget subject to concession; and questioned where the concessions were in the budget.

“If there were concessions, revise the budget to reflect those concessions; we stand with that position and should reflect in the text. And we had a stalemate on the matter of E-Levy. Our original position was that no, no, no to the levy, they explained to us the difficulties to the economy and needed some additional revenues. They said they were not prepared to review the E-Levy, and then we decided that they should stand alone with it. We asked them to adjust the threshold of 100 Ghana upwards they said they were not prepared to do that”.

All because we wanted to inherit a healthy economy in the foreseeable future by John Mahama in 2025, “we would address a full scale press conference at the appropriate time we needed to let Ghanaians know where we stand”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

In the wake of the military takeover in Guinea, as Community lawmakers raise critical issues when country reports are presented at the plenary for discussion, a member of Ghana’s delegation to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Mahama Ayariga is calling for more attention to be paid to country reports than the Parliament is doing.

“We should allow diversity in the presentation of country reports; there are different sides in every political set up, so if you give one monolithic report, it often turns to be a water down of the reality in those countries. So the different political groupings representing a start should present different reports”.

In an interview he noted that when that is done, the Parliament can see the different shades from the different political parties to have a better view of the truth and reality in the various member states.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Minority in parliament has advised the Majority Leader and Government to accept defeat, and acknowledge the rejection of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy by Parliament and focus on discussions on how to save the country from an imminent economic crisis.

A statement signed by the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu on 28th November, 2021 said “The Minority is shocked and disappointed at the recent attack on the Rt. Hon Speaker by the Majority Leader in his attempt to explain away their inability to show leadership in the House during the consideration of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.”

The statement said Parliament is governed by the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament and not the imagination and thinking of any Member, adding that “It is the height of irresponsibility that the Nana Addo/Bawumia Government could not marshal the full strength of their Members of Parliament (MPs) to defend their 2022 budget before Parliament.”

Read below the full statement

STATEMENT BY THE NDC CAUCUS

IN RESPONSE TO THE MAJORITY ON THE REJECTION OF 2022 BUDGET STATEMENT AND ECONOMIC POLICY OF GOVERNMENT

THE IRRESPONSIBLE NPP “MAJORITY GROUP” CANNOT RUN AWAY FROM THEIR BUDGET AND BLAME OTHERS FOR ITS DEFEAT

The Minority is shocked and disappointed at the recent attack on the Rt. Hon Speaker by the Majority Leader in his attempt to explain away their inability to show leadership in the House during the consideration of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy.

The Minority wishes to strongly advise the Majority Leader and Government to accept defeat, acknowledge the rejection of the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy by Parliament and focus on discussions on how to save the country from an imminent economic crisis.

Parliament is governed by the 1992 Constitution and the Standing Orders of Parliament and not the imagination and thinking of any Member.

The Minority Caucus wishes to state that the Speaker applied strictly the rules, procedures and practices of the House and urged the public to ignore the allegations peddled by the Majority Caucus that sought to bring the image and reputation of the Speaker into disrepute.

The Minority dismisses, with contempt, the comments of the Majority Leader.

It is the height of irresponsibility that the Nana Addo/Bawumia Government could not marshal the full strength of their Members of Parliament (MPs) to defend their 2022 budget before Parliament. It is a known fact that the 137 New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the one independent Members of Parliament constitute a majority group of 138 MPs of the Parliament of Ghana and thus outnumber the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which has 137 MPs.

With this number which could secure them victory in any vote why did they run away from their own budget? There is no way the Standing Orders of Parliament or 1992 Constitution supports the Majority Leader’s position that the Budget has not been rejected.

It is trite law that you cannot sleep on a right and wake up to claim it. How could Members of a Governing party walk out on their own budget? They walked out only to save their face and a damning humiliation. They simply did not have the numbers to win any vote much more approve a Budget.

Sadly, why did the NPP Members do the unthinkable and for the first time in our recent political history, a so-called Majority side walked out on its own budget? Which serious governing party will do this, on a critical matter such as the approval of an economic policy and budget brought by a government formed by their party.

It is Ghana’s day of shame, that the majority failed to stand their grounds and be counted as those who seek to impose killer taxes on our already suffering citizens.

We wish to reiterate that what happened after the majority group walked out of Parliament is perfectly legal and meets all constitutional standards and conventions of Parliament and any

court will have a Herculean task to attempted to set it aside. The press statement of the NPP members of parliament claiming unconstitutional conduct by the very experienced Rt. Hon Alban Sumana BAGBIN should be disregarded with all the contempt it deserves.

Parliament has duly rejected the 2022 Budget. Until and unless the Government removes the draconian taxes and revises some issues contained in the rejected budget, the NDC Members of Parliament remain unable to support such policies.

The solution to Ghana’s current crisis lies in cutting down on unprecedented levels of looting of public funds by NPP officials reflected in lavish lifestyles of NPP Government and party functionaries and reduction of unnecessary Government expenditure. Until there is value for money no additional taxes should be imposed on the already suffering masses of Ghanaians.

The NDC caucus in Parliament calls on the public to remain steadfast in their expectations and convictions that the NDC caucus will remain committed to the cause of ordinary suffering Ghanaians.

The NPP Majority Leadership should appreciate that this is a new Parliament; a hung Parliament. Those days of the NPP Majority bullying and disrespecting an “insignificant” Minority because of their overwhelming majority numbers are over.

The NPP Government should rather concentrate on bringing a revised Budget that will, among others, address the following:

1. Suspend the Electronic Transaction Levy (E-Levy);

The Government should suspend the E-Levy and properly engaged stakeholders to agree on a reasonable policy. How can mobile money payments, bank transfers, merchant payments, and inward remittances be charged 1.75 percent? The policy is not retrogressive, not pro-poor and does not support the much-touted digitalisation agenda and cash-lite economy that we all yearn for.

2. Withdrawal of Agyapa;

The NDC Minority will not support any collateralisation of our revenues particularly mineral resources. The future of our country will be bleak if we continue in that regard. We cannot jeopardise the future generations of our country just for our present desires.

3. Provide for Tidal Waves Disaster;

The Government should incorporate in its revised Budget adequate measures to address the issue relating to the Tidal Waves Disaster in Keta and other communities. The victims should be supported. And the Phase II of the Blekusu Coastal Protection Project must find space in the Budget.

4. Properly re-construct the wording relating to the Aker Energy; and

Relating to GNPC acquisition of stake from Aker Energy and AGM Petroleum, the revised Budget should reconstruct paragraph 829 of the rejected Budget to reflect the decision of the House as captured in 6th August, 2021Votes and Proceedings of Parliament.

5. Review the Benchmark Value for Imports.

Government should, in a revised Budget, reconsider paragraph 247 of the rejected Budget which sought to restore the Benchmark Values of imports by suspending the 50 percent discount on selected General Goods and the 30 percent discount on vehicles. Some concession should be given to the importers.

The NPP Majority Leadership should appreciate that this is a new Parliament; a hung Parliament. Those days of the NPP Majority bullying the Minority because of their “excess” numbers are over. But with the nature and character of this new Parliament with its near equal- numbers (137+137) calls for broader and thorough consultation to secure the best national interest for the good of the Ghanaian people.

We hope the NPP government will do what is right and proper when considering a revised budget. The NPP Government should critically take on board the view of the Minority and sentiments of the Ghanaian populace and bring a Budget that is acceptable and address the issues of the general public. The NDC Members of Parliament has no problem approving a Budget that addresses the generality of the concerns of the Ghanaian people.

Long Live the Fourth Republic! Long Live the Republic of Ghana!

………..[sgd]………..

MINORITY LEADER

#LAWYER_HARUNA_IDDRISU 28th November, 2021

Leader of Government Business, Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has said the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin lied to Ghanaians when on Friday, November 26, 2021 when he came to preside over sitting that delayed and said he was not aware of a Majority side caucus meeting.

According to the Majority Leader, they had a meeting with the Speaker which coincided with one Dr. J. Y Amoakon, formerly of Economic Commission of Africa who wanted to see them. So for two hours they were meeting him.

Adding that in the cause of the meeting, the ‘Fix the Country’ movement came and together with the Minority Leader, they had to move and receive their petition, “which petition never got delivered to them”. They came to complete the meeting with Dr. J. Y Amoakon.

However, after that meeting, “I made request to the Speaker that we were to have our caucus meeting at 8:00am, now that we have finished grant us 30 minutes to have our caucus meeting. He said we can have it”.

“Speaker came and sat in the chair and lied that we did not apply to him; he does not know of any caucus meeting, no one has told him anything, how can you do that, how can the Speaker behave that way,  is not good enough and I think the meeting we had this morning we should be transparent and accountable to each other”

 Mr. Kyei-Mensah questioned, how do they build confidence and trust, if the Speaker can behave this way, should anything happen to the Speaker, “I should be the first person as the leader of the House to protect and defend the Speaker, what is happening now cannot be good for the House”.

At a media briefing after they staged the walkout on Friday, November 26, 2021, he revealed that his side is not running away from their own budget but they would not tolerate a question being put by the Speaker under intimidation circumstances not under any threat, they would not submit to it, what they have done is just to allow cool heads to prevail, they are moving out to have a caucus meeting on the attitude of Speaker and they would see what to do.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin said the Majority side is ready to engage their colleagues in the Minority and had been doing that on Friday, November 26, 2021 when they had been in a meeting together with the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament.

According to him there was a worrying development which should be checked going forward because whiles in the meeting, the backbenchers from the Minority would come and disrupt the meeting and it appeared they themselves did not respect their leadership.

He indicated that the Finance Minister sought audience with the Speaker and he granted it. But while the engagement with the Speaker and the leadership of the minority over the issues that they had concerns over was ongoing, attempts were made to disrupt it. “In a well-functioning democracy this machoism by the Minority would never be tolerated;  it is not that we are saying we are a majority have your say we would have our way, that has never been our posture, we have been engaging even when the debate was going on we were still engaging them on thorny issue”.

Again, the E-Levy that they want them to go at war with, they are aware of the challenges the country faces and under HIPIC during the time of President John Agyekum Kuffour the tradition of the current administration demonstrated projects they used the funds they got for.

“We are telling Ghanaians and our colleagues in the Minority, they are going to see E-projects all over the country, the Majority leader took time to tell Ghanaians that the NDC is up to mischief here, they are the same party they have not changed in terms of their leadership, as a group they were in power for eight years, they introduced burdensome taxes, we came and true to our words we brought relief to Ghanaians. Most of these taxes we either reduced them or abolished them. We went on to introduce social programmes to benefit Ghanaians”.

At a media briefing on Friday, November 26, 2021 he pointed out that even in the midst of COVID-19, if not out of political mischief they should cooperate for them to pass the E-Levy and they would see where Ghana would be and if they would not utilise the funds for the very project they have been calling for in parliament.

“We want to assure Ghanaians that this government is aware of its social contract with the people of Ghana, we would not fail them”

He warned that all around us is political instability, stating that Ghana has done its work in terms of its democracy to the envy of all people around us,  “if it is the intention of people to destroy our democracy, they  would not allow it and they  would not be part of any illegality, he said.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has given signals that going forward his side would no longer tolerate the Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Bagbin as he has started demonstrating that he is not a neutral Speaker who would want to carry the House along.

According to him the Speaker has started displaying machoism in the House, stating that after the conclusion of the 2022 budget debate, the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta made an application to him to make an intervention before the conclusion of the budget; but he did not grant that application until the two leaders of the House concluded their debate.

“Without, any provocation the Speaker indicated that from now onward, he (the Speaker) should be recognised as the number two citizen of the land, and not the third gentleman; we all laugh over it because we all thought it was a joke”.

Mr. Osei-Kyei was also not happy about the Speaker’s directive that the Marshal should lead the Finance Minister out of the chamber following his earlier directive for all individuals including ministers who were not members of parliament to leave the chamber.

The Speaker’s directive follows the deputy Majority leader’s objection to the Speaker’s ruling on the voice vote to allow the finance minister, Ken Ofori Atta to have further engagement with the leaders of the House, and called for a ‘Division’.

“Whenever the Finance Minister comes to this House he presents his budget and aspect of the budget has been criticize by colleagues from the other side, at the end of the day they have all rallied to approve of the budget. This time around the Ministers said he sees disagreement so he appeals to the Speaker to be given the opportunity to do some engagement.

As a Speaker who thinks he can issues his own directives to ministers now says that simple application must be subjected to a vote; the man who makes the application should be moved away from the plenary at the conclusion of the debate.”

According to him, when it comes to voting, ministers are not allowed to participate, but they are always there. “But for whatever reason, the Speaker is saying he must leave; failure to do so, he would call the marshal to take him out.”

“What kind of threat is that, and we felt that if we do not stop this behaviour from the Speaker, we do not know the vice president would be the next, he can participate in proceedings but he cannot vote. Assuming it is the vice president who comes and he tells him to walk out?” He queried.

And  if he fails he would subject him to the orders of the marshal, can you believe that without any provocation in the meantime our orders provide that in such a situation it is the gallery that must be cleared, the minister is sitting in the plenary not in the gallery, he added.

He wondered why the General Secretary of the NDC in the gallery must not be ejected, but Finance Minister, who made an application and is in the plenary, should be taken away; “this is unbecoming of a Speaker, and we should not tolerate this any longer”.

Ironically, he noted, they had a meeting Friday, November 26, 2021  in the morning to discuss some of these issues that we must carry the House along; “you are  not the Speaker for one side of the House, increasingly he is beginning to demonstrate this  tendency, and  attitude does not speak well of a Speaker who is neutral.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has taken a swipe at the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin for his comment on the floor after the rejection of the 2022 Budget Statement reminding the House that there is no majority party with both sides having 137 members each with one independent opting to do business with the ruling government party.

According to him the Majority side has not said any party in the current Ghanaian parliament has a Majority party and that is not lost on them that they have 137 seats in the House.

“Our caucus has a Majority, and the leader of our caucus is the Majority Leader that is whether or not we like it; you could have the NDC have 137, NPP could have 120 we would be a Minority party, the NDC would be the Majority Party. If all the other parties decide to join rank with the NPP, we form the majority caucus; the leader of that group is the Majority leader”

“And so, whoever refuses to accept this is his own problem; there are no co-leaders in the House, there is only one Majority Leader and the Leader of Government Business and doubles up as the Majority Leader”, he emphasized during a press conference organised by the Majority side of the House.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

The Majority in Parliament has pointed out that the purported decision by the 137 Minority side of the House presided over by Rt. Hon Alban Bagbin in their absence as they walk out was wrong.

The Majority Leader Osei-Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who addressed the media on Friday, November 26, 2021 around 8:45pm, said out of mischief the Speaker quoted Article 102 on issue of quorum of parliament apart from the person presiding.

He added that the Speaker was right with Article 102 which states that there shall be one third of members of parliament; “he was right that the quorum is for the transaction of normal business, maybe statements are being made with no decision being taken so that correct number is one third can listen to it.”

“When it comes to decision making, it is not Article 102 that applies, but rather Article 104 that comes to play, you recollect that the Minority leader said they are going to invoke Article 104 it was not for anything, we thought the Speaker knew the fundamentals of the constitution”.

 Article 104 clause one of the 1992 constitution say, “Except as provided in this constitution matters in parliament including this one shall be determined by a vote of the majority of members present and voting with at least half of all members of parliament present”.

The number that the Speaker quoted reflected the ‘entireship’ of the membership of the Minority caucus in parliament, but assuming that he was right, because they have cause to believe that at least two of the Minority members were not in the chamber yet the said 137 were in the chamber, the Speaker knows that at least two of them were not in the chamber, “why did he do that?”, He queried.

Even when he goes with the 137 numbers it is still less than one half of  the 275 member chamber so when he put the question to 137 the Speaker should have known would not support the decision of the House.

Order 109 clause 1 “no question for decision in the House shall be proposed for determination unless there are present in the House not less than one half of the members present in the House except otherwise provided in the constitution, the question proposed shall be determine by Majority of the votes of the members present in voting”.

“I believe whoever presided should bow down his head in shame”, he added.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh has set the record straight, pointing out that the Majority side of the House has their numbers to ensure the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy of government is passed on Friday, November 26, 2021 at a quick press briefing.

Responding to the Minority side that they (the majority) were delaying in coming to the chamber to conclude debate on the budget for reasons they do not know, he said their side was coincidentally having a caucus meeting when they had a call from the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin for a leadership meeting, so they had to leave and later return to conclude their caucus meeting     

He recounted the incident of the approval of some Minister nominees of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s government when they were black mailed, but the said Minister nominees got more votes than their current numbers.

“We got more votes than our numbers, yes or no? “Whatever happens the people of this country would hear good news; we know the schemes they are up to, we are ready”

When journalists inquire further if Ken Ohene Agyapong, Assin Central lawmaker and Dome Kwabenya lawmaker Sarah Adwoa Safo were in the country, as it is being alleged by some MPs in the Minority that charted flights are bringing down MPs on the Majority side from outside the country, he said; “It is your estimation, we are ready, do not worry whether someone is here or not; we have our numbers”.

“The significant matter of today is not lost on us, approval of the budget; it  goes to the core of  the welfare of Ghanaians peoples’ salaries, that of  MPs, a significant part of our population,  public servants is dependent on the budget  all expectant for the passage of this budget”.

The Minority   have made is abundantly clear that they are against it, Ghanaians, we heard them and they know all the schemes they are engaged in. “We are carrying the strong aspiration of the people of this country, those aspirations are that we want to make sure we pass this budget to give these public servants the needed liquidity”, he concluded.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram Samuel Nartey George has taken a swipe at a section of the media for being unfair to the Rt. Hon Speaker Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin.

According to him words of the Speaker have been twisted and misreported and the Speaker is not happy with it but is an issue for discussing at the appropriate time.

He made this remarks on Friday, November 26, 2021 midday when he pointed out to the media at a press conference that his colleagues on the Majority side of the House have not showed up in the chamber for debate on the budget to be concluded and a vote taken.

A member of the Parliamentary Press Corps inquired if the Speaker would not enter the chamber if the Minority side says they are in the chamber in their numbers. This he responded saying, “I hope you the media would not say the Speaker is bias when he walks in to do business”.

“We would take up issues with some of you, you have been very unfair to Mr. Speaker and coming to start business on the floor has nothing to do with the Speaker. The Speaker was not elected by Ghanaians to come and do business for them, it’s the members of parliament who have been elected, they should come and seat in the chamber”, he lamented.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com