News:
March 7, 2018
Leader of Government Business and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs , Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, said it is wrong for the Minority Whip to think he was the only one who was treated, “unfairly” by the Speaker professor Mike Aaron Oquaye.
According to the Leader of Government Business, he was equally treated unfairly, that is why I stated for the record you were up there you saw me get up on three occasions. “The Speaker did not call me, he is not the only person who was not seen by the Speaker”.
He made this remarks in an interview with Journalists just after the House adopted the report of the Subsidiary Legislation Committee after a voice vote.
As to whether in the case of the adoption of the report of the subsidiary legislation committee if a voice vote was needed, Majority leader Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu said, “yes voice vote was what was required”.
“Except anybody could challenge it, by this you saw that the total number of MPs in the House was not 275 in my own opinion just about half of the membership. He wanted a head count for what”?
Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu advice Journalists to abreast themselves of the constitution as LI approver requires 2/3rd of MPs.
“So if you have 1 half in the chamber and assuming all of us voted against the report, what is the purpose, you have not annul it this is basic people have to avert their minds to the constitution and the laws that we operate”.
That is the point that I got up but did not catch the eye of the Speaker, “ I was going to say that even the countenance of the chief whip that should call for the head count and let us count we would never be able to get the 2/3rd to annul the report”.
Mr. Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu further said, “ no no, be truthful to yourself did we have 2/3rd in the chamber, so what was he going to do, it was going to be an exercise in futility”.
Two representatives of the Law School students who were around granting interview on top of their voice signaling their disapproval of the decision of the House, started responding to the interview that the Majority Leader was granting.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs who could not take the persistent interruption and noise from the two students said, “please please we are in Parliament we deal with mature argument not infantile gimmick thank you”, then the interview ended abruptly.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com