News:
November 9, 2018
Parliament has suspended consideration of the Right to Information Bill 2018 for the second time due to lack of quorum.
Member of Parliament (MP) for Adansi Asokwa Kwabena Tahiru Hammond played a leading role in supporting Ningo-Prampram lawmaker Samuel Nortey George to call for quorum.
Mr. Samuel Nortey George raised the issue of quorum on Wednesday 7th November 2018 around 2:00pm with the second Deputy Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin did not grant the Ningo-Prampram legislator his wish because he had not come properly.
He quoted Standing Order 48, “if at the time of sitting, a member takes notice or objection that there are present in the House, beside the person presiding, less than one-third of the number of all the Members of Parliament and after an interval of ten minutes a quorum is not present the person presiding shall adjourn the House without question put until the next sitting day”.
Second Deputy Speaker Alban Bagbin noted that he could not adjourn the House because both Adansi Asokwa and Ningo-Prampram lawmakers had not come properly, because in their argument they had not stated the numbers of MPs on the floor.
The Ningo-Prampram lawmaker came under Article 102 of the 1992 constitution, “A quorum of Parliament, apart from the one presiding, shall be one-third of Members of Parliament”
Second Deputy Speaker directed that the bill be rang and after ten minutes when the House could not have a quorum, he was forced to adjourn the proceedings in the House.
Out of the two hundred and seventy-five (275) MPs, ninety-one (91) would have formed a quorum but as at the time of counting only thirty-six (36) members were on the floor of the House.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com