News:
January 30, 2018
Minority in Parliament on Tuesday sort to know the where about of the Speaker, who is acting as President in the absence of the elected President Nana Akufo-Addo and his Vice Dr. Bawumia.
First Deputy Minority whip Ahmed Ibrahim raised the issue on the floor of the House, when he quoted Order 13 (2)
“Whenever the House is informed by the clerk at the Table of the unavoidable absence of the of Mr. Speaker, the First Deputy Speaker shall perform the duties and exercise the authority of Mr. Speaker in relations to all proceedings of the House until Mr. Speaker resumes the Chair, without any further communication to the House”.
He added that resuming sitting after weekend swearing of the Speaker as acting President, there had not been any better communication.
Leader of government business and Majority leader, Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu called on the House to come to a determination on the issue, because there had been instances where the Speaker had been in Parliament in his office doing business.
And the first and second Deputies had to take over affairs of the chamber and an announcement had not been made to that effect.
He further pointed out that, during the turner of former Speaker Justice Banford Addo, the first Deputy Speaker Doe Adjaho was in the chair presiding issues were not raised, but the Speaker was in her office.
According to the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, the House should come to a determination as to when the “absence” is applicable. Is it when out of Ghana or what?
What about if the Speaker is not in the Chamber but in his office performing a business in the House or had travel outside Accra in the other regions performing business, let us come to a determination as a House, he said.
By: Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/ghanamps.com