News:
July 13, 2020
As Government institutions shutdown down with the scare of COVID-19, Speaker Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye has said if the House shutdown the country would shutdown.
“Parliament has to sit to approve money for the running of the country, so it cannot be shutdown as people are calling for”.
According to him other government departments can operate separately and individually, but in case of emergency the last stop is parliament.
“If no parliament, no country; we are in a critical situation, let us operate as such and get anyone who does not have priority business in Parliament out. His comment follows the presence of an auxiliary staff in parliament who said an MP asked him to come to the House.
“We have a duty to perform, anyone who is not supposed to come to the House and comes the person would be picked up by the marshal, we are going to be very tough about this”.
Professor Oquaye further added that the experts have said there would not be mass testing and if anyone feel symptoms they should immediately report to the parliament clinic.
He also reminded the house that on Monday dawn, the chamber was fumigated fully and would be done again Monday July 13, 2020 and urged MPs to refrain from asking their research assistants from coming to the House and rather work electronically, because those who would flout the rules would be dealt with, and no MPs should come to plead on behalf of anyone.
Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com